Monday, November 27, 2006

After a long day.

Callum and I were getting his dinner ready, when I snapped this picture. He's so tired here that he was a bit wobbly and was drooling. Admittedly, there was a bit of mouth breathing as well. According to Dr. Lemke, children don't really start to breath through their noses until around 2 years of age.

Chillin' like a villain.

Here are Callum's stats:

76.2 cm long (2 ft. 6")
9.5 kg (21 lbs)
4 teeth
Very little hair

Callum clearly recognizes his name now and some things we are saying. Most of the time he will come to us if we tell him to. He understands the word, 'no' but seems to pick and choose when he listens - ack! "This Little Piggy" game just thrills him and he laughs hysterically, it's very cute! Oh yeah, the word sushi gets him in knots laughing as well :)

He is experimenting with his own communication and says "Da Da" indiscriminately most of the time, but more frequently uses the word when looking at Graham.

Climbing, climbing and more climbing is the name of the game these days. There is no way one can stop this wee man from exploring anything and everything. He is able to pull himself up on just about anything, including movable objects. A few times he has been able to 'cruise' along the furniture, but not much yet. I was helping him stand without furniture the other day and when I let go he didn't fall down right away. It must have been about 2 seconds before his butt hit the ground. I figure by Xmas he will be walking.

Our near goals are to get him off the bottle feeds and onto using a sippy cup. Right now he will put the nipple of the bottle in his mouth very confidentally, but he refuses to hold it while he's drinking it. I really think he should be feeding himself his bottle by now, but even more, he should be giving up the bottle.

I've had many people e-mail lately asking what size Callum wears now and for now, he is just coming into the 12-18 months range.

Mall madness!

Over and out!

- Allison

He's figured it out.

Callum has officially figured out how to sneak his way into the H.O.V. (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane - hitch a ride with the Cat in the Hat!

Riding in the H.O.V. lane with the Cat in the Hat.

Lisa and I were trying to get Callum to sit down while driving, but to no avail. He decided that standing while reefing on the steering wheel was much more appealing, oh yeah and jumping up and down. Now I'm not saying he's going to be a crappy driver in the future, but let's hope this doesn't set a precedent.

One thing is for sure, he looks very cute!

Here's a more intimate look at the two of them in the car.

First mall ride!

Cat doesn't look upset, so maybe the ride wasn't as crazy as it seemed!

First trip to the dentist!

Well, Callum is now officially a member of the toothed brigade, thus he needed to have his first appointment with the Dentist. Dr. Rosebush is a great dentist and was pretty sure that Callum was his youngest patient ever! Of course, like most people, Callum was slightly freaked out by lying down in the chair.

First trip to the dentist!

Good thing was, Dr. Rosebush was very patient and Callum got a good, clean bill of health. Also, I finally got to see his teeth! Whenever I try and pry my fingers into his mouth so I can have a gander, he clamps down like a dog on a bone. It's not the most flattering picture of Callum, but being at the Dentist has never really been a pretty thing anyway!

Teeth!  All four of them!

And that's the tooth!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Callum's First Halloween!

Our little chicken is anxious to get to the mall to hear the Mayor of Burnaby read out scary stories. Too bad the Mayor has absolutely no experience reading to children and was dreadfully boring! Nonetheless, it was very nice of him to take time out of his day for the kids.
Go, go chicken go!
Although, after looking at how intensely Callum is listening to the story, maybe it was just boring for me!
Round little chicken, listening to a story.
I took Callum to the children's play area at Brentwood Mall so that he could see all the kids playing. He seems to get a real kick out of seeing other children. Because he's so little, I wasn't going to take him into play because I didn't want him to get hurt. I changed my mind, not about wanting him not to get hurt (!), but taking him into play. I figured now that he can crawl it might be fun for him and boy was I right! He was scooting all over the place!
Chicken on the move!
There were so many cute kids dressed up in sweet little suits that you just couldn't help laughing and smiling! I loved watching Callum play and laugh, although there were a few close calls with bigger kids almost falling on him - ack! Check out Eeyore going arse over tea kettle in the background!!!
Check out Eeyore going arse over tea kettle in the background!
Callum really liked playing with the giant eraser and crayons.
Deciding how he can pick up the giant crayon.
Crawling chicken.
After we left Brentwood I took Callum home for a nap and to be honest, I kind of needed a rest too! Later in the afternoon I took him over to Lougheed Town Centre to see what was going on there. I was a bit floored at how many children there were trick-or-treating in the mall! I guess this is the new safety trend is to have your child collect candy in the mall. I guess it's an okay idea, but I like the old school idea of getting all bundled up and going out in the cold.

Here's Callum on his way into Lougheed Mall. As my friend Terry said, he looks like a chicken on a mission and I agree!
Chicken on a mission!
Here, our seemingly innocent, resting chicken waits...
Resting chicken.
...and then pounces on the camera! Feral chicken!!!
Chicken cam!

Tired, out of his costume, done sifting through his candy (he didn't really have any, I'm just saying it for the good of the story!), Callum rests in front of the t.v. (that isn't on). There's something Tim Burton-esque about his little stripey suit. All in all, a good Halloween was had by the McKinnons.
Ahh, buttons.  Anything with buttons is terribly entertaining!

Hope you all had a spooky and enjoyable Halloween too!

Boohaahaahaa!