Snow is on the Way

Kaleb: Day 285

It was another busy week, especially due to the extra time I had to put in working. It all paid off on Friday when I went with the sales team to a demo of our software in Boston. Now I know its further from coding than what I am currently doing, but it still more fun than what I am currently doing. Unfortunately getting to Boston for 9AM isn't exactly easy so I left around 6:30 and met Kate for breakfast, just in case traffic was crazy. We met at True Grounds, the same place we used to meet all the time. The scones were just as good as I remember them.

As for Kaleb's week, he slept a lot more than me and didn't have nearly as many meetings. He did have his first bubble bath (you can see how he felt about that in the photos). He is standing up while holding on to things all the time now and it really seems like only a short while before he will take those first steps. He has also been eating level 3 baby food without trouble, when he first started he had a little trouble with the big chunks.

Bedtime has changed slightly since last month, our doctor told us to try and feed him as much as possible and to push his bedtime back an hour. He suggested this because we told him how we always have to rock him to sleep before putting him down. Now we put him down and he cries for a couple minutes but then goes right off to sleep from pure exhaustion. Unfortunately he continues to wake up between 9:30 and 10:00, which is tough because he won't just go back to sleep easily and letting him cry to sleep has failed to work so far even after 20 minutes of sobbing. Now we are determined to break this awful habit, so we can enjoy our bed without a little person stuck in between us.

Yesterday Jamison and Megan came up to visit. We played at the house for a couple hours and then we went downtown to Flatbread for lunch. Jamison is such a cutie and is such a great kid, Kaleb is lucky to have her for a girlfriend.

Today we are hoping to find a nice Christmas tree and will try and attend the Merrimac Santa parade. It sounds like a busy day ahead, I am sure Kaleb is up for it though considering he just slept for quite a while in his high chair. Oh yeah and one more thing it sounds like snow is on the way for tonight and tomorrow, although it is not really clear how much we will receive in Merrimac. Being this close to the ocean always messes things up and makes each storm a complete mystery.

Keeg

Kaleb's First Thanksgiving

Kaleb's First Thanksgiving

We went down to Connecticut for Kaleb's first Thanksgiving. I would go into more detail, but right now I have a pounding headache and I am exhausted.

We did have a great time though. Kaleb has been mumbling "Momma" all weekend long, it is his new word thing. In other development news he successfully sat up from laying on his stomach Saturday morning. He also managed to crawl/scootch backwards. He seems to have come down with a cold and his voice is very raspy. Sometimes its funny because his crying just doesn't sound right.

Okay now we are off to bed.
Keeg

Sleepy Eating

Kaleb was a bit sleepy while eating yesterday morning. Here is a video:



We are heading down to Connecticut for the holiday. The plan is to leave on Thursday morning to try and avoid the traffic. We'll see if thats going to work.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Keeg

Another Week Ends

Another busy week is finally coming to an end and once again I am exhausted. It is a little combination of being busy, almost frantic, at work and Kaleb's early mornings. Its okay though because it means time is scooting right along and we are that much closer to paying off our house (only 356 more payments to go). Kaleb has been doing very well and got a clean bill of health from the doctor. For the record he is now 26.5" long and weight 15lbs 3oz. His height actually puts him in the 5th percentile for his age, which means he is now on the chart. After talking to the doctor about his sleep schedule we have pushed back his bed time an hour so he is more tired and it has really worked out well. Jennifer has been putting him to bed while he is still awake and he cries/fusses for about five minutes before passing out.

I am not quite sure about our itinerary for the weekend outside of a couple get-togethers with friends. I have compiled quite a queue of shows on the TiVo and kind of feel compelled to watch all of that stuff. I also bought the latest installment in the Mario series called Super Mario Galaxy and I want to get some time in playing it. Jon has also said he will come over and we can remove the rotted shelving from the basement.

That's it for now.

Keeg

A Chill Is in the Air

Kaleb: Day 266

The true autumn like weather has arrived and for now I am okay with it. It hasn't been cold enough to break out the winter jacket, which still keeps me happy. It was another relatively quiet weekend, a little yard work, a little trip to Newburyport, a little shopping, nothing to involved. Yesterday we went over to Stella's in Newburyport for a delicious breakfast, Kaleb was a good kiddo and just hung out in his high chair snacking on our his food and a little of our food. We then returned home and I went outside to rake leaves and went crazy on our grapevines. You see we have these wonderful Concord grapevines in our backyard, but they were really taking over several smaller bushes and were just plain out of control. So I ripped them out of the trees and trimmed them back so we can hopefully attach them to an arbor in the spring. After the yard work we piled into the car and went shopping up in Salem, NH.

Today we had the morning I have always dreamed about having. My wife and son in the kitchen of our house eating a breakfast of scones and mocha's, while listening to some nice "coffee house" type music. It was just wonderful, and goes to show just how great things have become in my life. A little later in the morning, my mom and Jon came over to install new smoke detectors throughout the house. We had some, but they didn't have a battery back up so if the power went out they wouldn't have worked. I had also bought some electronic themostats a while back and Jon was able to hook those up. No more cold mornings downstairs!!! After they left we went over to the cemetery to pay our respects to my grandparents, Arthur and Gigi. Jennifer had asked if we could a few weeks ago and since it was Veteran's day it seemed like the perfect time. Kaleb slept in his car seat while Jennifer and I shared a few tears. It was beautiful over there with the giant oak leaves falling in the chilly autumn sunshine. We then grabbed some lunch before returning home for the rest of the day.

Since five I have been working on a little project for work. I am working on something I would like to get done during the work week, but just don't have time for it. Its sort of strange that I can't do the my real job during the week and have to save it for the spare moments I can scrape up.

There was some big news in the world of Kaleb. Friday afternoon he rolled over from his back to his front for the first time. He has been rolling from front to back for a while now, but this was the first time that he was able to pull the other arm from underneath him. Of course this means he is now able to roll across the floor and has on more than one occasion rolled off onto the hard wood floor.

Hopefully I will have some photos up soon.
Keeg

Long Weekend (1 hour longer than normal)

New England Aquarium

As my dad pointed out today it was a long weekend thanks to the moving of the clock back an hour to officially end daylight savings time. We had a very relaxed Saturday and an uber busy Sunday. We mostly stayed in on Saturday with the exception of a late afternoon trip to Panera. Today we met the Noonan's at the New England Aquarium, where we wandered around for a while and then we went over to the North End for lunch. After saying farewell to them we went shopping at Downtown Crossing. We then jumped in the car and drove up to my dad's house for dinner. We spent a good two hour there and watched the big Patriots/Colts game (some called this the biggest regular season game in history) the Patriots ended up winning in the lat few minutes.

Once we were back at home Jennifer and I sat on the floor of our bedroom and had Kaleb practice walking on his own. He still isn't very stable but for the first time balanced himself all by himself for a couple seconds before toppling over. He also took a step or two towards Jennifer before falling over. I don't think we are going to go as far as saying it was his first steps, but he is definitely getting close. I will be sure to document it on video when it happens.

Very exciting times!!!
Keeg

Kaleb Making Some Noise

Trick or Treat

Halloween Photos

Another crazy week has passed at the Sands household. Kaleb's teeth continue to make their way up through his gums and his trouble sleeping has increased. We have had a really hard time with him the last few days going to sleep and staying asleep. Besides that a slight loss of appetite he seems to be weathering the storm fairly well. He has really taken off in his walker and marches around the house quite a bit. We have even taken him outside, my mom got him to climb her entire driveway and I took him to the Amesbury Skate Park for a little exercise. Despite the occasional fussiness at home he is still a very well behaved little boy.

As for Kaleb's parents we have been very tired lately. I have been burning the midnight oil and then waking up at six which is starting to catch up with me. Jennifer on the other hand has been working all day and then taking care of Kaleb in the evening. Parenting is a strange thing, it seems that you always think you are at the most difficult time for one reason or another, but a month goes by and it seems even more challenging. Like for instance right now Kaleb is pretty demanding attention wise and his attention span is pretty short so there is a constant pressure to keep him busy and moving around. This compares to a few months ago when you could just put him in one place and he would sit there quite content. Right now I think if only he could walk things would be easier, but I am sure it will just bring up more different and challenging issues. The bottom line is probably that each stage is equally as hard as the last, but just different. I am certain of one ting we will soon see if I am right.

This weekend we are off to the New England Aquarium on Sunday with the Noonans followed by a birthday party up at my dad's house.

Busy busy busy!!!