Giving Thanks

One day is not a sufficient amount of time to celebrate Thanksgiving. So after a feast at Grandma and Grandpa Caldwell's, we were off, over the river and through the woods to Grammy and Papa Anderson's house.

The celebration continued with another feast -- including a deep fried turkey! -- more family and friends to love, and a growing cousin to explore.

Calvin reunites with Cousin Ava every few months and, although the two spend time looking at each other's pictures during their time apart, it's always a little sketchy when the pictures come to life. Ava's not quite sure what to do with Calvin. He's messy and he wants to do whatever she's doing.

It's hard to share the spotlight, but it's fun to have a playmate who's the same size...almost. And each time together builds a relationship for life.

For the record: At the table for Thanksgiving #2 were Grammy and Papa Anderson, Uncle Ryan, Uncle Kurt, Aunt Denee, and Cousin Ava and our good friends, Dave, Diane, and Drake Petersen.

Thanksgiving

As the year passes and Calvin experiences annual celebrations, I have to wonder how much of these traditions actually sink in. I mean, did the bunny ears really clarify the meaning of Easter? Probably not, but I think they sufficiently marked the day.

We skipped the "Baby's First Thanksgiving" bib which left me wondering whether Calvin would remember his first official day to give thanks. (Read with great sarcasm.) Fortunately the turkey took hold and my handy camera captured Calvin experiencing the essence of Thanksgiving ... the aftermath. Priceless.

For the record: We celebrated Thanksgiving #1 at Grandma and Grandpa Caldwell's. Uncle Shane brought three colleagues from University of Chicago and three refugees from Iran also graced the table.

We found plenty for which to give thanks, and this little guy topped my list.

One Fun Tuesday

Tuesdays don't always lend themselves to overt excitement, but this particular Tuesday was extraordinary.

We had a surprise visit from Eric's grandparents, Ken and Jeanne Anderson followed by dinner with Nadia Hindaileh and Jessica Bowker.

Family and friends? C'mon now, it doesn't get much better than that!

Calvin the Punk

Calvin has great hair. It's growing in nicely and is currently a lovely dark blond / light brown color (like his mom's).

As it turns out, it's fun to style in the bath, too.

Tackling Daddy

He's getting strong, this little guy. Just after returning from the field (raking leaves), Eric was tackled by Calvin. And he wouldn't stop -- Cal just kept at him. I couldn't tear him off either, so I finally took a video ... for insurance purposes, of course.

http://www.vsocial.com/index.php?action=2&d=55830

Galena

Eric completed his MBA program (Yay!) so, for the first time since Calvin was born, we spent a weekend together without homework looming.

To celebrate, we took off to Galena and crossed paths with Grammy Anderson who had been there during the week.

Every visit to Galena is a new adventure for Calvin. With his rapid infant development there are always new places to explore.

This time Cal found a ready-made fort under the kitchen table, though it was prone to "invasions" by Grammy; a version of (his favorite) peek-a-boo. And then he was off to the stairs to show off his new talent.

Facing Forward

At Calvin's nine-month check-up, just in time for our road trip to Michigan, he was cleared for take-off in a new direction. I.e. We turned his car seat around to face forward.

There was a noticeable change in our time spent in the car. Cal seemed amazed that he could see people in the front seat -- like a sneak peak into a secret world -- though I wondered if the increased activity would be scary, with cars coming at us, and whatnot. Alas. he seemed to enjoy all of it.

At first he was too interested in his surroundings to fall asleep, but he did manage to nod off. And since he was facing us, we had a front row seat for his cute poses. Nothing beats a sleeping baby.

Stairs!

Cal finds his way from our family room to our kitchen, which requires him to scale a step. However, it was at Grandma's house that he took interest in a full set of stairs.

When he tired on the toys and furniture in the living room, he crawled to the foyer and then to the stairs. Grandma put something (yes, that's a ONE bracelet) a few steps up to see if he would respond to the situation.

Such a quick study! He really seemed to sense that he was going up and that “down” was developing behind him. He just went into rewind instinctively to scoot back out the way he had gone.

http://www.vsocial.com/video/?d=54603

First Steps (with assistance)

The weekend away wrapped up at Grandma Caldwell's house where Cal found a new way to move. Since learning to stand up with assistance, he's been trying to take a few steps while upright. A walker helped him practice.

http://www.vsocial.com/video/?d=54602

Happy Birthday, Friend Wil!

It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed since we celebrated the arrival of William Peter TeWinkle, III.

Our trip to Michigan included an equally raucous celebration of his first birthday. We wiggled our way into a gathering for family, among Wil's parents, aunts and uncle, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

Julie made a feast and Wil's first chocolate cake, and we enjoyed an amazing moment when the two boys crawled across the room to each other, got up on their knees and hugged!

But you'll have to take my word on all of this as I was without my trusty camera -- gasp! Julie and Peter were kind enough to share an adorable picture of Wil, dressed in TeWinkle garb and wearing his birthday crown.

Happy Birthday, dear William. Happy birthday to you.

A Shower for Nathan

Calvin joined Grandma Caldwell and me for a road trip to southwest Michigan. The impending birth of Nathan Ritter, Calvin's second cousin, gathered some of the Ritter women for a shower.

Somehow even dressed in male clothing, he was welcomed among the girls.

And in this picture he's politely pointing to the tooth he's working on.