Caleb's First Haircut

For the first couple of months after we brought Caleb home he was sporting what we fondly liked to call his "soul patch"- that little tuft of hair growing on the top of his head. A lot of babies start to grow hair on the top of their head first. That's normal. Caleb's hair was a bit more conspicuous than others because his grew straight up.

So, after much deliberation and because, well, it was just getting out of control, we decided to cut the poof off.

Here's the poof in all it's glory.

Making the first cut.

Caleb was very patient while I tried to make it somewhat even up on top.

Before...

After!

My, but my baby is looking dapper!

Picking Up Caleb

Here's a little video I've been working on since before we ever met Caleb. Okay, I haven't really been working on it since then, but I've been thinking about it.
The longer it took the finish, the more pictures I wanted to add to it. The kid is just so darn cute.

This is a video journal of our trip to Florida: Getting ready, flying there, picking him up, all the stuff we did while we waited for the 'okay' to come home, and then a little slice of life since we brought him home.

Enjoy!

Being a Mother

I have a great mom.

Ever since I was young I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to be a fun, loving, patient, always-there-when-you-need-her kind of mom.

(A moment in motherhood)

Fast forward 20 some-odd years and now it's my turn to be that kind of mom. Only now that it's here, I don't know if I'm any good at it. And I find myself asking, how did she do it? How does anyone do it?

I'm really not that great at mothering right now. I don't feel like I have that motherly instinct. You know what I mean, that seemingly innate knowledge that pours out of mothers to care for and nurture their child. I don't know which stores have the best sizes of clothes for certain ages. I don't know which toys will stimulate my baby's mind the best. I don't know where the best playgrounds are or which places offer free admission on certain days. I don't know what to do for colds, teething, tummy aches, rashes, colic, spit-up, or food allergies. I have a brief idea of what I'm supposed to do to help him learn to roll-over and sit up. I'm vaguely familiar with the term "tummy time". Am I damaging my child because I don't know what that is? I don't know always know what my baby needs or why or when or where...and sometimes I don't care. As long as he sticks to my schedule, I'm okay. I panic when I think of transitions to more solid food, less naps and sleeping without being swaddled. I'm kind of winging it here.

When we first picked up Caleb no one was there to help us but us. It was just me, Zack, a baby and a hotel room. Wal-Mart and Google were our friends. ("He has a cold! What do we do?! Google it! Now go to Wal-Mart and buy everything we've read about!")

My mom wasn't there the first week to help me transition into motherhood. In fact, even after we got home she wasn't there very much. She couldn't be. She was mothering her own mother at the time.

But I think watching her take care of her mother is teaching me more about being a mother than all the books and classes and google advice in the world. I've learned how to care for my baby by watching her take care of her mother. When I would see her doing something for my grandma, like adjusting a pillow, adding an extra blanket or adjusting the recline position on the bed, I would ask how she knew to do that stuff. Her reply was always, "I just think about what I would want if it were me and then I do that." Of course. So simple.

My mom wasn't born knowing how to take care of my grandma so well. She learned day by day. She talked to health care professionals, she learned about nutrition, she asked questions, she read, and she tried things. In the end, she gave my grandma the very best care anyone could ask for.

So, Mom, thank you for your example. I may not know how to be a mom, but I'm learning by watching you. I'll learn day by day. I'll ask questions, I'll read, I'll talk to my pediatrician, I'll learn how to give him the best nutrition and I won't be afraid to try things.

Thank you for teaching me how to care, how to love, and how to be a mom. As a child I wasn't mature enough to notice how you mothered me. I'm so glad that I was able to witness you being a mom from an adult perspective. I hope I can be half as good a mom as you are. And maybe someday my kids will love me just as much as your kids love you.