Cael has been sleeping in his "big boy bed" for about a week now. He took two naps in it and refused to return to the crib after that. He knows he's too cool for that baby stuff. Fortunately for us, however, he treats that little side rail as if it were an electric fence. He won't get out of his bed on his own - instead he just sits up and cries and waits for assistance. This morning he just sat there and said, "Mom mom?...

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Because you all so desperately want yet another video of Cael eating. You know you do...

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I'm sure you all know this, but I have a deep dislike of phones and phone conversations. Usually, in order to combat this, I hide it under the bed. But now I have a better solution: Cael! The little dude has a love of phones that has to be inherited from his father. If anyone is using a phone, he must be a part of the conversation. It's as if phones call out to him, "Slobber on me! I need some...

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Well, we've made a little progress with the video camera. He still insists on looking at the viewfinder, but the tunnel vision has faded a bit. Unfortunately, when he's looking at the viewfinder I can't be, so... chopped off face ftw! Cael shows off his anatomy knowledge and a repeat performance of the crowd pleasing fish impersonation: I was hoping to get some other animal noises on video,...

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Cow - "MMMMMM!" Cat - "Mmmmm." Doggie - "Guau, guau!" (Yes, that's Spanish for "Bow wow!" He is a bilingual baby, after all.) Pig - *scrunches up nose and sniffs* Sheep - "Mom!" I tried to get these on video, but when he sees the camera he attacks it like his mom attacks chocolate cake. We did, however, manage to capture a bit of his fish impression on film...

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The cow says, "Mo...

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Cael's two favorite things to say need no translation. Whenever he sees someone or talks to someone on the phone (before he presses his favorite button - the red one) he's ready with an enthusiastic "hi!". If something is dropped (or, more likely, thrown), or if Clio is outside and needs let back in he will let me know by saying, "uh oh!" - which is rapidly overtaking "hi" on the frequency of use...

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Cael had his first playdate today. Yes, I am aware that he's 18 months old and should have had a zillion by now, but I'm antisocial. He may enjoy playing with other babies but that means I have to play with other moms! Yikes. Eight toddlers in all, from 10 months (?) to 18 months. Cael is the oldest by a few weeks. There was an attempt at getting all of them to sit in a line for a picture, but you can imagine how well that...

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Ask Cael where his Dad is and he'll say, "Da!" and point to Ryan. Ask Cael where his Mom is and he'll say, "Mama!" and point to himself. Ask Cael where Cael is and he'll say, "Mama!" and point to himself. If you challenge or contradict him, he just gets more insistent, shaking his head, pointing to himself and shouting, "Mama! Mama! Mam...

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... while he's at work...

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Itsy Bitsy Spider: Up and Down...

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Today was the first day that Cael operated his climber all by himself - through the door, up onto the platform and down the slide...

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Ryan took Cael to Les Schwab today (both in Notre Dame apparel, of course). Apparently, it was the best 30 minutes of Cael's young life. He's a hardcore tire fanboi. He spent the entire time running up and down the aisles, touching every tire he could reach and squealing in delight. If only I could get that excited about a brake check. As an added bonus, Cael got to flirt with ladies at Starbucks and Great Harvest on the...

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Caught on film! And no, he's not flirting with one of the cute girls in his Spanish class. He's flirting with one of their moms. Typic...

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... you think, "He's being suspiciously quiet" and go to find him curled up on the floor of his room, face buried in his blanket while sucking his thu...

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Martin and Kathy took us to the Oregon State Fair today. Cael had a blast. His second attempt at a petting zoo was a bit more successful than his first (the county fair). He was a little more interested in the animals and a little less interested in truck tires. Although, he did enjoy spending time playing with the gate. But who can blame him? Gates are cool. His dad tried to get him to go on the Zipper, but Cael (wisely)...

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Cael's no longer the baby in the family. Now he's the older cousin, ready and willing to teach the young and impressionable how to drool, open cupboards, and get stuck in small crawl-spaces. Whee!We went straight up to Portland as soon as we heard the news. Mom and baby are happy and beautiful. I'm pretty sure I looked like I got hit by a mac truck a few hours after Cael was born. Sarah looks...

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Cael now can say "Dad" and "Hi, Dad." He is completely independent with his cup. He'll even walk around the house while drinking it. He still sloshes it a bit, but he does really well. He's also independent with his spoon, as long as whatever he's eating is sticky enough. I give him two spoons (one for each hand) and a bowl of Cream of Wheat and he'll get down to the bottom of it all by himself....

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Cael's picture was on the front page of the local section in today's Statesman Journal. He's doing what he does best - shoving something into his mouth and slobbering. I'm so proud! Class provides early start on bilingual learning for bab...

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Cael has a remarkable ability to get himself into spaces he can't get out of. He used to scream until I rescued him. Now he just gives me the "a little help please?" fa...

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I don't have a baby anymore - I have a little dude. He's incredibly mobile and becoming more and more vocal and independent. He's an expert at walking, running and dancing (thanks to Grandpa Paul, Cael prefers to dance to bubble gum music and is especially fond of "Do[ing] the Freddy"). His new favorite trick is to bring Ryan or I our shoes and make us put them on, then grab us by the finger and drag us to the front door...

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Since Cael has become such a dancing machine, we've taken to turning on the children's music station on Comcast and letting it play in the background sometimes. I tried the toddler's station, but it's harder to rock out to Raffi than to High School Musical. You try shaking your booty to "If You're Happy and You Know It" and you'll see what I mean.As the music plays, the television goes through a...

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We were watching So You Think You Can Dance. Nigel, meet your future contestant: He's got more rhythm than his Aunt Lauren! We had to keep rewinding that song because every time it ended, after he applauded, he would cry until it started again. Dancing machi...

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Because it has been so sunny and gorgeous here, we've been taking lots of trips to the park. We've sampled a few of the local spots and settled on South Village park as our favorite because it has tot-sized toys and less moms. (The latter, of course, being the biggest draw. Small talk! Curses!) I think Cael's becoming a park addict, however. Today at Bush he threw a tantrum every time Lauren and I would try to take him...

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Cael and I went to Freddy's today, and before we could make it through the front door, we were accosted. Usually, it's the girl scouts (damn them and their cookies!) but today it was a guy from the Statesman Journal. He shoved a newspaper in my face and asked if I would like a free copy.I said yes.No one knows why I said yes. I don't like papers, I don't need papers (if it isn't on Stewart or Colbert,...

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Cael took his first unassisted step yesterday - in the bathtub. Because the logical transition is to go from utter terror of stepping without a hand-hold to free-styling through knee-deep water in a ceramic death-trap. Right? Today he has taken a few more steps on his own, but still prefers crawling and walking with support. Maybe he's just waiting for his next bath? Also, today was his first...

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Cael turned one last Wednesday, and so we check in with his stats! Cael @ 12 months: His percentiles haven't changed, so he's still a runt with a big head. He's actually so small that he can't use his new car seat. It's designed for "one year or 20 lbs" and he's too little. You'd think his big head would count for something! Due to his excessive drooling (Really, it's ridiculous. It's like he has a hole in his chin),...

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No one told me that diapering a crawler was like trying to wrangle a wet rabbit. Cael no longer lies on the changing table like a turtle on his back, immobile and perfectly content to stare at the ceiling. Now that he realizes he can move, he insists on doing so. There's a painting on the wall of the nursery of the alphabet with animals. For some reason, this particular piece holds him entranced...

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Better at crawling, better at pulling up and better at eating...

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And we're on the move! Cael is crawling - rapidly. Yesterday it took him 30 minutes to cross the room, now it takes 30 seconds. I suppose it's time to babyproof? =) Also, he has learned how to stand up in his crib. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet learned how to sit back down. Lately every time I come into the nursery I find a screaming, stranded biped. And, just to spice things up, he's taken...

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On Sunday night Cael's blankie was violently yanked under the wheels of the stroller. After initial shock subsided, Green Blankie was rushed home, torn and muddy, where Cael's mom performed corrective surgery.This photo was taken after being sent through the washing machine.The "before" washing machine picture was deemed by the AP to be too gruesome to publish.Being a novice surgeon and unfamiliar with this particular type of...

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(Click to enlarge) Look at all those teeth! Are you surprised he's not screaming? ME T...

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The boys wait for their second swimming class. Cael is chatting it up with Jon and Kadin. (Cael is totally going to be the, "Mom, why do we have to hang out with that little runt?" guy for poor Kadin and Logan. Meanwhile, Cael will be like, "Mom! Can I hang out with the big boys again?!") Here is Cael working on his breast stroke. Nice form. (Or maybe he's reaching for his toy. Either way, looks good, no?) "We kick the...

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Cael is nine months old today, and to celebrate he went to the doctor. Boy, does he know how to have a good time! The stats: Height: 25th percentile Weight: (17 lbs) 10th percentile Head: 50th percentile So, nothing's changed. He's still a runt with a huge head. A smaller, skinnier runt, but a runt nonetheless. Food: He's still nursing and eating solid foods. He was strictly an oatmeal man,...

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We're currently without our video camera, so you'll just have to add the hissing sound in your head. ...

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I thought Cael knew how to scream. I was wrong. Now he knows how to scream. And he does it all the time. I guess about 9 months is when babies develop the ability to throw a temper tantrum. Cael has figured out that if he's not happy where he is (sitting with his toys, in his Exersaucer, in the grocery cart at the store, in someone's lap) he can just let out a loud, shrieking scream and someone...

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I find myself constantly surprised (and, I will admit to being a little disappointed) at the lack of attention Cael gets on outings. Surely, this is mostly a *new mother!* thing, but there is a part of me that thinks objectively that babies should draw at least a little attention. I mean, they're adorable. If guys rubberneck at ladies in short skirts, can't the rest of humanity be bothered to look...

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