Brief but beautiful

Today was a very special day for all three of us - today was Calvin's baptism.  In the Presbyterian church the sacrament of baptism takes place within a normal worship service immediately following the offering, so we fed Calvin during the sermon so that we'd have a better chance of him being happy and alert during the actual ceremony.  There we were, parents, godparents (Ann and Curtis), and ministers, gathered round the font with a very alert and happy Calvin.  Throughout the reading of the charges Calvin was completely taken by the speaking minister, gazing directly at his face with a look of befuddled concentration - the congregation seemed to be holding back giggles.  Even cuter, however, was the broad grin Calvin gave him a couple of times when he paused in his speaking - and the congregation stopped holding the giggles back.  The sweetest moment, however, was the walk of introduction when, following the administering of water, the congregation sings a hymn (this time, a hymn written for Calvin by his father) and the minister walks the child through the aisles for the church to meet their newest family member.  Calvin seemed to know it was his moment to make a good "first" impression, and, as the minister held him high and faced him towards the people in the pews, he gazed out at all those people with his best "you have to love me" look - and, so we were told, many of them cried.  We know we did.  It was a moment that we had been eagerly anticipating for, well, three months, and now it is over.  It's amazing how fleeting the most important points in our lives are; this one lasted for less than ten minutes, but it was as beautiful as it was brief.

We are very blessed to have such an accepting and loving church, and equally as blessed to have such supportive families.  The day was made all the more special by the presence of so many family members - all four grandparents, as well as Cortney's Aunt Wendy and Uncle Jack, and her Aunt Cookie (who happened to be visiting from Washington), Calvin's Aunt Ann, who is doing us the honor of being his Godmother, and Patty and Uncle Curtis, who is doing us the similar honor of being his Godfather.  Following the baptism we continued our celebration of this wonderful new life by going to brunch at the Gandy Dancer, where we even got to talk to Cortney's cousin, Kate, via phone connection all the way from the Netherlands.  We all laughed and had a wonderful time.  Calvin is very loved indeed.

The other problem with gripping...

...is what he grabs.  Today he grabbed the washcloth that was the "protective covering" during his diaper change, and, as soon as he had removed it and tossed it over his head, proceeded to pee all over his mom (not himself, his mom).

A milestone we wanted, and one we didn't

The good news first.  Calvin has always been a good sleeper, staying down for six to eight hours most nights, which the pediatric medical profession calls "sleeping through the night."  But let's face it - if he goes down at nine, six hours later it's still only thee AM!  Even eight hours later it's only five.  We consider three AND five AM to be part of "the night"  and we don't call that sleeping through.  For the past almost two weeks, though, Calvin has consistantly gone down at nine and gotten up at seven.  Now we're talking!

Now the bad news.  Calvin has his first cold.  We can't say we were surprised - Cortney had a sore throat and sniffles last week and, even though she washed her hands in hot hot water so often that they started to peel, we figure that if the antibodies she has didn't protect her they won't protect the little guy.  We could tell on Sunday that something wasn't right, but yesterday and today have really been the toughest.  We figure he has a sore throat, which, of course, he wouldn't understand, poor little guy, so he is uncomfortable while eating and doesn't want to talk as much.  And, of course, he is fussy all the time and does not want to be put down!  On the bright side, he is really tired all of the time so he is taking his naps really well!  And, just for a bit of mommy humor, Cortney dressed the ornery little bugger in a onesie with crabs on it;  if he's going to be crabby he might as well dress that way.

To Calvin, who is three months old today

It is hard to believe that another month has passed us by.  In the past month you have grown so much and in so many ways!  Physically you have gotten much bigger and stronger.  You are now just shy of fifteen pounds and twenty-five inches!  You regulary push yourself up on your hands while on your tummy now, can sit up with minimal assistance, and will pull yourself into a standing position while holding onto our hands.  But it is your mental growth that continues to catch us off guard and awe and amaze us.  Over the past month you have become far more involved with the world around you.  You no longer just stare at your toys, now you talk to them, bat at and grab them, and put them in your mouth.  You also have favorites, like the yellow giraffe, the blue elephant, Baby Whoozit, and, definitely, The Bear!  You also have favorite games that you like to play, like "fly Baby Calvin, fly!"  Of course, having favorites means that you are beginning to remember, and it has been a wonderful gift to see your face light up with the smiles of recognition!  Another delightful gift that you have given us has been the gift of your conversation.  Your coos and gurgles have become more varied and expressive, and you love to converse, not just with us but also with the dogs and with your toys.  It has been an exhausting month of amazing growth for all of us, so it's a good thing that you made one final accomplishment in the last two weeks - sleeping through the night!  We'll say it again (and probably again), we love you more every day.

 

Getting on up there in days

Calvin turned 91 days old today, that also being 13 weeks, or one day shy of 3 months.  To mark the occasion we took more comparison shots.  By our estimate (using a scale that measures to the tenth of a pound, and a measuring tape from our sewing box) he is 14.3 pounds and 24.75 inches.  Since he doesn't have a doctor appointment until October we won't be able to verify that, but we do know that he is growing.  We think you can even see his mental growth in these pictures (these days, smiles and thumb sucking as opposed to sleeping or blank stares).

2 weeks     vs.     8 weeks     vs.     13 weeks 

3 days    vs.     7 weeks      vs.     13 weeks