Caleb Moments

Caleb is two weeks old today. I want to document some things about him so I can remember what he was like as a newborn. I know he's going to grow way too fast. First, I want to document about my very first moments with him. My first thought when I first saw him was "Caleb", which might sound really simple, but Aaron and I had had a hard time feeling good about a name and I suddenly felt really good about Caleb. They put him right onto my belly so I could see him for a couple minutes before whisking him away to clean him up a little. When they brought him back, he was really crying, which was good, so he could get all the fluid out of his lungs. As soon as I pulled him close and started talking softly to him, he immediately settled right down. It was amazing. He knew my voice and it comforted him. There is just nothing like the immediate connection between a mommy and her baby. I felt it. I experienced the same thing a couple other times in the hospital when he'd get a little upset. The sound of my voice always calmed him down.

The day after coming home from the hospital I sent my bigger boys to a birthday party. After nursing Caleb, he fell asleep laying against my chest. I thought about doing something productive but then decided to just sit and enjoy him. I sat on the couch rubbing my cheek against his perfectly soft little cheek for probably an hour. It was a precious moment.

Caleb has been a great baby. He sleeps a lot. And every 2-3 hours he grunts a little to let me know he is hungry. Then he'll just lie awake looking around for a while. Then a little more grunting to let me know he's ready for his binkie and a good swaddle, and he's back to sleep. He's up during the night, but usually just to eat and then he falls right back to sleep. I really can't complain.

He likes to look to the right, especially when he is hungry. It's like he's been told there is food waiting on his right shoulder. He just keeps turning his head as far as he possibly can, hoping he'll eventually get to something yummy.

• Most babies like to keep their little legs bent up close to their body like they have been for the last nine months -- not Caleb. From the moment he came out he's always got them stretched right out, hovering a couple inches above the ground. I love seeing his skinny little bowed legs all tense.
• He's a sneezer. A couple times a day, he'll suddenly sneeze 4-5 times in a row. It's hilarious.
• I love feeling the palms of his hands and feet -- I cannot get over how incredibly soft they are.
• Grandpa swears he can get a smile out of him, and although I have a really hard time believing that without seeing the proof, he's sweet enough, it really would not surprise me at all.
• Sometimes when he is nursing his breathing sounds a lot like a squeaky rocker!

He's just the perfect baby, really, and I am so happy to have him around. Yeah, it'll be nice when I can start sleeping through the night again, but then he'll be bigger, so I'm trying to enjoy every precious moment with my newborn.