Congratulations Hannah & Michael and Happy Memorial Day!

We spent this past weekend celebrating the marriage of Hannah (my younger sister) and Michael Reinker in my hometown, Marshall MI. The wedding was beautiful and Hannah was stunning! We were also fortunate to spend time with nearly my entire extended family (we missed you Banny and Al), introducing Caleb to his Uncle Dave, Aunt Lindsay, great grandparents and a host of great uncles, great aunts and second cousins.  Below are photos of these introductions, along with Caleb's first real encounter with water (apart from bath time) in my parent's pool.

Caleb and Great Grandma Luciani

Caleb with his Great Grandma Marlies

Hopefully Caleb gets his Great Grandpa Luciani's good looks!

Couldn't help but upload this glamor shot taken on Great Grandma's lap

Caleb and his Uncle Dave

Caleb with Aunt Lindsay

What are you doing to me mom??

Once we got past the initial shock, he loved the water!

Had to try one sans swimsuit

Can't get enough of these two together

Just a couple dudes watchin' some bball

Caleb Celebrates His First Mother's Day & Turns 2 Months!

Yesterday we celebrated our first Mother's Day as a new family - a very special and surreal day. Caleb was extremely thoughtful, buying me flowers, peanut butter M&M's and a manicure & pedicure. Someone must have given him a list of my favs!

Caleb also turned 2 months today - how time flies! I feel as though we're finally coming out of the fog and starting to get into a bit of a groove. Here are some of the main milestones of the past month:

• While there still is very little routine or predictability, we're finally getting a bit more sleep and continuing to learn Caleb's cues (hungry, tired, cranky, etc.). 

• At our doctor's appointment today, we learned that Caleb is 13 lbs. 11 oz and 24" long - putting him in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Despite his reflux and aspirating, the boy still knows how to eat!

• Caleb is expressing himself more through his smile and verbal coos. There's nothing like the moment his eyes meet ours and his face lights up in glee - melts us every time! 

• We celebrated Aunt Hannah's graduation from the University of Michigan. Way to go - graduating with highest honors... so proud of you!

Caleb knows his mama!

Who wouldn't want to cuddle this little cub up??

Caleb says "no more photos!"

Look at his poor little legs!
I'm glad his first set of shots is over with... not sure who cried more - me or Caleb!

Can't believe this smiley guy is already 2 months old!  

The Latest and Greatest of Caleb

It's been a week since our last post and lots of photos have been taken in that time. It's amazing how quickly Tim and I have become photographers...or better put,"paparazzi" and "mamarazzi". We've also had a doctors appointment in that time, where we learned that Caleb is 12 lbs. 11 oz. and 24 inches long. This puts him in the 95th percentile for height and 83rd for weight... he's a big dude!

While most days include many moments of pure joy, we're also realizing just how hard parenthood is. I'll admit there are times of loneliness, uncertainty and frustration. Thankfully, we are not in this alone... not only do we have each other and a great support system of friends and family, but we also have a God that loves us, cares for us and is guiding us each step of the way.