XIII. Caleb

Once again, I have put off blogging because how in the world do you write a post about your beloved little people without forgetting anything?  It seems like a very daunting task.

 

We'll start with number 1.

 

Caleb came into the world on an awesome epidural.  I remember looking at this little creature in my arms and feeling a sense of, "This is weird."  I know, not what you'd expect.  But it was the first little person I birthed, and it took a little while (like an hour) for me to acclimate to loving someone I'd never even met.

Luckily, I had an awesome mom who taught me a lot about mothering through my own childhood, that the rest of motherhood seemed to come pretty naturally.  There wasn't much that surprised me about taking care of a baby, and I knew which sources could give me reliable answers.

Caleb has always been smart.  I'll try not to brag too much, but I do reserve the right to brag a little (it is my blog, after all).  When he turned 5 just weeks before the deadline to enter Kindergarten, I knew there was NO CHANCE we could even consider holding him back.  He. Was. Ready.  Reading and writing before he was four, we were certain he could keep up.  It turns out that even though he has consistently been one of the youngest in his classes, he has always been one of the more advanced.  I believe he has a photographic memory of sorts, and he tests really well.  He learns fast; once the light goes on, he usually remembers any given academic skill.

Legos have been one of his favorite toys for several years now.  He can create!  Not only does he have a creative artistic ability (like, he can think of something original in his head), he has an engineering mind.  His creations often have functional moving parts, which I know must take a lot of forethought to get it just right.  He wants to be a Lego designer when he grows up, but I imagine he will move on to bigger and better things.

This boy can draw!  Same creative artistic ability applies here.  It comes out of his head (and sometimes his memory) and straight onto the paper.  He is also a master at copying images he sees.  He has also dabbled in origami; again with the engineering mind.

As an 8 (almost 9)-year old, Caleb likes video games.  He has a list of chores that take him about an hour each day before he can play half an hour of video games, but it's a good motivator.  Mom and Dad also have complete control over which games he is allowed to play, so we feel good about this little motivational system.

Caleb can play piano.  He started really practicing this year, and he is flying through his lessons.  It helps that I teach him, so he can pass off songs as often as he is ready.  He has always had an ear for music, matching pitches at 10 months old (I heard that the average child can match pitches by age 6).

He loves to ride bikes, and he ran cross country this past year.  He was also on two different basketball teams, but he seems to do better at individual sports.  We need to explore his athletic abilities a bit more.

Caleb is an awesome helper.  He can do most tasks, and he really makes my life easier in many ways.  "Caleb" means obedient or faithful, and it perfectly describes my oldest son.  He really understands the difference between right and wrong, and he is very reasonable.  I can usually explain something to him, and that is discipline enough.

Caleb is a very friendly person.  And he is always looking for a laugh.  Something I love about Caleb is that since he was a baby, he would get hiccups every time he belly-laughed.  And he still does.  :)  It's adorable.

He is very self-motivated.  Usually he does his homework and practicing on his own, with an occasional question for me.

Caleb is a good friend and a good big brother.  He is usually aware of the weaknesses of others and lifts them up.  He wants to be liked by everybody, but he is learning how to choose friends that are good for him too.

Caleb is independent.  He is still very affectionate, and he checks in with me regularly throughout the day.  But he is perfectly happy doing his own thing.

I love this boy!  He is a huge blessing in my life.  I can't imagine my life without my Caleb.