Carmel and Monterey with Stephen and Julie

Josh and I have been so lucky that we have had so much family over to visit Callen. About a month ago Stephen, Julie, Brooklynn, Chandler and Adaley came to meet their nephew/cousin. We had an amazing time together. A week and half after the visit, Stephen and Julie came back out for a work trip in San Francisco. We were delighted to have more time with my bro and sis in-law! During our time we went to Carmel and checked out the town and took in a whale watching tour in Monterey.

Our first stop was Carmel by-the-sea, which is a colorful town with cute little shops, cafes, and white sandy beaches.

This boy LOVES his aunt and uncle! We had a little photo shoot at the restaurant in Carmel.

Frameable! I love Callen's expression.

The next day we went whale watching with the Wesling's. We couldn't wait to see what this trip had in store. First out of the harbor, we saw loads of sea lions, seals, and otters basking in the sun or playfully splashing in the water. I never knew how friendly and entertaining these animals could be.

The Wesling's

The harbor

Just look at those guys lounging.

The playful sea otter 

I love the fog in this picture!

Callen taking in the sites!

A school of dolphins swam by.

A humpback diving down for food. I just love how his tail flips up.

We were really close to the whales. Our guide said that their sonar showed the whales swimming directly under our boat.

We also spotted a blue whale towards the end of our  trip. It is amazing to know that we saw a  portion of the biggest animal. 

We had such an amazing time with my bro and Julie! It is times like these that I feel happy to be back in California and closer to family!

Cousins!

What a full house! Stephen, Julie, Brooklynn, Chandler, and Adaley came to visit us and it was nonstop fun. I just loved the way the girls were with Callen. They couldn't wait to hold him and they wanted to help take care of him. Other then LOVING being with my nieces, I loved all the new experiences Callen had while touring with his cousins, aunt and uncle.

My favorite moment was on the second day of their visit, Josh and I were bathing Callen, Chandler looked at Callen and said, "Oh, she is a boy. I didn't know that!" Too funny!

Cousins! Look at those smiles!

Dax and Callie loved the entertainment, they were disappointed when the girls left. The girls loved chasing bubbles with Dax!

I love Brooklynn's expression.

The second day we visited the Big Basin National Park to see the Red Woods. The girls were amazing! They walked the entire trail and enjoyed finding walking sticks and climbing trees. Callen slept for most of the trip, but I am sure he liked the walk and fresh air!

Brooklynn posing with the trees!

Adaley, who is one, walked the entire almost mile trial!

Family photo! 

The next day we loaded up went to Half Moon Bay. Before visiting the beach we stopped at Lamos Farms were we went on a hay ride, train ride, pony ride, and feed the goats - and Callen slept through it all :)

Train ride!

Looking good boys!

While at the beach, we saw a seal and dolphins. 

We also went to Santa Cruz. We walked the boardwalk, soaked up the sun on the beach, and hung with the sea lions. Uncle Steve was the first one to take Callen into the water. I think we have a future water baby on our hands!!

I love that Chandler is always dancing in pictures!

We loved our time with The Girls, Stephen and Julie. I always wish we lived closer because I want to spend all my time with them.

Weight Watchers

Over the past five years I have watched my weight balloon out of control. It wasn't until Josh and I moved back to California that I realized how much I have gained. As we unpacked our pictures and clothing, that I hadn't seen in over three years, I immediately became aware of my problem. I saw a person in those pictures that I barely recognize and clothes that nowhere near fit.

Recently I have started Weight Watchers and immediately started seeing the weight come off. I have been sticking to tracking my points and using the Weight Watchers bar code scanner to inform my grocery shopping decisions. I have also started doing a lot more walking with Callen and the dogs. So far I have lost 10 pounds.

Josh and I have also started getting back into cooking. We have always enjoyed doing this activity together, but got into the habit of eating out too often. Some of our favorite dishes so far have been fish tacos with mango salsa, chicken philly wraps, meatless tacos and homemade low-fat ice-cream. Here are the recipes:

Fish Tacos

Dashing Dish

Now I cringe to include this picture but I am trying to positively embrace my weight so that I can move forward.

My goals and motivation to lose weight are not only for myself but for Josh and Callen as well. I want to be sure that I always have the energy I need to be actively involved in their lives.

Our Chunky Monkey

Callen has changed so much! He has grown a ton and gained a ton. He also is making big strides towards sleeping through the night!!

Weight: 10 pounds 9 ounces

Height: 26 inches

Our little love is also smiling a lot, he even smiles when he sees us after he wakes from a nap. He is swatting at and gripping rings on his play mat (which also means he can get a good grip of my hair), and holds his head up on his own most of the time.

Callen's likes:

Playing on his play mat

Listening to music

Being read to

Being held

Having a bath

Getting doggy kisses on the feet

Callen's dislikes:

Having the toots

Having his nose suctioned

Tummy Time (he used to love this)

Nicknames:

Little Love

Chunky Monkey

Bobble Head

Little Man

Mommy and daddy likes:

Giving him kiss attacks which make him smile

Singing, reading and playing together

Going on walks and having him fall asleep on one of us

Bath time

Snuggles

Mommy and daddy dislikes:

Suctioning his nose (I feel like I am sucking his brains out)

Not being able to immediately sooth Callen when he wakes up early from a nap, which luckily isn't often.

Recent Pics of Callen:

Then ...

Now!
Callen sleeping in his crib :)

Callen looking at himself on his play mat.

Skyping with Magra and Papa

Visiting with Magra and Papa!
My mom and dad were such a help! They cooked, cleaned, made meals to last us weeks, took over late night feedings so we could sleep longer, helped organized the last bits that needed to be unpacked, and gave us a couple date nights!! I am not sure where they found the energy, but I am grateful for it!

Callen loved being read to by his auntie! Caity also helped a great deal around the house!

Callen snuggling with grandma Thompson. Chris and Caity also babysat so Josh and I could go on a date.
We just love our visitors!

Callen Update

Tomorrow is Callen's original due date, but this Thursday Callen will be four weeks old already. He is doing so well. Callen is gaining weight and growing quickly. He is also feeding and sleeping well (thank goodness). Josh and I are just enjoying Callen's sweet disposition and during our time we have quickly gotten to know our son's likes and dislikes.

Likes:

1. Listening to books

2. Napping on his parents

3. Listening to people sing

4. Being kissed on the cheek

5. Going on walks

6. Bath time

Dislikes:

1. Anything cold

2. Having his arms swaddled

3. Having the toots

Callen with the NICU team

Proud papa

Barely fits in his car seat. The hospital had to make sure Callen was big enough to ride in his seat before allowing us to take him home.

Just the way he likes it!

When his arms are swaddled he really works to break free. I also like his off the shoulder fashion. 

He fell asleep during tummy time!

At Callen's two week doctors appointment he gained a pound and grew an inch!

Look at that belly!

Josh reading to his little boy!

Magra and Papa come to visit their favorite grandson!

Moriah, James and Quinn came to meet Quinn's future best friend!

Tummy time with the dogs!

Callen isn't sure how he feels about his swing, but he is interested in the elephants!

Callen became a thumb sucker today. 

Honestly I can't get over how precious these two are with one another.

We love Callen so much and are cherishing our time with him. We are so grateful to everyone for the well wishes and encouraging thoughts!

The newest member

Josh and I could't be more thrilled to introduce Callen Wesling Thompson. Callen is doing remarkably well despite arriving almost a month early.

Labor and delivery:

I have to say this portion was surprising calm and went well. My water broke around 2am Thursday morning. Luckily we had just taken a birthing class or I would have thought that I was peeing my pants. Josh and I quickly called the nurse to get advice on what to do. We were advised to get to the hospital within the next three hours. Using the time we showered, packed, and got the dogs ready to be collected. Arriving around 4am, we were quickly admitted and told that we would be staying at the hospital until our boy arrived. While waiting, we discussed how excited we were and ultimately how unprepared we felt. Surprisingly time flew and by 11:30am I started to feel the contractions. Josh was the best support, when a contraction started he would rub my back or head and would breathe with me. During this time I went from 6 to 9 to 10 inches dilated in about an hour. Both labor and delivery went very quick. At 1:26 pm on May 9th, 2013 Callen Wesling Thompson was born weighing 5.5 ounces and measured 18.5 inches long. The doctors were very respectful of our wishes and allowed Josh and me to have about 5 minutes with our baby before the NICU team came to assess our peanut. Everyone was impressed with how healthy he was for being so early. Josh and I felt truly blessed and relieved to hear that Callen was a strong little boy.

The next two days:

The next few days were spent in the hospital. Callen and myself were monitored very closely. We spent a lot of time with the booby nurse who answered all of our questions and created a plan to get Callen breastfeeding. Being premature, the concern was/is that Callen would have difficulty sucking, which would affect his ability to quickly gain some much needed weight. Josh and I were amazed by the support and encouragement we received from the nurses and doctors. We were pleased that we felt in control and that our wishes and wants were heard and respected.

Surprises:

Although our time with Callen has been short, we have experienced some surprises. For example, we didn't realize that breastfeeding was going to be a team sport. Because we need to use the SS system, Josh has been up with me every 2-3 hours to help feed Callen. We are also surprised by Dax and Callie's reaction to our newest member. They get excited when he is around. They enjoy smelling him and kissing his feet, but other then that they seem like Callen has been here all along.

We couldn't be more in love with our man. I have been spending most of my day just admiring, holding, or reading to him. I can't get enough of his sweetness!