Caleb's Update!

Now it's Caleb's turn for an update (see Isaac's below). Although I do not have too many new pics of C to post since he always tells me "No tamwa (camera) Momma." I cannot get over how much he's changing too. He is doing awesome with eating. His new favorites are pepperoni and strawberries. He's constantly asking for strawberries. (He's even named his Cabbage Patch Kid, Strawberry.) A month ago he wouldn't even eat fruit. He's still eating mainly Mac and Cheese, noodles and scrambled eggs, but seems to be more open to trying new things. For instance Joel and I went to a wedding reception last night and he ate 3 bowls of Chinese Lo-Mein with his Aunt Niki and Grammie. He still gags from time to time, but we just tell him that he's okay and he can stop himself before he vomits. I don't even remember the last time he actually vomited while eating****!! (knock on wood!) He still, however, pockets food in his cheeks and can seriously keep food in his mouth, like a little chipmunk for hours if we don't realize it's still in there. He can drink, talk, and play with food in his mouth, almost like he forgets it's there. He's definitely come a long way since this post (click here), which I just noticed was almost exactly one year ago...WOW!
He's really into cooking now and plays with his kitchen every day. He always pretends things are hot and has to wear a "gwub" (glove) to hand me whatever he's cooked up.
He has a new love for John Deere tractors. He got a bunch of tractors for his birthday and has played with them off and on, but now he's obsessed. I rented a JD video from the library for our (long and never ending) drive to the lake, and he's been hooked since. We went to return it last week and one of the librarians told us that he couldn't renew it again (We already renewed it twice!) He threw a huge fit yelling "Nutting don dee-a" (There's a song in the video that goes, Nothing like a John Deere.) Luckily another (nicer) librarian saw this happen and when the other one stepped away from the desk, she brought it over to Caleb and told him he could check it out again. How nice was that?! I found the series of videos online, so I am going to have to order him his own. I am not sure why he likes it so much since it's about the history of JD tractors, and not a cartoon or really geared for little kids.
He's also started to be more concerned about Isaac. If he's crying, Caleb will say "I-dick crying, poor dye (guy)". (He also calls him "I-Hop" and just "I" which I think is so funny.) If Isaac is playing on the floor and doesn't have a toy right in front of him, Caleb will get him about 10 to play with. He calls himself "Dood big bwuda (good big brother). He's still not happy when Isaac tries to play with his toys, even if he was not playing with them. This is happening more and more because Isaac is on the move now and always wants to play with "big boy" toys. If Isaac is playing with something C wants, he'll take it away and then give Isaac a less appealing toy (At least he gives him another one, I guess!)
He's still talking more and more every day and his latest comeback is "Don't know" when we ask him something, even if he does know the answer. And when he asks for something he knows he can't have or is doing something naughty, he make his voice really high pitched when talking. He no longer gets individual speech therapy, but goes to "school" one hour every Tuesday. His "class" has only 4 little boys (the max) with his speech therapist and a teacher. They work on socializing and speech together. Since starting this, he has become much more confident in himself and has started to listen better as well. He loves doing the art project each week and usually finishes his entire snack there! Before C started going (the class is always changing), they didn't have snack time, but eating is part of Caleb's speech therapy so all the little boys benefit! Unfortunately he only qualifies for this until he turns 3, so we are weighing our options about what to do after that.
He still loves being outside. He's constantly asking to mow the grass with his little lawn mower and of course to play baseball. He also wants to wander around the yard looking to sticks. He's so busy these days.
****I have been working on this post for a while, and of course he has vomited while eating the past two days. What a stinker....