Summer of Semi-Stay-at-Home Parenting - Issue #4

I started this post back in July and stopped working on it in the beginning of August. There are several reason for this, but suffice to say some personal issues turned a summer of stay at home parenting into a summer of part-time stay at home parenting.

Week of July 5
Calvin spent some time in daycare this week while his mommy worked at Children's Country Day and his daddy worked at the Running Room. The week went by quickly as his parents got ready for another family gathering, this time at a lake home near Remer, Minnesota.

Weekend of July 8
Things were packed up for the trip as much as we could on Friday evening--Calvin didn't really help. On Saturday morning, Calvin got to join his mommy for a baby shower where he got to enjoy the company of some other babies.

That afternoon, Calvin rode with his mommy and daddy up to the Lady Slipper Lodge. After a stop for dinner, we arrived and unpacked. After his things were set up and unpacked, Calvin hung out with his mommy, nana and grandpa while daddy worked on catching some breakfast for the next day.

Calvin enjoyed his new surroundings at the Lady Slipper Lodge. He got to lay on a blanket out on a deck, and enjoyed his sleeping space in a large closet (the door was open and he was in a Pack-n-Play, don't judge).

Calvin's closet in back right

Week of July 11
The days blurred together as Calvin spent an entire week at the cabin. He got to spend tons of quality time with mommy, and got to be held a lot by his aunt, uncle, cousin, nana, and grandpa.

He also got to go on his first pontoon ride (he was definitely not a fan of his life jacket, but he did enjoy the breeze and the movement on the water).

I can't imagine why he doesn't like the life jacket

Calvin also got to visit his first state park--Schoolcraft. It was a small park, and Calvin saw just about every foot of trail (there are only about two miles total) as he rode in his Baby Bjorn with his mommy.

His family got to do a lot of fishing, and Calvin watched as they enjoyed fish for breakfast one day and dinner on the last night. He also got to enjoy a visit from his Great Aunt and Uncle.

Week of July 21
It was back to reality for Calvin. He had a bit of a hard time adjusting to not being able to be held and played with all day every day, but by the end of the week he was starting to be able to play by himself a little more.

Milestones
Calvin's rolling and "crawling" (really it's pushing his face across the floor with his feet) and rolling more than ever. He's also really into textures--he likes feeling and patting all kinds of things--tables, sofas, you name it.

At the Lady Slipper Lodge, Calvin got to try his first solid food--avocado and later, some organic baby food (pear) his aunt brought for him. He's also been eating homemade rice cereal and pureed sweet potato, as well as mashed banana. Finally, his babbling has increased quite a bit, and he's starting to make a "dada" sound, though Laura and I both agree his not actually trying to say "dada."

August
This month I went back to work more regularly, working some hours at Brightmont Academy and picking up more hours at The Running Room. I spent about a day a week with Calvin, and most days he was in daycare for six hours or less.

We got to see Laura's side of the family quite a bit this month

Calvin started to sit up for longer stretches this month, and his babbling continue to increase.

Milestones
Calvin's first haircut!

 Calvin was pretty mellow during his haircut. There were lots of movies going and several kids crying, but Calvin pretty much sat in in his chair and took it all in.

Calvin also started army crawling, and could get where he wanted much quicker than before.

Fin
September is gone and although this October has been unseasonably warm, fall is officially here. A huge kudos to all the real stay at home parents. I couldn't cut it, and am impressed by those who do it full or part-time.