Four Months of Calvin Henry

Oh my goodness. There is much to report in the world of Calvin. First we will start with the teeth. He turned out to be a precocious teeth grower, sprouting his first two bottom teeth just shortly after he turned three months. You’d think he’d be pleased at being so ahead of the game, but instead he cried and fussed. Poor little guy. He got through it with a combination of biting his own and our hands, teething tablets and baby Tylenol. Early teeth seem to be a genetic inheritance as Uncle Bryan got teeth at three months, Grammy Barb reports, and I got teeth on the early side, too.

In recent weeks, lying down and grabbing his feet has usurped rolling over as a favorite activity, although he still enjoys a good roll onto his stomach. He hasn’t figured out how to roll back, though, so once he’s on his stomach he’s stuck like the tiniest beached whale and starts to cry.

Last Monday, Cal left for his first vacation. Luckily it was just a two-hour flight to Palm Springs. He didn’t sleep too much, but he didn’t cry too much either. On the way home, we and the other passengers on the plane were not so lucky. The first flight back from Palm Springs to Salt Lake was ok. But the final leg was pretty much the flight that new parents fear. He cried and he cried and he cried despite his parents working overtime to entertain him. Sigh.

But back to the trip. It was wonderful. Cal went swimming for the first time. That may be an overstatement: He went in the pool. He didn’t smile and he didn’t frown. He just seemed to be taking it all in. The water was really warm thanks to the dessert sun. He went in on three separate occasions.

At the second hotel where we stayed, there were giant raised bed-type things by the pool where Tim serenaded Cal with his new ukulele. Tim’s repertoire includes “Lullaby,” and songs by the White Stripes, the Kinks and the Velvet Underground. We saw a friend from Alaska, Julia, who was also vacationing in Palm Springs, and coincidentally she was learning the ukulele, too. She and Tim took turns playing by her in-law’s pool.

And that’s the news from Lake Calvin Henry-gone. Next up: trip to Detroit and visits from Lainie and then Grandma Margie and Grandpa Mike.