Make Mine a Double...

Caleb spent the night with Jerry, Sherry and Rebecca on Friday night. When I picked him up on Saturday afternoon, I noticed that his eye was a little "goopy" - like it was when he was a newborn and his tearduct was blocked. I didn't think much about it, b/c that cleared up on its own. By bedtime last night, it was really getting worse and he had tears running down his cheek, but he wasn't crying. He felt warm, so I took his temp and it was 98.9 - nothing to worry about. I called Jerry and Sherry and asked if he had maybe scratched his eye or bumped it or something. They said they didn't think so. When Caleb woke up this morning, his right eye was so matted that he couldn't even open it. The left one was matted too, but not as bad. We cleaned it like we did when the tearduct was blocked and he screamed like he did then too. After Caleb's morning nap, it was just as bad as it was when he woke up this morning. Rudy and I decided we were going to have to go to the doctor. Rudy had a Christmas gig at the Galleria, so I took Caleb to urgent care. He was a trooper, but didn't get a good report. He was running a slight temp of 99.9. We found out that he has a DOUBLE case of pink eye. I also asked the doctor to check his ears, because I was concerned about the decrease in his babbling. Well, lo and behold - he has a DOUBLE ear infection too. So, now we're starting another round of amoxicillin and a round of eye drops. This will be a fun Christmas trip! :)

Oh, yeah - weigh in: 24 lbs, 14 oz. Don't laugh!

Wiggle Worm

Caleb isn't crawling yet, but he's sure close to it! His new trick is to lay on his belly and move himself in a circle. He can make a complete 360 degree rotation in under a minute if he really gets with it. Usually, though, he gets sidetracked and stops to look at or play with something. It's a pretty funny sight to see. We can tell that he really wants to move forward. Sometimes he accidentally pushes himself backwards and other times he just gets one knee up and then quits. It must be very frustrating for him and sometimes he gets mad and starts fussing. Other times he just rolls over on his back like a turtle and gives up. I don't think it'll be long now and then we're in trouble - Caleb on the move!

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We have so much for which to be thankful. I say this every year, but it means even more this year. Caleb continues to amaze us with his developmental growth spurts. He is now sitting up by himself for quite a long time - until something gets his attention and he leans for it...then he topples. He is rolling over and over and over...but still gets mad about it when he's tired. About a week ago, I was hanging up laundry in his room and he rolled himself against the bedroom door. He hadn't figured out how to roll the other way yet, so he was stuck. I showed him how to go back to his left and he's been "on a roll" since then. He has started yelling just to hear his own voice. It's usually something along the lines of "yayaya" or "wawawa", but he'll occasionally throw in a /b/, /m/, /d/ or /p/.

On the other hand...our little easy-going newborn has turned into an infant with an opinion. Don't get me wrong - Caleb is still happy-go-lucky most of the time, but when he wants (or doesn't want) something to happen, he is quite vocal about it. This is particularly true when it comes to having his face cleaned or being put down to play when he wants to be held. We've seen a lot of this the past 2 days. I blame it on his daddy's genetics, but I'm sure he blames it on mine. We can both be opinionated in our own right, I guess - we've never been accused of being wishy-washy that I know of.

November was a fun and very busy month. I'm so busy at work right now that I don't even want to see a computer when I get home. That's why I haven't been posting much. Rudy's after-hours work has decreased a lot now that marching season is over. (Yeah!!!) On November 19th, we attended the wedding of Rebecca Villines and Sean Franklin. Rebecca is Rudy's first cousin, so we got to see lots of family there. Our family from Texas (Larry/Ana, Alexander, Anthony, Mary, Jimmy/Sandy) came in for the wedding. Uncle Terry from Ft. Smith came in too. None of them had met Caleb, so we were extra excited about seeing them.

We spent Thanksgiving in Springfield, Tennessee, at Doug and Lisa's house. Ken, Dennis and Kathy were there too. Caleb got to meet more aunts and uncles! We had a fun time visiting with them. The only low part of the weekend was the Hogs' loss to LSU. Oh, well - the SEC championship game is this weekend, so we have 2 more games to enjoy (hopefully). We had a wonderful dinner on Friday at Doug's restaurant - The Depot - and really enjoyed our time with family. The trip was short and sweet and Caleb did pretty well overall. He got a little fussy in the car - it was a long way! I was able to climb in the backseat with him and entertain him most of the way. On the way back, we actually had to stop for a few minutes just to give him some time outside of the carseat. He was so tired of being restrained! I can't say that I blame him!

We made it home yesterday safe and sound. Last night was pretty low-key, just unpacking and doing laundry. Today, we put up the Christmas tree and the stockings. Rudy went to Target and Babies R Us to get baby-proofing gear. Since Caleb is on the verge of being mobile, we have to start thinking about the stairs, cabinets and outlets more and more. I'm hoping he waits until after Christmas to start crawling so that the tree is safe!

This week starts the official countdown to Christmas. I love that December is a short work month, but that just means that we have 4 weeks of work to do in just 3 weeks' time! At least I have all my shopping done...

Drool Drool Everywhere!

We had an awesome weekend! Rudy was home all weekend and we took full advantage of having some family time together. Friday night was very low-key. On Saturday, we went to the Sears Portrait Studio for Caleb's 6 month portraits. They turned out really great - I can't wait to get them back! Saturday night, we enjoyed the Razorbacks' win over South Carolina with about 50 other Arkansas fans at Ozzie's. Caleb was a real trooper throughout the whole thing - even though it was a late night for him. He barely fussed and thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the people and playing with Jerry, Sherry and Rebecca.

On Sunday, we went to church and took Caleb to our church nursery for the first time. When we picked him up, the nursery worker was telling someone else what a happy-go-lucky guy Caleb was. When we got to the door, we just told her we were there to pick up Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky. She said that she was amazed at how good he was the whole time. He must have really had a good time. We certainly enjoyed being able to pay attention in the worship service. After church, we went out to lunch and then came home and cleaned like the Maid Brigade! The house had been abandoned for a few weeks and was in need of a good cleaning in a bad way. Rudy got cracked up when he vacuumed, because Caleb was so intrigued by the vacuum cleaner!

We had a real "breakthrough" on Saturday. Caleb's first tooth literally broke-through his gum! His tiny little tooth is on the bottom and in the front of his mouth. That could very possibly explain all of the nasty congestion and diarrhea that we fought all last week. It definitely explains the ridiculous amount of drool that we are dealing with. Poor Caleb just drools continuously! All of his toys are wet after he plays with them and he just can't keep a dry shirt.

Another big development this weekend was our realization that Caleb can now hold his own bottle. Now, instead of putting his bottle in his mouth ourselves, we hold it out in front of him and reaches for it. He puts it in his own mouth and then holds it himself. He can control it for most of the feeding, but toward the end, he starts to have trouble tipping it up high enough to get the rest. Regardless, it's a big accomplishment for him (and us)!

Tomorrow is Caleb's 6 month well-baby check-up. I'll try to post tomorrow night to give an update.

A Visit to the ER, 1st Halloween and 6 Months Old

Since I last posted, we've had lots of excitement around our house! My mom came in to town for the weekend before my birthday. She enjoyed spending time with Caleb while I went to a wedding shower and Rudy and I went to my 30th birthday party on Saturday. My party was a lot of fun! There were 13 of us there and we laughed and carried on as if we were at a 21st birthday party, instead of a 30th.

Last Thursday (10/26), when I picked Caleb up from Carrie's, she told me that he had been having some nasty diapers and she was on the verge of calling me to pick him up but didn't because it was the end of the day. We decided that it was probably from all of the sinus drainage he's been having and didn't really worry about it too much. His stomach was fine that night so we sent him back to Carrie's the next day. He was still congested, but seemed okay other than that.

That Friday (10/27), Jenny and I left for Las Vegas. We went to celebrate our birthdays with a Jimmy Buffett concert and a whole lot of fun! Halloween weekend in Vegas is like nothing I've ever seen! The concert was awesome and we had a great time. Our travel was horrible, but Saturday made it all worth it. PLUS - our Cardinals won the World Series while we were there. That was so awesome!

Back to Caleb... I called Rudy when I got to Vegas to check in and he said that Caleb was sicker than he had been the day before. We decided that he should take Caleb to the urgent care to get him checked out and maybe get some sort of medicine to help him. When they got to urgent care, Caleb threw up all over Rudy. I have to give it to Rudy, though - he handled it well. He took care of that baby above all else, even though he had a huge marching contest the next day. As planned, Jerry and Rebecca came to get Caleb, because they were scheduled to keep him Saturday night. Rudy passed along the doctor's instructions for them to follow. I felt so completely helpless. I was miles and miles away and couldn't do anything for my sick baby or my exhausted husband. I had full belief that they would be okay without me, but told Rudy and Jerry to call me if anything changed or if they needed me to hop the next plane home. Caleb continued to have diarrhea for the rest of the weekend. When I finally got home at 2:00 Monday morning, I walked in the door and heard Caleb screaming. I got to the top of the stairs and found Rudy changing yet another nasty diaper. I told Rudy to go to bed and I took over right then and there. It was a long night. I stayed home with him on Monday and he seemed to be feeling so much better, so he went back to daycare on Tuesday. He wasn't just right on Tuesday, but it wasn't awful, so we continued to think it was either congestion or maybe even the green beans that he was eating that was causing the diarrhea. Carrie agreed that it likely wasn't contagious, so she agreed that we should keep bringing him the rest of the week. She did say that she was a little concerned because he hadn't eaten much that day and he hadn't had any wet diapers. That worried me too, but he wasn't showing any other signs of dehydration, so we just decided to keep an eye on him. Tuesday afternoon, we put Caleb in his lion Halloween costume and went to the Sheltons for a quick visit. On the way there, we heard the unmistakable sound of a baby diaper blow-out. By the time we got to the Sheltons, the pants of Caleb's Halloween costume were soaking wet and we had to just take them off of him. The poor thing was a legless lion for the rest of the evening! The crazy thing is that he never acted like he felt bad. He was laughing and smiling through the whole thing! When we got home, Caleb refused a bottle and refused Pedialyte. He still hadn't had a wet diaper, so I got worried. I called Monica for advice and she suggested that I call the pediatrician's exchange. I did and the nurse that I talked to said that we needed to take him to the ER to get his fluids checked. After one more nasty diaper, we packed up his diaper bag and headed out the door at 9:00.

When we got to the ER, Rudy and I got upset because all of the nurses kept talking about how fat/chubby/roly-poly, etc Caleb is. They were saying how it was going to be hard to draw his blood and how they sure hoped they didn't have to start an IV on him, because it was going to be so hard to do. We were sitting there with a sick baby and all they could do was talk about how fat they thought he was. We know he's a big boy, but it was completely unnecessary for them to do that. (By the way, he weighed 20 lbs, 12 oz. when we were there.) We talked to the doctors and nurses and then they tried to take his blood. They really did have a hard time finding a vein and Caleb screamed like I've never seen him scream before. It completely broke my heart. I had to walk away a couple of times. It was just too hard to see him in that kind of pain and not be able to do anything at all about it. Once they finished, Caleb fell sound asleep in my arms. He was exhausted. The doctor came back pretty quickly and said that Caleb was not dehydrated. Thank Heavens!!!!! He said that we just needed to keep a very close eye on him and that it was likely that the diarrhea was being caused by a stomach flu which would be very contagious. At that point, I decided I would stay home with him on Wednesday for certain. On the way home, I called my mom and she offered to come stay with him so that I wouldn't have to miss work, but that wasn't necessary.

Caleb and I stayed home on Wednesday and we both slept most of the day. He didn't have anymore diarrhea and he started to gradually eat again. Last night, he had made it 24 hours without diarrhea, so we called Carrie to tell her that he would be back at her house today. He had a great day today and a great night tonight. Hopefully, this means he's on the mend! I did elevate the head of his bed last night and we put a vaporizer in his room to help with his congestion. Hopefully, he'll be able the shake that nastiness soon.

On a much happier note, Caleb is into full-force babbling these days. It started on Sunday. His favorite thing to do is, "dadadadadada!" He likes to play with his volume when he does it too, so he'll go from whispering to yelling and back again. It is hilarious! He also loves it when Rudy bounces him up and down in front of the couch or bed when Dewey is up there. He laughs hysterically at that. I made him laugh tonight by hiding behind Rudy's back and scaring him by playing peek-a-boo. It's been a few days since we've heard that glorious laughter, so it was a wonderful night!

Caleb is six months old today and he continues to melt us and make us laugh every single day. He is the greatest Earthly joy of our lives.

Babble Babble Toil and Trouble

Caleb is keeping us so busy that I haven't had much time to post an update for a while, so here goes -

October has been absolutely crazy and so much fun! The first weekend in October, Rudy took the band to Tulsa for a marching contest. Caleb and I took advantage of him being out of town and flew to Arkansas to be with my grandmother on her 80th birthday. She said it was the best gift I could've ever given her, but it was truly my pleasure. I just love watching my parents and grandparents with Caleb, so it was awesome to get to spend the whole weekend with Memmie and Poppie. Mom and Mr. L. came to pick us up on Sunday and take us to the airport. Not only were they helping us out by giving us a ride to the airport...they couldn't stand having Caleb so close by and not getting to see him. I know the truth! They aren't fooling me!

This past weekend, Jan came to our house and took care of Caleb while I went to Fayetteville for my annual homecoming weekend with Leslie and Cindy. Rudy had a marching contest on Saturday, so Jan agreed to come in and got to spend some time with Caleb as a reward. I missed him so much! Being away from Caleb and Rudy for a whole weekend was rough! Even though I had an amazing weekend in Fayetteville with "my girls", I was happy to get home and get a big smile from "my boys."

October just doesn't stop for us...this weekend is my birthday party. Mom is coming up on Friday night to visit and - again - spend some time with Caleb. She's going to LaLa-sit on Saturday night while we're at my party. I'm very grateful! The following weekend, Caleb will be spending some quality time with Jerry and Rebecca while Rudy has the big Greater St. Louis marching contest at the Dome. Jenny and I are going to Vegas to see Jimmy Buffett as a celebration of our birthdays. It seems like I keep "pawning" my child off every weekend, but that's really not the case at all! This has been a particularly crazy month for us and I miss him so very much every time I'm away from him.

Caleb has really started to babble more this month. He's babbling mostly vowels, but some early consonants too. I'm hearing some /b/, /m/ and /d/ sounds. Nothing in the world gets him "talking" as much as Dewey does. Everytime he catches a glimpse of Dewey, he starts jabbering and won't take his eyes off of him.

On Sunday night, we finally hit a major milestone that I've been waiting for - Caleb rolled over again. He actually rolled from his tummy to his back 4 times. I've been encouraging him to do it for weeks - since he did it the first time and got scared. He's only done it one more time since Sunday, but at least now I know he can. He is sitting up with less and less support and can sit up alone for about 5 seconds on a solid surface - until something to his left or right (usually Dewey) catches his attention.

We've introduced squash and peas into Caleb's ever-growing repertoire of foods. He really likes eating from the spoon now and doesn't try quite as much to grab it when I'm feeding him. He gets so mad when I don't feed him fast enough and also when I wipe his mouth. He still doesn't have any teeth, but there are a couple of bumps on his gums that may become teeth at any time. I was late getting my teeth, so maybe he will be too. Caleb's hair has really started to grow and get thicker this past week. It stands straight up in some places and is as blonde as it can be. He's a total cottontop! When it's dry, there isn't any curl, but when it's wet, you can see a little. It would be bizarre if he ended up with straight hair, but I think it would be a total blessing. Toddler boys with curls are so cute, but I always feel sad for middle school and high school boys with curly hair.

I can't wait to see what amazing feats Caleb surprises us with this week!

Carrots and Raspberries

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in 12 days! Let me try to remember what all has happened...

Caleb and I made our first solo roadtrip on September 22nd. We met Mom in Fayetteville and had a great weekend! On Friday, we hit the road as soon as possible and unknowingly drove through a tornado warning on the way down there. The drive wasn't too bad until we actually got to Arkansas, though. We were less than 20 miles from the hotel and traffic came to a standstill. Come to find out, there were power lines down on the interstate. That added about 45 minutes to our trip, but we made it. By the time we got to the hotel, I was completely worn out. Mom was excited to see Caleb (and me) and we caught up quickly and then hit the bed. On Saturday, Leslie came to pick me up and we went to the football game. It was a crazy game and I was tired again when it was over. I went back to the hotel and we were lazy all night. We ordered in and just laid around. Mom told me all about her day with Caleb. They went shopping and watched the ballgame on TV. On Sunday, we packed up and headed home. The trip home was a lot smoother than the trip down there! Caleb was a good travel buddy!

The Monday after we got home, I decided it was finally time to tackle the cereal experience. We got everything ready and crossed our fingers and offered Caleb a spoonful of rice cereal. He took to it pretty quickly and even tried to "help" get the spoon to his mouth. Oh, boy! That was the 25th and now we're on to carrots! Tonight was the first trial with something that actually had some taste to it. He LOVED them! He ate about half of the bowl. Actually, he hate less than that and wore a whole lot of it. I still haven't figured out how it got behind his ear! He was thrilled when he realized that he could blow raspberries with carrots in his mouth. I was not nearly as thrilled, but got a little tickled by the whole thing anyway. It was just so stinkin' cute! Caleb still tries to help and loves to chew on the spoon. There are pictures of the cereal experience on the Shutterfly site and a video on DropShots. I'll put some carrot pictures on soon. We can see the beginnings of a couple of teeth coming in. Oddly, they are not in the front of his mouth - more to the side. He chews on anything and everything he can get in his mouth, especially our fingers. He hasn't been too fussy, but just doesn't seem to be himself. We've had to give him Tylenol a couple of times and that seems to help. He doesn't really like the cold teething rings, but will chew on them once they warm up a little.

This past Friday night, Jenny and I took Caleb to the Summit football game and then out to eat. On Saturday, Caleb had a Daddy Day! They had a fun day together while I went to an all day scrapbook crop. Rudy took Caleb to a marching contest, but it was a little loud for him, so they left. Saturday night, they went to see Jerry, Sherry and Rebecca and had dinner with them. On Sunday, Rudy played his trumpet at church. I thought Caleb would be okay in the sanctuary, but he decided that the middle of the sermon would be a good time to "talk" to everyone around us. I took him back into the cry room and we finished the service there. Sunday night, I went to the grocery store and Rudy bravely tackled the task of giving Caleb a bath by himself. He did a great job! He's an awesome Daddy!

This weekend, we're going to Sherwood to spend the weekend with my grandparents. Memmie is turning 80 on Saturday and the best gift I can offer her is a visit from Caleb. What could be better?!? Rudy is taking the band to Tulsa for a marching contest, so it'll just be Caleb and me. We're flying down there on Friday night and coming back on Sunday evening. Should be a fun trip. I'm just trying to figure out how to pack everything!

Baby Boogie, Amoxicillin and a New Cousin

We've had a tough week around here. Caleb hasn't been feeling so hot and just hasn't been himself. That means he's only smiling and laughing about 80% of the time instead of 90%. I guess that's not so bad, but we kind of like him the way he usually is. Since Caleb's doctor appointment last Monday, he's been pretty sluggish and his eyes have been watering a lot. He also has a nagging dry cough and has been spitting up pretty frequently. I tried to tell myself that it was either seasonal allergies or a mild reaction to the shots last week, but it just wouldn't stop. Last night, Caleb went to bed as usual - about 8:30 or 9:00. At 12:20, he woke up crying and sounded like he was miserable. I went into his room to try to put his pacifier in his mouth and rub his head, but he just wouldn't go back to sleep. In my exhausted stupor, I threw in the towel and picked him up. I walked around his room for a while, but he just couldn't be consoled. So, I caved again - the second time in 2 weeks - and took him to bed with me. We both slept off and on all night, but I was completely exhausted all day today. I honestly can't believe I'm still awake now at 10:00. I went ahead and sent Caleb to Carrie's, but called the doctor's office when I got to work. They suggested that I go ahead and bring him in. Fortunately, my schedule allowed me to do that, so I went to get Caleb and take him straight to the doctor. When we got there, I explained his symptoms to Dr. Koenig. He checked for an ear infection and listened to his chest. He said that there really isn't much way to tell the difference between a cold and a sinus infection in babies, other than the length of time that it sticks around. Since Caleb has had symptoms for over a week, he said it was more than likely a sinus infection and wrote a prescription for Amoxicillin. I stopped at Walgreen's on my way back to Carrie's and got it filled. As soon as I smelled it, I was instantly taken back to my childhood. I used to LOVE that stuff!!! We gave him 2 doses today and he seems to be feeling a little bit better - though that may be all in my head. At least he ate tonight and went to bed like normal. Now, we'll see if he stays asleep.

After school, he seemed to be in pretty good spirits, so we kept our plans to go to the Baby Boogie workshop at the Parkway Early Childhood Center. Caleb was amazed to see so many other "little people" in the room. We enjoyed watching the different ages interact with each other and we enjoyed learning some new songs and fun things to play with Caleb. He wasn't too thrilled with the music. It's nothing new for him - we sing to him all the time, so he's used to it. After the workshop, we stayed and played with some of the baby toys for a while. He loved the mirrors the most. That baby that looks back at him in the mirror is just so doggone cute! Who wouldn't love to look at him?

Caleb and I are going to Fayetteville this weekend. My mom is meeting us there and is going to keep Caleb while Leslie and I go to the football game. It should be a fun weekend and I am looking forward to it. Rudy can't go with us, though, because the band has its first marching contest.

Monday was happy day for our family. At 4:17 AM, my cousin Becca gave birth to an 8 lb, 12 oz baby boy named James Maddox Spencer. Maddox is super cute and Becca is doing great. They went home from the hospital today and all is well. I can't wait to introduce "the boys" and watch them grow up together. Hopefully, they will be as close as Becca and I are. Welcome to the world, Baby Maddox!

Four Month Checkup

Caleb had his 4 month checkup this afternoon and all is well! He weighed in at 18 lbs, 10 oz (higher than the 95th percentile) and 26 inches (90th percentile). He's a big boy, but Dr. Koenig said not to worry about it. He said that everything is just fine.

We endured the 2nd round of vaccines and Caleb was a trooper. He cried a little when he got stuck, but he made it through just fine. So far, he hasn't had a fever tonight, but he's been very tired and he's already in bed at 8:00.

I asked Dr. K about starting solid foods and he said to wait until Caleb is consistently drinking 8 oz bottles and still showing signs of hunger. That shouldn't be too much longer. He's already consistently draining 8 oz bottles, but he doesn't seem to be hungry afterwards.

For quite some time, I've been a little concerned about Caleb's eyes being yoked. They sometimes seem to point in slightly different directions. I asked Dr. K about it today and he said that it's not something that he noticed and that everything seems to be fine. He told us how to keep an eye on it (no pun intended) and we're going to do just that. That made me feel better.

Our 4 month old baby boy is healthy and happy and that's all we can ask for in life. Praise be to God!

Roll Over!

We had a busy week around here and it was all topped off with a big achievement. Tuesday and Thursday were the usual band practice nights, so Caleb and I were on our own. On Wednesday, I took him with me to a birthday dinner for a friend and he flirted with everyone at the table.

Friday night was Caleb's first football game experience. It was Summit's first home game, which meant the first performance for the band. I was so excited to see the band's halftime performance and they did a great job! I can't wait to see the rest of the show in a few weeks. Caleb did much better at the game than I expected. I was afraid it would be too loud for him, but it wasn't. He even fell asleep and didn't wake up until the crowd went crazy after a touchdown. We left shortly after halftime and came home so I could put him to bed and get some things cleaned up around the house.

Saturday was a pretty lazy day for us. Caleb took a 3 hour nap and I actually had to wake him up to get ready to go to the Fenton Days parade. The band marched in the parade, so we made sure to be there. Jenny went with us and we all sweated through the hour and a half together. It wasn't a very pleasant experience for Caleb - too hot and the sirens scared him. It will definitely be a while before Caleb goes to another parade.

As soon as the parade was over, we took Jenny home and then went home ourselves. A little later, Jenny came over to the house to keep Caleb and I company because Rudy had another commitment for the night. We had a lazy evening, watching TV and just hanging out. We played with Caleb most of the night. I decided that he needed some tummy time, so I put him down on a blanket on the floor and when he fussed, I helped him roll over on his back. This happened about 3 times and then I flipped him back onto his tummy. All of a sudden, he rolled himself over! When he did, Jenny and I cheered and laughed. He got scared and started crying. I was so excited! I've been trying to help him roll over for weeks and he finally got it! Of course, he hasn't done it again - even though I've certainly given him plenty of opportunities and encouragement.

Tomorrow is Caleb's 4 month check-up. He'll get the 2nd round of vaccinations and all of the other fun stuff that comes along with the territory. I have some questions for Dr. Koenig that I need to make sure I have written down so that I don't forget to ask. I'll try to post tomorrow night so that everyone gets the update from the appointment.

Ouch! But What a Great Weekend!

We had a super weekend, even though the Hogs lost in a major way! Oh, well...next weekend is Utah State. Maybe that will be a little less painful.

We didn't get to Fayetteville until almost midnight on Friday. We went straight to bed and woke up ready for a fun day on Saturday. It was one of the best days I can remember in Fayetteville. The weather was gorgeous and there was electricity in the air. It was amazing! We started off our day by meeting Jan and Michael to go take some family pictures on the Hill. We took a bunch of them and you can see them on the Shutterfly site. Some turned out great, but it was certainly hard to get a good picture of all 3 of us at the same time! While we were taking pictures, we met Miss Arkansas and had Caleb's pictures taken with her. She was shooting some video and pictures for the Miss America pageant, so maybe Caleb will be TV-famous!
After the "photo shoot," we handed Caleb off to Jan and Michael and they went to Rogers for the rest of the day/night. Rudy and I took off walking to Dickson St. and had lunch at Jose's. Yum! Jerry met us there and after lunch, we walked up and over the Hill to go to the Union. We bought a few things in the Union and then went down to band practice. On the way down there, we picked up Leslie. We also saw Frank Broyles and had our pictures taken with him. That's Arkansas Royalty! After we watched the band practice for a little while, we went back through the practice facility and as we came out of the bathroom, there was Frank again...showing Jerry Jones around the place. Holy Moly!!!!

After that, we walked over to some friends' tailgate party. On the way, I slipped off of the heel of my "cute shoes" and landed on my butt on the ground. It hurt pretty bad, but I got up and dusted myself off. I have been sore ever since! We stayed at the tailgate party for a while and then walked to the Alumni house for the pre-game rally. That was a lot of fun and something new for us. We walked over to the stadium about an hour before game time and got there just in time for the band's pre-game festivities. We had a great time and enjoyed the game, until the 2nd half, when things got really ugly. USC managed to beat us 50-14. Actually, the way we turned the ball over, we managed to beat ourselves that bad. However...the day was so great that it was all worth it. What a day!

On Sunday, we checked out and went to Rudy's grandparents' house in Rogers. We were excited to see Caleb and everyone else. We had a nice lunch with the Voises and with Jan and Michael. We left there at about 3:30 and headed for home. We got here safe and sound last night and had a relaxing day today. Now, it's time to head for the bed and get ready for another week. It's a short one, but very busy. Rudy's first football game is this Friday. Saturday is the Fenton Days parade and a drumline contest. Whew - it will be a crazy weekend, but at least we get to stay home.

Caleb turned 4 months old on Saturday and I'll be taking his teddy bear pictures this week. It is amazing how much he is growing. He is now very successfully reaching for things...and taking them straight to his mouth. He's on the verge of rolling over and his laughter is enough to make any day better. He let us know pretty clearly this past week that he's ready to increase to 8 ounce bottles, so we have. He'll be eating cereal soon - probably after our doctor's appointment next Monday. That will be fun, I'm sure! Mr. Bubble Blower - spitting cereal all over us - can't wait!

Are You Ready for Some Football

We are officially on the 48 hour countdown to kickoff! This time tomorrow, we'll be in the car headed for Fayetteville. The Hogs are playing USC on Saturday night. I'm not very optimistic about the outcome of the game, but it will be fun, nonetheless. Jan is picking up Caleb on Saturday morning and he's spending the night with her and the Voises in Rogers. We're headed home on Sunday night. It should be a super-fun weekend!

So, what's been happening with us?!?

The most amazing thing that has happened this week: laughter! Last Thursday night, after an exceptionally hard day at work, Caleb made it all better. He was laying on our bed and I started tickling him and doing our usual afternoon playtime things. He opened up and laughed - really belly laughed! It was so amazing! You can share in Caleb's laughter at: www.dropshots.com/haleyvillines

We had a fun weekend with Mom and Mr. L. They came in on Friday night and we went to dinner. Rudy had to work, so he wasn't with us until Saturday morning. Mom and Mr. L. thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Caleb. Mom and I took a short trip to Gordman's on Saturday to update Caleb's "wardrobe" and get a couple of little happies for ourselves to. We had a great dinner at home on Saturday night and enjoyed visiting with each other. I stayed at home with a sleeping Caleb on Sunday morning while Rudy took my parents to the airport. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting some things done around the house. The brass group that Rudy plays with had a gig at a bridal fair, so he was gone for a while. I kept noticing that it was pretty warm in the house and I finally went and looked at the thermostat. It was set on 77, but it was 85 in the house. Hmmm... There was no way that we were about to call a repairman on a Sunday, so I turned off the A/C and kicked all of the fans into high gear. At about 9:00, it became all too clear that we were not going to be able to sleep upstairs, so we got out the big air mattress and inflated it in the basement, where it wasn't AS hot as the rest of the house. Caleb slept in his pack & play in the basement too and we were just one big happy family. As soon as I got a chance at work on Monday, I called a repair company and made an appointment for the afternoon. The repairman was right on time when I got home from work and fixed the A/C quickly. It wasn't a very big deal - but $150 later, we were cooling off! It was awesome to be in our own bed Monday night and we were cool enough to actually get some good sleep.

It's been a crazy week for us, as usual. We're all healthy and doing well, though, so we can't complain.

Go Hogs!!!!

We're All Better!

Oh, what a weekend! Rudy ended up with the crud that I had. We called Jerry and Sherry on Saturday and begged them to come get Caleb. (We didn't have to beg very much...they love him!!!) Rudy and I were sick bums on Saturday and Saturday night. I went to get Caleb on Sunday morning and went to church with Jerry. By the time I got home, Rudy was feeling much better and we're back to normal now. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that Caleb doesn't get it too!

Caleb's First BooBoo, Mama is Sick and Daddy's Students are Back

Caleb has completed his first full week of daycare and he lived to tell about it. When I went to pick him up on Monday, Carrie introduced me to a little girl who she said would only be there this week. Well, the first two days with that extra little pair of hands were difficult for Caleb. Monday, she screamed through naptime, so he didn't get a very good nap at all. On Tuesday, I knocked on the door and Carrie answered it holding Caleb as usual. He was facing away from me and she said, "Before you see him, we had a minor accident, it's really not that bad." He turned around and I could see blood on the top of his nose. Carrie explained that the little girl was trying to be sweet and "share" a book with Caleb, but got too close and scratched him. I didn't get upset - these things happen. She did go to time out and apologized. She even took the baby wipes to Carrie to help her clean up his cut. When we got home, it was still bleeding and did so for quite a while. It finally stopped and after his bath that night, it didn't look so bad.
On Wednesday, the school buses started rolling again in Rockwood. Rudy's days and evenings are once again filled with middle and high school students. I don't know how he does it. My days are now filled with phone calls to parents, testing sessions with 3-5 year olds and meetings, meetings, meetings. I always look forward to picking up Caleb at 3:15!

As for today, I have caught a nasty bug and have spent the day throwing up and sleeping. I have a touch of fever and I hurt all over! Rudy went ahead and took Caleb to Carrie's and he stayed there all day. I couldn't even go pick him up - Rudy had to go get him. Now, because of my fever, I'm afraid to be around him. I can hear him talking to Rudy downstairs and crying now and then. Rudy is being awesome to take full care of Caleb and let me just be sick. Mamas aren't supposed to be sick.

A Wild and Crazy Week!

Since the last time I posted, so much has happened in the Villines household!

On Saturday (8/5), Rudy and I were given the royal treatment at the Cardinals game! Caleb stayed with Monica, because it was just too hot to take him and it's so loud there. When Rudy's band played the National Anthem at the game back in June, there was a parking mix-up and it was a big mess! So...the group sales representative for the Cardinals offered us free tickets to a game and invited us onto the field for batting practice. Wow! We met him at the stadium and he took us straight onto the field. We stood right beside the dugout and watched the Cards take BP. It was awesome! Rudy even got Albert Pujols' autograph on a baseball for Caleb. We were then taken to a "party room" on the first base line. It was air-conditioned and had outdoor seats, plus there was a free buffet and drinks. The night was awesome and the Cards beat the Brewers. Albert even hit a homerun!

Last week was the dreaded "back to work" week for us. On Monday, we went over to Carrie's house so that Rudy could meet her and her family. We were all in agreement about her keeping Caleb for us, so that was a complete load off of my mind!

On Wednesday night, I packed my lunch and Caleb's diaper bag with a heavy, heavy heart. I knew he would be okay, but I just dreaded the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives. The chapter we were in was so amazing and I knew that the next one could not possibly be as great - it meant less time with my baby.

On Thursday morning, I got up and got ready for work. Then, I fed Caleb and Rudy and I got him dressed and ready for the day. Of course, when it came time for me to leave, the little stinker gave me a great big smile that melted my heart! I left the house with tears in my eyes and met Monica for breakfast in Eureka. Rudy had the hardest job of all. He had to drop Caleb off at Carrie's and go to work. He called and left me a message afterward, saying that he had changed his mind and didn't want to be in charge of drop-offs. I told him that was just tough, because I couldn't do it. I'd rather do every single middle of the night feeding than have to do drop-offs in the mornings.

I made it through my first day of work and only called to check on Caleb at lunch. I was pretty impressed with myself! I was relieved to find that he was doing well and was actually napping when I called. When I picked him up at 3:45, he was playing in the floor with Carrie and was in a great mood! That made me feel so much better. When we got home, we took a little nap together and then got the house straightened up.

About 9:15, Jan and Chris made it here from Arkansas. Jan and I gave Caleb a bath and then got him ready for bed. The poor little guy was exhausted and so was I.
Jan and Chris kept Caleb on Friday, so leaving for work was a little easier. Just knowing he would be at home made me feel a little bit better. I couldn't wait to get home that afternoon to see him, though! Friday night, we went to dinner at Zia's on the Hill. It was good, but not great. Caleb was an angel. He slept all the way through dinner.

On Saturday, Rudy played in the Arkansas Alumni Association softball tournament. I worked the concessions and it was a long day! Jan brought Caleb out to the ballfield for a little bit and everyone enjoyed seeing him. We were too tired to cook dinner Saturday night, so we went out for Mexican food. Yum!!!!

Jan and Chris left this morning and we had a lazy day at home. I even put off running my errands until tomorrow. I guess Caleb and I will have a busy afternoon going to the bank, post office and grocery store. I did manage to do a little laundry today and get our things ready for going to work/Carrie's tomorrow. Caleb slept most of the day. I think all of the activity of the weekend was just a little much for him - and we all know he doesn't want to miss anything exciting!

As far as new developments for Caleb, it's all about the raspberries! We have laughed so much at him for blowing spit bubbles and making the craziest noises with his mouth! Sometimes he even spits on us. Rudy told him today that he looked like he was foaming at the mouth. It's pretty humorous, but I kind of miss the cooing and gooing from a couple of weeks ago. I'm so glad I got some video of it! I'll have to do the same thing with the raspberries.

Tummy time is getting a little better and Caleb's tolerance of the bathtub has improved a thousand percent. He is grabbing at things and taking them straight to his mouth. He has also developed a love for sucking on his fingers. It kills me to let him do it, but sometimes I have no choice. I've tried and tried to pull his fingers out and put in the pacifier. Sometimes, he even puts his fingers in his mouth and pops the pacifier out and across the room. If he ends up being a habitual finger or thumb sucker, it's not for the lack of me trying to avoid it! I gave it a valiant effort, to say the least. I just cringe when I hear him on the monitor at night sucking those fingers. My philosophy has always been that I prefer pacifiers over fingers/thumbs, because you can take away pacifiers at some point, but the state frowns on cutting off your child's thumbs. In my line of work, it's just so hard to imagine my child being a habitual fingersucker. Oh, I hope it's just a phase!

Childcare Search Success

Caleb and I went today to meet with the potential childcare provider that I mentioned in yesterday's post. I was excited to find that I was comfortable in their home and I felt like Caleb would be safe and happy there while I'm at work. So, my stress level has once again leveled off. The provider's name is Carrie and Caleb will be spending his days primarily with her and her 18-month-old son, Drew. She also has a 12-year-old daughter, Samantha, who doesn't start back to school for a couple of weeks. Her husband, Kevin, will be there in the mornings, but will leave for work shortly after Rudy drops Caleb off for the day. Because their house is so close to mine and because Rudy doesn't have to be at work until well after I do, he is going to do the drop-offs in the mornings and I'm going to do the pick-ups in the afternoons. That makes me one seriously happy Mama! I was dreading the drop-offs and this will make going to work so very much easier!

I decided that God was doing me a favor. The only way I can figure out his plan is to guess, but here's my guess. God knows that patience is not my strongsuit. God also knew all along that Caleb should be at Carrie's house when I went back to work. So...he provided a wonderful alternative for me to believe in and be comfortable with until Carrie was ready to open her home to us. (She just posted her advertisement a couple of days before I found her.) Kim's move is a surprise to us, but it was in His plan all along. God is good to me - in so many ways!

Another happy note about today - BAND CAMP IS OVER! For two weeks, Rudy has been working like a dog out in the 100 degree heat from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM and then coming home dead-tired. Today was the last day of summer band camp and tonight was "parent night." The kids performed the parts of the show that they know - which is a lot - and they looked great! Rudy is pleased with the show and the way it's coming together. A happy band director is a happy husband and father.

Tomorrow night, Rudy and I are going to the Cardinals game. We have free tickets and the special privilege of going onto the field and visiting the dugout before the game. That's pretty cool! The Cardinals goofed up the parking situation when Rudy's band played at the game back in June, so we're getting the royal treatment to make up for it! Caleb is staying with Monica and she's taking him to a soccer game. I made her promise to face him away from the field. I don't want him getting any bright ideas about playing soccer. We like "Real" football in this house! Of course, because I say that - he'll end up being a soccer junkie. Oh, I hope not!!!!!

Childcare SNAFU...and Some Good News

Yesterday, I got a phone call at about 6:00 from Kim, the lady who is supposed to keep Caleb this school year. She told me that her husband has been transferred to Kansas City and she will be moving as soon as her house sells. OH MY GOSH! I was in total shock and didn't really know what to do. It was about 10:30 last night before I got my thoughts together and decided that I needed to get on the ball and find someone else before I go back to work in one week. I sent out an e-mail to everyone I know in this area who might possibly know someone who could keep Caleb. I also got on the same website where I found Kim and frantically sent e-mails to several people. I finally got in bed last night after 12:30 and watched the clock for a while with my head spinning. This morning, I had 2 phone calls and a couple of e-mails from people I had contacted. I narrowed it down to 5 potential people and then did some phone interviews. Of the 3 phone interviews that I did, I'm really only interested in 2 of the people. I'm going to meet one of them tomorrow morning, so we'll see. Hopefully, Caleb will have a fabulous place to go next Thursday when I go to work and this will all work out just fine.

On a happier note, I think Caleb's blocked tear duct may be getting better. This is the second day in a row that I haven't had to wipe his eye at all. His eyelashes are even dry tonight and his eye isn't running at all! I was really hoping for that to clear up on its own, because I didn't want to have to go through with the surgery to repair it. Here's hoping it stays dry!

Three Months Old

Caleb is now three months old. I can hardly believe we are a quarter of the way through his first year. He continues to grow and change and amaze us. He has started to really enjoy looking in the mirror and has even "talked" to his reflection a couple of times. Bathtime is SO much better lately. He even seems to enjoy it a little bit. I never thought I'd see that day! He is becoming more and more vocal and he is starting to look like a little boy instead of a newborn. He still hates tummy time with a passion, but we have seen some improvement in his ability to lift his head when he's on his tummy. His head is now about 95% stable when he's upright and he loves to be upright! The child doesn't want to miss anything at all - he wants to see it all! Caleb is responding more to us from a distance and now smiles when he sees us across a room. He is reaching for things and batting at them a lot. He even manages to grab them from time to time and when he does, he won't let go! This includes my hair!

Things that I love about my three-month-old baby boy:
- our "conversations" about the world
- the way he makes his grandparents (and mine) smile
- the fact that he tries to ooh and goo at me with his pacifier in his mouth when I'm trying to rock him to sleep (this will not be cute when he starts talking for real!)
- that toothless grin
- the fact that he is so easygoing and easy to take out and about
- the way his Daddy's eyes light up when they play together

Happy Three Month Birthday, Caleb!

A Trip to Arkansas

It's been a whirlwind week for us! Where do I even start?

Last Monday, I took Caleb to Weight Watchers with me and asked the lady to weigh me twice - once with him and once without him. With some "fancy math skills, " I found out that my baby boy now weighs 16 pounds! He's officially in size 2 diapers and it's time to switch over to those 3-6 month clothes. At this rate, he should have no problem meeting the 20 pound rule at one year to have his car seat turned forward. Actually, at this rate, he may be driving at one year!

On Tuesday, Becca came to our house. We went to the mall to get a shirt for her to wear to her shower, had dinner with Jimmy (who was in the area for work) and bought Caleb an outfit with an airplane on it for his first plane ride! We ran errands until bedtime and then hit the pillow hard!

Wednesday morning, we were up bright and early to get ready for our trip to Arkansas. I packed everything that Caleb and I would need for a five day vacation and then got him ready to go. When we got to the airport, we realized what a sight we were: Becca at 7 1/2 months pregnant and me toting Caleb around. We were certain that nobody wanted to sit with us! The flight went great. Caleb didn't fuss at all. I put his pacifier in his mouth for takeoff and landing so that his ears wouldn't bother him. He slept most of the trip! I am so fortunate!!!! When we got to the airport, Mr. L. and Becca's dad and sister were waiting for us. We rounded up our luggage and said bye to Becca, since she was going to her dad's for a few days. Mr.L. and I loaded all of our stuff in the car, changed Caleb's stinky diaper in the back of the Jeep and headed for Hot Springs. Caleb and I were both exhausted when we got there, so we laid down for a nap. The next thing I knew, Mom was in my room and couldn't wait to see us. We got up and visited a little bit, then got on the boat and went over to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's house. They were glad to see us and couldn't believe how much Caleb had grown in just a month. When we got back home, we had some dinner and headed for bed.

On Thursday, Mom had to work, so I took the opportunity to go over and see Memmie and Poppie in Sherwood. We had a great visit and Caleb showed them all of his new "tricks." He even "talked" to me like he does at home - constant cooing like he's really having a big conversation. Memmie thought that was the funniest thing ever! We were sad to leave their house, but had to get back to Hot Springs before the traffic got too bad. The weather was gross and I was driving Mom's car, so I wasn't too keen on getting stuck in rush hour traffic in Little Rock.

When we got back to Hot Springs, we freshened up and then went to dinner at Applebee's with Stacy Schmidt, my dear friend from Rogers. She was in town for the state Special Ed conference, so we just had to get together. She was so excited to meet Caleb. We had another treat when some of the ladies from the Rogers Special Services office stopped by to see us while we were there. Linda Stewart, my former supervisor and dear friend, brought Caleb some adorable gifts and he thanked her with several great big smiles and a Caleb-style conversation! We had a great time visiting with all of them and it was awesome to see everyone.

On Friday, Mom took a vacation day and we spent our time doing some shopping and errands for Becca's shower. I had to go to the bank and open an account for the Alumni Association, so Mom and Mr. L. kept Caleb. They didn't seem to mind.

On Saturday, Mr. L. kept Caleb for a couple of hours while Mom and I did a little more shopping. It was a low-key day and that was nice and relaxing. Unfortunately, it was way too hot for us to go for another boat ride. Saturday night, Joyce came by to visit. The Holmes crew showed up too for a few minutes. Caleb got to meet Julie and Chris for the first time and got a very cute blanket from Leigh Ann and Bill.

Sunday was the big day for Becca's shower. She had a great turnout and got some awesome gifts! Of course, she was excited to get some Razorback things for baby Maddox! Caleb was very well behaved during the shower - as always. He eventually fell asleep and I put him down for a nap in his bed.

On Monday, we had a relaxing day and then headed for the airport. Mom and Mr. L. helped me get everything to the Southwest counter and then Caleb and I were on our own to get on the plane and head for home. After we got through security, I put him in the Baby Bjorn and fed him. I decided it would be a good idea to change his diaper while we waited for our plane to board, so we went into the ladies' room. As soon as I walked in there, I realized that I needed to go to the bathroom. This was my biggest fear about flying alone with Caleb - what was I going to do with him while I went to the bathroom? I had nowhere to lay him down and nothing to sit him in. So, I did the best I could! I left him in the carrier and he basically sat in my lap while I did the public bathroom hover maneuver. It was quite a feat, but we made it! We got on the plane with no problem (I love pre-boarding!) and the flight home was as easy as the flight there. Once we got on the ground in St. Louis, we got our suitcase and Caleb's carseat and took the shuttle to our car. It was about 102 degrees outside, so I was really sweating by the time I got the car loaded and the carseat installed. The whole thing was a big challenge, but I did it all by myself and I was pretty proud of the way it worked out!

When we got home, Rudy was SO excited to see us! He told me that he couldn't believe how much he missed us and that he might not ever let us leave for that long again! Band camp has been going well and he's pleased with the year so far. That helped, I'm sure! Rudy watched Caleb while I unpacked our things and then we crashed into the bed!

Caleb has been getting back into his routine the past couple of days. It has taken some time, but he'll eventually get straightened back out. Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment and then we went to Wal Mart and Schnuck's. He's so used to be hauled around everywhere - he was a trooper and slept through a lot of it! He went to bed last night at about 9:00 and woke up to eat at 4:00 AM. I put him right back to bed and it's now almost 10:30 AM and he's just now starting to stir. I think he was just completely worn out from the trip and has been catching up on some much-needed sleep.

I will post Caleb's 3-month birthday post later today or tonight and I'll add the 3-month pictures to the Shutterfly site too. I've already uploaded the pictures from our trip to Arkansas, so make sure you check those out.

Only 8 more days until I have to go back to work!

This Little Piggy Blew a Bubble...

This week's developments: Caleb has found his toes and he's started to blow spit bubbles. Sometimes he just sits and stares at his feet like they are the most amazing things he has ever seen. I find it pretty funny!

Out of nowhere, Caleb has started to blow spit bubbles and the drool factory has kicked into gear. I had just noticed it yesterday and then I read something about the expected milestones for this week and it mentioned an increase in drool. I guess that means he's right on track.

This week should be an exciting one for us. On Wednesday, Caleb and I are flying with my cousin, Becca, to Arkansas! I'm not nervous about flying with him, I'm just nervous about packing and hauling all of our junk through the airport. Mom has already informed me that she has diapers and formula on hand and has borrowed a pack and play so that Caleb has a place to sleep. That will make the travel a little easier. Rudy is sad that we will be gone for a few days, but he's in the full throes of band camp, so he is a little distracted (and stressed) anyway. Maybe with us out of the way, he'll be able to concentrate on work for a few days without feeling like he's being torn between work and home.

We're still struggling with tummy time! Caleb hates being put on his tummy to play and he just yells at us like we're killing him. We've tried putting all sorts of interesting things in front of him, but he still hates it.

Since Rudy started back to work last Thursday, Caleb and I have had a lot more time to ourselves. I find it to be very stressful and very fulfilling all at the same time. I don't get much done except for when he's napping, but the time that we spend together is priceless. Now that he's napping for about 2-3 hours every day at noon, I have time to get some things done around the house, but I'm usually so sleepy myself that I have to make myself keep moving. Once Rudy gets home in the evenings, he's ready to have some Daddy time, so I'm able to get things done then. I have a whole new understanding of stay-at-home moms - not that I ever thought that would be easy!

Caleb's First Cardinals Game

For the second time in his life, Caleb slept all night on Thursday, June 28th! I bathed him, fed him and put him in bed at 9:30. He didn't make a sound until 5:15 Friday morning! I kept waking up during the night and listening to the monitor and I could hear him breathing soundly, so I went back to sleep.

On Friday, Rudy's band played the National Anthem at the Cardinals game, so we all went. Of course, Rudy was busy with the band, but Caleb and I got there plenty early so that I could see the new stadium. Wow! It's really nice! Since we were there so early, we stopped at the Build-A-Bear Workshop and bought a Fredbird for Caleb. We made it to our seats and Jerry and Sherry came shortly after that. The band sounded great on the Anthem and then we settled in to "watch the game." There's really no watching the game when you have a 2 month old baby! Even with Jerry and Sherry more-than-willing to hold him and do whatever we needed, it was a challenge. It was pretty warm out there and it got really loud sometimes, which scared Caleb. I took him down into the concourse and walked around with him for a while, which calmed him and we went back to our seats. Sherry and I worked hard to keep Caleb's ears covered when it got loud and he made it through until the end of the ninth inning. When the game went into extra innings, we had to leave. I was worn out and so was Caleb! Overall it was a good night, but it was exhausting.

It's HOT!

It's officially HOT - 100 degrees to be exact! It has been so hot this week and we have done everything possible to stay inside and stay cool! It's pretty warm in our house, especially upstairs, so we have the fans running on high speed and Caleb has been spending a lot of time in nothing but a diaper. On the positive side, he didn't get cold when he had his bath.
I heard a beautiful sound a couple of days ago and I can't wait to hear it again. Caleb laughed! He really laughed out loud. Oddly enough, though, he was asleep when he did it. The child makes more noise when he's asleep than he does when he's awake. Sometimes he starts crying as if he's in the most horrible pain imaginable and two seconds later, he's smiling!

We had our first visit from our parent educator today. Missouri has a wonderful Parents as Teachers program and it’s even free. We enrolled through the school district where we live and we are excited about it! Our PE's name is Amy and she is very nice! She came this morning to meet us and shared some great information with us.

The past couple of weeks have been big for Caleb - and for us. On the 8th, he spent the night with Jerry, Sherry and Rebecca while Rudy and I went on our date. According to them, he did great and was a complete joy! Last Friday night, we went to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in concert and Caleb stayed with Monica. She took him to Daniel's baseball game. She said that he was the easiest baby ever!

On Sunday, Rudy went to Branson for an overnight golf trip with Chad. Caleb and I were all alone from early Sunday morning until Monday afternoon. Sunday was a lazy day for us, but we had fun on Monday running some errands and meeting Monica for lunch. When Rudy got home on Monday afternoon, he was so excited to see Caleb! He swore that the child had actually grown while he was gone!

I've been getting caught up on my scrapbooks in the past couple of weeks. I went to a crop at church and got a ton of pages finished. Today, Rudy agreed to let me have a Mom's Day Out and I went to the Archiver's store in the mall. I scrapbooked for hours and I was so excited about the pages that I finished! I'm even going to a crop at my neighbor's house on Friday night. I'm really trying to not get too far behind since there are SO MANY pictures of Caleb to be used!

We had a few scary moments tonight. I hadn't been home from scrapbooking for long when it suddenly got very dark and windy outside. The weather turned nasty very fast and we headed for the basement. We had a terrible storm, but we were very lucky. Our area is one of the only areas in St. Louis that didn't lose power tonight. There are over 300,000 people without power right now in the metro area! We didn't go out after the storm to check for damage or anything, because it was dark. I guess tomorrow will tell. I don't think we had any damage, but a lightning bolt hit very close to our house. Rudy estimated that from the sound of it, it couldn't have been more than a couple of hundred yards away! It was LOUD! Dewey was a total wreck - like he always is in storms, but Caleb slept through it all in my arms. I learned what it feels like to become protective of a child. I wasn't worried about myself or my house or anything else - just making sure that Caleb was safe. Amazing what motherhood does, isn't it?

Band camp starts tomorrow for Rudy, so Caleb and I are on our own during the day for the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, that means that the school year is quickly approaching and I'll be headed back to work on August 10th. I'm having a hard time imagining the whole thing - leaving Caleb and getting back to work - and it makes me more than just a little sad. On the other hand, I'm ready for a little more routine in my life and I know that I can't provide the type of life that I want Caleb to have unless I go to work. So, I'll take the bad with the good, and as I always say, "Put on my big girl panties and deal with it!" I'm just going to enjoy the last days of pure freedom with my favorite little baby boy!

Discoveries!

In the past couple of days, Caleb has made two major discoveries: his hands and Dewey! We noticed just yesterday that Caleb was staring at Dewey for the first time.
As for his hands, he's been trying to put them in his mouth for a couple of weeks now, but just in the past week, he's been staring at them. It's so hard for me to imagine being so helpless that you don't know that you have hands.

The cooing and gooing is almost nonstop these days too. Caleb "talks" to us all the time. Of course, we talk back to him - either cooing and gooing right back or pretending that we really know what he's saying. He just smiles and lights up when we talk to him. What a great feeling!

We're still working on the nap schedule. The past two days have been pretty consistent. Caleb slept for about an hour in the morning, then 3 hours mid-day and then about an hour in the late afternoon. He's getting very consistent about getting sleepy around 9:00 or 9:30 at night and going right down to bed then. I usually get up with him once during the night for a quick feeding and then he sleeps again until at least 5:00 or 6:00, when Rudy gets up with him.

We're working on giving Caleb more time on a blanket on the floor so that he can learn to roll over. He HATES being on his tummy, but he's getting a little bit better about it. He likes to lay on his back and look around the room or play with the toys on his baby gym.

I am amazed every day by the changes that I see!

Mother of the Year

I blew it! My chances for Mother of the Year went out the window in the past two days. Okay...so maybe I wasn't in the running, but here's the deal -

Last night, I put Caleb in front of the TV so that we could have 20 minutes to eat dinner. I know, I know - shame on me! Here's a secret, though...it won't be the last time. He was being so clingy and fussy yesterday and just was not content in his swing, where he usually sits while we eat. Rudy and I had made a nice dinner and we really wanted to eat at the same time, so I put the bouncy seat in front of the TV, turned on the Baby channel (it's developmentally appropriate!) and sat down to a peaceful meal. Caleb loved the Baby channel with its bright colors and sing-song voices. We didn't leave him there long, but just the fact that I did it was enough to make me feel guilty.

Tonight, I was trying to clip Caleb's fingernails and took a plug out of his finger! He screamed bloody murder and I felt like a horrible person for making him bleed. He bled and bled and when it finally stopped, I swaddled him and laid him down to sleep. Oh, it's a good thing he won't remember it.

Tomorrow night, Rudy and I are going on our first grown-ups-only date since Caleb was born. We have dinner reservations at Sam's Steakhouse and then we are going to spend the night at a nice hotel in the city. Jerry and Sherry are keeping Caleb for us. Hopefully, we won't spend the whole night worrying about how he's doing. I'm sure I'll wake up during the night to "listen to the monitor", but hopefully I'll sleep peacefully, knowing he's in good hands.

Caleb is pretty consistently sleeping through the night now. He is getting on more of a sleep schedule. He usually sleeps from about 9:30 or 10:00 at night until about 4:30 in the morning. I get up and feed him and then put him back to bed. He sleeps from that point until about 7:00 or 8:00. Rudy gets up with him then, feeds him and goes for a walk with Caleb and Dewey. Sometimes, he'll take a little nap when they get back and sometimes he's just ready to talk and play with his Daddy. Rudy usually wakes me up around 10:00, because the only really good sleep I get is from the time he gets up with Caleb until then. It's just something about knowing that someone else is responsible for him and I don't have to listen for him to wake up - I really sleep hard during those few hours. Once I get up, we usually play and talk and then I feed Caleb before I have my lunch. Caleb sits in his swing while Rudy and I have lunch and usually falls asleep sometime around then either in his swing or in one of our laps. He doesn't sleep very long during the day! After he wakes up, it's feedings every 3 hours and a couple of catnaps here and there all mixed with playtime with whichever parent can play and some time in the swing and the bouncy seat. This is when we run errands or go out to do things outside of the house. Caleb begins to get pretty tired around 8:30. If he needs a bath, we do that before his bedtime bottle. When bedtime rolls around, I have the absolute joy of spending snuggle time with Caleb. I swaddle him, rock him and sing to him until he's almost asleep, then lay him down in his crib and we start the whole cycle over again. These are the best days of our lives!

Two Months Old

By the time I finish writing this, it will be July 3rd - but as I start it, it's still July 2nd, so it's still Caleb's "birthday." I continue to be amazed at him. He is growing and growing and just when I think I can't love him any more - he does something or looks at me a certain way and my heart expands just a little bit more. Caleb is smiling so much now that I wonder if he knows something I don't. He hardly ever cries and has slept through the night 2 of the last 3 nights.

In the spirit of my one month post:
Things that I love about my two-month-old baby boy:
- his "goos" and "gahs" in response to our voices
- the way he lays in his crib and "talks" to the Razorbacks on his mobile
- the loving gaze that he gives me when I sing to him at bedtime
- those chubby cheeks!
- the way his whole face lights up when he smiles
- the feel of his breath on my cheek when he's sleeping on my shoulder

Happy Two Month Birthday, Caleb!

Two-Month Well-Baby Visit

Yesterday, Rudy and I took Caleb to see Dr. Koenig for his 2 month doctor's visit. Everything checked out just fine. Dr. Koenig has no concerns about Caleb at all! I was blown away that he weighed 13 pounds, 10 ounces (90th percentile) and his length (I can't remember exactly) was in the 50th percentile. I guess that means that even though his eating is sporadic and driving us crazy - he's getting plenty to eat! After the checkup, it was time for Caleb's first round of vaccinations. I've never seen him so mad - even after a bath! He screamed and screamed, then went to sleep. When we got home, he was cranky and it was just obvious that he didn't feel well. His temperature got up to just over 100 degrees, but a little Tylenol and some time in Mama and Daddy's arms made life better. He slept well last night. I put him in his bed at 11:00 and he slept until 4:00 AM. I fed him then and put him back down and he slept until 8:00. He seems to be feeling okay this morning, just tired. As I write this, he's asleep in his swing. I expect that he'll continue to get back to his usual happy self as the day goes on. Our next doctor's appointment is September 11th.

I got an exciting phone call yesterday! One of my very best friends, Cindy, had her first baby in Tulsa! Haven Paige Brixey was born on her parents' wedding anniversary - what a great gift! Cindy's sister sent me pictures and boy, is she cute! Cindy broke the pattern of the YaYas having boys, since Les and I both have sons. Congratulations to Cindy and Tyler and Welcome, Baby Haven!

Eight Weeks Old

How hard is it to believe that Caleb is eight weeks old?!? I look at him now and I can't believe that he is getting so big and has changed so much. Our neighbors across the street had a baby boy a couple of weeks ago and he weighed almost the same as Caleb did when he was born. When I held him earlier this week, I couldn't believe the difference between Caleb and Gabe! It doesn't seem like he should be able to change so much so fast! We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so we'll see just how much he's grown.

Eating is our newest issue. Just before we went to Arkansas, Caleb was consistently eating 4 ounces every 3 hours, except at night when he would go for longer stretches. He decided to throw a kink into things and one day after he ate his usual 4 ounces, he started fussing and putting his hands in his mouth, so we knew he was still hungry. We gave him another 2 ounces and he was a happy camper. Well, that was the beginning of the confusion. Now, we never know how much he's going to eat. Some feedings, he takes 2 ounces, sometimes 4, sometimes 6. How on Earth are we supposed to prepare for that? We usually make a 6 ounce bottle and hope for the best. Surely he'll even out soon and we won't be wasting so much formula every day. Rudy and I have decided that while it's not ideal, it's not the end of the world to waste a little. We'd rather be prepared for Caleb's feedings than have to scramble to make more when he's still hungry.

As for our eating issues, it's time to tackle the pregnancy pounds. I didn't gain much, but what I did put on HAS to come off. Plus - there are some pounds that didn't need to be there before I got pregnant. So...Rudy and I have jumped on the Weight Watchers wagon. I'm actually going to meetings and doing the whole program and Rudy is following my lead, but isn't going to the meetings. As an incentive for myself, I had a "Mom's Day Out" yesterday after I went to the dentist. I bought some clothes so that I can wear something other than the maternity clothes that I've been wearing for about the past 11 months. Like most everyone else, when I feel better about the way I look, I'm more likely to do what I need to do to feel even better. I'm optimistic about this plan. I've done it before and it really does work!

I'll post again tomorrow after Caleb's doctor's appointment.

Back from "Vacation"

We got home yesterday from our whirlwind tour to visit friends and family in Arkansas and Oklahoma. It has taken me more than 24 hours to get unpacked, go through mail and e-mail, make a dent in the laundry and get settled into being back at home. Now that Caleb is here - vacation will never be the same. Where to start? I guess it only makes sense to start at the beginning!

I had my 6 week postpartum doctor's appointment on the 13th. Woo hoo - what fun! Actually, it wasn't all that bad - could've been worse. She checked me out and said that everything is healing just fine, but I'm not quite where she would like for me to be just yet. I'm supposed to "take it easy" for a couple more weeks.

Jenny and Michael came over for lunch on Thursday, the 14th. We had a great time visiting and catching up. Michael enjoyed seeing Caleb for the first time since he was 2 weeks old! After lunch, Jenny and I went out and about with Caleb for a while. I had some errands to run and just needed to get out of the house!

On Friday, Rudy, Caleb and I left for Arkansas! We weren't sure what to expect when traveling with a 6-week-old baby, but he did awesome! Honestly - Caleb is a dream to travel with. He slept about 90% of the time that we were in the car. He only woke up when he was hungry and only got a little fussy when he had been in the car for hours and hours on end. To tell the truth - I was starting to get a little fussy myself. :)

We made it to Rogers at about 4:30 Friday afternoon. We had a great time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Voise. They fell instantly in love with our little man and he returned their love with tons of smiles.

On Friday night, we needed to give Caleb a bath, but we didn't bring his baby bathtub, so we had to figure out how we were going to go about the process. I had read online that a lot of people had success with just getting into the bathtub with their babies, so I thought we'd give it a shot. It worked like a charm! Caleb was much calmer and more relaxed in the tub with me in there with him. He didn't scream until we took him out of the water to dry him off. If anyone has any suggestions to make that less traumatic - I'm listening! We already close the vents in the bathroom and run hot water to get it nice and steamy so that it's not too cold. He just hates it!

Saturday morning, Rudy took Caleb and I over to Les and Nick's new house in Bella Vista. Les and I were braving the idea of taking a 6-week-old baby and a 3-year-old boy to Tulsa for Cindy's baby shower. We're either brave or crazy - I'm not sure which it is! Turns out - we're neither one - just blessed to have the best boys in the world! Caleb and Jackson traveled so well and we were thrilled with the way the trip turned out. Cindy's shower was great and then we went to her house and sat in her baby's nursery and talked for hours! I love my girls. I don't know what I would do without them. I honestly cherish every minute that I get to spend with them and our babies have made our bond even closer. There's just something about motherhood that makes us part of a club that only we can understand. I count it as one of the pleasant surprises of being a mom - a closer relationship with my best friends. After dinner, Les and I loaded the boys back up and headed for Northwest Arkansas. We had so much fun talking that the trip went quickly.

Rudy's mom, Jan, flew into NWA on Saturday while we were in Tulsa. She was excited to see Caleb when we met up with them on Saturday night. She stayed in Rogers with us Saturday and Sunday nights.

Sunday was Rudy's first Father's Day. He had picked out a new golf bag for himself as his Father's Day present. I added to that by giving him 3 books to read with Caleb that are about Daddies. We enjoyed being with Rudy's family on Father's Day and had a wonderful meal with them to top off the day.

On Monday morning, we were up bright and early for the second leg of the tour! We went to Spiro, Oklahoma, to see Rudy's Grandma and Grandpa Morris. We hadn't seen them since Christmas, so we were glad to get to visit with them. They enjoyed meeting Caleb. After we had lunch in Spiro, we loaded back up and headed for Sherwood, Arkansas, where we spent the night with my Memmie and Poppie. They are so very special to me and I could not wait to introduce Caleb to them! Watching them smile when that baby boy looked at them was possibly the highlight of the trip for me. As much as Poppie loves his four granddaughters, he has always wanted a grandson. I am so grateful to have been able to give him a great-grandson! We had a wonderful time playing our marbles game with Memmie and Poppie, pigging out on Memmie's fabulous food and just visiting. Memmie even hemmed some blankets for me to use to swaddle Caleb. I sure didn't know how to do it myself! Pat came over for a short visit on Tuesday. When it came time to leave, I thought we were going to need a crowbar to pry Caleb out of Poppie's arms! He got pretty attached to the little guy pretty quickly!

The final stop on our tour was Hot Springs. We got there on Tuesday afternoon and Mom and Mr. L. were anxiously waiting for us! I guess I should say they were anxiously waiting for Caleb. We got all settled in and then my family started arriving for our cookout. Mr. L. made burgers and we got to show off our pride and joy to Pepapa and Anna Joyce, Aunt Harolyn and Uncle Poppie and Jimmy and Kim. It was a very fun night. By the time everyone left, Caleb was exhausted from being passed around. For the first time, Rudy and I saw the slight signs of stress in his little body as he got overwhelmed by all the new faces and the noise that comes along with a family party. He handled it beautifully, though. He didn't fuss or cry and when he seemed stressed, he calmed quickly with just a few minutes in my arms or Rudy's. I wouldn't have traded that night for the world. Seeing my son in the arms of the family that has loved me all of my life was one of the most amazing experiences that I can imagine. When I caught a glimpse of Pepapa giving Caleb a kiss, I felt a peacefulness that I can't explain. Family is an amazing thing.

Mom and I took Caleb to her office and Mr.L's office on Wednesday. Everyone was happy to see him. Then, the adventure really got into full swing! Wednesday evening, we took Caleb for his first boat ride on Lake Hamilton. Mr. L. bought him an infant lifejacket, which we call the "shark suit" because it has a shark on it. It is possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life! Once we got Caleb into it, we set sail for a cruise around the lake. He was asleep within seconds and slept like an angel almost the whole time we were on the boat! He loved the noise and the vibration of the boat and the water.
We packed up and left for home on Thursday. We stopped in Little Rock to have lunch with Chad, Ronni and Owen, then hit the road for St. Louis. The trip home was as easy as the trip down there. We got home about 8:30 last night and crashed!
Caleb has changed so much in the past 2 weeks, it's unbelievable. His face is changing and becoming more "boyish." He's smiling almost nonstop and is starting to use his hands to bat at things even though he doesn't have much control over them. The greatest thing that has changed is that he is now cooing at us. When we sit down and talk to him, he coos nonstop and just smiles the whole time. Who could resist that?

I think Caleb's nickname has finally set itself in stone. For some reason, I can't stop calling him Caleb-bug or sometimes, just plain "Bug." It just fits him!

Before we left for our trip, we decided that we would move Caleb to the crib in his room when we got home. Last night was his first night in his "big bed" and he did awesome! I hooked up the monitor and he slept just as peacefully as always. I even slept better than usual. I don't know if it was because I was so tired or because I couldn't hear every single gurgle that he made. Either way - it was wonderful. I'm trying to develop a bedtime routine to help him sleep better at night. Last night, I took him upstairs and changed his diaper, changed him into a onesie, turned down the lights and gave him his late night bottle. About halfway through the bottle, as he was getting sleepy, I swaddled him, turned on the sound machine and sat in the rocker with him for the last of his bottle. When he was finished, I held him close to me and said a nighttime prayer, then laid him in his crib to sleep. I walked out of the room with a little tear in my eye, but a peacefulness in my heart. He's there again tonight after the same routine and has been asleep now for 4 hours. I keep thinking he'll wake up any time for another bottle, but maybe I'll get lucky and this will be the beginning of his longer stretches of sleeping at night. Here's hoping!

It has taken me over an hour to write all of this. I can't imagine how long it will take for you to read it. I promise my posts won't usually be this long. There was just so much to tell this time! Make sure to check out the Shutterfly site for the pictures from the trip!

Six Weeks

Caleb is 6 weeks old. I absolutely cannot believe it! I keep thinking that if he had been born any earlier in the school year, I would be going back to work this week. Whew! I'm so very glad he was born when he was. The timing couldn't have been better.

A lot of people have offered their congratulations on our ability to get Caleb to sleep through the night at less than 6 weeks. Though they are much appreciated - hold on to your congrats for a while. That all night sleeping was a one-time thing. He hasn't done it again, but we are almost certain he is sleeping just fine for his age. I would be astonished if he were already sleeping through the night consistently.

I go for my 6-week postpartum check-up on Tuesday. Yikes and double yikes! I'm certainly not looking forward to it. Wouldn't it be a little weird if I were?

Rip Van Winkle

Caleb slept through the night last night! Becca was here to take Aunt Harolyn to the airport and she spent the night. Rudy went to practice putting and Becca and I gave Caleb a bath. I fed him at 9:30 and we all went to bed at 10:00. He didn't wake up until 5:00 this morning! I was amazed. I would like to say that I got a good night's rest last night, but it wouldn't be true. I had to look the gift horse right in the mouth! I kept waking up to check on Caleb and make sure he was okay since he wasn't awake. I think he was so worn out from his bath that he zonked out and didn't even think about waking up until 5:00. Rudy says we need to give him a bath every night if that's the case - no thanks! I'd rather get up for a peaceful nighttime feeding than endure the torture of giving him a bath every night. He hates it!!!!

And In This Corner...

Caleb has had a stuffy, snuffly nose for about two weeks now. We started using the nasal aspirator (AKA: booger sucker) and Caleb hates it! When we started pulling stuff out of there that made us gag a little, we decided it was time to call the pediatrician. We went in on Saturday morning. The first thing they did was put him on the scale. OH. MY. GOSH. My one-month-old baby boy weighs ELEVEN POUNDS, SIX OUNCES! That is a three pound weight gain in one month. The doctor didn't say it was a problem, but we're thinking about entering him in a tough-baby contest because we think the other babies would be scared of him. :) Why are fat rolls so cute on a baby and so unattractive on adults????

After we got over the initial shock of the weigh-in, the doctor came in and checked Caleb over. She said that the nasal congestion doesn't appear to be anything more than just that - not a problem at all. It sounds awful, though and it's enough to keep me up at night making sure he's still breathing! The other thing we had checked is the doggone baby acne. Bless his little heart, Caleb is just covered with it! His cheeks, chin, forehead, neck and shoulders are all red and bumpy. There's nothing we can do about that either. He's just a mess! It's a good thing he's cute...and sweet. :)

On Saturday night, Rudy's uncles, Ken and Dennis came over for a cookout. They were in town for a few days. We enjoyed visiting with them and they enjoyed meeting Caleb.

We took Caleb to church for the first time on Sunday. He was so good! He didn't fuss at all, but did make some pretty funny noises in his sleep. The sermon was called "Sing When the Spirit Leads You." I told Caleb that the preacher was not talking to him and he needed to please stay quiet during church.

Yesterday, Becca and Aunt Harolyn came to spend the night. Jimmy met us for dinner and we had a great time. Aunt Harolyn fell in love with Caleb and just couldn't believe what a good baby he is. She kept saying that she thought we were drugging him. We swear we're not!!!! He's just that good! Aunt Harolyn and Becca "babysat" for us this morning while Rudy and I went to the dentist. I'd say the babysitters got the better end of that deal.

One Month Old

I can hardly believe that Caleb is one month old tomorrow. In some ways it has gone by so fast and in others - I can't imagine what life was like before him. We're still learning to be a family of three. It's slowly but surely becoming our "normal" and we love it. Just as we expected, we are pretty tired and we are sometimes overwhelmed with the responsibilities, but we're doing okay. We remind Caleb every time we try something new (for the first, second, third... time) that we are learning as we go. Maybe we're trying to convince ourselves more than him. Everything is getting easier. We can change diapers in a flash and changing clothes is getting quicker too. Caleb still hates bathtime, but we're getting faster and we've learned some little tricks to make it easier for all of us. We have taken the advice that we've read that you can't spoil a newborn and we're loving on him as much as we can while he's a captive audience for our loving. We answer his cries as quickly as possible and we hold him when he needs to be held. Everything else can wait. Fortunately, with Rudy home during the day now, this is easier. We trade off whenever we need to and we're really working together as a team to make our routine work. I absolutely could not ask for a better Daddy for Caleb. I feel so blessed that Rudy is so hands-on and involved with him. Some men are not as willing to wash bottles and change diapers! Rudy not only does it - he enjoys it and enjoys every minute he has with Caleb. He loves to take him for walks in the Baby Bjorn carrier. They go at least once and sometimes twice a day!

We've worked out a system where I do the overnight feedings and Rudy gets up with Caleb in the mornings at about 5 or 6. I get to sleep for a few consecutive hours that way. It fits our natural sleep schedules and it's working for us! Caleb is starting to sleep longer at night - sometimes up to 4 1/2 hours at a time, but usually closer to 4. When he wakes up during the night, I feed and change him quickly and quietly and put him back to bed. That keeps him from wanting to play at night - another trick that is working well for us. He's also staying awake for longer periods of time during the day. Sometimes he'll be awake for the entire 3-4 hours between feedings. That's when we have fun. Last night, we took Caleb to his room and played with all of his baby toys. We looked at things that blink and listened to things that play music and rattle. He was so cute looking so intently at all of the new things. The best part is that we could do it all again tomorrow and it would be just as amazing to him - and us. He does have a few favorite toys: the zebra on his bouncy seat, his swing and a lion that hangs on his car seat. He just stares and stares at them. We've even seen him "reach" for the zebra - but he just gets mad because he doesn't have the arm control to actually get it. All in due time!

Since Caleb was just a few days old, we've delighted every time he "smiled." We aren't quite naive enough to think that he was actually smiling at us at that point, but today - everything changed. I came home from a doctor's appointment to find Rudy and Caleb in the floor in the nursery playing and talking. I walked in, said "hi" to them both and got down on the floor with them. Caleb turned toward me. When I said "hi" to him and got within his range of vision, he smiled the biggest smile I've ever seen! His whole face lit up and my whole heart melted into a big puddle!

Of course, we have the new parent worries that come along with the job. Caleb has a lot of congestion in his throat pretty often and it worries me that he will inhale some of that into his lungs and get sick. So far, that hasn't been the case, but I would certainly sleep better at night if he didn't snort and gurgle so much. I've had to use the nasal aspirator several times and that is traumatic for Caleb and for me! We both hate it!!! He screams and I feel so bad. I would certainly hate for someone to do that to me! Other than that, he seems to be doing very well. He doesn't cry very much. He lets loose now and then and wails when he suddenly decides he's really hungry and when we give him a bath. We are so very very blessed to have dodged the colic bullet and to have such an "easy" baby.

We thank God every day for Caleb's health and the ease with which he has adjusted to the world.

Things I love about my one-month-old baby boy: - his toothless grin - his soft hair, long eyelashes and chubby cheeks - the noises of contentment he makes when he eats - the ridiculous grunts he makes when he poops - the way he calms down when I hold him in my arms - the way he smells after a bath - the way he gazes at me when he takes his bottle - the way he makes his Daddy laugh - the way he sleeps peacefully laying on my chest

Happy One Month Birthday, Caleb!