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!
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!
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