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!