First things first from the SLP mom: A NEW WORD! All of a sudden today, Caleb started saying, "cracker." Of course, he actually says, "kaka," but I'll take it! He loves Goldfish crackers and will do whatever he can to get them, so he learned to say "kaka."
Now for the big news: Caleb has learned to call the Hogs! Until recently, he would just raise his hands up and then smack them down on his knees while we said, "woo pig!" Now, he raises his hands and says, "woo", then smacks them down and says, "da!" It's pretty funny! I've tried to get him to do it on video, but he gets distracted by the camera and won't do it. I'll keep trying because it's something we definitely need to have recorded. Sometimes, he'll even stand up and let go of whatever he's holding onto to do it. That's our way of tricking him into standing alone.
Our little man loves to walk holding onto our fingers. His favorite thing to do is to walk around the circle on the main floor of our house. He really loves it if one of us helps him walk and "chase" the other parent. That brings lots of laughs! He also is warming up those legs for solo walking by pushing around his wagon full of blocks and occasionally, his actual push-walker. This is a big change from the first time I tried to get him to use the walker and he screamed like I was asking him to dance en pointe! Pretty much anything that will move when he pushes it has become a walker, including one of our end tables sometimes.
The last time I wrote was July 9th and I'm really trying to use this blog as a record of what we do from day-to-day, so I'll do a little catching up:
July 10th - Daddy's Day Out. Caleb and I went to see a kids' musician at the library. His name was Babaloo. Caleb loved the whole experience. There were probably 100 kids there and he was fascinated by all of the dancing and the music. He squealed with delight at the bubble machine and banged on a bucket with drumsticks just like the big kids did.
July 11th & 12th were normal days for us. We played with the neighbor-kids and enjoyed summer.
July 13th - Rudy took Caleb to the last day for kiddie gym at church. That afternoon, I took Caleb to the zoo for a couple of hours. It was a nice day weather-wise, so we had a good time. Caleb actually seemed to notice the animals more this time than in the past. That was as much fun for me as it was for him.
July 14th was a normal Saturday of play and fun. We really got a lot of packing done and I started to feel less nervous about the move. I've packed a little bit most days since then and we're almost finished!
On July 15th, Rudy went to visit with Mike and Kelly Crawford with Jerry and Sherry. Caleb and I stayed here so that his routine wouldn't be completely messed up for the week. It always takes a few days to get him back on schedule when we goof it up and I just didn't want to worry with a cranky kid this week.
The 16th was my regularly scheduled Mom's Day Out, so I did my regularly-scheduled scrapbooking at Archiver's and it was great as always. I got 25 pages done!
Rudy's Dad's Day Out on the 17th was split into two parts. First, he played a great golf course until a storm came up and they had to quit. He was mad because he said it was one of the best rounds of golf he'd ever played and he didn't get to finish it. When he left there, he came back home and packed up his truck to go to Tennessee. He spent the night with Doug and Lisa in Nashville.
On Wednesday, the 18th, he met with a guy about buying his dad's Civil War collection so that we wouldn't have to move it again. The guy was great and bought the vast majority of the stuff on the spot. We're glad to have that out from under our roof...and our insurance policy. He drove back here Wednesday night and then went to play basketball.
While he was gone, Caleb and I had a few bumpy moments and some fun too. On Tuesday, for the first time in a while, all 5 of the neighborhood one-year-olds were together. It just so happened that they were together in our driveway to play in the kiddie pool and with the outside toys. It was so great to watch all of them together. It made me wish that we were going to be here for a while so that Caleb could grow up with those boys. I've become such good friends with their moms and we've really formed a little community and support system for each other this summer. We will miss them all very much! Later that night, Jenny came over for dinner with Caleb and I and stayed to hang out with me after Caleb went to bed. I just knew that Caleb would be worn out from all of the fun that he had in the afternoon and that he would sleep great on Tuesday night. I was oh so very wrong. I got to bed at about 12:30 after Jenny left at 11:45. The little stinker woke up at 1:00, screaming. I went in to check on him and he was just beside himself. I did everything I knew to do to get him back to sleep and nothing worked. I put him in bed with me and after an hour of him tossing and turning and wanting to play, I looked at him and said, "Caleb, please go night-night." He sat straight up in the bed and grinned at me and said, "night-night." I couldn't help but laugh. Maybe it was out of delirium, but it was funny nonetheless. So...that's our second new word: night-night. Once I got myself back together, I took him in his room and laid him down. As much as I hated to do it, I decided to just let him cry. And he did. He cried and cried until 3:30 AM! That's the last I heard from him. I finally got to sleep, convincing myself that he would sleep a little later than normal because he had been up so long. Wrong again. 7:00 AM on the dot, he started yelling for me. I rolled out of bed and grumbled the whole way into his room. I forced myself to do the whole morning routine of breakfast, Sesame Street (while I showered) and then got him dressed. We had a lunch date with my friend Tanya and her son, John at 11:30. At about 9:00, I knew that I was going to have to get out of the house or I was going to either fall asleep and leave Caleb unattended OR completely lose my mind. So - we went to Target and a couple of other stores to kill some time until lunch. I went ahead and went to lunch early so I could feed Caleb. I enjoyed my visit with Tanya and then Caleb and I came home. I just knew I was going to get a good nap while he slept. Yeah, right. He slept for a total of one hour. When I heard him calling for me, I thought I was going to scream! After just a little bit, I called my friend Zoe down the street because she had invited us over to play in the afternoon. I told her we were up and ready when she was. She's been having trouble getting her little guy to sleep too, so she was ready for some company. We went on down to her house and the boys played for about an hour and a half until dinner time. Needless to say, by the time Rudy got home from Nashville on Wednesday, I was worn out! Caleb went to bed as usual and I wasn't far behind him. On
Thursday (the 19th), I planned to do absolutely nothing! Rudy had his usual morning with Caleb. After lunch, I put Caleb down for his nap and Rudy went to get some stuff from the storage building. While he was gone, the real estate office called and said that someone wanted to see the house at 5:00. So much for doing nothing! Rudy and I kicked it in high gear and got things sparkling clean around here and I even packed about 6 boxes of stuff. We went to dinner at 5:00 and got home around 5:45. At 6:00, we went next door for a farewell dessert hosted by some of our friends. We had 5 adults and 5 kids. The oldest of the kids was 3. It was a very sweet thing for our friends to do for us and just made it that much harder for us to leave. When we got home last night, Rudy wasn't feeling too great, and ended up being really sick all night. He stayed in bed all day today and still doesn't feel too hot tonight either. I've tried to keep Caleb away from him so that he could rest and to keep Caleb from getting sick. After being up late with Rudy and not being able to sleep because my mind was racing over about a thousand things, I got up with Caleb bright and early this morning. We hung out for about an hour and then I looked out the window and saw Zoe and Colin playing in their driveway. I took Caleb over there to play for a little bit and then we came back home for a late breakfast. It was a beautiful day, so after breakfast, we played outside in our driveway. While Caleb explored the garage and played with dry oatmeal in a bucket, I taped up the bottoms of some boxes in preparation for a major packing expedition this weekend. We came inside for a very necessary bath and lunch and then he went down early for his nap. Shortly after I put him down, Jen called and said that they were about to leave for vacation and that she wanted to see me to say goodbye since we'll be gone when they get back. I went over to their house since both of my boys were sleeping. After talking for a while and saying a sad goodbye, I came back over to take a short nap. Caleb woke up and we went to the grocery store, then came home for dinner. After dinner, we played outside for a long time (it really was a beautiful day) with Zach, Charlie and Jess and then came in for bedtime. Caleb was in a particularly talkative mood, so we called my mom and Mr. L. and then Jan so that he could say "night-night" to them and then we headed up to bed. After all of that outside play, he was exhausted. I never heard a peep out of him after I left his room.
So...that's our crazy life for the past week and a half. I know it's not terribly interesting to read, but I also know that when Caleb is 6 (or 16) and I look back at what we did when he was just one, and smile with a little nostalgia. I already do that when I look back at last summer's entries.
Jerry and Sherry are coming to get some of our furniture for Rebecca tomorrow. They are also graciously taking Caleb for an overnight stay so that Rudy and I can really get a lot of packing done. It is just so hard to get much done with him underfoot and I worry about him getting into things that he's not supposed to - like the tape dispenser or the open cabinets. It should be a productive weekend for us and a fun one for him.
The moving trucks will roll out of our driveway in 6 days!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
Lucky Me
I just have to put this out there: I am a seriously lucky woman. Okay - so I only believe in luck at the craps table. Let me rephrase: I am an extremely blessed woman. That's more like it. I don't know what I did to deserve Rudy, but I thank God every day for him. Of course, this is not to say that we don't have our moments/days where we don't exactly LIKE each other...but love is never a question. Let me explain -
Last summer was wonderful. We had a beautiful new baby boy and we were learning to be a family instead of a couple. We worked out a great system for feedings and early mornings and our summer went pretty smooth. Caleb was such an easy baby and since he wasn't mobile yet, we spent a lot of time holding him and moving him from the swing to the bouncy seat, etc. When Rudy went back to work in July, things changed, but it still wasn't bad. I learned to compensate for him being gone and we managed quite well. Rudy's job was undeniably stressful for him and he was gone a lot during the fall. Caleb and I were pretty independent, but we all three soaked up every minute we had together as a family. I absolutely don't deny that Rudy has ALWAYS been an extremely hands-on Dad, he just simply had a lot of other responsibilities on his mind as well. He took responsibility for the time-consuming and tedious task of washing bottles (now sippy cups) and doing everything he could to spend time with Caleb as much as possible. But...very few of his precious nights at home went by without a phone call from a staff member, parent or student with some sort of band emergency or without a very necessary block of time spent tending to the things that couldn't be dealt with during the day. Now that Rudy doesn't have the responsibilities of being "Mr. V" 24/7, he has become even more comfortable in the role of "Da-Da" and has amazed me tremendously.
This summer has been more of a challenge for us in some ways than I expected and easier for us in others. I was really worried going into the summer that it would be hard for me to make the switch from professional/mom to full-time mom. In some ways, I was right. On one hand, I thrive on routine. On the other hand, I love summer breaks. I have enjoyed having the extra time to do things with Rudy and Caleb during the day and, of course, I love not being exhausted in the evenings from being at work all day. Once I realized that we needed a little routine in our summer and I worked that out for myself, I started to handle the summer a little better. I just couldn't go day-by-day like some people can. I need a plan. (I know that shocks everyone who knows me!) The additional stress of being in real estate limbo has made things just that much more complicated, but there's no reason to complain about that.
Now, how does this all tie into me being a lucky/blessed/smiled upon woman? Quite simply - Rudy, Caleb and I have learned to dance the dance of family. Rudy and I take care of each other when we need to be taken care of and we step up to take care of Caleb when the other simply doesn't have the "oomph" to do it. We recognize each others' moods and respect them. We know and accept and understand when the other person needs some time alone to do the things that make us who we are and to be a real person - not just a parental robot. There are times, for instance, when I realize that it is quite silly for both of us to be standing at the foot of the stairs "spotting" Caleb in case of a fall and I can say, "You got him?", then go off to take care of something else...or to do something I enjoy. Other times, I find us in the same position, and my immediate response is, "I got him" and encourage Rudy to go do something he wants or needs to do. We've learned the dance and we're getting pretty good at it. Sometimes I feel guilty because I feel like I put too much responsibility on Rudy - as if I'm copping out of what has to be done. I'm sure he feels like he does the same to me from time to time. I think guilt is a part of parenthood that is difficult for all of us to handle. I know it is for me at least.
This weekend was a great example of how we dance the dance. Because Chris was in town on Tuesday, Rudy didn't have the chance to take his usual "Dad's Day Out," so he took it on Friday. I took Caleb to play at church, fed him lunch, put him down for his nap and invited some neighbors over to play in the pool in the late afternoon.
On Saturday, Rudy did his usual early morning with Caleb (a walk, breakfast, Sesame Street and some playtime). He swears he loves this private time with Caleb - but (again) I feel guilty about sleeping in every day when he's getting up. We've talked a lot about how I don't sleep well at night, but sleep very soundly in the mornings when I know that Caleb is being taken care of. Rudy seems to understand this and knows how much I need my sleep, so he is the morning caregiver. Okay - back to Saturday - I joined them mid-morning and we had a lazy day at home. We procrastinated packing all day long and it was great! Once Caleb was in bed, Rudy and I did our own things for the evening (he played poker and I scrapbooked). Saturday night/Sunday morning was tough with Caleb. He woke up a couple of times during the night and it was really hard to get him back to sleep. Finally, I put him down for good at about 3 AM. I was one very tired Mama.
Rudy woke me up for church on Sunday morning and I told him about the night I had just made it through. We agreed that sleep would be best, so I rolled back over and dozed off again. I literally slept until 1:00 in the afternoon! Caleb was napping when I woke up. After I ate lunch and got the sleep out of my system, I was ready to pack. Rudy and I have an agreement that he'll be super-dad if I'll do the majority of the packing. He hates to pack and I don't mind it all that much. When Caleb woke up, Rudy took him to the municipal pool and I packed and packed and packed. When the boys got home, I fed Caleb his dinner and played with him a little. We went for our Sunday night Fritz's (frozen custard) run. When we got home, I gave Caleb a bath and put him to bed. I headed back downstairs to pack some more and (after going to the store to get some more box tape), Rudy relaxed and watched some TV.
Today was my Mom's Day Out! I met Monica and Colleen for lunch at Qdoba. We sat there for 2 1/2 hours! After that, I went to Archiver's for the rest of the day. Rudy and Caleb came up to the mall to play and stopped to say hi to me. Rudy promised me that they were fine and having a great time, so I stayed until 8:00. When I got home, Rudy went to hit some golf balls in preparation for his golf game tomorrow. He just got home a few minutes ago and now we're winding down for the night.
Tomorrow is Dad's Day Out and Caleb and I are going to have fun together! I'm looking forward to it. I missed him today. That's what Mom's Day Out is all about - now I'm recharged and ready to be Mama again. I am so blessed.
Last summer was wonderful. We had a beautiful new baby boy and we were learning to be a family instead of a couple. We worked out a great system for feedings and early mornings and our summer went pretty smooth. Caleb was such an easy baby and since he wasn't mobile yet, we spent a lot of time holding him and moving him from the swing to the bouncy seat, etc. When Rudy went back to work in July, things changed, but it still wasn't bad. I learned to compensate for him being gone and we managed quite well. Rudy's job was undeniably stressful for him and he was gone a lot during the fall. Caleb and I were pretty independent, but we all three soaked up every minute we had together as a family. I absolutely don't deny that Rudy has ALWAYS been an extremely hands-on Dad, he just simply had a lot of other responsibilities on his mind as well. He took responsibility for the time-consuming and tedious task of washing bottles (now sippy cups) and doing everything he could to spend time with Caleb as much as possible. But...very few of his precious nights at home went by without a phone call from a staff member, parent or student with some sort of band emergency or without a very necessary block of time spent tending to the things that couldn't be dealt with during the day. Now that Rudy doesn't have the responsibilities of being "Mr. V" 24/7, he has become even more comfortable in the role of "Da-Da" and has amazed me tremendously.
This summer has been more of a challenge for us in some ways than I expected and easier for us in others. I was really worried going into the summer that it would be hard for me to make the switch from professional/mom to full-time mom. In some ways, I was right. On one hand, I thrive on routine. On the other hand, I love summer breaks. I have enjoyed having the extra time to do things with Rudy and Caleb during the day and, of course, I love not being exhausted in the evenings from being at work all day. Once I realized that we needed a little routine in our summer and I worked that out for myself, I started to handle the summer a little better. I just couldn't go day-by-day like some people can. I need a plan. (I know that shocks everyone who knows me!) The additional stress of being in real estate limbo has made things just that much more complicated, but there's no reason to complain about that.
Now, how does this all tie into me being a lucky/blessed/smiled upon woman? Quite simply - Rudy, Caleb and I have learned to dance the dance of family. Rudy and I take care of each other when we need to be taken care of and we step up to take care of Caleb when the other simply doesn't have the "oomph" to do it. We recognize each others' moods and respect them. We know and accept and understand when the other person needs some time alone to do the things that make us who we are and to be a real person - not just a parental robot. There are times, for instance, when I realize that it is quite silly for both of us to be standing at the foot of the stairs "spotting" Caleb in case of a fall and I can say, "You got him?", then go off to take care of something else...or to do something I enjoy. Other times, I find us in the same position, and my immediate response is, "I got him" and encourage Rudy to go do something he wants or needs to do. We've learned the dance and we're getting pretty good at it. Sometimes I feel guilty because I feel like I put too much responsibility on Rudy - as if I'm copping out of what has to be done. I'm sure he feels like he does the same to me from time to time. I think guilt is a part of parenthood that is difficult for all of us to handle. I know it is for me at least.
This weekend was a great example of how we dance the dance. Because Chris was in town on Tuesday, Rudy didn't have the chance to take his usual "Dad's Day Out," so he took it on Friday. I took Caleb to play at church, fed him lunch, put him down for his nap and invited some neighbors over to play in the pool in the late afternoon.
On Saturday, Rudy did his usual early morning with Caleb (a walk, breakfast, Sesame Street and some playtime). He swears he loves this private time with Caleb - but (again) I feel guilty about sleeping in every day when he's getting up. We've talked a lot about how I don't sleep well at night, but sleep very soundly in the mornings when I know that Caleb is being taken care of. Rudy seems to understand this and knows how much I need my sleep, so he is the morning caregiver. Okay - back to Saturday - I joined them mid-morning and we had a lazy day at home. We procrastinated packing all day long and it was great! Once Caleb was in bed, Rudy and I did our own things for the evening (he played poker and I scrapbooked). Saturday night/Sunday morning was tough with Caleb. He woke up a couple of times during the night and it was really hard to get him back to sleep. Finally, I put him down for good at about 3 AM. I was one very tired Mama.
Rudy woke me up for church on Sunday morning and I told him about the night I had just made it through. We agreed that sleep would be best, so I rolled back over and dozed off again. I literally slept until 1:00 in the afternoon! Caleb was napping when I woke up. After I ate lunch and got the sleep out of my system, I was ready to pack. Rudy and I have an agreement that he'll be super-dad if I'll do the majority of the packing. He hates to pack and I don't mind it all that much. When Caleb woke up, Rudy took him to the municipal pool and I packed and packed and packed. When the boys got home, I fed Caleb his dinner and played with him a little. We went for our Sunday night Fritz's (frozen custard) run. When we got home, I gave Caleb a bath and put him to bed. I headed back downstairs to pack some more and (after going to the store to get some more box tape), Rudy relaxed and watched some TV.
Today was my Mom's Day Out! I met Monica and Colleen for lunch at Qdoba. We sat there for 2 1/2 hours! After that, I went to Archiver's for the rest of the day. Rudy and Caleb came up to the mall to play and stopped to say hi to me. Rudy promised me that they were fine and having a great time, so I stayed until 8:00. When I got home, Rudy went to hit some golf balls in preparation for his golf game tomorrow. He just got home a few minutes ago and now we're winding down for the night.
Tomorrow is Dad's Day Out and Caleb and I are going to have fun together! I'm looking forward to it. I missed him today. That's what Mom's Day Out is all about - now I'm recharged and ready to be Mama again. I am so blessed.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
4th of July, A Visit from Chris and Packing Procrastination
It's Saturday afternoon at 2:30. Caleb has been asleep since noon. We are moving in less than 3 weeks. Shouldn't I be packing? The answer is most definitely YES, but I'm just not in the mood to mess with it. It has truly been a lazy day around here and that has been wonderful! Maybe I'll start tonight...or tomorrow.
Caleb's roseola is gone. He is completely back to his old self now. He's really been a lot of fun the past week.
Monday (7/2) was my Mom's Day Out. I went to Archiver's at about noon and scrapbooked until 5:30. I got 25 pages done! I keep thinking how great it would be to be caught up to date when we move, but I know that's not realistic. I am, however, going to be at least through Christmas, so that's an accomplishment in itself. I'll only be 7 months behind. I never thought I'd be glad to say that. Chris came in to visit on Monday too. The guys came to meet me at the mall for dinner and then I took Caleb home. Chris and Rudy went out on the town, but they were home by 10:00.
On Tuesday (7/3), they went to 6 Flags and Caleb and I had a fun day together. The one-year-old twins from next door and their mom came over to splash in the pool with us. When the guys got home from 6 Flags, we all got cleaned up and went across the street to the Browns' for a cookout and to watch the Twin Oaks fireworks from their deck. It was a wonderful evening. We sure are going to miss the Browns when we move.
On Wednesday, we celebrated the 4th in style with Jerry, Sherry and Rebecca Villines, Virginia Clay, and Mike, Kelly and Sarah Crawford. We went over to the Villines' house for a fabulous lunch and then went downtown to the Arch for the fireworks. Caleb had a great time crawling around in the wet grass and loved the fireworks too. He sat in my lap for the show, so I didn't get to see his face, but Rudy said that he watched Caleb more than he watched the fireworks. He said that he was absolutely mesmerized by the lights and the sound. It was a great night and a tradition that we hope to continue for a long time.
On Thursday (7/5), we had an appointment with our financial planner and then the house was shown in the afternoon. Rudy drove me around to run some errands while Caleb took his nap in the car.
Yesterday (7/6), I took Caleb to church for Kiddie Gym in the morning and Rudy took his Dad's Day Out to play golf. Caleb took a good nap and then the Browns came over and splashed in the pool with us for a little while. So - it's been a fun week full of summertime activities. We're getting really spoiled by all of this relaxation. I start my new job a month from yesterday. That is exciting and sad all at the same time!
Some wonderful news to report: My friend Leslie had her beautiful baby girl on Monday. Grace Ann Lyons made her debut at 8:13 AM in Fayetteville. The pictures that Leslie has on her blog are beautiful and I can't wait to get there to see Grace in person. Leslie called this afternoon and seems to be doing great. I'm so happy for her, Nick and Jackson!
Caleb's roseola is gone. He is completely back to his old self now. He's really been a lot of fun the past week.
Monday (7/2) was my Mom's Day Out. I went to Archiver's at about noon and scrapbooked until 5:30. I got 25 pages done! I keep thinking how great it would be to be caught up to date when we move, but I know that's not realistic. I am, however, going to be at least through Christmas, so that's an accomplishment in itself. I'll only be 7 months behind. I never thought I'd be glad to say that. Chris came in to visit on Monday too. The guys came to meet me at the mall for dinner and then I took Caleb home. Chris and Rudy went out on the town, but they were home by 10:00.
On Tuesday (7/3), they went to 6 Flags and Caleb and I had a fun day together. The one-year-old twins from next door and their mom came over to splash in the pool with us. When the guys got home from 6 Flags, we all got cleaned up and went across the street to the Browns' for a cookout and to watch the Twin Oaks fireworks from their deck. It was a wonderful evening. We sure are going to miss the Browns when we move.
On Wednesday, we celebrated the 4th in style with Jerry, Sherry and Rebecca Villines, Virginia Clay, and Mike, Kelly and Sarah Crawford. We went over to the Villines' house for a fabulous lunch and then went downtown to the Arch for the fireworks. Caleb had a great time crawling around in the wet grass and loved the fireworks too. He sat in my lap for the show, so I didn't get to see his face, but Rudy said that he watched Caleb more than he watched the fireworks. He said that he was absolutely mesmerized by the lights and the sound. It was a great night and a tradition that we hope to continue for a long time.
On Thursday (7/5), we had an appointment with our financial planner and then the house was shown in the afternoon. Rudy drove me around to run some errands while Caleb took his nap in the car.
Yesterday (7/6), I took Caleb to church for Kiddie Gym in the morning and Rudy took his Dad's Day Out to play golf. Caleb took a good nap and then the Browns came over and splashed in the pool with us for a little while. So - it's been a fun week full of summertime activities. We're getting really spoiled by all of this relaxation. I start my new job a month from yesterday. That is exciting and sad all at the same time!
Some wonderful news to report: My friend Leslie had her beautiful baby girl on Monday. Grace Ann Lyons made her debut at 8:13 AM in Fayetteville. The pictures that Leslie has on her blog are beautiful and I can't wait to get there to see Grace in person. Leslie called this afternoon and seems to be doing great. I'm so happy for her, Nick and Jackson!
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