Easter Bunny...or not

I tried to take Caleb to have his picture taken with the Easter Bunny this afternoon. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. He didn't cry or scream or anything, he just wouldn't go within 5 feet of the rabbit. I didn't force the issue, since that's not what Easter's really all about anyway. After our first try, I told him it was okay and we walked around the mall a little more. When we passed back by, he was showing a little more interest, so I thought we might be in luck. Nope. He stood about 5 feet from the bunny and waved, said, "Hi, bunny," blew kisses and laughed, but he was NOT going to touch that rabbit. I can't say that I blame him...who ever heard of a human-sized rabbit, wearing clothes and walking on 2 legs? No wonder kids are freaked out!

Spring Break

It's finally here! We're on Spring Break as of today! Yeah!!!

Thanks to everyone who has asked about Rudy's grandfather. He's hanging in there. He has made it much longer than anyone expected. Yesterday, the old hospital in Rogers closed and the new one opened, so he got to take an ambulance ride across town to the new facility. We feel like the doctors will probably transfer him to hospice before long, but we aren't really sure what's to be expected.

Thursday night, we went over to the Voises house to visit with Grandma, Jan and Jan's siblings who had come in to see Grandpa and to take care of the unpleasant, but necessary end-of-life business. As awful as it sounds, we all had a wonderful visit and enjoyed spending the evening catching up. We invited everyone over to our house on Friday night for dinner and ended up having 12 people (including us) in our home. It was one of the best evenings I can remember in a long time. The circumstances for the visit were grim, but I think it made everyone appreciate each other more and made for a very family-oriented night. Saturday, we finished off the family time with a dinner at the Voises. Rudy has gone to see Grandpa every day since he's been in the hospital and I've stayed home with Caleb.

We were supposed to go to St. Louis on Friday for Spring Break, but changed our plans due to the need to be with family. We decided that even if Grandpa makes it another month, we needed to be here during this time. Looking back on that decision, it was a good one. We ended up not needing to be here for a funeral, but we did need to be here for the events of the weekend. We'll be making a trip to STL soon, though!

Our week is going to be pretty relaxing and low-key. I did some shopping this afternoon and Rudy is going to do some work tomorrow. Wednesday, Rudy is taking Caleb to Spiro to see the Morrises, and I'm staying here to get caught up on some paperwork. Thursday, we are planning to go to Tulsa to the zoo. It's supposed to be 72 degrees and sunny - perfect! On Friday, we are going to Sherwood for Easter weekend with my grandparents. My mom is coming over on Sunday to get Caleb and is going to keep him at her house until Wednesday. It's going to wierd around here without him!

Caleb's latest adventures

Caleb continues to amaze and bewilder us every day. He is a true toddler and is showing his desire for independence on a very regular basis. Here's the latest:

• Several weeks ago, he started saying, "Uh-uh Mama" or "Uh-uh, Daddy." Now, he says, "night-night, Mama" and "night-night, Daddy." He tells EVERYTHING night-night and sometimes even gives kisses along the way...to the walls, his toys, the phone...everything. He knows it's funny and does it just for the laugh!
• Two-word utterances: In addition to the greetings and farewells, Caleb is now putting two words together on a regular basis. He says, "Mama's shoe," "My bed," "bye-bye car," etc. Tonight at dinner, he even said, "Thank you, Daddy." Sometimes he also puts things together that crack us up!
• Puzzles! Caleb is the puzzle king! He can work an inset puzzle like nobody's business.
• Planes, Trains, Trucks, Tractors and Cars - The child loves things that go! He got so excited this weekend because the builders in the neighborhood broke ground on some new houses, so there were "tactuhs" everywhere...and they were moving dirt around!
• Animals - Caleb loves to say hi to animals. If he sees a dog, he says, "Hi, dog." If he sees a cat, he says, "Hi, meow kitty." He has also learned lots of animal sounds that are pretty funny. My favorite is the donkey who says, "hee haw hee haw."
• Independence. Caleb wants to feed himself and gets very angry when we try to help. He uses his spoon for yogurt, applesauce, mac & cheese, etc. He also wants to do things like pull his own wagon, throw things away, carry everything. The down side of this is that he doesn't like for his hand to be held much anymore - not even in a parking lot or store. He knows it's not really a choice to walk by himself, but he likes to try to do it anyway and then throws a fit when I won't let him. Oh, well.
• What's in that diaper? - We have not tackled the process of potty training yet and we probably won't until summer at least. However, Caleb is showing some interest in all things toilet related. When I ask him if he is stinky or if he pooped, he will either say "no" or ignore me. That way I know that he hasn't. If he has, though, he points to his diaper and says, "poop." He has also started calling his boy parts, "pee pee" and likes to point this out to me anytime he is naked. He also pointed to his father's "pee pee" this weekend - much to Rudy's chagrin.
• Speaking of diapers - we have moved up to size 6 diapers! Holy cow! Well, Sam's doesn't carry Pampers in a size 6, so I switched to Huggies. Not a good idea! Caleb's diaper has leaked every night this week. He wakes up in the middle of the night crying because his PJ's and sheet are soaking wet. This requires me to get up and not only get him back to sleep, but also change his diaper and PJ's - usually around 2:00 or 2:30. Instead of changing his sheet in the middle of the night, I have resorted to putting him in the guest bed with me. I get very little sleep when I do this and really should just change the sheet and put him back to bed. I'm tired. Caleb kicks, rolls, sits up and does everything but a handstand when he's in that bed. I end up sleeping on about a foot of the edge of the mattress while he's laying sideways taking up the rest of the bed. Tonight, Rudy stopped at the store and bought size 6 Pampers. I just hope they can do the trick!
• Caleb's dancing hasn't improved, but his overall motor skills are developing great. He is now running everywhere, walking backwards, walking sideways and climbing all by himself. He loves to go to our neighborhood playground and climb on the playset, then slide down the slide. His fine motor is coming along too. He loves to "daw" (draw) with crayons and sidewalk chalk.
• And then there's his affinity for being dizzy:

Okay...enough of all of that. Caleb-Bug is doing great. He's been well now for a few weeks and we're seeing lots of personality coming out of him. He has his tantrums and his laughing fits. He loves to play chase and ball with his Daddy and loves to blow raspberries on his Mama's tummy. He is a true blessing and we are so grateful that he is in our lives!

An Update

No, I'm not sick anymore. Stacy reminded me on Friday night that according to my blog, I was still screaming. Sorry! I know I'm about 2 weeks behind on blogging.

Let me just say that strep throat is the curse of the devil himself. It was horrible. I was in the bed from Monday night until Thursday morning. I hurt all over and had absolutely no energy whatsoever. I literally did not touch my child for over 48 hours. It is ridiculous to be in the house with your child and not be able to get within 10 feet of him. Anyway - I got better and I went back to work at noon on Thursday.

It was a good thing that I got better by the weekend, because we took Caleb to his first Razorback basketball game on March 1st. We were really nervous about it. On our way there, I told Rudy, "This is either going to be one of the best things we've ever done, or one of the worst." Caleb was awesome! He loved the music, the cheering, calling the Hogs, watching the people, the "bah-beh-bah" (basketball) and (most of all) his pompon. He made it through the entire game without ever leaving our seats and then afterward, we went down to thank Mr. Gunter for the band guest passes and we got to have our picture taken with Pat Bradley. That was really cool since he was so awesome around the time Rudy and I were at the U of A. After the game, we walked around a little bit, then went to dinner at Jose's. Caleb was a doll the whole time. He must have known how important it was to his Mama and Daddy for him to enjoy his first true Hog experience. We feel like we have indoctrinated him well. :)

We had a snow day on Tuesday, March 4th. It was a fun day at home. The snow was gone by noon, so we all went to the mall in Fayetteville and then out to dinner.

This past weekend, I had a scrapbook crop at the neighborhood clubhouse and then we spent the rest of the weekend just being a family and hanging out. It was perfect.

We found out today that Rudy's grandfather is not doing well in the hospital here in Rogers. He has kidney failure and congestive heart failure. His time left with us is expected to be limited, so we are praying for a peaceful journey for him and for the peace of God to be with Grandma.

Spring Break is next week and it can't get here quickly enough.