I put Caleb down for his nap yesterday at 1:00 in nothing but a diaper. About 45 minutes later, I could still hear him jabbering in his room. What I heard was, "Mama! Bed! Pee pee bed! Poo poo bed! Mama!" I thought that maybe he had pooped in his diaper, which has kept him from taking a nap in the past. I went in there thinking that I was going to change his diaper and put him back in bed. When I got in there, I realized what all the yelling was about. Caleb was standing on his pillow, holding his diaper in his hand. He then showed me his bed, which was soaked. The child had taken off his diaper, wet all over his sheet and then decided to yell for me. I still haven't figured out why he yelled about poop, but maybe he just knew that would get my attention. Oh, my goodness. There's never a dull moment with a 2 year old.
Oh...by the way...he never did go to sleep. It was a long, whiny evening that culminated in a good strong dose of children's Benadryl.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
This Week at the Villines House
So much has happened at the Villines house this week! Let me begin at the beginning...
Sunday was Father's Day. That being said, I have to take a minute to pay a little respect to Rudy. I could not possibly ask for a better father for Caleb. Rudy is completely involved in every detail of Caleb's life. One of my favorite things to do is sit back and watch the two of them play and interact together. Sometimes it's overwhelming that God must love me so much that he gave me these two amazing people to share my life with.
While I'm on the subject of Father's Day, let me also say that we as a family are blessed with amazing men in our lives. Mr. L., Poppie, Pepapa and Grandpa Morris are the giants in Caleb's life who will create memories for him that cannot be replaced. This year, we also lost one of our grandfathers. Grandpa Voise died on Easter Sunday. I am so glad that Caleb had a chance to be with him. We have photographs of the two of them together that will be cherished forever. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the impact of my father, Rudy's father and Rudy's stepfather, all of whom have gone before us to be with God. We are who we are because they helped shape our lives.
Even though Sunday was Father's Day, Rudy didn't get to take it easy. I absolutely had to go do some shopping on Sunday because I had nothing to wear to a June job interview! We did, however, take him out to dinner Sunday night and he enjoyed the previous two days playing 36 holes of golf!
On Monday morning, I had an interview in Rogers. It was a little strange, though, because I worked there before and I have a very casual relationship with Linda, the SLP supervisor. It ended up being one of the more enjoyable interviews I've ever had. After the interview, Linda and I went over to the school so that I could meet the principal and get the lay of the land. Linda told me that she would be recommending me for the job and I would be hearing from the HR director about the final interview, etc. I came home exhausted, but excited.
While I was gone to my interview, Rudy took Caleb to Gymboree. He said that it went well, but that it definitely was not his cup of tea. I'll do my best not to ask him to go again. :) Monday afternoon, we went to look at a new daycare for Caleb in the event that I did get the job in Rogers. We toured a new daycare at the First Nazarene Church called "His House." The facility is very nice and has a lot of great safety features. It is literally a mile and half from our house. We're planning on enrolling him there for the fall. After that, we went to Home Depot to buy a ceiling fan and glider for our back porch.
Tuesday was Rudy's day off. Unfortunately, it wasn't my finest moment in parenting. I didn't sleep well the night before and woke up exhausted and cranky. My patience wasn't stellar and the morning was pretty much a wash for Caleb and me. We watched a lot of TV and pretty much tried to stay out of each other's way. Rudy came home early and ended up spending his day off doing odd jobs around the house. He hung the ceiling fan on the porch and mowed the yard. He really needs to learn to take better advantage of his Tuesdays!
I was supposed to play Bunco on Tuesday night, but ended up cancelling because we found out that we were going to have houseguests. Chad and Ronni Fellers and their kids came up and spent the night because they had an adoption hearing the following morning in Fayetteville. They didn't get to our house until well after 9:00 and we ended up sitting up visiting for a while before we all turned in.
I got up on Wednesday morning and hit the ground running. I had my follow-up interview with the Rogers HR director at 9:00. Caleb and Rudy went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast while I went to my interview. By 9:15, my interview was over and I was officially re-employed by the Rogers Public Schools. I'm really excited about my new job, even though it's different from what I've been doing for the past 6 years. Switching from early childhood to elementary school is going to be quite a paradigm shift, but I'll manage. I know for a fact that I'll have lots of support from Linda and the other SLP's in the district. I'm just excited to be back in Rogers where I started!
After my interview, I ran some errands and then came home to clean all of my personal information off of the laptop that I had been given for my job in Bentonville. Once that was done, I went to turn in my letter of resignation. I truly appreciated the opportunity that Bentonville gave me to come back to Arkansas last year. It just wasn't a good fit for me for several reasons. There's no need to go into those here. Just suffice it to say that this is going to be a good change.
Last night, Rudy grilled salmon for our dinner and we all enjoyed celebrating my new job! After dinner, we went to our first Northwest Arkansas Naturals baseball game. We had a wonderful time! Shortly after we got there, we pointed out "Strike" the mascot to Caleb. He was very intrigued by that and kept asking us, "Where Strike go?" over and over. Finally, I could see that Strike was in the concourse, so I took Caleb to meet Strike. He wasn't so sure about it after that. I did manage to get a picture, but the look on Caleb's face tells the whole story!
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Sunday was Father's Day. That being said, I have to take a minute to pay a little respect to Rudy. I could not possibly ask for a better father for Caleb. Rudy is completely involved in every detail of Caleb's life. One of my favorite things to do is sit back and watch the two of them play and interact together. Sometimes it's overwhelming that God must love me so much that he gave me these two amazing people to share my life with.
While I'm on the subject of Father's Day, let me also say that we as a family are blessed with amazing men in our lives. Mr. L., Poppie, Pepapa and Grandpa Morris are the giants in Caleb's life who will create memories for him that cannot be replaced. This year, we also lost one of our grandfathers. Grandpa Voise died on Easter Sunday. I am so glad that Caleb had a chance to be with him. We have photographs of the two of them together that will be cherished forever. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the impact of my father, Rudy's father and Rudy's stepfather, all of whom have gone before us to be with God. We are who we are because they helped shape our lives.
Even though Sunday was Father's Day, Rudy didn't get to take it easy. I absolutely had to go do some shopping on Sunday because I had nothing to wear to a June job interview! We did, however, take him out to dinner Sunday night and he enjoyed the previous two days playing 36 holes of golf!
On Monday morning, I had an interview in Rogers. It was a little strange, though, because I worked there before and I have a very casual relationship with Linda, the SLP supervisor. It ended up being one of the more enjoyable interviews I've ever had. After the interview, Linda and I went over to the school so that I could meet the principal and get the lay of the land. Linda told me that she would be recommending me for the job and I would be hearing from the HR director about the final interview, etc. I came home exhausted, but excited.
While I was gone to my interview, Rudy took Caleb to Gymboree. He said that it went well, but that it definitely was not his cup of tea. I'll do my best not to ask him to go again. :) Monday afternoon, we went to look at a new daycare for Caleb in the event that I did get the job in Rogers. We toured a new daycare at the First Nazarene Church called "His House." The facility is very nice and has a lot of great safety features. It is literally a mile and half from our house. We're planning on enrolling him there for the fall. After that, we went to Home Depot to buy a ceiling fan and glider for our back porch.
Tuesday was Rudy's day off. Unfortunately, it wasn't my finest moment in parenting. I didn't sleep well the night before and woke up exhausted and cranky. My patience wasn't stellar and the morning was pretty much a wash for Caleb and me. We watched a lot of TV and pretty much tried to stay out of each other's way. Rudy came home early and ended up spending his day off doing odd jobs around the house. He hung the ceiling fan on the porch and mowed the yard. He really needs to learn to take better advantage of his Tuesdays!
I was supposed to play Bunco on Tuesday night, but ended up cancelling because we found out that we were going to have houseguests. Chad and Ronni Fellers and their kids came up and spent the night because they had an adoption hearing the following morning in Fayetteville. They didn't get to our house until well after 9:00 and we ended up sitting up visiting for a while before we all turned in.
I got up on Wednesday morning and hit the ground running. I had my follow-up interview with the Rogers HR director at 9:00. Caleb and Rudy went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast while I went to my interview. By 9:15, my interview was over and I was officially re-employed by the Rogers Public Schools. I'm really excited about my new job, even though it's different from what I've been doing for the past 6 years. Switching from early childhood to elementary school is going to be quite a paradigm shift, but I'll manage. I know for a fact that I'll have lots of support from Linda and the other SLP's in the district. I'm just excited to be back in Rogers where I started!
After my interview, I ran some errands and then came home to clean all of my personal information off of the laptop that I had been given for my job in Bentonville. Once that was done, I went to turn in my letter of resignation. I truly appreciated the opportunity that Bentonville gave me to come back to Arkansas last year. It just wasn't a good fit for me for several reasons. There's no need to go into those here. Just suffice it to say that this is going to be a good change.
Last night, Rudy grilled salmon for our dinner and we all enjoyed celebrating my new job! After dinner, we went to our first Northwest Arkansas Naturals baseball game. We had a wonderful time! Shortly after we got there, we pointed out "Strike" the mascot to Caleb. He was very intrigued by that and kept asking us, "Where Strike go?" over and over. Finally, I could see that Strike was in the concourse, so I took Caleb to meet Strike. He wasn't so sure about it after that. I did manage to get a picture, but the look on Caleb's face tells the whole story!
After that, he didn't ask about Strike too much. In the middle of the game, we moved to some seats that were right behind a railing and had a little more room for Caleb to move around. He loved it. He stuck his little face between the rails and yelled, "Go Baseball!" over and over. Everyone around us was cracking up. Then, he decided he would dance to the music on the loudspeaker and pretty much put on a show. He talked about baseball all the way home. He even got up this morning and wanted to wear his baseball hat. He also insisted that Rudy wear one too.
Today was my day off. Unlike Rudy, I took full advantage of it. I met Leslie at Signed Sealed Delivered and cropped all afternoon. I came home to a dinner of Rudy's famous hamburgers and then we all went outside for a while before Caleb's bathtime. While I was cropping, Rudy and Caleb went to see Grandma Voise for a while and then came back here for naptime and a trip to the pool.
So, you see, it has been a busy week for us. And, in the midst of it all, we are still potty training. Rudy and I have both been amazed at how quickly Caleb has caught on. He didn't have any accidents at all again today. If we can just get him to tell us when he needs to go, rather than waiting for us to tell him it's time to go - we'll be in business.
Tomorrow brings another day of summertime. I need to go get my personal materials from the office at Bentonville. We're going to enroll Caleb at the daycare and we may even go say goodbye to the people at Pine Crest. We don't really have any plans other than that. I love that about summer.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Good News!
I was offered (and accepted) a job with Rogers School District today! I will be the speech-language pathologist at Westside Elementary School starting in August!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
A Dry Spell
No accidents today!!!! Caleb kept the same pair of underpants on all day without any accidents at all!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
C'mon, Mama!
Quick post b/c I'm dead-dog tired tonight, but I just have to get this down before I forget it:
This morning, Caleb had the biggest advancement in his potty training yet! I was cleaning up our breakfast dishes and he was watching TV and playing in the living room. I heard him say, "Potty!" and just as I started to grab the paper towels and Lysol, he said, "C'mon, Mama! Sha Sha go potty!" It took me a second to process it, but I realized that he was actually telling me that he needed to go potty - not that he already had. I dropped everything and we ran to the bathroom, where he proceeded to actually use the potty. We hugged and high-fived and then went on with our activities. He was so proud of himself and I was pretty proud of him too! Unfortunately, I let another opportunity pass by later in the morning. He had JUST left the bathroom and played for about 5 minutes when he said, "Sha Sha potty." I honestly thought he was just trying to get my attention because I was doing something else instead of playing with him. Sure enough, though - he had an accident in the floor. I apologized to him for not listening and cleaned up the mess. I don't think it caused a setback, though. He told me he had to potty a couple more times throughout the day and he even told me he needed to poop. I count this as a major achievement!
On a more serious note, Caleb has had a slight fever all day today. I've been giving him ibuprofen for it, but it hasn't stayed down on its own. He seems to feel okay, but fevers always cause worry. Hopefully, it's doing its job and fighting off whatever is trying to make Caleb sick.
This morning, Caleb had the biggest advancement in his potty training yet! I was cleaning up our breakfast dishes and he was watching TV and playing in the living room. I heard him say, "Potty!" and just as I started to grab the paper towels and Lysol, he said, "C'mon, Mama! Sha Sha go potty!" It took me a second to process it, but I realized that he was actually telling me that he needed to go potty - not that he already had. I dropped everything and we ran to the bathroom, where he proceeded to actually use the potty. We hugged and high-fived and then went on with our activities. He was so proud of himself and I was pretty proud of him too! Unfortunately, I let another opportunity pass by later in the morning. He had JUST left the bathroom and played for about 5 minutes when he said, "Sha Sha potty." I honestly thought he was just trying to get my attention because I was doing something else instead of playing with him. Sure enough, though - he had an accident in the floor. I apologized to him for not listening and cleaned up the mess. I don't think it caused a setback, though. He told me he had to potty a couple more times throughout the day and he even told me he needed to poop. I count this as a major achievement!
On a more serious note, Caleb has had a slight fever all day today. I've been giving him ibuprofen for it, but it hasn't stayed down on its own. He seems to feel okay, but fevers always cause worry. Hopefully, it's doing its job and fighting off whatever is trying to make Caleb sick.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Potty Training and Other Fun Stuff
Monday morning, Caleb and I went to Gymboree and then came home. I put a pull-up on Caleb for Gymboree so that we wouldn't have any major clean-ups to do. When we got home, he ate his lunch and went down for his nap. The afternoon was a constant string of "Do you have to potty?" and every 30 minutes when the timer went off, "Potty time!" I would like to have a dollar for everytime I've said the word POTTY in the past 6 days! The exhaustion paid off when Caleb actually used the bathroom (both #1 and #2!).
On Tuesday, Rudy went to Fayetteville to teach trumpet lessons and then went to Alma to play in a golf tournament. I got up early and took Caleb to Pine Crest for his first full day in the 2-year-old class. I packed 5 changes of clothes and 8 pairs of underwear. I also put a pull-up in his bag for the ride home. I dropped him off and told the staff to call me if he ran out of clothes. I came home and took full advantage of the quiet, empty house - I went to sleep! At 11:00, the phone rang. It was the owner of the daycare telling me that Caleb was out of clean clothes. Seriously...3 hours! I told her to please put a pull-up on him until naptime, then put on a diaper and I'd be there to pick him up right after nap. When I got there at 2:00, he was in the bathroom with the teacher and about 6 other kids. The teacher was helping Caleb wash his hands and he was wearing underwear! She said that she thought maybe she'd give it one more shot. This made me wonder what exactly had happened in the morning, but I didn't ask. I honestly didn't care. I just picked up all of Caleb's stuff, thanked the teacher for her time and (assumed) patience and headed for the door. I stopped at the front to talk to one of the directors and within 5 minutes, Caleb had wet on the floor. I tried not to cry as I went to get paper towels from the bathroom and asked for disinfectant spray. I got everything cleaned up, got a dry pull-up on Caleb and took him - in just his t-shirt and pull-up to the car. We had a very trying afternoon of constant unsuccessful trips to the bathroom, followed 5 minutes later by, "uh-oh, Sha Sha pottied!" which would send me running to grab paper towels and Lysol. By the end of the day, I was doubting myself. Should we wait until next summer when he's 3? Am I doing something wrong? Is he really not ready? Caleb, sensing my frustration and probably feeling some of his own, started hitting me everytime I mentioned the potty. He screamed and threw his underwear when I tried to put them on him. It was miserable. When Rudy got home, I told him about the day and asked for his input on what we should do. We decided that we had two choices:
1. Send him to daycare 2 days/week and hold off potty training until next summer.
2. Keep him home full time this summer to potty train, knowing that it would take a 50/50 effort from both of us.
We decided that we would keep him home. I felt/feel very confident in this decision and I haven't regretted it for a minute. Tuesday night, Caleb and I had a very calming and very connecting bedtime routine. It was almost as if we were forgiving each other and promising a new start the next day. It worked.
On Wednesday, Rudy got up with Caleb and started the potty-training cycle all over again. It was a rough couple of hours - with 2 major accidents. (We've now learned that Caleb potties A LOT in the morning hours and much less in the afternoon/evening. We have to watch him much closer and be much more diligent in the mornings.) I got up and got ready to go to Little Sprouts time at the Botanical Garden and then got Caleb ready. We enjoyed our morning out with our friends Heidi, Ian and Emma Landers. We came straight home from the garden and ate our lunch.
While Caleb was eating his pizza for lunch and I was eating a turkey sandwich, he looked at me and said, "How's your pizza? I'm fine." I laughed so hard I almost spit out my lunch. It was just so comical. I guess I never realized that I almost always ask him how his food is when he's eating. We've also been working on answering people when they ask him how he's doing. I guess he just decided to put the two together and came up with his own little conversation.
After naptime, we played at home for just a little while, then we went over the Grandma Voise's for dinner. Caleb loves walking around outside at her house because there are so many trees, plants, rocks and other fun stuff for him to investigate. He was amazingly well-behaved at Grandma's and even ate a great dinner. I was super-excited when I asked him about going to the potty and he said, "poo poo." We ran upstairs to the bathroom and I held his hands so he wouldn't fall in on the big potty. He actually used the bathroom - he really did have to poop! He was so proud of himself and I almost threw a party because I was just as proud of him! This was a big advancement!
Thursday morning I had a doctor's appointment at 8:00, so I was up and at 'em pretty early. Unfortunately, Caleb has not managed to take after me in the sleeping in department. He's awake at 6:00 every morning! I went to my doctor's appointment and ran several errands before coming home to have lunch with my boys. While I was gone, Rudy and Caleb played outside and had a wonderful morning! After lunch, I left for my afternoon out. Stacy and I met at Signed, Sealed & Delivered to scrapbook. It was very relaxing and a much-needed break from potty-training! I came home in time for Rudy to get his shower and hit the road for his golf weekend with Chad. Caleb and I had a good evening. We went for a walk and watered the plants, then shared a popsicle before bedtime.
I did get some potential good news on Tuesday, but I can't share it yet. Hopefully, I'll be able to tell more on Monday afternoon. No - I'm not pregnant.
Caleb and I got up this morning and watched some TV and had breakfast together. We went to a bonus Gymboree class and then to lunch before coming home for his naptime. While we were at Gymboree, I faced a situation that I've never been on this side of before. There was another child in the group who I immediately identified as having some sort of special need. Unfortunately, the child was very aggressive toward Caleb. He honestly ignored all of the other children. For some reason, Caleb was his target. It was evident to me that he wanted to play with Caleb, but he didn't know how to interact other than by being aggressive. The first time, they were sharing a two-person rocking horse and the child's mother stopped him just before he hit Caleb. The second time, he came over out of the blue and grabbed Caleb's face with his hands. Caleb reacted much better than I thought he would. I tried to smooth it over by telling the mom that Caleb goes to daycare, so he's pretty tough when it comes to that kind of stuff. I could tell that she was really embarrassed and felt very overwhelmed by the situation. I didn't want to make it worse for her. I just tried to keep Caleb away from the child. I couldn't prevent the last time, though. Caleb was crawling through a tunnel, so I couldn't get to him when the other child came at him from the other end of the tunnel. This time, he grabbed a handful of Caleb's hair. To get him to let go, the child's mother had to pull her son out of the tunnel. Unfortunately, he didn't let go of Caleb's hair, so it hurt Caleb pretty badly. I was comforting Caleb when the lady picked up her son and took him home. I know it wasn't my fault, but I felt terrible for not doing something different from what I did. I'm not sure what I should've done, but it was so painful to watch that lady struggle with her child's behavior towards Caleb. The special educator in me wanted to help her, but I didn't have any way of knowing if she recognized that he likely had special needs, so there wasn't really anything I could say. It was a very uncomfortable situation for everyone. After they left, Caleb calmed down pretty quickly and thoroughly enjoyed his time at Gymboree. He talked up a storm and some of the other moms even asked me how old he is because he was so verbal and interactive.
After naptime, Caleb and I played for a little while inside because it was raining so hard outside. We were supposed to have a backyard playdate with our neighbor, Shalini and her son, Jakey. The rain cancelled that, though. Instead, Leslie came over with Jackson and Grace. The 3 kids played while Les and I talked. She also brought back some of the baby gear that we loaned her. It's hard to believe that Grace is almost 1 and doesn't need that stuff anymore! We decided to take the kids to dinner, so we all went to Chili's. After dinner, Caleb and I came home and enjoyed some quiet time before bed.
We don't really have any plans for tomorrow, but I'm sure something will unfold! Hopefully, our potty training will continue to go as well as it has been. Caleb only had 2 accidents today, which is a good thing because my washing machine was about to go on strike! I've done so much laundry since we started this process!!!! Rudy had a good point this week, though. He said that as exhausting as this has been so far, we certainly have had some good laughs about it! Very true.
On Tuesday, Rudy went to Fayetteville to teach trumpet lessons and then went to Alma to play in a golf tournament. I got up early and took Caleb to Pine Crest for his first full day in the 2-year-old class. I packed 5 changes of clothes and 8 pairs of underwear. I also put a pull-up in his bag for the ride home. I dropped him off and told the staff to call me if he ran out of clothes. I came home and took full advantage of the quiet, empty house - I went to sleep! At 11:00, the phone rang. It was the owner of the daycare telling me that Caleb was out of clean clothes. Seriously...3 hours! I told her to please put a pull-up on him until naptime, then put on a diaper and I'd be there to pick him up right after nap. When I got there at 2:00, he was in the bathroom with the teacher and about 6 other kids. The teacher was helping Caleb wash his hands and he was wearing underwear! She said that she thought maybe she'd give it one more shot. This made me wonder what exactly had happened in the morning, but I didn't ask. I honestly didn't care. I just picked up all of Caleb's stuff, thanked the teacher for her time and (assumed) patience and headed for the door. I stopped at the front to talk to one of the directors and within 5 minutes, Caleb had wet on the floor. I tried not to cry as I went to get paper towels from the bathroom and asked for disinfectant spray. I got everything cleaned up, got a dry pull-up on Caleb and took him - in just his t-shirt and pull-up to the car. We had a very trying afternoon of constant unsuccessful trips to the bathroom, followed 5 minutes later by, "uh-oh, Sha Sha pottied!" which would send me running to grab paper towels and Lysol. By the end of the day, I was doubting myself. Should we wait until next summer when he's 3? Am I doing something wrong? Is he really not ready? Caleb, sensing my frustration and probably feeling some of his own, started hitting me everytime I mentioned the potty. He screamed and threw his underwear when I tried to put them on him. It was miserable. When Rudy got home, I told him about the day and asked for his input on what we should do. We decided that we had two choices:
1. Send him to daycare 2 days/week and hold off potty training until next summer.
2. Keep him home full time this summer to potty train, knowing that it would take a 50/50 effort from both of us.
We decided that we would keep him home. I felt/feel very confident in this decision and I haven't regretted it for a minute. Tuesday night, Caleb and I had a very calming and very connecting bedtime routine. It was almost as if we were forgiving each other and promising a new start the next day. It worked.
On Wednesday, Rudy got up with Caleb and started the potty-training cycle all over again. It was a rough couple of hours - with 2 major accidents. (We've now learned that Caleb potties A LOT in the morning hours and much less in the afternoon/evening. We have to watch him much closer and be much more diligent in the mornings.) I got up and got ready to go to Little Sprouts time at the Botanical Garden and then got Caleb ready. We enjoyed our morning out with our friends Heidi, Ian and Emma Landers. We came straight home from the garden and ate our lunch.
While Caleb was eating his pizza for lunch and I was eating a turkey sandwich, he looked at me and said, "How's your pizza? I'm fine." I laughed so hard I almost spit out my lunch. It was just so comical. I guess I never realized that I almost always ask him how his food is when he's eating. We've also been working on answering people when they ask him how he's doing. I guess he just decided to put the two together and came up with his own little conversation.
After naptime, we played at home for just a little while, then we went over the Grandma Voise's for dinner. Caleb loves walking around outside at her house because there are so many trees, plants, rocks and other fun stuff for him to investigate. He was amazingly well-behaved at Grandma's and even ate a great dinner. I was super-excited when I asked him about going to the potty and he said, "poo poo." We ran upstairs to the bathroom and I held his hands so he wouldn't fall in on the big potty. He actually used the bathroom - he really did have to poop! He was so proud of himself and I almost threw a party because I was just as proud of him! This was a big advancement!
Thursday morning I had a doctor's appointment at 8:00, so I was up and at 'em pretty early. Unfortunately, Caleb has not managed to take after me in the sleeping in department. He's awake at 6:00 every morning! I went to my doctor's appointment and ran several errands before coming home to have lunch with my boys. While I was gone, Rudy and Caleb played outside and had a wonderful morning! After lunch, I left for my afternoon out. Stacy and I met at Signed, Sealed & Delivered to scrapbook. It was very relaxing and a much-needed break from potty-training! I came home in time for Rudy to get his shower and hit the road for his golf weekend with Chad. Caleb and I had a good evening. We went for a walk and watered the plants, then shared a popsicle before bedtime.
I did get some potential good news on Tuesday, but I can't share it yet. Hopefully, I'll be able to tell more on Monday afternoon. No - I'm not pregnant.
Caleb and I got up this morning and watched some TV and had breakfast together. We went to a bonus Gymboree class and then to lunch before coming home for his naptime. While we were at Gymboree, I faced a situation that I've never been on this side of before. There was another child in the group who I immediately identified as having some sort of special need. Unfortunately, the child was very aggressive toward Caleb. He honestly ignored all of the other children. For some reason, Caleb was his target. It was evident to me that he wanted to play with Caleb, but he didn't know how to interact other than by being aggressive. The first time, they were sharing a two-person rocking horse and the child's mother stopped him just before he hit Caleb. The second time, he came over out of the blue and grabbed Caleb's face with his hands. Caleb reacted much better than I thought he would. I tried to smooth it over by telling the mom that Caleb goes to daycare, so he's pretty tough when it comes to that kind of stuff. I could tell that she was really embarrassed and felt very overwhelmed by the situation. I didn't want to make it worse for her. I just tried to keep Caleb away from the child. I couldn't prevent the last time, though. Caleb was crawling through a tunnel, so I couldn't get to him when the other child came at him from the other end of the tunnel. This time, he grabbed a handful of Caleb's hair. To get him to let go, the child's mother had to pull her son out of the tunnel. Unfortunately, he didn't let go of Caleb's hair, so it hurt Caleb pretty badly. I was comforting Caleb when the lady picked up her son and took him home. I know it wasn't my fault, but I felt terrible for not doing something different from what I did. I'm not sure what I should've done, but it was so painful to watch that lady struggle with her child's behavior towards Caleb. The special educator in me wanted to help her, but I didn't have any way of knowing if she recognized that he likely had special needs, so there wasn't really anything I could say. It was a very uncomfortable situation for everyone. After they left, Caleb calmed down pretty quickly and thoroughly enjoyed his time at Gymboree. He talked up a storm and some of the other moms even asked me how old he is because he was so verbal and interactive.
After naptime, Caleb and I played for a little while inside because it was raining so hard outside. We were supposed to have a backyard playdate with our neighbor, Shalini and her son, Jakey. The rain cancelled that, though. Instead, Leslie came over with Jackson and Grace. The 3 kids played while Les and I talked. She also brought back some of the baby gear that we loaned her. It's hard to believe that Grace is almost 1 and doesn't need that stuff anymore! We decided to take the kids to dinner, so we all went to Chili's. After dinner, Caleb and I came home and enjoyed some quiet time before bed.
We don't really have any plans for tomorrow, but I'm sure something will unfold! Hopefully, our potty training will continue to go as well as it has been. Caleb only had 2 accidents today, which is a good thing because my washing machine was about to go on strike! I've done so much laundry since we started this process!!!! Rudy had a good point this week, though. He said that as exhausting as this has been so far, we certainly have had some good laughs about it! Very true.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
And They're Off...Diapers, That Is!
We have O-fficially started potty training. We've been doing some pre-training for about 2 weeks now, but we're in it full-fledged now. I bought Caleb's potty seat 2 weeks ago at Target. He thought the best part was the lid and would only sit ON the lid, so I took the lid off and hid it. (I am nothing if not a creative problem-solver.) We also bought 2 books - both of which make flushing sounds. We also have an Elmo potty video and a poster in the bathroom for stickers. I realize that none of this will actually potty train Caleb, but I feel better having some tools in place to make me feel like I'm doing something right. I'll get back to the potty training in a bit, but let me get up-to-date first.
Last Thursday morning, Caleb and I went to Gymboree (the Gym, not the store) for the first time. He loved it! He played until he was exhausted! After Gymboree, we came home for lunch and then naptime. I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday afternoon, so Rudy stayed home with Caleb while I went. When I got home, we went out to dinner. On the way to dinner, Caleb was happily playing with cars in the back and Rudy and I were talking. Caleb suddenly said, "Pepapa." We laughed about how sometimes words just pop into his head and he says them. In a roundabout way we ended up talking about whether or not we are random thinkers/talkers like Caleb. Rudy said that I'm only random when I'm on drugs (referring to some medicine I had taken the night before that made me a little loopy). Caleb piped up from the backseat and said, "Mama on drugs." I about died. My jaw hit the floor and then all I could do was laugh. It was hilarious! Later that night, we were trying to get Caleb to say his name because he's still unexplainably calling himself Sha-Sha. Rudy would say, "C-C-Caleb." Caleb would say, "C-C-Sha-Sha." Finally Caleb got fed up with it and answered, "No! Sha-Sha!" Apparently, he knows that his name is Caleb - he just wants to call himself Sha-Sha.
On Friday, Caleb had his 2 year well visit at the pediatrician's office. After answering about a thousand questions about his developmental skills, we finally saw the doctor. He said that Caleb's weight is really too high for his height, but that he doesn't think it's really a problem, because he's not fat - he's just a solid kid. Caleb's height (33.5") is in the 20th percentile, his weight (32.08 lbs) is in the 87th percentile and his head circumference (50.5 cm) is in the 89th percentile. The doctor just said to make sure we're not giving him too many sweets and to keep him active. He also said that Caleb is just the right age and has all of the skills necessary to start potty training. He told Caleb several times while we were there that he needs to put his pee-pee and poo-poo in the potty.
Caleb's 2-year-old self is wearing me completely out. He has now stopped listening when I tell him to stop running. He has actually run away from me a couple of times (once at the park and once in the front yard as I was trying to get him into the car) and when I tell him to stop, he starts laughing and runs harder. I know it's purely his independence and that he knows exactly what he's doing and I shouldn't let it get to me, but I can't have him running off from me and I certainly can't have him keep running when I tell him to stop. If anyone has a miraculous suggestion for teaching a 2-year-old to listen, I'd love to hear it. Even though I really strive to use more positive reinforcement than negative, we're certainly doing a lot of time out these days! The crazy part about it is that Caleb LOVES to be praised. He eats it up and beams from ear to ear when I praise him and tell him he's a good listener or that he made a good choice. And - sometimes it actually works and he repeats the good choice instead of continuing to make the bad choice. I just have to keep telling myself - He's just two. From head to toe and back again - he's two.
Rudy left for Fordyce to help Mr. L. and the guys at deer camp with some work that they were doing this weekend. Mom came up to visit Caleb and I. She got here Friday afternoon. We did absolutely nothing Friday night. Caleb played and we had leftovers for dinner. On Saturday, Mom graciously got up with Caleb and took care of him while I slept in. When I got up at 9:00, it was too late for us to have time to do much and get back by lunch time, so we decided to stay home until Caleb got up from his nap. He took a good nap and then we hit the road. We spent WAY TOO MUCH time in Gordman's, but got a lot of really great buys. After we shopped, we went to dinner at Outback. Caleb was so tired of being cooped up! He threw a terrible fit when I put him in his highchair. I snatched him up and headed outside so that we didn't ruin everyone in the restaurant's meal. Once he was calm, we went back in and had a nice dinner. After dinner, we had a couple more things to pick up from a couple of stores, so we did those quickly and headed for home. Mom bought some bar stools for us and I spent the better part of the night putting those together. Mom got up and headed for home this morning and Caleb and I went grocery shopping. When we got home, we played for a while and then he took his nap. Rudy got home while Caleb was sleeping.
When Caleb woke up from his nap, the potty training officially began. It was not pretty. We took him into the bathroom and he sat on his potty seat like always. Nothing happened, but he sat for 2 minutes and got his sticker. Then we presented him with his first pair of big boy underpants. You would have thought we were asking him to wear pants made of hot steel. He screamed and threw the Elmo underwear across the bathroom. He was so mad! Finally, Rudy pulled his shorts down and said, "Look, Daddy is wearing big boy underpants. Now you can wear them too." We gave him the option of Elmo or Lightning McQueen. Caleb considered all of this and finally allowed me to put the Lightning McQueen ones on him. He was a little freaked out, but was easily distracted by going outside. I had read in numerous places that letting him run around naked or in just his underwear would allow him to be more aware of the sensation of going to the bathroom. Because we were going outside and I didn't want his boy parts or his bottom getting sunburned - we opted for the underwear. He went outside and played in a t-shirt, a pair of Lightning McQueen underwear and his bright green Crocs. It was hilarious to watch him push his bubble mower around the backyard like that! We set a timer for 30 minutes and when it went off, we went in for a potty break. He has to sit for 2 minutes and then he can get up, wash his hands, get his sticker and go back to playing. After the first potty break, we came back outside to eat popsicles. While he was sitting down eating his popsicle, he wet his pants. Rudy took him inside and changed him, then brought him back out. After a couple more potty breaks, Caleb was playing and suddenly started crying. Turns out he had wet himself again and it scared him b/c he was standing up and his legs got wet. I took him inside, changed him, sanitized his Crocs and we played inside for a little while. I tried to keep him on the tile floor as much as possible, but we have plenty of solution for our carpet cleaner - just in case. One more accident happened outside (no crying this time) while we were getting ready to water our plants. After changing him, Rudy put some shorts on him and they went for a walk. When they got back, it was bathtime. I suggested that even though it hadn't been long since he wet himself, maybe we should try a potty break before getting in the tub. Caleb sat down and was doing fine, so I turned on the bathtub to get his bath ready. Rudy was standing in the doorway of the bathroom and said, "He just did it." I looked to see for myself, but nothing was happening. Then Rudy said, "He's doing it again!" Sure enough - Caleb tee-teed in the potty! Hooray!!!! We cheered like he had won the lottery. He was so excited that we were cheering for him. He gave us high fives and fist bumps and laughed like he was a superstar. When I emptied the potty seat bowl into the big potty, Caleb flushed the toilet and said, "Bye bye tee-tee." I think (hope!) we're on the right track! Our plan is to have him just wear underwear when we're at home and when he's at daycare (they've already agreed to it!), to wear pull-ups when we're in the car or in public places and to wear diapers at night and naptime. I know this seems like a huge ordeal for something that would happen naturallyif we let, but we're really excited to see even a little success this quickly. Since we're all home this summer, we are hoping fervently that we'll be able to have him mostly potty trained by mid-August, when I go back to work. Caleb has the verbal skills to tell us when he has to go potty - we just have to help him learn what that feels like and what to do when the feeling hits!
Last Thursday morning, Caleb and I went to Gymboree (the Gym, not the store) for the first time. He loved it! He played until he was exhausted! After Gymboree, we came home for lunch and then naptime. I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday afternoon, so Rudy stayed home with Caleb while I went. When I got home, we went out to dinner. On the way to dinner, Caleb was happily playing with cars in the back and Rudy and I were talking. Caleb suddenly said, "Pepapa." We laughed about how sometimes words just pop into his head and he says them. In a roundabout way we ended up talking about whether or not we are random thinkers/talkers like Caleb. Rudy said that I'm only random when I'm on drugs (referring to some medicine I had taken the night before that made me a little loopy). Caleb piped up from the backseat and said, "Mama on drugs." I about died. My jaw hit the floor and then all I could do was laugh. It was hilarious! Later that night, we were trying to get Caleb to say his name because he's still unexplainably calling himself Sha-Sha. Rudy would say, "C-C-Caleb." Caleb would say, "C-C-Sha-Sha." Finally Caleb got fed up with it and answered, "No! Sha-Sha!" Apparently, he knows that his name is Caleb - he just wants to call himself Sha-Sha.
On Friday, Caleb had his 2 year well visit at the pediatrician's office. After answering about a thousand questions about his developmental skills, we finally saw the doctor. He said that Caleb's weight is really too high for his height, but that he doesn't think it's really a problem, because he's not fat - he's just a solid kid. Caleb's height (33.5") is in the 20th percentile, his weight (32.08 lbs) is in the 87th percentile and his head circumference (50.5 cm) is in the 89th percentile. The doctor just said to make sure we're not giving him too many sweets and to keep him active. He also said that Caleb is just the right age and has all of the skills necessary to start potty training. He told Caleb several times while we were there that he needs to put his pee-pee and poo-poo in the potty.
Caleb's 2-year-old self is wearing me completely out. He has now stopped listening when I tell him to stop running. He has actually run away from me a couple of times (once at the park and once in the front yard as I was trying to get him into the car) and when I tell him to stop, he starts laughing and runs harder. I know it's purely his independence and that he knows exactly what he's doing and I shouldn't let it get to me, but I can't have him running off from me and I certainly can't have him keep running when I tell him to stop. If anyone has a miraculous suggestion for teaching a 2-year-old to listen, I'd love to hear it. Even though I really strive to use more positive reinforcement than negative, we're certainly doing a lot of time out these days! The crazy part about it is that Caleb LOVES to be praised. He eats it up and beams from ear to ear when I praise him and tell him he's a good listener or that he made a good choice. And - sometimes it actually works and he repeats the good choice instead of continuing to make the bad choice. I just have to keep telling myself - He's just two. From head to toe and back again - he's two.
Rudy left for Fordyce to help Mr. L. and the guys at deer camp with some work that they were doing this weekend. Mom came up to visit Caleb and I. She got here Friday afternoon. We did absolutely nothing Friday night. Caleb played and we had leftovers for dinner. On Saturday, Mom graciously got up with Caleb and took care of him while I slept in. When I got up at 9:00, it was too late for us to have time to do much and get back by lunch time, so we decided to stay home until Caleb got up from his nap. He took a good nap and then we hit the road. We spent WAY TOO MUCH time in Gordman's, but got a lot of really great buys. After we shopped, we went to dinner at Outback. Caleb was so tired of being cooped up! He threw a terrible fit when I put him in his highchair. I snatched him up and headed outside so that we didn't ruin everyone in the restaurant's meal. Once he was calm, we went back in and had a nice dinner. After dinner, we had a couple more things to pick up from a couple of stores, so we did those quickly and headed for home. Mom bought some bar stools for us and I spent the better part of the night putting those together. Mom got up and headed for home this morning and Caleb and I went grocery shopping. When we got home, we played for a while and then he took his nap. Rudy got home while Caleb was sleeping.
When Caleb woke up from his nap, the potty training officially began. It was not pretty. We took him into the bathroom and he sat on his potty seat like always. Nothing happened, but he sat for 2 minutes and got his sticker. Then we presented him with his first pair of big boy underpants. You would have thought we were asking him to wear pants made of hot steel. He screamed and threw the Elmo underwear across the bathroom. He was so mad! Finally, Rudy pulled his shorts down and said, "Look, Daddy is wearing big boy underpants. Now you can wear them too." We gave him the option of Elmo or Lightning McQueen. Caleb considered all of this and finally allowed me to put the Lightning McQueen ones on him. He was a little freaked out, but was easily distracted by going outside. I had read in numerous places that letting him run around naked or in just his underwear would allow him to be more aware of the sensation of going to the bathroom. Because we were going outside and I didn't want his boy parts or his bottom getting sunburned - we opted for the underwear. He went outside and played in a t-shirt, a pair of Lightning McQueen underwear and his bright green Crocs. It was hilarious to watch him push his bubble mower around the backyard like that! We set a timer for 30 minutes and when it went off, we went in for a potty break. He has to sit for 2 minutes and then he can get up, wash his hands, get his sticker and go back to playing. After the first potty break, we came back outside to eat popsicles. While he was sitting down eating his popsicle, he wet his pants. Rudy took him inside and changed him, then brought him back out. After a couple more potty breaks, Caleb was playing and suddenly started crying. Turns out he had wet himself again and it scared him b/c he was standing up and his legs got wet. I took him inside, changed him, sanitized his Crocs and we played inside for a little while. I tried to keep him on the tile floor as much as possible, but we have plenty of solution for our carpet cleaner - just in case. One more accident happened outside (no crying this time) while we were getting ready to water our plants. After changing him, Rudy put some shorts on him and they went for a walk. When they got back, it was bathtime. I suggested that even though it hadn't been long since he wet himself, maybe we should try a potty break before getting in the tub. Caleb sat down and was doing fine, so I turned on the bathtub to get his bath ready. Rudy was standing in the doorway of the bathroom and said, "He just did it." I looked to see for myself, but nothing was happening. Then Rudy said, "He's doing it again!" Sure enough - Caleb tee-teed in the potty! Hooray!!!! We cheered like he had won the lottery. He was so excited that we were cheering for him. He gave us high fives and fist bumps and laughed like he was a superstar. When I emptied the potty seat bowl into the big potty, Caleb flushed the toilet and said, "Bye bye tee-tee." I think (hope!) we're on the right track! Our plan is to have him just wear underwear when we're at home and when he's at daycare (they've already agreed to it!), to wear pull-ups when we're in the car or in public places and to wear diapers at night and naptime. I know this seems like a huge ordeal for something that would happen naturallyif we let, but we're really excited to see even a little success this quickly. Since we're all home this summer, we are hoping fervently that we'll be able to have him mostly potty trained by mid-August, when I go back to work. Caleb has the verbal skills to tell us when he has to go potty - we just have to help him learn what that feels like and what to do when the feeling hits!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Vacation Day One - Little Sprouts
Caleb and I went to Little Sprouts time this morning. We LOVED the garden, even thought it was already getting hot at 10 AM. (I will wear my hair pulled up next time - and take a bottle of water.) Caleb liked all of the water fountains and really enjoyed the children's garden, even though it's pretty simple. His favorite part of the whole thing is the chicken coop. He could've sat there all day, putting hay in the chicken coop and saying, "Hi, Doodle Doo." The actual Little Sprouts time was a bit of a disappointment, but I think it was just because Caleb wasn't interested in the story. He's two. He did like getting to touch the flowers and smell them. He wanted to throw the landscaping rocks, which was a problem. I got some great pictures. We're going to try it again next week b/c the lady at the front desk told me that they are doing music next week instead of a story. I think we'll be more successful with music. There are also 2 evening events - the Fairy Walk and the Firefly Festival that I'd like to go to. I bought the membership b/c I plan to go at least 3 times (including today) and Caleb is free.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Summer is Finally Here
The last time I wrote, we were recovering from Caleb’s 2nd birthday. It’s a month later…we’re still recovering. J Actually, we’re just getting used to having a 2-year-old around. It seems like Caleb got some sort of memo that he was supposed to start behaving differently when he turned two and he followed it to the letter. We’re seeing a lot more independence and a lot more tantrums. We’re using our time-out timer a lot more often and saying “no” a lot more than we really want to. Don’t get me wrong – Caleb is still a sweetheart. He loves his Mama and Daddy to the ends of the earth and back, but he’s just coming into his own and finding his voice. He knows what he wants and knows that he’s willing to fight to get it. Unfortunately, that has meant some hitting and kicking, but (fortunately) no biting. We know we dodged a bullet with that one. Caleb comes home from daycare about once or twice a week with a bite mark on his arm or shoulder. We are well aware that this age group is prime for biting…and being bitten.
May was a fun and busy month for us. Rudy and I spent most of the month wrapping things up at work and getting ready for the end of the school year.
Mr. L. gave us quite a scare on Monday, the 19th. He had gone in for some tests on his heart earlier and requested further testing due to his family history. When he went in on the 19th for the angiogram, the doctor found major blockage in his arteries. He ended up having 3 stents put in immediately and has to go back for more in about a year. The doctor said that it was a good thing that he came in because he was well on his way to a massive heart attack. We are just grateful for preventative medicine.
Rudy and I celebrated our 9th anniversary on the 22nd. Kelly came to babysit and we went to dinner at Crabby’s. He sent me roses at work and gave me a beautiful card at home. I gave him a piece of paper saying that we had a cabin reserved at Big Cedar Lodge. It’s just hard to believe that next year is our 10th anniversary!
We went to Hot Springs on Friday (23rd). It was a long drive for Caleb, but he made it most of the way without difficulty – thanks to the portable DVD player! (I would like to personally shake the hand of the person who invented that thing!) When we got to Mom and Mr. L’s, Caleb’s first order of business was to see the “big boat.” It amazes me what he remembers. Once he was satisfied that the big boat was out there, he was okay to play inside for just a little while before going to bed. When I got up on Saturday, I couldn’t find anyone in the house or outside. Then I noticed that the boat was gone. Mom and Mr. L. had taken Caleb on a boat ride early in the morning. On Saturday, Rudy mowed their lawn because Mr. L. was still on restrictions. Mom and I went shopping while Caleb napped and then we all went out for a boat ride. Caleb absolutely loved the boat! He said over and over (and over and over….) “BIG BOAT.” He loved watching the boats and feeling the breeze. I thought he would be fussy because his life jacket was so hot and confining, but he didn’t seem to mind. I think he would’ve worn a lead vest if it meant he got to go on the BIG BOAT.
On Sunday, Rudy fished off of the dock a little bit and we all had a pretty relaxing day. We ended up going for another boat ride that afternoon and then came home to a ribs and chicken dinner. Monday morning, we left for home, hoping that Caleb would take a nap in the car. No such luck. He was awake (and grumpy) all the way home. We got a call from the Wilhelms inviting us to a Memorial Day cookout at their house. Rudy and I decided that we’d take a chance on it, but we both agreed that as soon as Caleb got grumpy, we would head for home. Wouldn’t you know – as soon as dinner was served, he had a meltdown. We ate very fast and then excused ourselves. When we got home, it was bath and bedtime and then we all just collapsed from exhaustion.
On Tuesday (5/27), I had Bunco and on Wednesday (5/28), I had a dinner with the people I work with. Thursday (5/28) was Rudy’s end-of-the-year concert. Jan came up on Friday (5/30) and Rudy grilled scallops for us. Rudy and I left for Big Cedar Lodge on Saturday afternoon and had a wonderful time. Our cabin was perfect and we enjoyed the lodge grounds a lot. We kept saying that we wished it wasn’t so expensive so that we could bring Caleb back for a weekend. He would LOVE it. BTW – I would like for it to be known that I managed to beat Rudy at both putt-putt golf and trivial pursuit!
We came home on Sunday while Caleb was napping. That evening, we went to the pool for a little while and then got ready for our last week of school. I worked on Monday (6/2) and ½ day on Tuesday (6/3). Rudy works until 6/4 and then we’re all off for the summer. Thursday night, Rudy and I are going to see Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood at Razorback stadium. We have some doctor’s appointments on Thursday and Friday, including Caleb’s 2 year check up. Rudy is going to deer camp for a work weekend with Mr. L. this weekend. Caleb and I are staying home and doing some fun Mama and Caleb stuff. It’s FINALLY summer…
Click below to see Caleb and Daddy having fun at the pool:
May was a fun and busy month for us. Rudy and I spent most of the month wrapping things up at work and getting ready for the end of the school year.
Mr. L. gave us quite a scare on Monday, the 19th. He had gone in for some tests on his heart earlier and requested further testing due to his family history. When he went in on the 19th for the angiogram, the doctor found major blockage in his arteries. He ended up having 3 stents put in immediately and has to go back for more in about a year. The doctor said that it was a good thing that he came in because he was well on his way to a massive heart attack. We are just grateful for preventative medicine.
Rudy and I celebrated our 9th anniversary on the 22nd. Kelly came to babysit and we went to dinner at Crabby’s. He sent me roses at work and gave me a beautiful card at home. I gave him a piece of paper saying that we had a cabin reserved at Big Cedar Lodge. It’s just hard to believe that next year is our 10th anniversary!
We went to Hot Springs on Friday (23rd). It was a long drive for Caleb, but he made it most of the way without difficulty – thanks to the portable DVD player! (I would like to personally shake the hand of the person who invented that thing!) When we got to Mom and Mr. L’s, Caleb’s first order of business was to see the “big boat.” It amazes me what he remembers. Once he was satisfied that the big boat was out there, he was okay to play inside for just a little while before going to bed. When I got up on Saturday, I couldn’t find anyone in the house or outside. Then I noticed that the boat was gone. Mom and Mr. L. had taken Caleb on a boat ride early in the morning. On Saturday, Rudy mowed their lawn because Mr. L. was still on restrictions. Mom and I went shopping while Caleb napped and then we all went out for a boat ride. Caleb absolutely loved the boat! He said over and over (and over and over….) “BIG BOAT.” He loved watching the boats and feeling the breeze. I thought he would be fussy because his life jacket was so hot and confining, but he didn’t seem to mind. I think he would’ve worn a lead vest if it meant he got to go on the BIG BOAT.
On Sunday, Rudy fished off of the dock a little bit and we all had a pretty relaxing day. We ended up going for another boat ride that afternoon and then came home to a ribs and chicken dinner. Monday morning, we left for home, hoping that Caleb would take a nap in the car. No such luck. He was awake (and grumpy) all the way home. We got a call from the Wilhelms inviting us to a Memorial Day cookout at their house. Rudy and I decided that we’d take a chance on it, but we both agreed that as soon as Caleb got grumpy, we would head for home. Wouldn’t you know – as soon as dinner was served, he had a meltdown. We ate very fast and then excused ourselves. When we got home, it was bath and bedtime and then we all just collapsed from exhaustion.
On Tuesday (5/27), I had Bunco and on Wednesday (5/28), I had a dinner with the people I work with. Thursday (5/28) was Rudy’s end-of-the-year concert. Jan came up on Friday (5/30) and Rudy grilled scallops for us. Rudy and I left for Big Cedar Lodge on Saturday afternoon and had a wonderful time. Our cabin was perfect and we enjoyed the lodge grounds a lot. We kept saying that we wished it wasn’t so expensive so that we could bring Caleb back for a weekend. He would LOVE it. BTW – I would like for it to be known that I managed to beat Rudy at both putt-putt golf and trivial pursuit!
We came home on Sunday while Caleb was napping. That evening, we went to the pool for a little while and then got ready for our last week of school. I worked on Monday (6/2) and ½ day on Tuesday (6/3). Rudy works until 6/4 and then we’re all off for the summer. Thursday night, Rudy and I are going to see Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood at Razorback stadium. We have some doctor’s appointments on Thursday and Friday, including Caleb’s 2 year check up. Rudy is going to deer camp for a work weekend with Mr. L. this weekend. Caleb and I are staying home and doing some fun Mama and Caleb stuff. It’s FINALLY summer…
Click below to see Caleb and Daddy having fun at the pool:
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