A Mother's Humility

I try not to write much about the bodily functions that come along with raising a toddler, but I'm warning you now - this story is about poop and lots of it. I had an absolutely surreal experience on Friday and it's one that I hope I never have to live through again. It all starts with the fact that Caleb has been very congested for a while now. I took him to the doctor over a week ago. She wrote a prescription for an antibiotic, but suggested that I not have it filled unless he just didn't get any better for a while. Not only did he not get better, but he got worse. Rudy decided that we needed to be aggressive and start the antibiotics. I took the prescription to Walmart on Thursday night and we started it on Friday morning. The pharmacist warned me that it might be hard on Caleb's stomach. When I picked Caleb up from school on Friday, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he hadn't had any tummy troubles at all. On the way home, he told me his "fummy" hurt. When we got home, I put him on the potty, but he couldn't go. Rudy was straightening up the house in preparation for Mom and Mr.L's arrival, so I took Caleb with me to Walmart. I needed to get some flavoring put in the antibiotic because he had spit most of it out all over the place on Friday morning. Apparently, amoxiclav tastes pretty nasty. We're standing at the pharmacy waiting on them to flavor up the meds and Caleb gets a bad look on his face. That's when I got a whiff of him and knew we had a problem. I bent down and asked him if he needed to go potty and he said yes. I did a quick bottom pat to see if I was too late and sure enough, I was. By the time we got to the bathroom, he was a total mess. I got him in the stall and pulled his pants down only to find that he had actually had diarrhea. I hadn't thought to put a pull-up on him because he's been doing so great with potty training and we were only going to be gone for a short time. His little cotton briefs and his shorts were soaked. I threw his underpants in the trash and put his shorts in a bag. I sat on my knees in the bathroom floor at Walmart trying to figure out what in the world to do. I couldn't take him out of there naked but I also couldn't put his clothes back on him. My only hope was going to be a sympathetic mother who just happened to be in the bathroom at the same time. I opened the stall door and found my angel - a Walmart associate - even better than a sympathetic mother. I explained to her that my child had gotten sick and asked her if she would please go to the baby section to get some wipes and a pair of 2T shorts. She kindly did so and brought them back to me as quickly as she could. She also called maintenance to clean up the floor. I finally got Caleb cleaned up enough to put the new shorts on him. Maintenance still hadn't gotten there, so I used the wipes to clean up the floor as much as I could. I just couldn't bear to leave the mess for some unsuspecting person to find. I took Caleb to the sink and washed out his Crocs. (Thank Heaven for the washability of Crocs!) I carried my purse, the bag with Caleb's soiled shorts, the half-used box of wipes, the tag from the new pair of shorts and Caleb to pharmacy counter. I paid for the wipes, the shorts and the flavoring in the medicine and got out of there as quickly as I could. I was completely exasperated. I called Rudy and told him that we were on our way home and gave him a brief synopsis of what had happened. Mom and Mr.L. were already here when we got home. I put Caleb straight in the bathtub, put clean clothes on him, then changed my clothes and scrubbed my arms and hands until they were almost raw. My lessons have been learned. Lesson one: when Caleb says his "fummy" hurts, don't take him anywhere until after he has used the bathroom. Lesson two: we still need pull-ups in public places. Lesson three: there is nothing more humbling than sitting on your knees, cleaning the bathroom floor at Walmart with baby wipes.

Woo Pig Sooie!

This weekend was one that Rudy and I have looked forward to for months! In addition to it being a long holiday weekend, it's finally football season! Mom and Mr. L. came up for the weekend, getting to our house on Friday afternoon. Mom and I picked up BBQ for dinner and we all enjoyed a relaxing evening at home.

On Saturday morning, Rudy and Mr. L. took Caleb to the park. Mr.L. taught Caleb how to talk through the speaker-pipes on the playground. He and Caleb would stand at one end and talk to Rudy on the other end. Apparently, Caleb's favorite thing that Pops taught him to say was, "Hey, Rudy!" While they were at the park, Mom and I went to a store to get some things for Pepapa's upcoming birthday party. When we got back, everyone had lunch and then Caleb and Mr. L. took their afternoon naps.

Around 2:00, Rudy and I got ready to go to the football game. Mom and Mr.L. stayed with Caleb and they had a great time. They went to the Promenade, where Caleb pulled Mr.L. directly into the Build-a-Bear store. They played at the fountain and the playground and then went to Mad Pizza for dinner. After dinner, they went over to Chick-Fil-A for a milkshake and some more playtime. When they got home, they played "baseball game" in the backyard until it was time for Caleb to go to sleep. I was surprised to find Mom and Mr.L. still awake when Rudy and I got home from the ballgame. :)

And on that note...the ballgame almost gave me a stroke. We went to the Alumni house before the game and had a great time people-watching despite the fact that I'm fighting a nasty cold. We ate dinner with Chad and Ronni and then headed over to the stadium. There is always such energy in the air before a Razorback game and I got the chills a few times just from the excitement. This year has a different feel to it - lots of expectation from having a new coach but lots of uneasiness about having such a young team. We lost a lot of key players last year, so the change makes everyone a little anxious. The game was a rollercoaster of emotion. We almost lost to Western Illinois, but managed to win in the end. I am expecting a long, hard football season.

Sesame Street and Butterflies

We went to Ft. Smith last weekend to see Sesame Street Live. We left home as quickly as possible on Friday and headed straight for Ft. Smith. We met Jan and Grandma Voise for dinner at Varsity and then we all went to the show. In the way that only Caleb can, he took it all in. I honestly expected him to laugh, giggle, dance and sing all the way through. I should have known better. He sat in my lap and in Jan's and watched with wide eyes until it was almost over. He talked a little bit to the characters and pointed out some things to us and then eventually started to move to the music a little bit, but it took some encouraging. When it was over, he talked about it a lot and we got a note from his teacher on Monday saying that he talked about Elmo and Cookie Monster all day.

Apparently, this is the time of year for butterflies. At the entrance to our neighborhood, there are some bushes that are absolutely teeming with beautiful butterflies. We usually take a walk to see them in the evenings. Caleb has learned that when they aren't out and flying around, that means they are sleeping. He likes to shake the bushes to wake them up! He also knows now that bumblebees are "ouchy bugs" and we're not supposed to touch them. Let's just hope that he takes my word on that and doesn't try it out for himself. Taking him for that short walk in the evenings to experience one of God's most beautiful creatures is such a blessing that I enjoy thoroughly. I'll miss the butterflies when they are gone and I plan to plant some things next year to attract them to our house.

An Update on School

In 53 minutes, it will be September 2008. That is just so hard for me to believe. In so many ways, life feels like it is in fast-forward. In light of that, I have some catching up to do...

School is in full-swing. As he did last year, Rudy loves his job. He is fulfilled by the challenge of teaching the fundamentals of playing music to middle school students. He loves to teach them to play their instruments successfully and seems to be excited about some of the promise that he sees in his students this year. He also loves that he is home by 4:00 most days and that we have our weekends as a family. I concur.

The beginning of school has been a natural challenge for me. Any job change promises a learning curve and this one has held true to that promise. I'm getting the hang of it, but have spent lots of hours getting things in working order and trying to figure out just what I need to work on with my 52 new shining faces. I have to say, though - my school is wonderful. I never dreamed that I would enjoy working in an elementary school. The staff is so cohesive, the principal is so supportive and the school climate is amazing. Even though the idea of teaching "r" and working on lisps isn't too enticing, I'm encouraged and inspired by the people around me.

Caleb is doing very well at his daycare. He calls it "my cool." We hit a bumpy patch the week of the 18th, when the kids were transitioned to the new age groups. Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Janell were moved out of Caleb's class and we were faced with yet another transition to new teachers. Initially, we weren't all that impressed with the change. We weren't getting the consistent feedback that we had quickly become accustomed to and we even had a few negative interactions that primarily centered around Caleb's potty-training. I waited it out for a week, then grabbed an opportunity to talk to the asst. director. She was exceptionally apologetic and promised me that she would make sure that the problem was addressed with the staff. Last week was a complete turn-around. We got wonderful feedback from the staff all week - even the day that Caleb had 2 accidents and ran out of clean clothes! One of the teachers commented that Caleb was a good listener and both teachers told Rudy how musically inclined Caleb seems to be. I don't want to make this seem like I was complaining because nobody was bragging on my child. That's not the case at all. I just need feedback of some sort. It's extremely difficult to leave Caleb with other people every day. I need to know when I pick him up whether or not he's had a good day and I like to hear if there are things we need to address at home. I feel like we're getting that now and I'm very pleased.

Littlest League

As I was putting away laundry this evening, something caught my eye out the window...

I am the most blessed woman on the planet.

It's here...whether we're ready or not.

School starts tomorrow. Actual children will be filling the actual seats in the actual classrooms. Wow. Where did the summer go? As I write this, Caleb is sleeping and Rudy is ironing his clothes for tomorrow. I still haven't picked out my clothes and will likely wait until morning to do so. I have to be there at 7:00, though - so I may need to rethink that idea.

Last week flew by. Caleb did GREAT at daycare. He even had two accident-free days. Rudy and I had a variety of in-service days to attend. He had 3 nights of obligations and I had one. On Thursday night, we were both required to be at work stuff, so Caleb spent a couple of hours with our neighbors (Thanks, Shalini!) and reportedly was well-behaved.

Rudy took Caleb over to Grandma Voise's house on Friday night because I was supposed to have a crop night. That ended up falling apart, but I enjoyed the couple of hours of quiet anyway. Yesterday was great - we stayed home without any obligations. Rudy mowed the yard and I stayed in my PJ's until almost 4:00! We had a great dinner, thanks to Chef Rudy, and then went out for ice cream.

I haven't felt so hot today, so Rudy has taken the lead with Caleb. We went to dinner at the Harpers' house tonight with all of the Fayetteville band staff. I'm feeling better tonight and hoping to be 100% tomorrow.

Caleb's first full week back at daycare sent him full-force into learning mode. He has made huge strides this week in his language. Thursday night, there was a big thunderstorm that scared Caleb during the night. I went to get him from his bed and he said, "I wake up. What that?" I told him it was a thunderstorm, so he could sleep with me. He gladly climbed in bed with me and then at the next clap of thunder, he said, "No thunderstorm! No scare Caleb!" Yesterday, we were cleaning up his dinosaurs in the living room and he started counting them. He usually says "1-2-1-2", but yesterday he said, "1-2-4-5-6-7-8-9!" I'm not sure what happened to "three", but I was blown away by the other numbers, so I didn't worry too much about it! At lunch yesterday, he told me his peanut butter sandwich was "de-dishous" (delicious), which sent me into a fit of laughter! He has also recently started to sing along with us to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (AKA: baseball game song) and the Razorback fight song (AKA: football game song). I'm trying to get a video of it because it's so funny, but so far I haven't had any luck. According to Caleb, the baseball lyrics go something like this:
"Take me out to ballgame, take me out to ballgame, buy peanuts cacka jacks, ah ah ah ah get back, Woot woo woo for Tardnals (Cardinals), no win it shame, 1-2-1-2 out at the ballgame."

He needs a little more help with the fight song, but yesterday we heard him singing to himself, "hit wine, hit wine, going going, Go Bee-duh-bats (Razorbacks)!"

Big plans for next weekend: We're going to see Sesame Street Live in Fort Smith! Of course, Caleb doesn't really know what that means yet. I showed him the picture in the newspaper of the characters, though and told him that we're going to meet Elmo. He said, "yeah." Yesterday, he was talking to LaLa on the phone and I told him to tell her who we were going to see. He looked at me like I was crazy, so I handed him the picture and he started trying to tell her the characters' names so fast that he actually started to stutter. He couldn't even get the words out because he was so excited. Mom and I both commented that it's the first time we've ever seen him have trouble getting his words out because his brain was working faster than his mouth could produce the words. He eventually named them all: Elmo, JoJo (Grover), Big Bird, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Baby Bear, etc. Next Friday will be a BIG event in his little 2-year-old life. The only thing that would amaze him more would be meeting the Wonder Pets!

Arms Down, Head Back...

Several years ago, Rudy and I discovered a fabulous amusement park called Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. We have been twice and ridden some brain-rocking roller coasters. The Top Thrill Dragster was introduced in 2003. We stood in line for 2 1/2 hours to ride it. We got on and it broke down. I panicked and got off. Rudy stayed on and rode. Looking back, I'm jealous that I didn't do it too and if I ever get the chance again, I'm going to be right beside him - screaming my head off. The Dragster starts off by shooting you forward at 120 mph in 4 seconds. Because of the ridiculously fast start, there is a recording at the beginning that says, "arms down, head back." (There are rumors that the test dummies heads' snapped off because they weren't secured to the seatbacks.) That is how I always feel at the beginning of the school year. I'm going from 0 - 120 in 4 seconds and if I'm not seated firmly in my chair, my neck could snap. So, I sit here on the day before all of the teachers (new and old) report for work and I'm making sure that my arms are down and my head is back. Here we go again...

Caleb's New School

Caleb started his new school on Wednesday, August 6th. I dropped him off at 8:00 in the morning. He was excited all the way there, saying, "My kool, my kool, new friends" over and over. When we walked in, he was fine. When I tried to walk out, he was not. He cried and cried and sobbed. Mrs. Elizabeth held him and let him watch out the window while I went to the car. I could hear him crying all the way there. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I went to Wal Mart to get groceries and a guilt-toy for Caleb. I walked through the store in a daze. I remember talking to mom and looking for the 1% milk, but the rest of the trip was a completely surreal experience. When I got in the car, I called the school. The receptionist told me that she had just been in the room and that Caleb was doing fine and playing well with the other children. I felt 1000 times better and decided to go shopping for some back-to-school clothes. When I picked Caleb up at 4:00, he was excited to see me, but I could tell that he was comfortable in his new spot. Mrs. Elizabeth told me that he was a good boy and did very well on his first day. He even managed to go all day without an accident! As we were leaving, he looked out at the front lawn of the church and told me "I run outside and play with friends." I was content.

I just knew Thursday morning would be better. After all - he enjoyed himself on Wednesday AND they had a field trip to the drive-through safari planned. We talked all about it and he agreed that he wouldn't be sad because Mama would be back to pick him up in the afternoon. Well, change of plans. When we got there, I found out that if we get there before 7:30, he has to go to a different room until his teacher gets there. This was a whole different ballgame for Caleb and he cried all over again. I had to leave to go to my new teacher meeting, so I (again) left there in a daze and cried all the way to the car. As I was sitting in my meetings, I heard thunder. I immediately wondered if they would go ahead with the field trip, but trusted that they would make the right decision. Shortly after that, my phone rang. It was someone from the daycare calling to say that the field trip had been amended and they were going to Fun City. I knew Caleb would love that, but that he would be disappointed to not get to see the animals. When I picked him up on Thursday afternoon, Mrs. Elizabeth couldn't wait to tell me that Caleb had made a friend. Apparently, while at Fun City, Caleb paired up with a little girl named Adelaide. They walked all over Fun City holding hands and played together the whole time. When they got back, Mrs. Elizabeth asked all of the kids what their favorite part was. Adelaide said, "Caleb." Caleb said, "Slides."

On Friday, I dropped him off while the other kids were eating breakfast. Caleb sat down in his chair and started to eat, but as I left, he jumped up and said, "Wait for me!" I wanted to melt right there. Fortunately, Mrs. Elizabeth picked him up and distracted him while I left. The tears were a little better that day. When I picked him up that afternoon, he excitedly told me about their splash day outside. Mrs. Elizabeth told me that he had had an accident that day - his first since starting there, but that it wasn't a big deal. He has really loved getting to stand up at the potty since they have short potties that he can reach. Apparently, he needed to poop at lunchtime and he just didn't tell anyone. She said that he kept getting up from his chair, but he never said anything. He really has been proud of himself for having dry pants at school and we've only had one accident at home all week. I call that success!

This morning, we went to church where Caleb goes to school. I think that was a little confusing for him, but he did fine in the nursery. He cried a little when we left, but was standing at the window with his backpack when we came to get him. He said he had fun.

I'm pleased with the child care facility. I don't like that I have to take him. I don't like that he has to go to daycare. I'd rather be at home with him, but that's not possible for us. That's not even an option, so I feel like we have a safe, clean and loving environment for him and that's the best we can do. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning or any morning after that, but I know that someday I'm going to drop him off and he's not going to cry. I know that someday it won't be daycare, it'll be kindergarten and then middle school and then high school. Someday I'll be dropping him off at college and I'll look back and wish that he wanted me there like he wants me at daycare. For now, I just relish the afternoon hugs and the excited look on his face when he sees me in the window, drops what he's doing and runs to me yelling, "Mama, My Mama!"

Dewey

While we were in Hot Springs, my Memmie called and said that they wanted to come up and see us. My cousin Hannah was at their house and wanted to come up to visit. They decided to come up on Monday and spend the night. When we got home from Hot Springs, I straightened up the house and got things ready for visitors. Memmie, Poppie and Hannah got to our house on Monday afternoon and we enjoyed visiting with them on Monday night and Tuesday morning. We went out to dinner at Mimi's Cafe on Monday night and then came home to play with Caleb and visit. While we were talking, I casually suggested that Hannah could take Dewey home with her. I was half-kidding. The more we thought about it, though - it made complete sense. Hannah has always had pets. The Hatch family has had dogs (and other various animals) all her life. Now, she is moving back to Kentucky to get married. She has a condo with a courtyard and has all the time in the world to pay attention to a neurotic 8-year-old beagle. After I suggested it, we talked about it a little more and she called her fiance to get his opinion. Chris was apparently in agreement with it. I told her to think about it and let me know. On Tuesday morning, she agreed to take him, so I packed up all of his stuff, gave her the name of his vet's office and said goodbye to Dewey.

Rudy and I got Dewey when he was 6 weeks old. He was absolutely adorable. He had that one blue eye and one brown eye and the ear that (according to Rudy's Mamaw) had been dipped in Purex. He was the center of our attention for a long time. He was Rudy's dad's best friend (we even put a picture of him in Jess' casket when he died). Dewey became more human than canine and then as he got older, he got more and more neurotic. We have sometimes laughed that he became more feline than canine. Dewey was a lap dog, terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks. He was the dog that just couldn't help but lick you - even when he knew he wasn't supposed to. When we moved to St. Louis, we got Lucy as a companion for Dewey. Dewey outlasted her and all of her maladies. When Caleb came along, Dewey naturally took a backseat. As Caleb has gotten older and more mobile, Dewey has become less patient with him. He's never been aggressive with him, but was obviously irritated by his mere presence. As our lifestyle changed, we had less time for Dewey and it was costing us more to board him every time we traveled. We were finding that we had to rearrange our plans to come home and let him out more and more often. And with the purchase of our new house came a higher level of frustration for me about cleaning up his hair and making sure that the house didn't smell like a dog lived here.

We love Dewey, but it was time for him to find a new home where he has the attention that he needs. He will forever have a big place in our hearts. We wish him (and Hannah) well in Kentucky...

Hot Springs (8/1-8/3)

Sitting at dinner on Thursday, 7/31, I mentioned to Rudy that I'd like to go to Hot Springs for the weekend. We scrambled into gear, called Mom and made quick plans for a trip south. On Friday, Caleb and I picked up Rudy in Fayetteville and headed for Hot Springs. After stopping in Ft. Smith to drop off Dewey at Jan's, we pulled into Mom's driveway at 5:15. By 5:30, Rudy had the car unloaded and was on his way to Fordyce to help the other guys working at deer camp. Caleb, Mom and I had a great weekend. We went to dinner at KJ's, then went out to visit with Pepapa and Anna Joyce. On Saturday, we went over to see Jimmy and Kim at their new condo. Caleb loved the fact that it was empty because it echoed. He made all kinds of noise in there. I finally had to take him outside in the 100 degree heat - he was making everyone crazy! After we left there, we grabbed lunch at McAlister's and then headed home for Caleb's nap. Later that evening, we went over and swam at Aunt Harolyn's house even though they weren't home. Sunday morning, the boys came home and we hung out at the house until it was time to hit the road for home. We stopped briefly in Ft. Smith to pick up Dewey and say hi to Jan and then headed for the house. We were all exhausted, but it was a really fun weekend.