What's Up With Caleb?

This is my 4th blog post of the night and I'm finally getting around to telling you about Caleb's latest goings and doings.

My favorite part of Caleb right now is that he's being himself. His personality has evened out and we're having fewer and fewer tantrums and meltdowns. Don't get me wrong - he's still 3. He still whines on a daily basis and has a fit now and then, but the good is far outweighing the bad these days. Plus - he's developed a sense of humor that keeps me laughing a lot.

One day a couple of weeks ago, Caleb asked Rudy and question and Rudy (being silly) answered the question with a very technical and somewhat rambling answer. Caleb looked at me and said, "Huh?" We laughed pretty hard about it, so now he likes to ask either "Daddy, what's thunder" or "Daddy, what's an engine?", then get his technical and rambling answer. He inevitably responds with a great big, "Huh?" and then cracks himself up laughing.

Last weekend when he was with my parents while we were in Dallas, they were singing, "Where is Thumbkin?" After they had gone through all of the normal words, they continued making up some silly verses. Mom sang, "Where is Daddy? Where is Daddy?" and Caleb sang back, "He at the game. He at the game." I think that's pretty stinkin' funny!

Singing is one of Caleb's other new things. He has always liked music, but he is now actually able to sing songs with all of the words. Sometimes, the words get a little jumbled, but he tries. We are frequently serenaded with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Where Is Thumbkin, I Love You/You Love Me and Old McDonald. He has inherited his father's ability to sing the same tune over and over and over again. Fortunately, I'm usually able to distract him and "change his tune." (Sorry - I couldn't help myself.)

Caleb is still pretty fascinated with football. He loves to watch it on TV and play it in the yard and in the living room. When he's watching it on TV, he gets right in front of the screen and bends down when the players do. Then, when the ball is snapped, he runs around in circles and yells, "Get him, get him!" He also tells us that the players made a good tackle, scored a touchdown and made a good catch or throw - whether they really did or not. I love that he loves football.

Speaking of football - one of the funniest things happened about 2 weeks ago. We were watching the Cowboys and Panthers on Monday Night Football. We tried to tell him that our family cheers for the Cowboys, but he was pretty insistent that he wanted to cheer for the team with the "cat on their helmet." Well, the Cowboys had on white jerseys and the Panthers had on black jerseys. If Caleb doesn't know the team (Razorbacks or Cowboys), he cheers for them by their jersey color. Before we knew it, Caleb was jumping around the living room cheering, "Go, black guys!" Not exactly politically correct, but really, really funny!

We're still going to the "sports development" classes at Gymboree on Tuesdays. I take Caleb to his class and then we go out for dinner together. It works out great because Rudy has band practice on Tuesday nights and it gives Caleb and I some fun time together. We go to the class for him to have some fun interaction time with kids and to do something different that I get to be there for - not to actually develop his sports skills. I love that he gets introduced to new things in the class, but it's not like we have him in training to be a professional athlete. I've been watching Caleb in his Gymbo classes and have come to the conclusion that he might not have been blessed with fabulous athletic ability. He loves sports, but I'm afraid he may have inherited my lack of athleticism rather than his daddy's quick legs and sense of balance. I keep reminding myself that he is the youngest child in the class, which makes him look less coordinated than the rest of the kids. Of course, time will tell, but I'm sure hoping for an academic scholarship at this point. :)

So, that's the latest for Caleb. He loves his daycare/school, loves visiting his grandparents, loves playing with his Daddy, loves being silly with his Mama, is intrigued by the baby sister that we keep telling him about. He tells Nola good morning and good night almost every day. He makes us laugh and challenges us every day and we are grateful for each moment we have been blessed to share with him.

Dallas Trip

Last Wednesday (9/30), my parents came up from Hot Springs and spent the night. Rudy brought home pizza and we spent the night doing laundry and packing. I really needed some new maternity jeans for our trip to Dallas, so Mom and I ran out at 7:00 at night to try to find some decent looking jeans for me. We found what we were looking for and got home in time for her to give Caleb a bath while I finished packing.

When we got up Thursday morning, Rudy and I headed off to work and Mom, Mr.L. and Caleb headed off to Hot Springs. They were all geared up for a weekend of fun - full of fishing, playing and all of the other great stuff that comes along with being a 3-year-old at Pops and LaLa's house.

When Rudy and I got home from work, we packed up and loaded our bags to head for Dallas. The Hogs were playing Texas A&M at the new Cowboys Stadium and some of Rudy's fraternity brothers took the opportunity to put together a reunion. We were so excited to see those guys - most of whom we hadn't seen since we left the UofA 10 years ago!

We left home Thursday afternoon about 4:45 and got to Matt and Mandy's house in Denton at about 10:30. It was a LONG ride for this pregnant girl! I worked in the car until it got dark and then I played on my phone - texting and Facebooking - most of the rest of the way there. I was just trying to keep my mind off of how uncomfortable I was in the car! When we got to the Montgomerys' house, we visited for about an hour and then crashed into the bed.

Rudy and I had both taken a personal day from work on Friday, so we felt like we were playing hooky and it was great! Matt made us a wonderful pancake breakfast and then it was time to enjoy our day in Dallas. They guys were meeting up for golf and Mandy and I were meeting our new friend, Patty, for a day of shopping. We all met in the parking lot in the golf course and it was fun to see a lot of the guys together for the first time. Once they split up into their golf carts, Mandy, Patty and I headed for our first destination: Sam Moon.

Our shopping day was very successful and a lot of fun. I got a couple of great handbags and even managed to find a temporary wedding ring to wear while my hands are pregnancy swollen. After our Sam Moon adventure, we headed for the mall and shopped a little, then had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum! The rest of our shopping time included a stop at SuperTarget and IKEA. Once we had shopped ourselves to the point of exhaustion, we met the guys and then headed home for a little rest and to freshen up before the evening's festivities.

Friday night, we packed our cars back up and went to Jason Reed's parents' house. We were so fortunate to have the chance to stay in their amazing home for the rest of the weekend. Jason invited us to stay there so we would be a little closer to the stadium and not have to travel back and forth to Denton every night. It worked out great and we felt like we were in a luxury hotel. Jason, Mandy, Matt and Brandon Ward had arranged a great catered BBQ dinner for us. The rest of the crew showed up and we had a great time laughing and catching up on everyone's lives in the past 10 years. Thanks to the magic of the internet and Facebook, we were able to pick up right where we left off and were even able to know information about people who weren't even there.Here are the guys on Friday night ~ Jake Dickinson, Jason Reed, Rudy, Brandon Ward, Stacy Singleton, Matt Montgomery and Josh Adler.

I finally had to bid everyone goodnight at about midnight - about the time we would've just gotten started back in college.

My favorite summary of the night was the following top ten list posted on Facebook by Stacy Singleton (slightly adapted for this G-rated blog):

Top ten reasons not to miss the annual AKL reunion!

10. Reed's parents are LLLLOOOOOOAAAADDDDDEEEEEDDD!

9. Rudy pushes girls down when he plays basketball.

8. Blake's pledge name was Toby.

7. Lucas is so old he doesn't remember his pledge name.

6. Gomer proudly displays his mooning picture.

5. Adler and Stephanie are having a black baby.

4. There will be a sighting of Coco Beware.

3. Brandon supposedly almost got married to some crazy b****.

2. There is a lot less hair in the group.

1. Bolts wearing the classic Cousin Eddie shoes! (photo below)

Saturday morning, Mandy and I went to a nearby nail place to get pedicures and they were the worst pedis we have ever had! Honestly...this was the only negative to the whole weekend! When we got back to the house, the guys were loading up our car to head out. We met the rest of the crew for lunch at BoneDaddy's, where we were served lunch by scantily clad girls who looked like they hadn't eaten in months and talked at very high pitches. This is what the majority of the people at our table ate:

Here's Bolts (Matt Osborn) modeling his Cousin Eddie Razorback fan attire, complete with polyester knit shirt and his ever-present white patent leather shoes. It was a sight to behold.

Once we were sufficiently fed again, we piled back into the cars and headed for Cowboys Stadium. Brandon had managed to get us some parking passes in one the tailgating lots. We got all set up and then the sky opened up and it poured down rain for most of the afternoon. We managed to have fun anyway and took advantage of the breaks in the rain. Stacy and Lisa Singleton brought some photo albums from college and we all had a great time looking at those. There were some pictures in there that brought back memories I haven't thought about in a long time. Here are a few pictures from our tailgating afternoon...

The guys: Blake Hall, Josh Adler, Jason Reed, Jake Dickinson, Matt Montgomery, Stacy Singleton, Matt Osborn, Rudy, Brandon Ward, Jamie Luck, Lucas Jobe.

The Girls: Lisa Singleton, Patty Dickinson, Haley, Mandy Montgomery, Colleen Jobe, Tracy Luck

As gametime got closer, we headed for the stadium and all its glory. The place is amazing. We joined the sea of fans streaming in and began the ridiculously long climb up ramp after ramp to our seats. When we finally made it to the upper deck, we were in awe. Our seats were amazing, even from that far up. The women sitting behind us took one look at my belly and proclaimed me a "real fan" for climbing that far for the game. Fortunately, the Hogs showed up BIG TIME and we won the game 47-19. The Hog fans were fired up during and after the game and it was so very much fun. After the game, you could hear one Hog Call after another all the way down those winding ramps that we climbed before the game. It was awesome! We knew it was raining after the game, so we walked through the stadium to an exit that was closer to where we were parked, but we got soaked going to the car anyway. We were so delirious over the win and the fun we had that we didn't even care that it was pouring on us. Besides - what choice did we have? Once we finally got to the car, we spent FOREVER in traffic trying to get on the interstate to get home. It was still raining, and as the designated driver of my car, I was a nervous wreck. But - we made it safely to the IHOP for a late night meal and final few minutes of reunion with the whole crew. After eating some greasy food, we went back to Reed's house and hit the bed hard. When I woke up Sunday morning, everyone was gone except for Reed, Rudy and I. We quickly got ready to go home and started the long trip back...in the rain. When we got home, Rudy and I spent the evening relaxing and trying to recharge our batteries from the busy and long weekend.

We can't wait for next year's reunion at the 2010 Southwest Classic.

More pictures from the weekend here.

Do I Shoot My Family or Not?

Okay, so maybe I'm not actually going to "shoot" them, but there has been some debate lately about whether or not to get shots. As everyone knows by now, the flu is already rampant in Arkansas. It's October and we're already into the 2nd (maybe even 3rd) month of what's being called a flu pandemic. At the elementary school where I work, we've had huge numbers of kids (and some staff) out every single day with flu or flu symptoms.

I have gotten a flu shot every year for as long as I can remember. There was never a question about whether or not I would get one this year or if Rudy and Caleb would get one. I work with kids for crying out loud - I'm pretty susceptible to every illness that goes around. Now that we have Caleb too, we get daycare germs mixed in with the school germs that Rudy and I naturally bring home. We are just a high risk family when it comes to getting sick. It only makes sense that we would get flu shots.

This year, we have an added risk: H1N1 virus, AKA: the swine flu.
(I realize that there is really nothing funny about this strain of flu, but that picture above makes me laugh every single time I see it.)

So, the debate this year among the Mom community is whether or not to get the H1N1 vaccination and whether or not to give it to our kids. As with any highly covered news story, this one has gotten a little out of control. Let's face it: some people are freaking out. I'm not. I'm not panicked about getting the dreaded swine flu, but I am concerned about it - just like I am about getting the traditional flu. The word from the medical community in general is that the swine flu is not any more dangerous than traditional flu, unless you fall into one of these categories: pregnant women, children under 5, asthmatic or the elderly. Hold the phone, people. Our family falls into the first 2 categories. We have a 3 year old in daycare (high risk demographic in a high risk environment), a middle school teacher (high risk environment) and a pregnant woman who works in an elementary school (high risk demographic in a high risk environment). Hmm...so what can we do to keep from getting this potentially fatal to our family illness? Well, there's a vaccination. And that vaccination comes with all sorts of controversy.

What's a pregnant mom to do? Who do I listen to? There are so many opinions and so many people saying it's untested, it's too new, nobody knows the side effects, etc, etc, etc. I always try to stay level-headed about this sort of thing. I happened to mention to my mom that I was trying to make an informed decision about it and that all I knew to do was to trust my OB. I had pretty much decided that I would do whatever Dr. Ford suggested, because she is the educated member of the medical community that I trust in this situation. Then Mom had a brilliant idea. She called a family friend's daughter who is a pediatrician at Arkansas Children's Hospital and just happens to also be pregnant. Karen's advice gave me much more peace of mind about my decision to get the H1N1 vaccination for myself and the rest of my family. She said that the risks of not getting the shot far outweigh the risks of getting it. The vaccine is very similar to other flu vaccines, but it has been altered just slightly to be effective for this particular strain of flu. The shot has been deemed safe for pregnant women - especially those past the first trimester. And - the flu is so rampant that the emergency rooms are beyond maximum capacity with people who have flu symptoms. Another person told me that her OB told her that there are 5 pregnant women in the ICU at UAMS who are on ventilators because of the swine flu.

So, my decision is to get the shot as soon as it's available. In the meantime, we'll continue to wash our hands frequently and pray that we don't contract the virus before we can get the shots. Of course, we'll also pray that the vaccinations are as safe as we feel like they are and that no harm will come to any of us (including Nola) as a result of them. I just have to trust my gut on this one.

Nola ~ 23 Weeks

Since we found out we are having a girl, it has been wonderful to have a real name for her. We've dropped the name HotShot almost completely (only said now when Caleb forgets) and commenced calling her by her name. Most of the time, we call her Nola. Occasionally, she also gets called "BabyGirl" - mostly by me when I'm telling her to settle down in there.

Speaking of settling down, she is a busy little girl. I rarely feel the thumps and bumps that I felt with Caleb, though. More often, I feel her rolling around like she's really getting comfy. Rudy laughed at me when I told him that, because I am famous for my love of "wallering" around. I love to stay in bed and burrow down in the covers or get comfortable on the couch with a blanket and pillow. He says she gets her rolling and wallering from me.

In the past week, people have really started making comments about my pregnancy. The unsolicited touching of my belly has begun. I've gotten lots of "when are you due?" and "wow, Haley, you really look pregnant." Um...yeah. I guess that's a good thing. I'd definitely rather look pregnant and actually BE pregnant than look pregnant and not be pregnant. And I'd rather look pregnant than just look like I need to lay off the Egg McMuffins. (Oh, how I do love Egg McMuffins!) I even had someone ask me this week when I'm due and when I answered February, she was surprised. She said she would've guessed November. That's NEXT month. Nope.

Not that I'm complaining, but for the sake of posterity:

• I am starting to get uncomfortable. My lung capacity has shrunk and I catch myself feeling out of breath often.
• I am not sleeping well. I wake up a lot and getting/staying comfortable (even with my handy body pillow) is difficult.
• Nighttime leg cramps are my enemy. I get them so randomly and they HURT.
• I go from really hungry to really full within a couple of bites and from really full to really hungry in just minutes.
• TMI: My digestive system is either working full-force or not working at all. There's not much in between.
• I haven't really had any specific cravings, but there are times when I just want something with a lot of taste like BBQ, Mexican or something spicy. Vegetable soup always sounds good to me - funny because that's what I craved when I was pregnant with Caleb.

So that's the latest on Nola and me at 23 weeks. We are over halfway through this pregnancy and I'm getting really excited to meet her. I've started to take notice of little girls and baby girls and even teenage girls in public and wonder if Nola will look like them, act like them or carry herself like them. I watched some high school girls when Rudy and I were at dinner last night and I couldn't help but imagine Nola sitting with her friends, giggling and having fun and enjoying like without worries. I hope and pray continually that she will be happy and healthy and bring joy to everyone around her.