August in a Nutshell

A summary of August in the Villines house...mostly for scrapbooking purposes, if I ever get caught up to this point!

August 3-8: Rudy had Fayetteville High School band camp. Caleb went to daycare. I wrapped up some final things for back-to-school and got in my last days of resting, napping and not living on someone else's schedule.

August 6: We went to the NWA Naturals game with some of my co-workers. One of my fellow SLPs was singing the National Anthem, so we went to support her. Kat did a fantastic job! Caleb, as usual, loved the baseball game and wore Rudy completely out wanting to play at the kids' size baseball diamond. The funniest part was when Rudy took him down into the seats on the 3rd base line, by the visitors' dugout. The outfielder from the visiting team was running in with the baseball that had been the last out of the inning. A whole bunch of kids (and some adults) were standing there, clamoring for the ball. Rudy had Caleb on his shoulders and the player tossed the ball right over all of the other kids and straight to Rudy. Caleb was excited that Daddy had caught the ball and Rudy handed it up to him. A few seconds later, he saw that everyone in front of him was starting to duck. Sure enough, Caleb tossed that ball right back out. He almost made it onto the field. Everyone around us was laughing and pointing. Rudy turned beet red and Caleb couldn't figure out why the ball didn't come back. After all, it always comes back when he's playing catch with his Daddy.

August 8th - We went to the Tontitown Grape Festival. We started off with a fabulous spaghetti and chicken supper and then enjoyed the evening people-watching and letting Caleb ride the kiddie rides. He loved it and even ate some grapes until he realized they had seeds in them:

August 10th - Stacy and I hit the outlet malls in Branson for some back-to-school shopping. We got lots of great deals and despite a nasty day of thunderstorms, had a great time! The drive home was nerve-wracking, but Stacy kept me company and we made it just fine.

August 12th - The day I dreaded all summer! Back-to-work!!! We made it fine with the alarm clocks going off and getting to work on time. We've fallen back into our morning routines pretty well. The best part of the day was getting home and finding our Razorback season tickets in the mailbox.

August 15th - Dinner with Jan, Kathy and G'ma Voise at G'ma Voise's house.

August 18th - Mom and Mr. L. came to get Caleb. They were at our house when we got home from school and took Caleb to their house for the rest of the week. It was such a blessing for Rudy and I to be able to work a little late and not have to worry about coming home and entertaining Caleb at night. We missed him tremendously...but knew that he was well cared for and it worked out great. He spent his days fishing, swimming, playing, visiting family, following Pops every step of the way and even did a little shopping with LaLa. He got to go to Anna Joyce's birthday party on Saturday night and loved getting to help blow out the candles!

August 19th - First day of school. Whew!

August 23rd - Rudy and I met Caleb, Mom and Mr. L. for lunch in Ft. Smith and brought Caleb home with us. It was so good to have our CalebBug back!!! We expected a major grandparent detox, but that wasn't the case at all. Things were pretty smooth.

August 24th - After a full day at school, Caleb and I went to his Sports Skill Development class at Gymboree and then met Stacy and her kids at Mad Pizza for supper. I had had one of the worst days at work that I can remember in a long time. It seemed like if something could go wrong, it did. I needed the downtime after work to chill out and shake off the events of the day. When we got home from supper, I was hoping to put Caleb to bed and head that way myself. No such luck. I put him to bed, only to see him standing in my bedroom doorway a few minutes later sobbing. He wanted nothing to do with going to bed and just wanted to see his daddy. Fortunately, Rudy came home from band practice shortly after that and Caleb calmed down. He did end up sleeping in the bed with me and Rudy slept on the couch. That's not unusual on band practice nights. He needs to lay on the couch and watch TV until he falls asleep.

August 25th - Caleb learned a new word: armpit. I was washing him off before putting him into bed, since he only gets a tub bath every other night. I told him to raise his arm so I could wash his armpit. He said, "I not have armpits." I said, "Yep, they are right there." He then thought that was really funny and I think he might have said the word "armpit" about 100 times. Another day this week, he learned the word "eyeball." That one struck him as humorous too. Now, we're all about armpits and eyeballs.

August 27th - I had my monthly OB appointment with Dr. Ford. After that, we went out to dinner at On the Border. Caleb acted like he had never been in a restaurant before. He wallered around on the booth, wouldn't eat worth a flip and was a royal pain in the rear. (At least he wasn't bothering anyone else, but ugh!) When we got home, I put Caleb in the bathtub and he continued to act like he had lost his mind. He splashed water all over the bathroom and I asked him why he was making bad choices. He said, "Because I not like you." I said, "Oh, really? That's fine, but you need to start making better choices." He replied, "You not my best friend in the world anymore." I tried not to laugh at him as I scrubbed him with soap and then washed his hair. Bedtime came quickly for the little one with attitude.

August 28th - Rudy, Caleb and I picked up Kathy and G'ma Voise and went downtown to Rogers Frisco Festival. We enjoyed a wonderful fried catfish dinner and then milled around among lots of people. Caleb rode a carousel and a train. He and Rudy rode the SuperSlide after waiting in line for what seemed like forever! After a snowcone for me and ice cream for everyone else, we made it home by 9:30.

August 29-30th - Caleb woke up at 4:30 and climbed in bed with us. Rudy took him to the bathroom, brought him back to sleep with me and went to the couch. (Our next bed will be king-sized!) I noticed that Caleb felt really warm, but he was sleeping (and so was I) so I didn't bother taking his temperature. When I woke up, they boys were gone to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel (one of their favorite Saturday morning activities). Shortly after they got back, Caleb said he needed to go potty and had diarrhea. We took his temperature and he had a fever of 101.1! We decided it was going to be a movie day and made him a spot on the couch to watch Bolt. He didn't have anymore diarrhea until much later in the day, but wasn't in the mood to eat or do anything. He and I took a nap at 2:00 and we finally woke him up at 5:30. By that time, I was feeling awful too and took my temperature. It waivered between 99.0 and 99.5 all evening. (Not high enough to worry about, but enough to make me achy.) I didn't have the D that Caleb had, but had a sore throat and pressure in my ears. Caleb and Rudy slept in the guest bed last night with full intentions of letting me sleep in this morning. Everything was fine during the night. Caleb woke up feeling great and wanting to play football, then he looked at Rudy, said he didn't feel good and threw up in the living room floor. Rudy came to get me to clean up Caleb while he cleaned up the floor. I was still feeling horrible, but mustered the strength to do what needed to be done. Once everything and everyone was cleaned up, I went back to bed and stayed there all day. No fever, but feeling achy and miserable was enough to keep me in bed. Caleb felt great the rest of the day, but his appetite still isn't back to normal. Rudy put us both on a strict BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) and that's all we've eaten today. Rudy and Caleb spent the day playing and watching golf and even went to the batting cages so Rudy could get in a few hits before his first softball practice tomorrow night. They went to the park too, but Caleb didn't have much stamina and they came home pretty quickly. Now, it's bedtime and Caleb is asleep. I'm feeling a little better, but still achy. Rudy seems to be coming down with whatever this is. He says he feels nauseous and just "not right." Let's hope he gets over it as quickly as Caleb and I have. It's miserable and it's way too early in the school year for this mess!

HotShot's Heartbeat

I had my 16 1/2 week OB appointment this afternoon. Dr. Ford answered my questions about the bizarre feelings that I've been having in my abdomen as "muscoloskeletal movement." Layman's terms: everything's shifting and getting out of the way. I also had the chance to record the doppler heartbeat on my phone but can't figure out how to get it to post on here! The heartrate was 143 and Dr. Ford had no concerns. My blood pressure remains normal, which is just shy of a miracle during the first 2 weeks of school. Dr. Ford asked me to come back in 3 weeks for my regular appointment and the big ultrasound. So, we are just 3 short weeks away from finding out if HotShot is a Nola or a Harrison!

I have more to write about - back to school, Caleb's visit to Hot Springs, etc - but it'll have to wait for this weekend.

Shiny Crowns, Burnt Cookies and a Belly Shot

Lots to write about, so I'm going to sum it up by giving shiny crowns ('cause what could be better than winning a shiny crown?) and burnt cookies ('cause what could be worse than expecting a yummy, warm, fresh cookie and being given something that looks charcoal-esque?). I have to give props to Dana at Mamalogues for this idea. She regularly posts things that she'd like to fling in a trebuchet and I love it! Let's start with the burnt cookies, so we can end on a positive (and shiny) note, shall we?

I hereby present this BURNT COOKIE to:

• The end of summer. Pretty self-explanatory, huh? It's been a tough summer for me, but it was summer nonetheless. I spent most of the summer feeling like I'd been run over by a truck, but at least it ran over me at home and without many obligations instead of at work with MANY obligations. We started back to work last Wednesday (8/12) and the kids come back to school this Wednesday (8/19). So far, we've been in meetings and spent a little time getting materials and space ready.
• Lingering urinary tract infection. Ugh. I've had this UTI for 2 months now. I've done 2 rounds of antibiotics and I truly believe that it's still lingering. I won't find out for sure until I go back to my OB on the 27th, but the symptoms are still there.
• Lingering nausea and exhaustion. I had hoped that by the time we went back to school, I'd be over the nausea and exhaustion of early pregnancy. And...I thought that might be coming true last week. I felt GREAT Monday through Thursday. I was tired from the back-to-school stuff, but I wasn't parking lot tired. Thursday afternoon, it all came back, though. I was nauseated I was the whole month of July and it was all I could do to keep my head up at work on Friday. I slept most of the day on Saturday and took a long nap today after church. I'm hoping it was a flare-up from the busyness of re-entry, but good grief.
• Scrapbooking. Basically, I haven't done any since June. What??? I know, it's my creative outlet - but I just haven't felt like it. I don't have the creative juices right now and I don't have the energy to drag all of my supplies out to get anything done. Actually, the dragging out isn't so bad - it's the cleaning up that I dread enough to keep me from doing anything. So, I'm caught up to the beginning of May. I'm hoping that as my energy picks up and our routine returns, I'll be able to start cropping on the weekends again.
• The Hogs' Schedule. We are on the road at Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and LSU. Plus, the season opener is in Little Rock. There's not a real home game until we play Georgia on September 19th.
• The traffic circle of death. Someone in Rogers decided it would be a good idea to put a traffic circle in front of the new WM Neighborhood Market. That's all well and good, but this one is very poorly designed. Someone is going to get really hurt in that thing.

And, now...I would like to bestow this beautiful, sparkling shiny crown to the following recipients:

• Rudy. The man has stepped up this summer and taken over so much responsibility with Caleb and in our home that I can't even believe it. He has recognized that I'm not just being a big ol' baby...I'm growing one and it's kicking my butt. His patience and energy have not gone unnoticed.
• My parents. Mom and Mr. L. are driving to Rogers on Tuesday to pick up Caleb and take him to their house until next weekend. They say they are doing it to help us out so we can come home without responsibilities on the first week of school. We all know they are really just clamoring for some Caleb time. :)
• Calebisms. You just never know what he's going to say. Yesterday, he was going to go out to the garage to get something, but couldn't get the door unlocked. He said, "Well, I guess I'm not going out there." Our other favorite lately is "Zyeah." It's his way of saying "yeah", but it comes with a little giggle attached. We hear it when he's really agreeable.
• Return to routine. I know, I've already complained about going back to work. But...on the other hand, some return to normalcy is definitely welcome. I was about to go a little stir-crazy. And, really - I'm only there until February and then I'm off for 12 weeks. I'll go back for the month of May and then it's summer again!
• Tontitown Grape Festival. We went to the Grape Festival last Saturday night (8/8). It was so much fun! Caleb loved the rides and we all enjoyed the awesome spaghetti supper. Plus, the people-watching was absolutely stellar.
• Razorback Tickets. They came in the mail on Wednesday. It made back-to-work day all better.
• Stacy. I do love my friend Stacy. We went back-to-school shopping at the outlet malls in Branson on Monday. We braved a rainstorm and some crazy people to do it and had a blast as always.
• Project Runway & Design Star. These are my 2 favorite TV shows. Design Star is rocking along great and Runway starts Thursday night!

Here I am at 15 weeks pregnant. My body has changed so much differently this time. The baby isn't really all that big yet, but apparently, my insides remembered what to do and they are getting out of the way quickly. It seems that everything has shifted upward already. Depending on what I wear, I swear I sometimes look much more pregnant than I should be at 15 weeks.

New Calebisms

3 going on 13
One day earlier this week, Caleb was right under my feet as I was trying to get something done. In addition to that, he was being particularly contrary and I wasn't in the best of moods to begin with. He repeated the same *demand* about 5 times in a row and I finally snapped at him. His response: "Okay, Mom. Relax." This came complete with the exasperated voice of a 13-year-old and, if I'm not mistaken, an eye-roll. I have seen the future and it is not pretty.

Albert Pujols
Caleb and I were watching the Cardinals baseball game on TV on Sunday and he was asking his usual million questions. The biggest question that he asks is, "What his name?" In this case, my answer was, "Albert Pujols." I told him that Pujols is a great player and we always cheer for him: "Go, Albert Pujols!" He responded, "Go, Alice Poophole!" After I choked back some giggles so I wouldn't encourage him to repeat it, I corrected him. He then said it correctly, but asked me "Why he have a hole in him?" I never cease to be amazed.

Dace at the Cardinals Game
I have no idea who Dace is, but Caleb insists that Dace is a baseball man at the Cardinals game. He sits way up high and I should be able to see him on TV. He even goes so far as to tell me, "There he is!" but I have no clue what he's talking about.

Potty Mouth
Caleb has recently decided that he likes having a potty mouth. I know that most kids go through this and he really has no idea what he's saying, but my blonde-haired, blue-eyed, sweet-cheeked 3-year-old has started saying "dammit" when things don't go his way. We're not 100% sure where this came from, though we do have some idea. (I'll never rat out the culprit!) When he says it, we don't make a big deal out of it, we just correct him with a more appropriate response: doggonit! Sometimes he says, "dadgummit," but he usually mixes up the /g/ with the first /d/ and that doesn't work out so well either. We're really pushing "doggonit" or "oh, man!" Any suggestions?

2 Minutes
We use a timer often in our house. We use it for time outs and for counting down how much time Caleb has left before transitioning to a new (usually unpreferred) activity. He has apparently gotten so used to this that he now responds to us, "I need 2 minutes," whenever we ask him to do something. Fortunately for us, he can't tell time or read numbers yet, so 2 minutes varies...

Screening Results and More

I got a call this afternoon from my OB's nurse. She informed me that my early screening results came back from the lab and everything was clearly marked "within normal limits." That's great news! That does not rule out the presence of the 3 genetic abnormalities that are tested for, but it does indicate that the likelihood of one of those is slim.

On the other hand...my urinalysis showed that I either still have or have another urinary tract infection. My doctor said that the in-office quick test didn't show anything, but the full lab test did. (How glad am I that I told her that I strongly suspected it? A girl has to know her own body and stand up for what doesn't feel right, people!) The nurse said she'd call in another round of antibiotics. I quickly requested that I have a different antibiotic than last time, since that one made me feel like death warmed over within 30 minutes of taking it! She said she would ask the doctor and call me back. A short while later, she did call back and said that I would be able to take good ol' Amoxicillin instead of the whatever that evil stuff was that I had last time. Rudy stopped to pick up my prescription on his way home and I started round 2 tonight.

I'm 13 1/2 weeks pregnant now and starting to feel a little more human:

• I am taking Zofran less often and I'm able to tolerate more normal meals without gagging.
• I get full really quickly and then I'm starving again within a couple of hours. I keep Tums handy all of the time.
• My energy level hasn't gotten much better, but I'm hoping that will change some when I get back into a routine next week when I go back to work. I'm sure the long workdays will be exhausting in themselves, but getting up and out of the house regularly will surely help level me out. At least I (hopefully) won't be wide awake when my head hits the pillow and sleepy beyond belief at 11:00 in the morning.
• I am feeling a lot more hormonal than I did with my first pregnancy. I seem to feel very weepy all the time. Everything sets me off and I find myself wiping away tears unexpectedly.
• I continue to feel occasional flutters in my tummy when HotShot moves, but not every day.
• I (surprisingly) still find it comfortable to sleep on my stomach, which is how I normally sleep. It feels a little like I'm sleeping on top of a hot water bottle - definitely something there, but nothing too uncomfortable. My doctor said that's safe until about 20 weeks, then I'll have to start sleeping on my side all the time. I practice that some with my body pillow for support, but it's really not my favorite way to sleep and I don't rest as well.
• I won't go in to the perils that pregnancy plays on the digestive system, but suffice it to say that some days/weeks are better than others.
• None of my "regular" pants fit and only my biggest t-shirts and some of my empire waist shirts fit. I have taken to wearing maternity t-shirts, 2 pairs of Old Navy maternity shorts, 1 pair of shorts purchased in a larger size and my new best friend...cropped gaucho pants.

I have to publicly thank my sister-in-law, Tammy, for her encouragement this week...and she didn't even know it was needed. She e-mailed to see how things are going. Through a couple of exchanged e-mails, she gave me some much-needed words when she told me how much she's enjoying having two kids and how great the transition from one to two has been. It seems that everyone wants to tell me how unbelievably difficult it is to have two children. I hear nothing but horror stories about sibling rivalry, how much Caleb is going to have to adjust, how hard it is to do anything with two children, how much harder it is to get out the door in the mornings, etc, etc, etc. I needed so badly to hear Tammy's happy words about how her life has improved and somehow she delivered them at just the right time!

On that note...I have to just ask WHY it is that people feel the need to tell pregnant women their pregnancy horror stories??? Why is it that everyone I meet seems to have a story about how someone they know just lost a baby in the 2nd trimester or how difficult their 2nd child was compared to their 1st one? I know how much pregnancy bonds women together and how everyone wants so badly to tell their story because it is so important to them. I feel the same way and I have told my pregnancy story many times...but I always keep it light and only talk about the good stuff unless she asks, "Did this happen to you too?" Please, people - when you're talking to a pregnant woman about being pregnant - keep it positive! I promise, she's already gone through all of the "what-ifs" in her mind and she's worried enough already without you adding fuel to the fire.

Okay, enough of my soapbox. I really should get back to my re-reading of the Twilight series. I'm almost at the end of Eclipse and it's getting goooood!