Just a Slingin'

I bought a Balboa Baby sling yesterday. So far, I like it. It does make my neck a little sore, but I think that's because I haven't learned to relax and trust it yet. That'll take a while. We had another (much cheaper) sling when Caleb was an infant, but I hated it and only used it a couple of times. I decided to try some nicer ones this time around and I feel like it's more secure and definitely better made. It looks like this (no, that's not me or Nola):

We also have the BabyBjorn carrier, which we like. It looks like this (nope, that's not us either):

Rudy used the carrier a lot when Caleb was little. They would use it to go for a walk every morning in the summer. I've used it some with Nola. I wore it to take her to Caleb's Valentine's Day party and it was perfect. I tried using it around the house too and it does the trick, but it's really hard to do anything with her up so high on my chest. It does feel more secure than the sling, so we'll continue to use it when we're out and about, but the sling gives me more flexibility to get things done around the house. It's also easier to hold her when I'm seated using the sling than the carrier - and the sling isn't as hot for me to wear.

I did make a joke about the sling today, saying (on Facebook) that I'm a hemp necklace, a pair of birkenstocks and a bottle of patchouli away from hanging out on Dickson Street with a dog and some hackysack players. Slings seem like such a "hippy mama" thing to use, but whatever it takes!

Growing Up

Caleb gets frustrated very easily. Because of this, he is hesitant to try new things if he doesn't think he will be successful. (He gets that characteristic from me.) Yesterday, I tried to get him to get dressed on his own and he threw a fit. This morning, I got his clothes and put them where he could get to them. I left him sitting on my bed and went to change Nola's diaper. When I came back, he was wearing his underwear (the right way), his shirt (backwards) and his socks (a little twisted). I made a big hoopla about what a great job he did and stood back while he put on his pants. I offered to help him turn his shirt around - or he could leave it like it was. He asked me to help him and got really tickled by the fact that I could turn it around without taking it all the way off. Next thing I knew - he was running to the get his shoes and put them on by himself. I made a big deal about his independent activity and we even called LaLa to brag about it. Rudy bought him a 97 cent airplane at WalMart this afternoon. Caleb is so proud of himself and we're pretty proud of him too.

To top off that accomplishment, he also learned how to chew gum today and helped me make lemonade this afternoon. He's such a big kid...or as he would say, "I'm a super big kid!"

Birth Announcement

I worked all last week on these birth announcements for Nola and I was so pleased with the way they turned out! These are scanned from one of the originals, which was made with cardstock, a photo and scrapbook paper. I made almost 90 of them. I think I was on about number 40 when I started to ask myself why I didn't just have them printed. When I finished, I was so happy with them that I was glad I put in the effort.

iPhone Pics

I love my iPhone. Really, I'm not a big "possession" person and I usually don't care about brand names, but I'm pretty attached to my iPhone. Besides being my phone (we don't even have a home phone anymore), I can use it to text, check Facebook, look up things online, listen to music, play games (rarely!) and now - (**giggle**) - there's even a Kenny Chesney app where I can listen to Kenny's music, watch videos, see photos and more. (This could be a problem for my productivity.) AND - I can snap pictures when I can't get to my camera easily. This comes in handy, since my children are just so stinkin' cute...

Here are Caleb and Nola watching Phineas & Ferb before Caleb went to school last Friday. He is such a good big brother. When he wants to hold Nola, he comes up and says, "It's been a LONG time since I got to hold Nola." I'm not sure why he won't just ask, but he won't.

Since I've been home, I've been reminded of the absolute peacefulness of a sleeping baby. It's hard to capture that in a picture, but I think this one comes close...
As much as I love sitting and holding my sleeping child, there are some days when I just have to get things done around here. When Nola isn't having any part of being put down in her bed, on her blanket or in her swing, I resort to using the Baby Bjorn to strap her to me and go about my business. There's nothing better than looking down and seeing this as I do household chores:
And this one is by far my favorite. I took it while watching the Super Bowl. Nola was about a week old. I looked down and saw her laying like this and couldn't get to the camera function on my phone fast enough. How funny is this?

Wonderful Weekend

We have had an absolutely wonderful weekend! It started on Friday, when I had the chance to go out for a girls' night with my friends Jamie and Kelli. We went to a late afternoon showing of Valentine's Day. We were the loudest laughers in the theater, which didn't bother us one bit! After the movie, we went to Chili's for dinner. We sat there and laughed even more. It was so much fun to be out and about with the girls. I texted Rudy a couple of times to make sure everything was okay here and he assured me that everything was just fine. I knew he'd handle both kids beautifully, but I just had to check in.

On Saturday, we went to Eureka Springs, where we met Jerry and Sherry for lunch. They were visiting her dad in Harrison, so we met them halfway. Our lunch was delicious and we enjoyed catching up with them. They were excited to meet Nola and see Caleb.

In their usual generous way, they not only brought a gift for Nola and paid for our lunch, but also brought a bag of fun toys for Caleb. Here he is showing off his "weasel ball" that has rolled all over our house today...he loves the crazy thing!

After lunch, we all walked down the main street to soak up a little of the sunshine and relatively warm day. After Jerry & Sherry had to leave, we stayed for a little while longer. We went into the Basin Park hotel to use the restroom and change Nola's diaper. While I was changing her, Rudy and Caleb found the atrium room in the hotel. Caleb was fascinated by it. It had a glass ceiling, but what he really liked was that it was very quiet. He kept saying, "let's go in that quiet place." Who would have ever dreamed that a 3 year old would be intrigued by such a thing?!?

When we got back to town after our trip to Eureka, we came home for just a few minutes, then went over to Nana's house for dinner. Jan and Bill were there and Kathy joined us as well. We had a delicious steak dinner to celebrate Bill's birthday. After dinner, we came home and everyone fell asleep quickly. We were worn out from our big day!

Today was a whole different story. Rudy gave me the opportunity to sleep in this morning after I got up with Nola during the night last night. I was sleeping so hard that he decided not to even wake me up for church. I slept until 11:00 and probably would've slept longer if Rudy and Caleb hadn't woken me up then. They decided to go have a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I stayed home with Nola and we had a lazy day. The boys brought me breakfast and then they went to the boat show. It was a rainy day, so Caleb needed something to do to burn off some energy. When they got home, Rudy baked some bread and I did some laundry - our usual Sunday afternoon activities. Now, both kids (and Rudy) are in bed and I'm winding down the weekend with a little quiet time on my own. It has been such a great weekend. I'm not quite ready for it to end...

Welcome to My Crib

Nola slept in her crib last night! I swaddled her, put her in her crib, turned on her music and turned off the lamp. She snoozed away until 2:00, when I heard her fussing and went in to feed her. She ate, went right back to sleep and slept until 6:00. (I meant to take a picture of her sleeping in her big girl bed, but in my sleepiness, I forgot. I'll do that tomorrow.) I had been sleeping on the couch so that I could be close by when she cried, but not so close that I could hear every breath she took (and, yes, you can hear every single breath). After she ate at 6:00, Rudy was up getting ready for work, so we went in the bedroom to say good morning. Turns out, Caleb was in there too. He had gotten up at 4:30 and climbed in bed with Rudy. I woke him up and got him dressed for school, then we watched Phineas & Ferb on my bed while Rudy finished getting ready. After the guys left, Nola and I dozed on the couch for a little while. I spent most of the day holding her and watching TV because every time I got her to sleep and put her down, she slept for about 10 minutes and then woke up crying. I finally managed to get dressed late this afternoon.

Nola and I went to run an errand and then picked Caleb up from school. He was excited because he got to play outside today! Thank goodness for warmer temperatures! We came home and ate dinner and then played for a while. Caleb helped me with some laundry - he's really good at matching socks and sorting colors, which makes him feel like he's doing a "very important job." Caleb and Rudy played "their game" - wrestling and pushing each other on my bed - until Caleb's bedtime. I spent the rest of the evening finishing Nola's birth announcements and I love the way they turned out. I only have to address and stamp the envelopes and they'll be ready to go in the mail!

Ch-Ch-Changes (Nola is 3 Weeks old)

We've made some changes around here lately and I'm not just talking about diapers.

Change 1: Formula
We finally ran out of most of the sample formula that we got at the hospital and in the mail, so it was time to buy some on our own. When we went to Sam's on Sunday, we compared the prices on the kinds they carry and we were pleased to find that they have a generic version of the Enfamil that's made for babies with gas and fussiness. We bought that one and so far, it's been fine. Nola didn't have any trouble making the switch, so we're going to keep our fingers crossed that it helps with her gassiness and frequent spitting up. She doesn't spit up enough for us to really think that she has reflux, but she does spit up more than I expect her to. Our pediatrician is watching her closely and doing weight checks to make sure she's gaining appropriately, so I feel okay about it.

Change 2: Bottles
When we started needing to buy baby supplies for Nola, I decided not to reuse the bottles that we had left over from when Caleb was a baby. Since then, research has come out about the presence of BPA (a carcinogen) in plastic. The bottles that we used for Caleb were not BPA-free. While we could've saved a lot of money by just reusing the old bottles, we just couldn't do that in good conscience. If we'd known about it before we used them with Caleb, we would've gotten something different then too. Anyway...I decided to try to get some less expensive bottles and go with something BPA-free, so I chose basic glass Evenflo bottles. If Nola hadn't had gas and spit-up issues, they would've been perfect: dishwasher safe, inexpensive, recyclable, etc. BUT...when we had to start putting rice cereal in her formula, we had to cut the nipples to make the flow faster and that meant lots of spilling from her mouth. In addition, the bottles weren't made to vent air out like we needed them to. Fortunately, we had lots of gift cards to Target, so I did a little research and decided to replace the Avent bottles that we used with Caleb with new ones for Nola. I spent a small fortune on bottles, but I feel better about using something that I know is better for her tummy troubles. I bought a bunch of them, so hopefully, we won't have to buy any more. Plus, the nipples that they came with are a faster flow without us having to slit them.

Change 3: Sleeping
Last night was probably the worst night we've had with Nola since she came home. She's really starting to like her pacifier, but gets so mad when it falls out of her mouth. I spent the majority of last night semi-sleeping right on the edge of my bed with my arm in the pack & play to hold the pacifier in Nola's mouth. It was beyond frustrating. She also has a little nasal congestion, so her laryngomalacia sounds worse than usual. On top of that, she was really gassy last night and kept crying and grunting as a result. At 1:30, Rudy moved to the couch to get some sleep since he had to go to work. I eventually gave up and put Nola in bed with me just so I could replace the pacifier easier. (I was so exhausted when Rudy got up that I actually asked him to take Caleb to daycare, even though it meant that he would have to go way earlier than usual. I just couldn't get dressed and get him there, nor could I get him dressed and both kids out the door. I worried about it all day and finally had to remind myself that he loves school and he can't tell time and really didn't know that he was there a lot earlier than usual.) So...as a result of the night we had last night, I have decided that tonight will be Nola's first night in her crib in her room. I hooked up the baby monitor and put the sleep wedge in the crib. I'm probably going to sleep on the couch to make sure I can get to her quick enough...and to allow Rudy to get some much-needed rest, but she will be sleeping in her bed tonight. I'm praying that it works!

Change 4: Letting Go
This one's not so much a change for Nola as it is for me. It took me 3 weeks, but I finally came to the realization today that I'm on maternity leave for a reason. I'm not home with Nola so that I can get things done around the house. I'm not here so that the house stays spotless. I'm not here so that the laundry hampers stay empty. I'm here to be with Nola, to bond with Nola and to take care of Nola. When she is fussy, I'm here to hold her and calm her. When she's awake and alert, I'm here to talk to her and interact with her. When she is hungry, I'm here to feed her and let her know that her needs will be met. I can do odd jobs when she is sleeping...or not. Sometimes when she is sleeping, I can sleep too. It only took me 3 weeks to come down off of my go-go-go mode that I was in, but I did it. I'm letting go of my get-done mentality and I'm taking firm hold of my time to be with my newborn daughter. Once I came to terms with that, I found that I'm a much better mother not only to Nola, but also to Caleb. I had the energy and the patience to be in the moment with both of them tonight - giving Caleb his bath, playing Memory and putting him to bed. I managed to get some things done today and tonight, but the rest will wait. I have a baby to hold and a preschooler to enjoy.

**Addendum: Nola's umbilical stump came off on Wednesday morning. Yay - no more alcohol swabs and ickiness!!!

Valentine's Week & Other Stuff

Nola turned 3 weeks old today. In some ways, it's hard to believe that she's ALREADY been here for 3 weeks and in some ways, it's hard to believe that she's ONLY been here for 3 weeks. So, what have we been doing with our time?

We spent last Wednesday (2/10) doing absolutely nothing. I had been wanting a day to do that for the entire 2 weeks since she was born, but something always seemed to come up. Last Wednesday, we finally achieved nothingness...and it was wonderful. Wednesday afternoon, Jan came to visit and spend the night. She brought a bird feeder to paint with Caleb. He loved it!

On Thursday, Jan and I took Nola over to Nana's house for lunch. We enjoyed a long visit there and then came home. Jan left for Ft. Smith just after we got home and it wasn't long before Rudy and Caleb came home from school.

After Nola and I took Caleb to school on Friday, we went to Bella Vista to get the Baby Bjorn carrier that I loaned to my friend Leslie. After that trip, we came home and got some things done around the house, then we went to Caleb's Valentine's Day party at school. He was so excited to have us there and I loved getting to be there without having to rush from school to get there in time. Nola had a major diaper blowout on the way there, so she got to make her first visit to what will soon be her classroom at the daycare. (We used the changing table.) After the party, we all came home and went through Caleb's Valentines. The only one he insisted on keeping was the one from Isabelle, who Rudy and I swear is his preschool girlfriend. When Rudy got home from work, we went to dinner. We were planning to go to Olive Garden because we had a gift card, but Caleb specifically requested "Crabs" (Red Lobster) and the gift card was good there too, so that's where we went. With it being Valentine's Day weekend, there was a 45 minute wait, but Caleb was perfectly content to watch the lobster tank (aka: monsters or hamsters) for most of that time. Nola slept like a champ the whole time we were out.

For Valentine's Day, Rudy got me a ring with Nola's name and birthdate engraved on it, just like the one I have with Caleb's name and birthdate. He offered me the sweetest gift anyone can give the mother of a newborn: an ambien. That ambien would've assured that I would get a complete, uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep. I passed on it, though - knowing how groggy I would be the next day. Instead, I opted to sleep on the couch and Rudy slept in our room with Nola. He did the night duty and I got up with both kids for the morning routine.

On Saturday, we had a visit from Jeremy, Lauren and Bella Pratchard. They were so sweet to bring lunch over and we all enjoyed getting a chance to catch up. Of course, the conversation pretty much centered around our kids, but that's the usual case with parents of young children. Caleb liked having Bella here, even though he's not really sure about having someone play with his toys. After the Pratchards left, Rudy took Caleb to his students' basketball game and Nola and I stayed home.

Sunday morning (Valentine's Day!) was our first attempt at going to church since Nola was born and it was a complete success! We managed to get everyone dressed and ready and out the door on time. We were even a few minutes early! Caleb loved going to children's church and we kept Nola in her carrier in the sanctuary with us. After church, we went to Sam's Club for a cheap lunch and to get some diapers and other essentials. We came home and I worked hard to get Caleb to take a nap while Rudy washed our cars to get the snow grime off of them. Sunday night, Rudy grilled steaks and we had a fabulous Valentine's dinner! I do love my Valentine...

On Monday, Nola went to high school for the first time! Since we've had so many snow days this year, my school district rescheduled some professional development time. The 2 days that I was planning to work to make a little extra money and get my PD hours have turned into 8 afternoon meetings. The good part about that is that I can take Nola with me since the meetings are only an hour and a half long. I bundled her up and took her with me to the first one on Monday, which happened to be at the high school. We got lots of oohs and aahs from my co-workers and I was so glad that she slept through the whole outing! I thought she was going to crank up and get hungry about halfway through, but she calmed down and went back to sleep without incident.

Yesterday was a fun day for Nola and me. Two of my friends from work who are also on maternity leave brought their daughters over and we sat in the floor in my living room, looking at our baby girls and talking about the things that mothers of newborns talk about. It was fun to see the other 2 babies and how interactive they are! They are 11 and 12 weeks old and I know that Nola will be there before I know it! It was sweet of Jenny and Jenna to come over and they both brought wonderful gifts for Nola. Here are the 3 girls: Campbell, Nola & Vivian. It was impossible to get a picture of all 3 of them looking in the general direction of the camera. This was the only one I got with 2 of the 3 even remotely facing the right way. (Yes, I realize that Nola is the only one not wearing a bow. As cute as the other girls are in theirs, I'm perfectly okay with Nola not having one.)

Brand Spankin' New Calebisms

Fire Passy?
This one took me a while to figure out...
Caleb was talking about a kid in the "frogs" class at his school (the class he was in until January) and said, "He has a fire passy."
Me: "You mean his passy has a firetruck on it?"
Caleb: "No, silly Mama!"
(2 days later)
Caleb: "Here, Nola...here's your fire passy." (He was holding her pacifier. Duh...paci fire.)

Funny Guy
Caleb and Rudy were playing before bed a couple of nights ago. Rudy was making Caleb laugh hysterically, which is one of my favorite sounds ever. Suddenly, Caleb stopped laughing and said, "Okay, Daddy. Now you be the regular person and I'll be the funny guy."

Basketball
Caleb has decided that he is a basketball player. As a matter of fact, he's adamant about it. It is his job. He runs around the living room, pretending to shoot layups. We're using it to our advantage. During dinner last night, the little wiggle worm literally fell out of his chair. He just slid right off the end of the chair, hit his chin on the table and landed square on his rear end on the tile floor. He understandably cried and had a pretty good sized fit until I suggested that he just bounced on the floor like a basketball. The tears dried up and the laughter started and all was right with the world. I even managed to get him to eat his meatloaf because "basketball players eat meatloaf to be strong and make baskets." Pretty much everything he does is because he's a basketball player (i.e., "I poop because I'm a basketball player.")

2 Week Dr Visit

I took Nola to see Dr. Schaefer yesterday for her 2 week visit. I was proud of myself for getting up, getting showered/dressed and getting out of the house with 2 clean and fed children! I'm sure some day that won't be a big deal, but yesterday was the first time I've ever done that. I had Caleb at daycare by 8:15, went to Target to make some returns and purchases and had time to kill before Nola's appointment. I was really impressed with myself.

We got a great report from the doctor. Nola weighed in at 8 lbs, 6 oz - a big gain from last week. Dr. Schaefer was very pleased with that. He said that she looks great and is doing just fine. He did suggest that we start thickening her formula with rice cereal to reduce her spitting up, just in case we're on the front end of her developing reflux, which is common with laryngomalacia. I asked about her infrequent dirty diapers (a mixed blessing) and he said that as long as she doesn't go more than 48 hours without one, she's okay. If she does get to the 48 hour mark, we're supposed to give her a teaspoon of caro syrup. So far, that hasn't been necessary - definitely not today! He warned me that if Nola does get a respiratory infection of any kind, she will sound much worse than most kids would. She's already a noisy breather - I can't imagine if she got a respiratory infection. We may find out soon, though. Caleb has a cold right now and it's next to impossible to keep him from kissing on his little sister. We go back to the doctor again in 2 weeks.

We left the doctor's office in a winter wonderland. Snow fell so hard all day yesterday. It was absolutely beautiful...and it didn't stick on the roads. Perfect! Nola and I ran a few more errands before coming home for a little while. Our housekeeper came at 2:30, so we had to leave again for that. I couldn't come up with anywhere to go, so we went to the bookstore and hung out while Diana and her crew were here. How blessed am I that my biggest problem of the day was figuring out a place to go on a beautiful snowy day with my healthy newborn child while my housekeeper was at my house? God continuously shows me my blessings and he made that abundantly clear to me yesterday.

Rudy's school was closed today, so we were all home together. It has been a great day and we've enjoyed it a lot. School should be open tomorrow, so I get to try my hand at getting out the door again. We don't have anywhere else to go, though, so the challenge will be a little less lofty.

Super Bowl Lucky Charm

Our weekend has been a good one. Saturday morning, Rudy did major daddy duty and watched both kids while I got some much-needed sleep. After I got up and around, he took Caleb to get a haircut and then they went to a basketball game where some of his students were playing. After they got home, we went to Fayetteville to get crawfish for me to make etouffee for the Super Bowl. We ended up eating dinner at Dixie Cafe and getting an external hard drive at Best Buy before we came home.

Since Rudy and Caleb went to the basketball game yesterday, Caleb has decided that he is a basketball player. He has worn his Razorback basketball jersey - even slept in it last night - and he runs around the house, pretending to play basketball. He is so funny! (He's also pretty sweet, too. Tonight, he was sitting by me while I was feeding Nola and he leaned over to kiss her head and said, "I love you, Nola." It was the first time I've heard him say that and it actually choked me up a little. He has told us that he likes her, but I've never heard him tell her that he loves her.)

Today, I made etouffee for us and for my supervisor/co-worker/friend Linda and her husband, Bart. Bart had major surgery last week and all of the SLP's have pitched in to help out with meals. Since Bart is from Louisiana, I offered to take appropriate food for them to have while watching the Saints play in the Super Bowl. I enjoyed visiting with them and they enjoyed meeting Nola.

Nola gave me quite a challenge at my attempt to prepare a meal, get showered/dressed, and get out the door in a timely fashion. She screamed and cried the whole time I was trying to get dressed. I stopped to feed her and she slowly nursed the bottle, falling asleep while eating, but not wanting to be put down either. I was so frazzled by the time Rudy got home. He stepped in and calmed Nola, which calmed me and I managed to get out the door with her and the food in tow.

Tonight we watched Super Bowl 44! Nola's namesake New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts! As a matter of fact, we're beginning to think that Ms. Nola might just be a little bit of a lucky charm. Since she was born 12 days ago, the Hogs have gone 4-0 in SEC basketball and the Saints won the Super Bowl. We're considering some lottery tickets...

Update on Nola's Due Date

THIS IS A LONG POST. I'LL TRY TO DO BETTER ABOUT WRITING MORE OFTEN SO THEY AREN'T SO LONG, BUT I'VE BEEN A LITTLE BUSY THESE DAYS...

I looked at the clock all day on Wednesday, thinking "at this time last week..." At 1:24, I smiled and wished my baby girl a happy one week birthday. I can't believe she's 9 days old today - and it's just now her due date. (I have been mentally thanking Dr. Ford for my early induction all day long!) My last post about her was the story of coming home on Friday. So, what has Ms. Nola been up to since then?

On Saturday (1/30), while the boys were out sledding and having a great time in the snow, the girls (Nola, LaLa and I) were in the house - toasty, warm and dry. We enjoyed the snow by looking out the windows from the comfort of the living room. Mid-afternoon, we enjoyed a visit from Rudy's mom and Bill, as well as Nana and Aunt Kathy.

Nola & Grandma Jan

They braved the roads and the elements to come over and meet Nola. Nana got to feed her and everyone passed her around for a good look and a snuggle. They stayed for a while and then decided they had better head back home since the roads were still snow-covered and a little slick.

Nola & Nana

On Sunday (1/31), Mr. L. (Pops) left to go back to Hot Springs after having a conversation with Nola:The rest of us spent the day much the same way we had spent the previous day. Rudy and Caleb went sledding again and Mom, Nola and I stayed in the house.

On Monday, Rudy's school was closed, so he was able to get one extra day with us. He took Caleb to a couple of outdoor stores to kill some time and burn off some energy. Mom was ready to get out of the house for a little bit, so she went to Oops (one of our favorite bargain spots) for a while. Nola and I stayed home all day - just getting to know each other and continuing the eat/sleep/diaper cycle. We did give her a bath Monday night for the first time. Caleb LOVED helping with that. His "very important job" was talking to Nola to keep her calm. He really wanted to help with the actual washing, but there was no way for him to do that. He did help keep her covered up with a towel, so she wouldn't get too cold.

Tuesday was a BIG DAY for the little girl! We got out of the house!!! We dropped Caleb off at daycare, where he was so excited to see his friends. Then Mom and I took Nola to her first doctor appointment. The nurse weighed her (7 lbs, 14 oz) and said that she had gained since she left the hospital at 7 lbs, 7 oz. (I didn't realize that she had lost 5 oz when we were in the hospital, but I know that's normal.) She measured 19 inches, but the nurse said it's normal for babies to shrink a little after they are born. (The birth process stretches them out a little and then they go back to their actual length.) Her head was 35 cms. Dr. Schaefer came in to see Nola and checked her over really well. He found a salmon spot (birthmark) on the back of her head that I hadn't seen. It's under her hair, which she still has a lot of! He talked to me about the laryngomalacia - yes, she's still making noise; no, she doesn't spit up more than 60% of her food; no, I don't really have any questions. He wants to monitor her closely for reflux, which is common with kids with laryngomalacia, so we have to go back next Monday for a follow-up to make sure her weight is okay, etc. He said she looked great and was about to dismiss us and I spoke up with my questions:

• Me: Please forgive my hormonal craziness, but I have to ask this.
• Dr: What is it?
• Me: I'm concerned about a couple of physical characteristics.
• Dr: Such as...
• Me: Well, her ears have this funny little shape to the top of them, almost like someone took a bite out of them. (I'm not making this up. The tops of her ears have a little scallop to them.)
• Dr: Does anyone else in the family have this trait? I think it's probably just a genetic thing.
• Me: Not that I know of. I'll ask around.
• Dr: Anything else?
• Me: Well...please forgive me, but I work in special ed and I know just enough to worry about stuff like this. I'm a little concerned about the shape of her eyes. I wouldn't be if it weren't for the ears, but she has these almond-shaped eyes and sometimes if I look at her just right, she looks a little syndromey (a word I made up). You don't think she has a syndrome, do you? Her big toe is also spaced a little far from her next one, but her palms have a great crease - it's not a simian crease at all...
• Dr: (looking at me with compassion and a little amusement, but not too much because I am hormonal after all) She's really okay. I don't suspect anything at all. That crease in her hand is perfect. Her eyes are still a little swollen from birth. Her feet are just fine. She does not have a syndrome. She's fine.
• Me: You have no idea how much I needed for you to say all of that.

Don't you know he can't wait to see me again?

When we left the doctor's office, we were headed over to my school district office to turn in some insurance paperwork. Nola started fussing and sure enough - it was time for her to eat. Mom reached in the diaper bag to get a bottle mixed up and found a bottle, but no formula. Well...there goes my mother-of-the-year trophy! I didn't bring any formula. I drove straight to the nearest grocery store, Nola screaming in the backseat and Mom stifling laughter at my forgetfulness in the passenger seat. I ran in the store, found the baby supplies and bought some pre-mixed formula. I made it out to the car, fixed the bottle and we sat in the parking lot at Price Cutter feeding my very hungry child. (Side note to this story: the next night, I put some of that same formula in Nola's bottle because I realized it was in the refrigerator and I didn't want to waste it. When I went to put it away after I fed her, I happened to see the expiration date printed on it: 10/21/09!!! I nearly flipped out. I had just fed my child formula that expired over 3 months ago. I called the store today and they told me to bring it back and they would replace it. Gee, ya' think???)

Once Nola was finished with her bottle, we took the paperwork to the office and then went to feed ourselves at Olive Garden. It was so good to be out of the house and I just wanted to enjoy a meal out, even though we had a ridiculous amount of food in the refrigerator at home. After lunch, we went over to Target to get a couple of things that we needed. Of course, we ended up staying in there forever and we were all exhausted by the time we got home. But...we had gotten out and I felt better just having walked around and seen something besides the inside of the house or a hospital room for the first time in a week.

Wednesday was a low-key day for us. We needed to recuperate from our big outing the day before, so we stayed in the house. Caleb and Rudy went to school, but the girls stayed home. My friend, Jamie, came by after school to see us and meet Nola. I was excited to see someone so awesome from "the outside world" and enjoyed talking with her about happenings at school and in life in general.

Thursday, we decided to get out again. After taking Caleb to school, we went to look at a rug that Mom had found on her previous trip to Oops. I loved it and we ended up getting it. It's now in my living room and I really like the way it ties the room together - plus it covers up a worn spot on the carpet in front the recliner that has been driving me crazy for over a year now! After our journey through Oops, we went to Jose's for a yummy lunch, then headed home. Mom put together a swag for my front door and prepared a couple of meals to freeze for us for the coming weeks. Nola and I rested and then I went to get Caleb from school. Rudy had a concert, so he didn't get home until about 8:30. The rest of us had a great night - playing with Caleb (who was in a great mood), having dinner and just spending time together. My wonderful neighbor, Caroline, brought dinner over for us. She was excited to meet Nola and we were so grateful for the meal.

This morning, Mom took Caleb to school while I got dressed for the day. Mr. L. came up to get her and spend a couple of hours with us. We went to get Caleb from school at 11:00 and all went to Einstein's to have lunch together. Caleb was (once again) in a great mood and had us laughing all the way through lunch! He loves his Pops! After lunch, Pops wanted to take Caleb to WalMart to get a firetruck that he had very politely asked for as his Valentine's gift. (Apparently, another kid in his class got one and told him about it.) We went to WM, but they did not have any firetrucks except for a matchbox car. I suggested that Caleb and I could get a firetruck another day, but Pops said we needed to go to another store. Off we went to Target and found a wonderful firetruck that Caleb loves. He thanked Pops and has played with the truck all night. When we got home from Target, Mom and MrL packed up and left for Hot Springs. Just as they left, Caleb threw a little fit about rest time, Nola needed a bottle and had a diaper blowout and I had to go to the bathroom - all at the same time. I called Mom after I got a handle on the situation and told her that I thought she needed to just come back and stay for a while. Maybe we could even put their camper in our yard...I'm sure our neighborhood covenant could be broken in an emergency situation such as this. Of course, I was kidding, but YIKES - I suddenly realized that I was at home alone with TWO children and ONE me. I was outnumbered. Fortunately, Caleb was tired this afternoon and wanted to spend the afternoon playing and watching a movie. He didn't last long on the movie, but he did play well by himself while I took care of Nola and answered some e-mails.

When Rudy got home from work tonight, he offered me a sleep deal. He told me to get some rest early this evening, then take the night shift with Nola, then he'd get up with her in the morning and I could sleep in. I took the deal, but I really needed to write this post that I've been meaning to write - so I'm about an hour into my evening rest and I haven't closed my eyes yet. Almost finished...

We're planning to have a pretty quiet weekend learning how to be a family of four. Rudy's going to take Caleb to a basketball game tomorrow afternoon. We don't have any major plans and we're so glad.

Other stuff people have been asking about...

Nola is a pretty good eater. She definitely lets us know when she's hungry and when she's finished eating, she closes that mouth up like Ft. Knox. She has been eating 2 oz every 1 & a half-2 hours, but has started increasing to 2 & a half - 3 oz every 2 & a half -3 hours. The longer stretches between feedings has been really nice. Sometimes she fools us though and she'll act incredibly hungry, then only take 1/2 an ounce. That's a little frustrating, but manageable. We all like to snack now and then, right?

Sleep? Hmmm... She sleeps all the time!!! But, there's that hunger thing. She does wake up to eat. The first night that she was home, she slept for a 4 hour stretch (2AM-6AM). I thought I had died and gone to heaven. She has only done that one other time that I can think of since then. Some nights are better than others. Now that she's eating a little more, she's sleeping a little longer. The bad part is that she is such a noisy breather - even when she's asleep. She sleeps in the pack & play next to our bed and sometimes her breathing wakes me up. When we move her into her crib, this won't be such a problem, but I know I'll still lay awake listening to the monitor. Right now, I need her to sleep in our room, though. It's much better to have her right there when she wakes up and I can get to her quickly without her waking up the whole house. So, yes, I'm tired - getting a little sleep-deprived, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Everyone has been so kind to ask how I'm doing too. Everyday gets a little easier, as it should. Recuperation from having a baby is no cakewalk, but it's manageable. I'm getting much better at moving around and can sit without needing a pillow now. I laughed to myself tonight as I was putting clean sheets on the bed because I realized that when I was pregnant, I couldn't do that without getting winded and now it's no big deal. That's a good feeling! My clothes are getting more comfortable. I'm not wearing pre-pregnancy jeans or anything silly like that, but I can wear regular shirts and some stretchy pants. I've about worn out the few track suits that I have because they are comfortable and warm.

And EVERYONE seems to want to know how Caleb is doing. As I said before, he's doing great. He has his moments, but that's nothing new and it's to be expected. He loves his sister and tells us that all the time. He is just trying to find his place. He wants to help so badly and sometimes doesn't understand when that's not possible. With LaLa here and sleeping in his bed, he has wanted to sleep on the floor in our room. We've tried to get him to sleep with her and he finally did last night, but he really doesn't want to miss anything. He wants to be in our room because he wants to be where Nola is. That has made the nighttime feedings a little tough for me, because I feel like I have to quiet her so quickly to keep from waking up Caleb. He's sleeping in his own bed tonight and I hope he'll stay there...

That's the latest on us. We're doing great and learning the ropes as we go. We are so very blessed.

Fun on a Snowy Day

It finally stopped snowing sometime during the night on Friday, the 29th. We woke up Saturday morning to a total of 7-8 inches of accumulation. That's just unheard of around here! When there's that much snow, you have to make your own fun. Everything in the area was closed, so there was nowhere to go.

We knew Caleb couldn't stay in the house all day like he had on Friday, so Rudy and Pops offered to take him sledding. Caleb was so excited about getting to go sledding and couldn't wait to get bundled up and out the door. They went to the Presbyterian church and they had a blast. Caleb was a little timid at first (as usual) about sledding by himself, so Rudy went down the hill with him. Eventually, he warmed up to the idea of going by himself but was afraid of the big hill. Pops had the genius idea to have him start about halfway down. Caleb was all over it! Everytime he went, they started him a little higher until he was finally sledding the whole thing by himself. I'm so glad Rudy thought to shoot video of it:

That night, the boys entertained us by playing on the Wii in the living room. Rudy and Pops bowled and played baseball and Caleb wanted to "punch" (the boxing game). Pops took to the bowling quickly and started bowling one strike after another. We were all laughing and having a great time watching them. Then it was Caleb's turn. He had so much fun boxing and we all laughed at the faces he made and the comments he made while he was playing. One of my personal favorites was "I'm gonna' take you down!" That's just so intimidating when spoken by a person wearing footie pajamas, right?