What Happened to April?

The last time I posted a "what have we been up to" post was April 15th. Here's the "what have we been up to" since then:

April 16th - We ended the work week by having a meeting with the director at the daycare. We just weren't happy with the way Nola's first week had gone and needed to talk to her about it to see if we could make some changes or if we needed to look elsewhere. It all started when I picked Nola up from daycare on Wednesday and one of the workers said, "Does she cry a lot at home?" I was stunned because my first thought was that of my baby girl crying all day at daycare. I told her that she doesn't cry a lot - only when she's hungry or needs something. Most of the time, she's a very happy baby. She went on to tell me that she "cries more than the other babies." I managed to get out of the room before I got upset. I came home and called other daycares to find out their rates and ratios for infant care and Rudy and I worked out a gameplan for handling the situation. The meeting with the daycare director was the first step. Thankfully, it ended up being the last step too. It all boiled down to a lack of communication. The director assured us that our concerns would be addressed and that our expectations weren't unsubstantiated. She encouraged me to write up some instructions and expectations for Nola's care and I did so. Things have been much better since then. Nola's belongings are all in one place. I know what to expect from the workers and they know what to expect from me. We are getting in a groove and I think (hope!) it's all going to be okay.

April 17th - RAIN RAIN RAIN! We were supposed to go to Touch-A-Truck on the 17th, but the weather was just too nasty. We went to lunch at Einstein's and while were there, we decided to forego the T-A-T event. We came home and got some stuff done around the house, then I took Nola with me to a Boutique Show in Springdale. We didn't buy anything, but had fun looking at everyone's handmade goodies. That night, we went to dinner over at the Pratchards' house. Rudy and I took boiled corn and potatoes and Jeremy picked up 9 lbs of crawfish from the seafood market in Fayetteville. We ate until we were sick and enjoyed watching the kids play. Last year, we would get a babysitter for Caleb and Bella. This year, we have 2 newborns to throw into the mix - so we're ordering our crawfish to go.

April 18th - We went to church for the start of a new sermon series on world religions, which I'm really enjoying. After church, we had lunch at the Subway at the mall, then had Caleb's 4 year old pictures taken at Picture People. They turned out really good. I haven't scanned them yet to put on here, but I do like them. I'm happy that I've decided to always put him in a white shirt and jeans for his pictures, because they really show how he's growing and changing.

April 20th - Nola's first visit to the ER! Oh, boy!!! I came home from work and went for a walk to get some exercise and clear my head. By the time I got home at 4:30, Rudy was walking the floors with Nola to try to get her to stop crying. She was obviously not feeling well. I took her temperature and she didn't have a fever. We tried all of the usual suspects - feeding, changing diaper, rocking to sleep... Nothing worked. I gave her some gas drops. I gave her some Tylenol. If we did manage to get her to sleep, she woke up crying after only a short time. By the time we got Caleb to bed, we decided that one of needed to take her to the ER because something was obviously not right. She had cried so much that her breathing was more labored than usual and she sounded awful. I got her to the ER about 9:00 and when we checked in, she had a fever of just over 100 degrees. Someone came and gave her an updraft, which seemed to relax her breathing enough for her to rest. The doctor came in and looked her over, checked her ears, checked her mouth, etc. He ordered and RSV swab and a chest x-ray. She was none too fond of either of those procedures, but - thankfully - both came back fine. The doctor diagnosed her as having "some sort of virus" and prescribed an oral steroid and an inhaler. This is the best I could do at getting a picture of her in the ER. Every time I put her down, she screamed - so I'm holding her and taking a picture with my phone. Not her best angle...



We got home from the ER at 11:30 and Nola slept great all night. Because of the fever, Rudy stayed home with her the next day. He said that she was happy and alert all day long - no sign that she had been sick at all.


April 21st - I went to Reagan Elementary to meet with the principal and assistant principal. Cathy Ross, their fabulous speech-language pathologist is retiring this year and I decided I was interested in the position that she's leaving behind. Reagan is a great school with 2 self-contained classes designed primarily (but not exclusively) for children with autism. After meeting with the administrators, I was offered the position and went back to finish my day at Westside. So - next year, I'll be working at a different school in Rogers. And a year from now, I'll be registering Caleb for kindergarten there.


After school, I met Rudy at the daycare and picked up Caleb. We took him to the podiatrist appointment to find out what we could do to help him with the leg pain that he's been having for over a year. Nola and I stayed while he met with the doctor and then had to leave while he was being fitted for shoe inserts. I had to take Nola across town to her appointment at the ENT's office. Her appointment had been scheduled for a while. I was anxious to get her there and see what he had to say about our visit to the ER the night before. I told him about the prescriptions we had been given and he initially said that they sounded like the right path to take. Then...he looked in her ears. He actually grimaced and it takes a lot for an ENT to grimace at the sight of an ear canal. Dr. Black told me that Nola had a severe bilateral ear infection and that she needed antibiotics immediately. I asked why on earth the ER doctor hadn't seen that and he said he wasn't sure but that sometimes they can go from a little bit infected to a whole lot infected overnight and maybe that's what happened. We left there with the news that Nola's laryngomalacia is improving as expected and that she has her first bilateral ear infection before the age of 3 months.


April 22nd - Caleb went on his first field trip. His class went to the Farm Friends event at the UofA, where they got to pet lots of baby animals and pretend to milk a cow. They also had a picnic lunch at the park across the street from the pavilion. I think Caleb's favorite part was getting to take a real lunch box for his lunch. He also loved getting to ride on the church vans. Rudy met them there for a few minutes between schools and took some pictures for me. I was really sad that I couldn't go!


April 23rd - We were planning to have a regular old Friday night at home. The Pratchards called as we were getting ready to eat dinner and invited us to JumpZone. We took them up on the offer and met them there after dinner. Bella and Caleb (and Jeremy and Rudy) had a great time while Lauren and I took care of Nola and Max.

Here are Jeremy and I holding Nola and Max:


And Caleb and Bella playing in the Sesame Street bouncer:

April 24th - Rudy had a meeting all morning to get information about National Board Certification. Caleb, Nola and I braved the elements to go to Race for the Cure. We had dropped my car off at the mall the night before so that I wouldn't have to fight traffic to park, but our plan was foiled because the streets were closed off. We ended up having to fight the traffic anyway because we couldn't find a place to pull over for me to get out with the kids. It rained and rained and I pushed the stroller with one hand while holding the umbrella in the other. Caleb had his Lightning McQueen umbrella and stayed with me every step. When the race finally got started, the rain slacked off a little, so we just walked the family fun walk in the drizzle. We enjoyed doing the walk with the Lyons family.

After the race...a little soggy!

I signed us up for the team called the Breast Brigade. The team was formed in celebration of my friend and co-worker, Jenna, who beat breast cancer a couple of years ago in her very early 30's. Her husband was the chair of the race event this year, so we wanted to go and support her and all of the other survivors - including my awesome aunt, Kim, and her sister, Melanie!


After the race, we skipped the freebie tents and headed for home! We were cold and wet! When we got home, Caleb and I made hot chocolate and talked about the race. He was excited that he got to see the Chick-Fil-A cows and Strike, the mascot for the NWA Naturals. Plus - he got high fives from a bunch of cheerleaders along the race route, which he thought was the coolest thing ever. I didn't have the heart to tell him that we didn't really "win" the race like he thought we did.Caleb rested and watched a movie while I fed Nola and watched some TV. I fell asleep with Nola and woke up when Rudy came home. He gladly took over kid duty for a while so that I could take a much-needed nap. When I got up from my nap, it was still raining, but the radar looked promising. We decided to take a chance and go to the Razorbacks' spring scrimmage game because Caleb was so excited about going to the "Razorback Football Game Stadium." We found a place to park in the parking deck and met the Lyons to watch a little of the scrimmage and let the kids enjoy some of the excitement. We were inundated with kids because the mascots were hanging around close to us, so we didn't get to see much of the actual game. As the storm clouds started rolling in, we decided to leave and go get something to eat. We all went to Feltner Bros. for a burger and the kids had a blast playing while we talked.

Jackson, Leslie & Grace with Nola

Caleb with Sue E. (He calls her "Woo Pig Suzie")

April 25th - Sunday afternoon, I wanted to get some good pictures of the kids. I had looked for good places to take some pictures and finally decided to take them on the front lawn of the ADPi house. We had driven by there after dinner on Saturday to show Caleb the "princess castle where Mama used to live." The azaleas were in full bloom and absolutely gorgeous. We packed up the kids Sunday afternoon and headed back to Fayetteville. I was excited to get some great pictures of Nola to serve as her 3 month portraits without having to pay for professional portraits! Unfortunately, Caleb was being a little bit of a stinker and wouldn't give me a genuine smile for anything. I got lots of goofy grins, but I guess that's what you get with a kid who is about to be 4.

And I just couldn't resist this shot... Maybe it will be on her bulletin board in about 18 years when she moves into the ADPi house.

This week has been pretty normal. We haven't had anything major to contend with at night and we haven't had any special events. We're saving those for this weekend. Saturday is Caleb's birthday party and Sunday (Caleb's actual birthday) is Nola's baptism. I'd better charge the camera batteries...

The Daily Grind

My mom told me this week that she's noticed I'm not blogging as much lately. Though she said this over the phone, I'm almost certain she was disguising a smirk as she said it. I'm doing good to make it through the "have to's" these days, much less the "want to's."

Here's a typical weekday for me:
5:30 - feet hit the floor
7:15 - drop the kids off at daycare
7:30 - get to work
8:00 - start seeing kids
8:00 - 2:30 see kids back-to-back with two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch break
2:30 - tie up loose ends at work, try to get something marked off of my ever-growing task list
4:00 - leave work to pick up the kids at daycare
4:30 - get home and unpack/repack Nola's daycare bag, give Caleb an after-school snack, feed & change Nola, change clothes, etc.
5:00 - Rudy gets home from the gym and I either start on dinner or take care of the kids while he cooks dinner
5:45 - dinner
6:30 - play outside, go for a walk/bike ride through the neighborhood to get a little exercise
7:30 - either give Caleb a bath or get Nola ready for bed while Rudy gives Caleb a bath
8:00 - one of us puts Caleb to bed after brushing teeth and wrangling him into PJ's, one of us feeds Nola and wrangles her into PJ's
8:10 - put Caleb to bed again
8:20 - put Caleb to bed for the 3rd time
8:30 - Threaten Caleb with his life if he gets out of bed again, put Nola to bed
8:45 - Rudy cleans up the kitchen, Haley straightens up the house; lunches are packed for the next day and bags put by the door
9:30 - Sit down and try to unwind by watching a little TV or catching up on the computer
10:00 - Wake up from where I dozed off in the chair watching TV or catching up on the computer; take out contacts and fall into the bed with my mind racing about what all needs to be done the next day; fall asleep after about 3 minutes of playing Words With Friends on my iPhone
And it starts all over again the next day...

Somewhere in there, there is laundry to be done for 4 people, multiple diapers to be changed and bottles to be fed, snacks to be doled out, toys to be found/fixed/played with, groceries to be bought, bills to be paid, a house to be maintained, appointments to go to, errands to run and relationships to be cultivated. And those are just the things that NEED to be done. Nothing has been said about the other things I enjoy like blogging, reading, scrapbooking, etc.

I don't know how single parents survive. I couldn't manage without Rudy and all that he does. We share the load pretty well and maintain a good balance. He usually has the patience and energy to keep up with Caleb while I have the multitasking ability to meet Nola's needs and sometimes even do other things at the same time.

I can't wait for summer vacation. Less than 30 days and the chaos switches gears to packing and unpacking for trips, going to the pool, VBS, sunblock, and bug spray. I choose that chaos over the other kind any day because I'm with my family and making memories instead of going through the motions of the daily grind.

Back to Work

We got up at 5:00 Monday morning. Fortunately, both kids slept until we were ready to wake them up. Rudy got Caleb dressed and I got Nola dressed. Both of them had a little breakfast and we were out the door with time to spare. I dropped Caleb off in his class, then did the dead man's walk down the hall to the baby room. Ms. Diana greeted me and showed me where to leave Nola's things, then (after some extra snuggles), I handed her over. Thank goodness she didn't cry. I would have lost it. I managed to get out of the room before the tears filled my eyes. I managed to get to the car before I let any of them fall. I managed to dry them up before I went into my school. I managed to get to my room without snapping anyone's head off. I did tell Ann that I just couldn't talk and - bless her heart - she understood. My co-workers were incredibly supportive all week. This is statewide testing week, so my mornings have been consumed with administering the test to a small group and my afternoons have been filled with paperwork and figuring out the loose ends that are dangling from the time I was out. Next week, I start back to seeing kids again.

Monday afternoon, I could not wait to get to the daycare and get the kids. I practically sprinted out the door. When I got there, Caleb was ready to go and everyone told me how proud he had been that Nola was at his school. When I got down to Nola's room, she was doing fine and I was glad to see it. The workers told me what all I needed to take home and we were out the door. I didn't want to put her down all night, but had so much to do that I couldn't help it.

Monday night, I was EXHAUSTED. I had hit the ground running at 5 AM and didn't stop until I fell in the bed at 10:30. I was proud of myself for fitting in a workout, even though I was so tired. I've done pretty well with working out. I'm managing to do it about every other day and I've stuck to Weight Watchers religiously with the exception of the Andy's concrete I broke down and ate on Saturday night. My weight hasn't changed all that much, but I can tell that my body is changing for the better. My clothes are fitting a little bigger and I can actually see more "good curves" and less bad ones.

Our nighttime routine is starting to fall into place and with this beautiful weather, we've been spending a lot of time outside. Caleb loves riding his bike, so most nights, we all go for a walk and he rides his bike. (He especially loves to slam on the brakes and make skid marks.)

Tomorrow is Friday (Amen!) and we have a fun weekend planned. Not that I'm counting, but there are 37 school days left...

Girls' Weekend

Friday morning, Rudy and Caleb left Nola and I home alone for the weekend. Rudy and one of his college friends went on a turkey hunting trip. They dropped Caleb off in Ft. Smith with Jan. Nola and I were on our own for our first-ever girls' weekend. I'll get to that in a minute, but for posterity's sake, let me say that Rudy killed his first turkey on the trip. As a result, Caleb met me at the door on Sunday with a ziploc bag containing 2 turkey feet and a turkey beard. Eww. (They did NOT come any further into the house than the garage, by the way.) He was also toting a new Spiderman toy and multiple kids' meal toys and sporting a temporary tattoo. All of the above are sure signs that he has spent a couple of days with one (or more) of his grandparents.

So, what do you do when you have 2 1/2 days all to yourself, with only a 2 month old baby to care for? Well, I don't know about you but I did as little as possible for most of it. Nola and I literally didn't leave the house (pretty much the living room) from Thursday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. We watched a couple of movies and a lot of DVR'd TV shows. We ate and slept and that's about it. On Saturday afternoon, I'd had about all of the sloth life I could take. I got cleaned up and off we went. We stopped in a few shops looking for a couple of baby gifts. Let me just say...I cannot believe what people are willing to pay for shoes, clothes and other baby stuff. I was astonished (appalled, really) to see $75 outfits for newborn babies. Juicy Coutour? Baby Dior? Really???

Needless to say, we didn't find what we were looking for, so we changed our gameplan and went to Hobby Lobby for a craftier gift. Now, I just have to get crafty and make the gift. After our HL stop, we stopped at Kathy's for a quick bottle and diaper change for Nola and then headed off to the grocery store. Sunday morning, we were up and at 'em and made it to church with time to spare. Nola was a little fussy, but I didn't think much about it. Then...she spit up all over the front of my dress in the middle of the opening hymn. I headed for the bathroom and got myself cleaned up as best I could. I sat through the rest of the service with her in her carrier, trying not to be grossed out by the smell of my dress. But I really wanted to hear the sermon because Carness was starting a series on world religions and I'm really interested in hearing it. Rudy and Caleb got home not long after Nola and I did. We did some things around the house and then the boys took a little trip to the driving range. Rudy's report: Caleb's not ready for the driving range. (I thought that was a pretty funny deduction.)

That afternoon and evening, Nola was still fussy and she actually spit up 3 more times. I was trying desparately to get things together so that my return to work on Monday morning would be as smooth as possible. I packed her bag, my bag and Caleb's bag. I laid out all of our clothes. Rudy made our lunches. We were prepared! Before bed, I noticed that Nola was a little warm and took her temp. Sure enough, she had a low-grade fever. I tried not to panic, but realized that I might have to go back to work with a sick baby at home. (Honestly, I'm not sure what's worse on the first day back after maternity leave - a sick baby at home or a well baby at daycare.) I took it again before I went to bed and it was normal. Hallelujah!

Ladies Who Lunch

It seemed like when I was pregnant, I was constantly surrounded by other people who were pregnant too. Now, there is just an abundance of babies around us and that makes for lots of fun and lots of pictures...

On Wednesday, Nola and I had lunch at Westside with the first grade teachers who are also on maternity leave, their babies and the rest of the crew that eats at first grade lunchtime. Here are the 2010 Westside babies...

Grayson (born 3/5), Eli (born 3/17) & Nola (born 1/27)

Eli was a little mad - maybe about being surrounded by girls...

And since Grayson is looking away in the group pictures, I added this one too. She's too sweet not to see her little face!And look at my little cupcake. I could eat her up!

Today we had lunch with Lauren and Max Pratchard at Mimi's Cafe and then came back to our house to visit. It's amazing to me that Nola was Max's size just a few weeks ago. He was born 3/29...look at all of that hair! So cute...This little sassy thing has been smiling at me all day. She has found her voice and has decided to talk to us a lot lately too. All that cooing and gooing and it sounds like she's really trying to have a conversation. I love it! I'm going to try to get a video soon, but this smile will have to do for now.

I needed those smiles today. I dropped Nola's stockpile of diapers, formula, etc off at the daycare for her to have starting Monday. I'll admit that I cried. Can you imagine what I'll be like on Monday morning when I have to leave her there? I love the daycare. They take excellent care of Caleb and I know they will do the same for Nola. It's just that she's so tiny and so...mine. I'm going to soak up the next 3 days for all they are worth - just like I have been for the past 10 weeks.

Easter

Easter weekend has been exhausting, but so much fun. On Saturday, Rudy took the kiddos to the grocery store and to get BBQ for Sunday's lunch. He took them out so that I could have a little bit of time to start my exercise routine without interruption. (Thank you, Rudy!) When they got home, we all got ready to go to Jackson's birthday party. Leslie put together a "Super Hero" themed party. Caleb took a while to warm up, but once he got going, he had fun. He was quite a bit younger than all of the other boys, but he enjoyed himself and devoured a cupcake. While we were at the party, he scraped his knee and started to cry. I looked at him and acted like that scraped knee was the coolest thing ever. He grinned really big and said, "Cool! It's my first scraped knee!" (It's not really. It's just the first one he remembers, I guess.) We got him cleaned up and he got TWO band-aids and he was fine. He went out on the soccer field with the other boys and had a blast. Of course, he managed to run right through the mud.

Much to my dismay, it seems that Caleb may have some innate soccer talent. I'm not a soccer person. I didn't grow up with soccer and I think the whole soccer thing is overdone. The soccer mom mentality is so foreign to me and the idea of 3 year olds competing in an organized sport is just so odd. I know - to each his own - but I've just never been a soccer person. I'm much more into football, baseball and basketball. But...it looks like Caleb is pretty good at handling a soccer ball. He can run and kick the ball (dribbling???) at the same time and Rudy says that's a pretty advanced skill. So - we may have to explore the world of soccer. Rudy almost has me convinced that it's a precursor to what I like to call "real football."

Since Caleb ran through the mud, we had to make a Payless pitstop on our way over to Nana's house. I needed to get him some Easter shoes anyway, so we ended up with some sandals for church and a pair of Buzz Lightyear tennis shoes. Caleb thought those Buzz shoes were the coolest thing since ice cream because they light up when he walks. Rudy says he kind of looks like a nerd with them on. Whatever - he's 3 and they make him happy and I can use them as a bribe... "If you're not a good listener, we'll have to take your Buzz shoes back to the store." :) It will only work for about a week, but I'm milking it for all it's worth.

We picked up pizzas and went to Nana's for dinner. Jan, Bill and Kathy were there too. We enjoyed catching up with them and having dinner. Caleb enjoyed playing outside too.

This morning, Rudy played in a brass quartet at church. He played the 8:00 service, so he wasn't home when I was getting ready. Fortunately, Caleb slept really late, so I was able to get a shower without worrying about him. Nola woke up early, but went back to sleep before I got in the shower. I had managed to get myself halfway ready and get Caleb completely ready and then Rudy came home between services to help me. (Hallelujah!) He fed Nola while I finished getting dressed, then helped Caleb while I dressed Nola. We are quite a team! We were out the door and at church right on time.

Here's "Sister Britches" all decked out in her Easter dress and cardigan. She had on pink ballet shoes, but they wouldn't stay on, so I gave up trying.

And Caleb looking too cute...but refusing to smile:

We met Jan, Bill and Kathy at church and enjoyed a wonderful Easter service. I just love the music on Easter morning. Up from the grave He arose... After the service, we went into the chapel to take some pictures. Caleb was being completely goofy, so he's making faces in most of the pictures, but there are a couple of really good ones.

I'm quickly learning that it's impossible to get a good picture of two kids.

"I don't want to take anymore pictures..."

Three of my favorite people in this whole world...

How did I manage to get this blessed?

Bill & Grandma with us. I told you Caleb was making faces...

Aunt Kathy, or as Caleb calls her, "Aunt Kaffy"

After church, we came home and gave the kids their Easter baskets. Caleb's had a little bit of candy and gum in it, a chocolate bunny, some PJ's, some shorts (his new favorite thing), a book, some bubbles and some punching balloons. Nola's basket just had Nola in it. After all, what do you get a 2 month old for Easter?

I really think this one looks like she's looking at Caleb and saying, "What in the world is going on here?"

After Caleb dismantled his basket, we ate lunch. After lunch, I hid some eggs in the backyard and Caleb hunted for them. He loved it, but only wanted to do it once, then come inside and eat a little candy. We put the rest of the candy in our candy jar in the pantry to save for later. That jar is really full now!

The rest of our day was pretty relaxing. We rested and went for a walk, then came home for a quick dinner and bath. Now, it's time to get ready for a busy week. It's my last week of maternity leave, so I'm going to get all I can out of it. This time next week, I'll be a mess.

Nola @ Two Months

Nola turned two months old on Sunday! Here's what she's up to these days...

• As of today (4/1), her weight is 11 lbs, 12 ozs (70.14 percentile). She is 22.75 inches long (61.17 percentile). Her head circumference is 39.5 cms (66.5 percentile).
• She still takes a 4 oz bottle every 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
• She wears size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes. I'm having a lot of fun dressing her in her so-very-cute outfits!
• She is awake a lot more during the day. Some days she seems to hardly sleep at all. Most days she seems to be settling into a little bit of a nap pattern with a longer sleep in the morning and one in the afternoon.
• She has slept through the night several times. Last night, she slept from 9:30 PM until 7:45 this morning. Usually, though, she wakes up once during the night (usually around 2:00), eats and then goes right back to sleep. I keep the lights low and limit interaction with her during the feedings so that she doesn't decide that she just likes hanging out in the middle of the night. I usually get her out of her bed, feed her enough of her bottle to keep her from crying, change her diaper, swaddle her back up, finish the bottle and put her back in the bed. We get the job done and get back to sleep as quickly as possible!
• Her laryngomalacia seems to be getting a little better - or maybe I'm just getting used to it. It's funny that people don't know what to say when they hear her making all of her noises. They usually think she's either trying to talk to them or trying to poop. I just go along with it because it's usually not worth the trouble to explain it. We really only hear it now when she's upset, eating or congested. When she's calm, she's pretty quiet.
• Her temperament has evened out some too. She still gets worked up into a screaming fit pretty quickly, but not as often. She's much more content to just look around at the world. Thank goodness, she has even decided that it's okay to sit in her swing or bouncy seat now and then without screaming. She really prefers to be laying on her blanket in the living room floor. Sometimes she likes to be on her tummy and sometimes on her back.
• She has had some congestion for the past couple of weeks. It makes her sound a little like Darth Vader. But - Rudy found a wonderful nasal saline mist sprayer at Walgreen's that helps her so much. The best part about it is that it doesn't seem to bother her to have it done like the saline drops did.
• She loves her pacifier, but - much to my dismay - has started trying to get her hand in her mouth. If she manages to get it there, she goes to town sucking on it. I immediately pull it out of her mouth and put a pacifier in its place. I'm trying so hard to keep her from becoming a thumbsucker or a fingersucker. The little stinker is fighting me on it, though. On more than one occasion, I've seen her wedge her little fist under the paci, knock it out of her mouth and stick her hand in its place. She is a determined little thing!
• She's not making a lot of communicative sounds (other than crying) just yet. She does say "aaah" sometimes and "nga" a lot. Still no major cooing though.
• This is the best part about 2 months...

Nola smiles at Rudy, Caleb and me a lot. She also smiles at new faces. She gives big grins when we tickle her cheeks or touch her nose or upper lip. Today, she smiled bigger than ever when she saw herself in the mirror. Every time she does it, my heart flip-flops. I just love it!

We went for Nola's 2 month well baby checkup today. Dr. Schaefer looked her over and said she looks great. He was pleased with her growth and development. He was a little concerned about how raspy her breathing was, but once I gave her a pacifier, she settled down and he wasn't too worried anymore. He suggested going back to thickening her formula if the raspiness continues. I hope we don't have to do that. Nola got 3 shots (DTAP, Pneumonia, Hep B) and one oral vaccine (Rotavirus) today. She didn't like those shots at all and let us know about it, but calmed down pretty quickly. She fell asleep when we left the doctor's office and slept pretty much the whole day. I kept checking her for fever, but I don't think she ever had one.

I go back to work a week from Monday. I'm planning to take my makeup bag with me. I'm pretty sure I'll need to touch up my eye makeup when I get to work. But - I only have 8 weeks after that and then we're back home for the summer!

One Month:

Two Months:

Spring Break

I'm not going to put pictures on this post. I took over 200 pictures and there are too many good ones to choose from, so if you want to see pictures - you'll just have to go to our Shutterfly site.

Saturday, 3/20
We got up Saturday morning and loaded the car. (I had forgotten just how much stuff you have to pack for an infant! It's amazing that the smaller the kid is, the more stuff you need to travel with them.) We drove in the rain to Spiro to see Grandma and Grandpa Morris. We picked up a pizza on our way into Spiro and had lunch at their house. After lunch, we spent a few hours just visiting. Grandpa got a kick out of Caleb's remote control car and, of course, they both loved meeting Nola.

After our time with the Morrises, we went back into Ft. Smith to see Jan & Bill. Uncle Terry came by for a while too. We had a wonderful dinner prepared by Chef Bill and then played with the kiddos until bedtime. Jan even dyed some Easter eggs with Caleb. Rudy had to go to the store to get a couple of things after dinner and by the time he got back, it was snowing outside.

Sunday, 3/21
We woke up Sunday morning to about 4 inches of snow on the ground. We were lucky to have been in Ft. Smith. We saw pictures from Rogers & Fayetteville of anywhere from 10-12 inches of snow!

We left Ft. Smith Sunday morning and drove to Sherwood to spend the day with Memmie and Poppie. They were so excited to meet their new great-granddaughter and see their great-grandson. We went to lunch and then went back to their house for the afternoon. Rudy, Caleb and Poppie went to the sporting goods store and Poppie bought Caleb a new fishing pole. Memmie and I gave Nola a bath in the same kitchen sink where my mom and Memmie bathed me 33 years ago. Caleb and Rudy went outside to practice casting the fishing pole and I helped Poppie with some computer trouble he was having. We spent the rest of the day just enjoying each others' company. Just before we left, Pat stopped by to see us. We talked with her for a little while, then left for Hot Springs.

We got to Hot Springs about 9:30 and we were worn out. Caleb's face lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw his Pops and LaLa and he literally ran to give Pops a big hug. I love that he is so close to his Pops!

Monday, 3/22
Monday morning, Rudy and Mr. L packed up and went to Lake DeGray where Mr. L had the camper set up for the week. They spent the day fishing and spent the evening around the campfire.

Mom and the kids and I stayed home on Monday. Aunt Harolyn, Becca, Julie and Maddox came by to see us for just a little while. The girls were so anxious to get their hands on Nola for the first time. Despite the fact that Caleb and Maddox talk about each other all the time, they are so funny when they are together. They aren't really sure what to do and usually end up playing around each other without talking. It always amazes Becca and me.

Mom and I took the kids over to see Pepapa and Anna Joyce on Monday afternoon. They were excited to meet Nola too. It's not every day that you get to meet a great-grandchild for the first time! Caleb enjoyed all of the Easter treats that they gave him and loved playing outside with Pepapa.

After our visit with them, we went to Outback for dinner and then back home.

Tuesday, 3/23
Tuesday was the day that Caleb had been looking forward to because we were going to the "fishing camp." We all piled in the car and drove down to Lake DeGray where the big guys were camping. Mom packed a huge picnic spread, complete with a centerpiece for the picnic table. Pepapa & Anna Joyce, Becca & Maddox and Aunt Harolyn all joined us for a day of beautiful weather and family time. We took the little boys down to the lakeshore to try fishing for a little bit. They did a lot of fishing...but no catching. Caleb just liked playing with the worms. I was amazed to see that he didn't mind touching the worms and he even held a big fish (that someone else had caught). He and Maddox had a great time throwing stuff on the firepit (unlit of course) because they were "helping" to build a big fire.

After the rest of the family left, Mr L rearranged the campfire logs and lit the fire. We spent the rest of the evening at the campsite. Caleb had the most fun I've ever seen him have. Our campsite was across the road from Penne & Waymon Orr's campsite. Mr. L and Waymon have been friends since childhood. Penne's daughter's family was using their camper and some friends of theirs were staying a few campsites away. There were a total of 5 boys between the ages of 1 and 8. They had bikes, scooters, big wheels and all sorts of crazy riding toys. They (and Rudy) rode those things up and down the road, racing and laughing for hours! Caleb loved every single minute of it and hasn't stopped talking about it since.

At bedtime, the girls (Mom, Nola and me) went back to Hot Springs. Caleb stayed to spend the night with the big boys in the camper.

Wednesday, 3/24
Wednesday morning, the boys went fishing. They didn't catch anything. I'm sure that had nothing to do with the fact that they had a 3 year old in the boat. :) They came back to Hot Springs that afternoon.

We all sat on the deck Wednesday night and had boiled crawfish for supper - a perfect meal if you ask me! After supper, we sat on the deck and watched Caleb entertain us for a while. We laughed at him doing his "shake your booty" dance and laughed even harder when Rudy and Mr L got up and joined him.

Thursday, 3/25
Thursday morning, Rudy and Mr. L took Caleb to Oaklawn to see the horses that Mr L's friend Rick trains. When they got back, Mom and I ran some errands. Thursday afternoon, Rudy and I left the kiddos with their Pops and LaLa and went to the racetrack for a while. That's the best people-watching spot in the world! After the races, we went to dinner at KJ's and enjoyed having a meal by ourselves for the first time in 2 months.

Friday, 3/26
We came home on Friday morning. I was so pleased that Nola was a good traveler on this trip! I didn't have to crawl in the backseat even once, which I consider to be the ultimate victory when traveling with small children. :)

Saturday, 3/27
Saturday was a day of recuperation - laundry, unpacking, etc. Stacy came over to scrapbook with me Saturday night.

Sunday, 3/28
After church on Sunday, I took Caleb to see the movie How To Train Your Dragon. He was so funny, because we talked before it started about how some of it might be a little scary but it was just pretend. On the way home, I asked him how he liked the movie. He said, "I was a little bit scared, but I was so brave." He did great at the movie. He didn't even ask to go to the bathroom.