The Last Days of Summer

Technically, summer still lasts for another month, but things are winding down around here. School starts tomorrow. We made the most of our last days of summer:

Saturday (7/30) – Rudy and I spent the day shopping in Branson and then came home (without the kids) for a date night.  We had dinner at Café Rue Orleans in Fayetteville and then went to see Horrible Bosses.  It was so much fun to have adult conversation and see a grown-up movie in the theater!

Sunday (7/31) – I drove to Hot Springs to spend a few days there with the kids while Rudy started summer band. The kids and I stayed with Mom and MrL.  It was unbelievably hot (over 100* every day).  We stayed inside as much as possible!

Wednesday (8/3) – The kids and I said our goodbyes to Lala and Pops and drove over to Sherwood to spend the day with Memmie and Poppie.  They rode over to Little Rock with us so I could get Nola a napmat for her new daycare. We enjoyed visiting with them! 

Thursday (8/4) – I took Nola to her 18-month checkup with Dr. Schaefer. (more in a separate post)  After that, we met the boys for lunch and then took both kids to the new daycare.  Caleb went there for a week while I was in meetings.  Nola cried when we dropped her off, but apparently calmed down pretty quickly.  Caleb wasn’t too keen on going to new place where he didn’t know anyone, but he handled it pretty well.  While they were at daycare on Thursday, I got my hair cut and colored. Rudy had band that night, so the kids and I were on our own.  We met Caleb’s friend Isabel and her mom and brother at JumpZone.  The kids had a great time playing and Kristie and I enjoyed getting to know each other a little better.  Afterwards, we had dinner at Bariola’s.  By the time we got home, the kids were worn out! 

Friday (8/5) – Rudy took Nola to her last day of Gymboree.  The kids would’ve gone to daycare, but it was closed for promotion preparation.  We had a lazy day at home for the most part, but ran some errands and played as well. 

Saturday (8/6) – We wanted to do something fun to celebrate our last weekend of freedom, but it was SO HOT (106*!!!), so we needed to do something indoors.  We decided to go to Fast Lanes to bowl. It was a lot of fun. Caleb used the ramp and the bumpers, so he did pretty well.  After bowling, the boys rode the go karts.  Nola and I wandered around until it was their turn. 

Nola pulled my wristlet and phone out of my purse and strolled through the place like this:

Oh. My.

Sunday (8/7) – AAAGGGHHH!  The last day of freedom!!!  We spent the morning at church, had lunch at the new Five Guys burgers and then had a usual Sunday afternoon.  Rudy took the kids to Tanyard Creek in the evening while I met my old friend Leslie for dinner at Las Fajitas.

This past week, Rudy and I have had meetings every day.  The kids have gone to daycare.  Nola still fusses at me when I drop her off, but she’s settling in well.  She has one teacher that she has really taken to.  That makes me happy.  I know she’s doing well when I’m not with her.  Every day when we pick her up, we hear what a great day she’s had and how much fun she is.  Caleb did well there too, but he’s ready to get the show on the road and go to his real school. 

On a not-so-happy note, after 3 days of daycare, Nola got her first cold. She has coughed and had a runny nose like crazy.  On Thursday night at 11:30, I sent Rudy to WalMart to buy some Vicks Vaporub.  I read the craziest thing online about putting it on her feet and covering them with socks.  I was very doubtful, but gave it a try and was shocked that she was asleep – not coughing – in a matter of minutes. I don’t know why it works, I just know it works.  She smells like I remember my Papa smelling, which makes me smile and laugh, but she’s not coughing, so I’m happy.

Pomp and Circumstance

Caleb graduated from preschool on Friday night.  It was an adorable program and he loved being with his friends.

 

After the ceremony, the daycare provided a spaghetti supper for the families.  At each table, there were 2 white balloons and a red balloon.  The parents wrote our hopes for our children on the white balloons.  The red balloons represented the kids. 

Then we tied the 3 balloons together and we went outside where the kids released them.  It was pretty sweet.

We have been so blessed to have Caleb’s pre-k teacher, Ms. Elizabeth, since he was started at CCCC when he was two.  Caleb loves her and we are so grateful that she has helped to prepare him for school and life!

 

Here’s our favorite graduate:

Nola @ 11 Months

I didn’t write Nola’s 10 month post.  I didn’t have time.  Things would happen and I would think, “that’s something I need to remember for her monthly post.”  I don’t remember those things now.  But, I do know what she’s doing now that she wasn’t doing at 9 months and here it is…

Nola turned ELEVEN months old on December 27th!  (Yes, I realize that we’re a week from her turning one.  Cut me some slack.  I’m doing the best I can.)
Here's what she's up to these days...

• Nola went to the doctor on December 20th for well visit.  She weighed 22 lbs, 1 oz, (80.08 percentile) was 28” tall 34.18 percentile) and had a head circumference of 46 cm.  She got her flu shot at that appointment too.
  
• She still takes 8 oz bottles when she wakes up.  She still eats some jar baby food, but really prefers to eat table food that is cut or mashed up.  She loves bananas and will bite off the ends of those if we hold them up for her.  She also eats anything we put on her high chair tray, especially fruits and noodles.  She eats finger foods at daycare too, though it makes me nervous.
  
• Nola wears size 4 diapers and 12 month clothes.  The clothes are starting to get pretty small, though.  We’ll be moving up to 18 months clothes soon.
  
• Nola can crawl like lightning.  She cruises furniture and can walk while pushing things like her baby doll stroller or a chair.  She will walk if we hold her hands, but doesn’t really like to.  She’d rather crawl.
  
• Rudy holds Nola and asks her if she wants to “go.”  She points forward and says something along the lines of “ga” or “uh” and he runs across the room with her.  She giggles hysterically and they do it all over again.
  
• Nola’s babbling comes and goes.  I think it’s because of her ears, but I don’t have any proof of that.  When she babbles, she has this sweet little tiny voice that just melts me.  More often than not, though, she just yells and throaty “aaggghhh” that’s not nearly as cute.  She always does this when people take things from her and when she doesn’t like things.  She waves bye-bye, blows kisses, covers the sides of her head to play peek-a-boo, signs “more” when she’s cued while eating, dances when she hears music, shakes her head (and grins) when we tell her no and nods her head when we do.  Nola cracks us up by making what we call her “grumpy face.”  She looks at people like she is so angry at them, then she raises her eyebrows and grins.  It’s the silliest thing I’ve ever seen.
Grumpy face & eyebrows up:

Peek-a-boo (sort of):

• Look at all of that hair.  I took these after Nola’s bath one night when her hair was fluffy and curly.  I know she’s going to curse my genetics someday for these curls, but they are awfully cute now.

• Yes, she’s still sucking her thumb.  That thumb is going to be the death of me.  Nola’s speech path mom doesn’t like the idea of her sucking her thumb.

• Nola has 6 teeth – 4 on the top and 2 on the bottom.  So far, she’s gotten really sick each time she’s cut a tooth.
  
• She still sleeps really well at home, but some days doesn’t nap at all at daycare.  We can’t figure out why or what to do to get her to sleep.  She’s moving up to another classroom in February and will have to nap on a cot instead of in a crib.  We’ll see if that is helpful or not.

Extra-Curricular Activities

I am in a dilemma. Maybe you can help.

Caleb's school is offering a class (for an extra fee, of course) called Jitterbugs. The class is basically a "dance" class, but it is co-ed and geared toward both boys and girls. The class would take place during the day at Caleb's school. We would only see the results when they have a RECITAL. (That word brings back some ugly memories!) I wouldn't even consider it, but apparently, they had a trial class today and Caleb's teacher told me that he loved it! He was one of the only ones to stay in "his spot" and apparently, that 's a big deal. He loved the music (not a surprise) and loved learning the movements to the songs. He even told me himself that he did a fire truck dance. Plus...he got a Skittle and a stamp on his hand.

My dilemma is that if Caleb is going to participate in some sort of extra activity, I'd like to be a part of it. We really enjoyed going to Gymboree this summer. I've been debating going back for a while now, but we needed to iron out some financial wrinkles first. BUT...he loved Jitterbugs. Then, there's the other factor. My cousin (3rd or 4th...I'm not sure) has opened The Little Gym in Rogers. I'm totally open to supporting my family member, but there is a waiting list for the only evening class for Caleb's age group. Hmmm...

Here's how I make decisions:

Jitterbugs:
Pros - Caleb loved the trial class and it's the least expensive option
Cons - Rudy and I don't get to be a part of it, except to attend the recital

Gymboree Music Class:
Pros - Rudy and/or I could go with Caleb; no sign-up fee; seems to be a lot like Jitterbugs, but without the recital
Cons - it's on Monday nights and it's not age-specific (could be anywhere from 6 mos-5 years)

Gymboree Play Class:
Pros - Rudy and/or I could go with Caleb; no sign-up fee; Caleb is familiar with the class structure
Cons - it's not age-specific and it doesn't start until 6:30 on Wednesdays

The Little Gym:
Pros - Rudy and/or I could go with Caleb; it would support my family member who owns it; it is focused on teaching new physical skills and it includes music
Cons - there is a waiting list for the only class we can go to; it's the most expensive option

What do you think? Vote over there on the right underneath that adorable picture of Caleb...
Oh, and I reserve the right to veto. It's my motherly prerogative.

Caleb's ENT Visit

Last Tuesday night, Caleb went to bed with a cough. I gave him some cough medicine with codeine. He woke up at 3:00 AM and was ready to play. Apparently, the codeine had worn off. I put him in bed with me and we both dozed off and on - more off than on - until the alarm went off at 5:45. (Rudy always sleeps on the couch on Tuesday nights. Don't ask. It's a long story.)

Last Wednesday, Rudy showed up to get Caleb from school and he was getting in trouble. Ms. Natalie was in the middle of telling Caleb that he needed to go sit on the carpet, because he wasn't being a good listener. Uh-oh. We had a long talk about listening to teachers and Caleb said he would be a big boy on Thursday. We chalked it up to being tired since he had pretty much been up since 3 AM. Wednesday night, we gave him Benadryl to help his cough and help him sleep. He woke up at 4:30. Rudy put him in bed with us and none of us got any sleep worth a flip until the alarm went off.

Thursday, I picked Caleb up from school and his teacher said that he just hadn't been himself. He was still coughing. Ms. Natalie said that she almost called me to come get him, but decided to see if he could make it until I got there. We came home and met Rudy to eat dinner. After dinner, I took Caleb to convenient care. I've said it before, but there is nothing convenient about convenient care! We were there for 2 hours. I learned from my previous experiences and took a movie to entertain Caleb while we waited. We finally got in to see the doctor and found out that he was wheezing, had an ear infection on the left and had fluid in the right ear. We got prescriptions for an inhaler and an antibiotic.

On Friday, I called the ENT's office and made the first appointment I could get. I took Caleb to the ENT this morning at 9:30. Dr. Lee listened to my plea for replacement of Caleb's tubes and agreed that it was the right thing to do. He also suggested removal of his adenoids. I'm all for whatever is going to keep us from being as sick as we (I do mean "we") were all last year.

Caleb's surgery is scheduled for next Friday - October 10th. We're hoping and praying that it will help like it did last time!