Screening Results and More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ready for Some Football

For crying out loud! Is it time for football yet? Just over a month until gametime, but these should get you in the mood...

Butterfly in My Tummy

I actually felt a little more human today and had some energy this afternoon, so after my hair appointment I went and did some shopping for some maternity clothes to start back to work in. I really hate the in-between stage: my regular clothes are too tight and maternity clothes are either too big or just look silly. I compromised and got some gaucho capris, a couple of empire waist tops, a couple of stretchy cotton dresses and some leggings. That combined with what I already have should just about get me through the rest of the warm weather.

I picked Caleb up from daycare and we came home to chill out for about 30 minutes before we got back in the car and went to the library. They had a kids' concert tonight with the Sugar Free All-Stars. He liked the music, but was more interested in the merchandise table that had some star-shaped sunglasses, which I proudly did not give in and buy. After the concert, we checked out a few books (Caleb picked a Thomas the Train book...UGH!). He said he wanted a hamburger for dinner, so we stopped at Wendy's and had a quick bite before coming home. His kids' meal came with an audiobook on CD and he was all jazzed about that even though he didn't really know what it was. I promised that he could listen to it when he went to bed. When we got home, he watched his obligatory 30 minute TV show and I convinced him it was time to go to bed so he could listen to his CD. Turns out, he thought it was a DVD and he was going to get to watch more TV. After that fit was thrown and I actually started the CD, he never made another sound. I'm guessing he was asleep within minutes.

I came in the living room after putting him to bed and fired up the computer. As usual, my pre-bedtime routine includes Facebook, e-mail, blogs, etc. Considering how much busier I've been today than the past few days, it sure feels good to sit down and relax. (Rudy is gone to the annual band directors' conference in Little Rock for a few days. Mom will be here tomorrow for the weekend.) So...I'm sitting in the chair, chatting with Stacy on Facebook when I felt a very definite *flutter* in my belly. HotShot has apparently decided that vacation is over and it's time to start moving around and making his/her presence known. Or, maybe it was just time to flip over on the lounge chair to avoid an uneven tan. :) Either way, this little one was first felt at 12 weeks, 5 days. Thus starts my favorite part of pregnancy...

YaYa Day

Leslie, Cindy and I used to get together every year for homecoming and sometimes we'd manage an additional get-together in between. This past year was the first year in a long time that we had to cancel the homecoming weekend. Homecoming and Halloween were the same weekend and with 4 kids between us - there was no way we could make it work. The last time we were together was July 2008 - a whole year ago. Cindy suggested that we do something this summer and offered to come over to NWA for a day. We managed to schedule last Thursday as our YaYa (and Petit YaYa) Day.

Cindy and Haven came to my house from Tulsa and we met the Lyons family for lunch at Slim Chickens. After lunch, Nick went to play golf. That left the 3 of us, plus 3 children in car seats and one child in a booster seat. We were like clowns getting in and out of my car, but that's why I got the car that seats eight! We took the kids to the Rogers Splash Park and let them play for a while. It took everyone but Haven a while to get used to the idea of the water, but once they did, they had a great time. Caleb was the most reserved of the group - preferring to play with the sprinkler that was the shortest and least likely to surprise him by blasting water in his face.

Here's Caleb playing in the little sprinkler:

And Haven having a blast:
And Jackson running and gunning:

After the kids wore themselves (and us) out, we came back over to the house and let them play while we visited sporadically between tantrums, drink requests, potty breaks and an endless string of other interruptions. They had a blast and we enjoyed each others' company. We did decide, however, that we definitely need a kid-free girls' weekend soon.

Here's Grace enjoying the shade:

And all 4 of them launching the air rocket. Jackson taught them how to jump hard on the pump so it would fly. Caleb was fully impressed with Jackson's mad skills.

A Caleb Update

In one of my recent posts, I said that we were having some behavior issues with Caleb. I'm glad to announce that Caleb's behavior has leveled off. He's still 3 - don't get me wrong. He's certainly no angel, but most of the time, he's close to it. The complete meltdowns have diminished to one or two a week and the yelling at us has all but stopped. Looking back, I attribute the whole situation to a few factors (in addition to the fact that he's three):

1. Routine, Routine, Routine: It's summer. We don't really have a routine in the summer. He was going to daycare 2 days a week to stay in the swing of things, but it really wasn't enough. One day on, one day off, one day on, 4 days off - that's not routine to a 3-year-old. We've increased him to 3 days a week (Tues, Wed, Thurs) and that has helped. I'm considering 4 days this week and 5 next week just to ease on back into the full-time schedule. Oh...and a lot of his friends moved up to an older class and some younger kids moved into his class. Caleb is (temporarily) the oldest in his class and is learning some not-so-lovely behaviors from the younger kids. He moves up to the older class in a few weeks - something that I'm happy about...but sad to move on from Mrs. Natalie and Ms. Lindsay, who we adore!

2. Sleep: We relaxed Caleb's bedtime for the summer. C'mon...it's hard to go to bed when it's still light outside! I think that plan backfired on us. He just wasn't getting enough rest. He hardly ever takes a nap at home (almost always does at daycare) and always gets up between 6:30 and 7:30 - no matter what time he goes to bed. So, basically on the days that he wasn't going to daycare, he was losing 2-3 hours of sleep a day. That does not make for a well-rested child...and a well-rested child is a much better behaved child.

3. Travel: This sort of goes with the other two. Since we've been out of school this summer, we've spent a lot of time traveling. Our trip to Florida, plus our trip to St. Louis, plus a week-long trip to LR and Hot Springs added up and took its toll on all of us. Rudy and I were tired and Caleb was extra-tired.

4. Grandparent Time: We LOVE our parents and Caleb LOVES his grandparents, but we all know that the rules are more lax and the little man runs the show when he's with his grandparents. Grandparent detox is completely worth it for Caleb to make the memories that he makes with his Grandma, LaLa, Pops, Pepapa, Mamaw, Memmie, Poppie, Nana, Grandma Morris and Grandpa Morris. We're certainly not complaining about that part...but it was a factor that can't be ignored.

Happily, things have smoothed out around here. Caleb is back to being funny and lovable for the most part. He's only going to time out about 2-3 times a week instead of 4-5 times a day, and I haven't even threatened to spank him in over a week. That's a huge improvement! His meltdowns these days are typically related to being tired, coming inside and cleaning up. That's totally to be expected.

Here are a few Calebisms just to prove that he's back to normal...

Random things he says for no particular reason - and directed to nobody in particular:
Float like a Cadillac, sting like a Beemer (this is from Cars)
Oklahoma! (this one worries us a little)
Go, Cardinals!
I big. I so tall now!
What's the big idea? (this is from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

A recent speech lesson gone awry -
Caleb: I want one piece of poilet paper.
Me: TOIlet paper.
Caleb: Terlet paper.
Me: laughing hysterically at my ghetto child

Fascination with HotShot -
My baby is HotShot. He growing bigger and bigger!
HotShot in Mama's belly.
HotShot growing in MY belly?
HotShot eating your food, Mama?

Me: "What will we call HotShot if it ends up being a girl?"
Caleb: (complete with look of exasperation) "Haley"
Me: "That won't work. My name is Haley and we can't have 2 Haleys."
Caleb: "Yes we can, Mama. HotShot is Haley AND you are Haley. It's okay."

He's pretty fascinated with names right now. He knows that my "other" name is Haley and his Daddy's "other" name is Rudy. He's a little confused that Daddy has 2 "other" names, but so is everyone else. :) He wants to know everything's "other" name - even if we have no idea what he's talking about!

Aside from Calebisms, he's completely smitten with baseball. Rudy bought him a t-ball and t-ball glove at WalMart yesterday and he loves it! He is getting pretty good at hitting the ball off of the tee and we'll probably sign him up for tee ball next spring. He still loves movies and has recently discovered The Incredibles. It scared the pants off of him the first couple of times, but now he watches it repeatedly. Mealtimes are getting a little better. We've started practically ignoring him when he doesn't eat or says he doesn't like what he has. We tell him he doesn't have to eat it, but he has to sit with us while we eat. Lo and behold...he usually cleans his plate. Caleb LOVES the swimming pool. Rudy got him a life vest that has floatie arms and a band around his chest and he can really get around the pool with it on. It keeps his face out of the water and he's all about it! (I'm signing him up for swimming lessons next summer.)

Oh...and my greatest accomplishment for the summer has been teaching Caleb to hold up the right amount of fingers to go with 1-2-3-4-5. He still struggles with the fine motor part of it, but he usually gets it right. I didn't think he would ever learn that!

Okay, enough of all that for now. Keep in mind - I just document to remember. You choose how much you want to read. :)

2 Arms, 2 Legs and a Strong Heartbeat

We went today for our 12 week OB appointment. Before we saw the doctor, though, we had another ultrasound. This ultrasound is an optional one called an "early screen" or "NT screen." It checks for the probability of several chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down Syndrome. We won't have the results for a week or so, but the ultrasound tech said that everything looks pretty good to her. Her exact words were, "2 arms, 2 legs and a strong heartbeat." (Heartrate was 155 bpm - that's in the high range of normal.) Really, that strong heartbeat is the thing we want the most. We can deal with anything else that comes our way. We chose to have the screen just for our knowledge and preparation. It wouldn't change anything. It's not like we would ever choose not to have the baby - we just want to be as prepared as possible for any curves in the road. We know that we can't be prepared for everything that life throws our way, but when you have the opportunity to possibly know ahead of time without any harm to the baby or me, why not take it?

We didn't find out the gender yet. That'll be in late September. I hope the little stinker will be more cooperative then. (S)he didn't move hardly at all this time. We got 5 pictures and they are all almost exactly the same. The ultrasound tech said, "this baby is on vacation...laid back and relaxing." That's my kind of kid! I'm 12 weeks, 4 days pregnant and the baby measured 12 weeks, 6 days. Close enough, right?

Here is the latest of HotShot's photo sessions:

After the ultrasound and a lovely finger prick for blood tests, we went to see Dr. Ford. She didn't do any exam at all. She just asked how things were going, made sure I hadn't had any bleeding or cramping and said, "see you in 4 weeks!" I asked her about my UTI and she said that my in-office culture was fine, but that she would send it to the lab since I'm still having some kidney-area discomfort. I also asked about my feet swelling this early and she said it was probably more related to something I ate (too much salt) and the heat of summer. I told her that I've felt like I had the flu all summer with this crazy exhaustion and nausea. She said to give it 2 or 3 more weeks and I should be getting better. She (obviously) wasn't concerned about anything. I've always said that you can go into an OB's office with your arm hanging off by a tendon and they would say, "That's normal. It's just part of pregnancy!"

I go back to see Dr. Ford in 4 weeks.

Yikes! Two weeks to update...

For some reason, I haven't felt much like blogging lately. Normally, it's something I love to do. I find it very cathartic. The crummy part is that I have good things to tell - no reason to avoid it. So, here's my effort at making up for 2 weeks of non-blogging.

On Sunday (7/12), Rudy started working at the UofA junior high music camp. Caleb and I left for a visit to central AR. Our first stop was in Sherwood, where we spent two days with my grandparents, Memmie and Poppie and my cousin, Mary Beth. We met them for lunch at Red Lobster. Caleb told me before they got there that he was going to by shy...and he stayed true to his word. It took several hours before he finally opened up. I was feeling a little extra-nauseous during lunch and ended up only choking down a baked potato. Caleb ate a few fries and he was done. It was a stressful meal for me. After lunch, we went to Memmie and Poppie's, where I managed to get Caleb to take a nap and took a short one myself. When Caleb woke up, we made a quick trip to Target for a few necessities and back home to play before bedtime. We stayed at Memmie and Poppie's until Tuesday morning.

When Caleb and I got up and around on Tuesday, we headed out for Hot Springs. As soon as we pulled in the driveway at Mom and Mr.L's house, Caleb giggled, "I so excited!" When I got him out of his carseat and he saw Pops in the doorway, he took off running to him and gave him a great big hug. It was great! From that moment on, he and Pops were joined at the hip and I got some much-needed rest. I seemed to struggle a lot with my pregnancy symptoms that week. I was tired and nauseous a lot. I hoped that it was a peak and I'd be feeling better soon.

Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of joining Mom and Aunt Harolyn for a get-together with 4 generations of women from our family. We visited at Aunt AnnaBelle's house and then had dinner at a restaurant. I have not laughed that hard in a very long time! It was a wonderful experience!!!

Wednesday through Friday, we did very little and it was great. We took a boat ride one evening, had dinner with friends on the back porch and caught up on lots of rest. Mom bought me a couple of dresses for some upcoming events and got me some new makeup too. Caleb just played...a lot. He fished with Pops and even caught a couple of little fish.

We left there on Friday and I dropped Caleb off at Jan's on Friday afternoon. I came home and Rudy and I had a quiet evening at home. Saturday, we went to run some errands. We took advantage of being kid-free and went to the AT&T store to look into upgrading our phones. I went in planning to get a Blackberry and ended up walking out with an iPhone instead. I really thought it would be more expensive, but it was actually cheaper! I've been learning to use it since then and have really enjoyed it. Rudy got a nicer phone than what he had and he likes it a lot too.

On Sunday, we went to Ft. Smith to get Caleb from Jan's and then met the Morrises for lunch. After lunch, we went to their house to visit for a while and then headed home. Caleb needed a little time to adjust to being home and back to our usual expectations. He has really been having some behavior problems lately. We've endured lots of tantrums and meltdowns, lots of refusals, yelling, etc. Mealtimes have become almost unbearable. I keep telling myself it's a phase, but it's a phase that we have to get through with some sanity. It seems to be getting better the past couple of days, so we'll see. We did start sending him to daycare 3 days a week instead of 2. I'm hoping that the increased routine will help. He'll do 3 days for a week or so, then bump up to 4 in anticipation of back-to-school week. (ugh)

Rudy's neck is bothering him this week. It started yesterday (Tuesday) and he was down for the count. Today he pushed through it because he couldn't stand sticking around the house again for a 2nd day. He's still hurting tonight, but has managed to stay away from the pain pills.

I am gradually feeling better. Some days are much better than others. I made it all day yesterday without any nausea meds, but not today. Sleep has become an issue. I am so tired all the time, but as soon as my head hits the pillow, my eyes pop open and my mind starts racing. By the time I finally fall asleep (wee hours of the morning), I conk out completely and then morning comes very quickly. I've been sleeping in and taking naps as much as possible to make it through the days. This has to get better soon, though! As bad as I hate to admit it...August is right around the corner.

I go to the OB next week. On Tuesday, I'm doing the early screen and then seeing Dr. Ford for my usual checkup. I had a bladder infection last time I went and the antibiotics that I had to take made me really sick - to the point that I wondered if I might have the flu. I'm hoping that the antibiotic really knocked out the infection because I don't want another round of that.

10 weeks - 1st belly shot

Let the fun begin! Here are the first of many belly shots of this pregnancy. Granted - I didn't exactly start out with washboard abs to begin with. I can assure you, though - this is bigger than my usual self. My clothes are getting tighter (seems like every day!) and my pants that used to fit no longer button (including the ones I'm wearing in this picture). I wear my Bella Band with almost everything except for a couple of pairs of shorts that started out a little big. I've only gained a few pounds - even with 2 vacations - but I can definitely tell a difference in my waistline...or lack thereof. Everyone said this would happen quicker in the 2nd pregnancy!

Of course, Caleb had to get in on the picture-taking! Here he is showing you that I'm 10 weeks pregnant...

3 year well visit

Okay, so we're a couple of months late on this one. It's the earliest appointment I could get during the summer. Whatever.

I took Caleb for his 3 year well "baby" visit on Wednesday. I wasn't so sure it was going to be a well visit, since he ran a mystery fever from Monday night until Tuesday afternoon. He perked up, though and the nurse said we could go ahead with the visit. (He does still have a nasty cough and a raspy voice. He may have to go back tomorrow!)

Dr. Scherer looked Caleb over and asked me about 1000 questions about his skill development and pronounced him healthy. He is concerned about his height/weight proportion, though. I swear, people, he doesn't eat that much and he's on the go constantly! He weighed 35 lbs, 9.6 oz, which is at the 79th percentile for weight. He's 37.25 inches tall, which is at the 30th percentile for height. Yes...I see the disproportion. No...I'm not concerned. We continue to offer him new foods and he's started to like more fruits, but won't touch vegetables. We'll keep offering them, but we won't force them. He doesn't eat a lot of sweets, but does like them when we give them to him. He gets lots of exercise and plenty of sleep and he's meeting or surpassing his developmental milestones. Not that I'm being defensive or anything... :)

Therapized Calebism

Therapized is a completely made-up word that I like to use to refer to kids who have been in speech therapy for so long that they do and say things that only speech therapy kids would know. It can be used as an adjective or a verb.

Apparently, I have therapized my child. Actually - I think I therapized Rudy too. He's the one that has been trying to teach Caleb how to say "Cardinals" instead of "Cardiners" for a while now. I guess he has seen me prompt Caleb to "watch my tongue" or "watch my mouth" when teaching him new words.

Caleb: We watchin' the Cardiners?
Rudy: Yep, watchin' the Cardinals.
Caleb: Watch my tongue. Cardiners...Cardiners...CardinALS! I did it!

Tonight, they repeated the whole routine while trying to learn to say the word "girl." However, tonight's therapy session took place in front of the bathroom mirror at Caleb's request. Apparently, he wanted to watch his own tongue.

While I'm on the subject of Cardinals, we're trying to figure out who "Todd" is. I know Todd Wellemeyer is a pitcher, but I don't think that's who Caleb is fascinated with because he always talks about Todd when he's hitting the ball, not when he's throwing it. I think he heard us say "Yadi" (Yadier Molina) and has also heard us talk about his uncle Todd and he's just confused. Tonight, he and Rudy were playing baseball in the backyard and he said, "Daddy, you be Yadi, I'll be Todd."

Saint Louis ~ Sunday & Monday

After a late night at the fireworks on Saturday, we slept in a little on Sunday. Sherry had responsibilities at church and when she got home, we had lunch and played the marbles game that Rudy and I brought from home. Caleb was pretty content to watch a movie and play with Rebecca while we played marbles. He was so worn out from all of the fun we'd been having. We got dressed for dinner and met some of our St. Louis friends at a restaurant near our old house. We were excited to see the Eslicks, the Albrechts and the Aratas! Many of our friends couldn't come this year because of scheduling, but we had a great time with those who did come! I didn't take any pictures at dinner because I was having such a good time visiting with everyone and watching the kids play. It never really crossed my mind. Caleb loved playing with Molly, Aidan & Bella outside after dinner while the grownups talked.

When we left the restaurant, we made a quick drive through our old neighborhood, but nobody was outside to say hi to. We headed on back to the house and played THREE more games of marbles before we all decided we'd better turn in for the night. Jerry and Sherry had to work on Monday and Rudy, Caleb and I had a long trip home ahead of us.

Our trip home was (thankfully) uneventful. When we got home, Caleb said he was tired, so he and I took a nap together in the bed while Rudy took one on the couch. I tried to wake Caleb up for Gymboree class, but he wouldn't budge!

Saint Louis ~ Saturday

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Our 4th of July started out with a trip the St. Louis Mills. Sherry and I were looking for some great buys at Archiver's. Jerry jumped on the Crocs wagon and Caleb just wanted to ride the train and play on the playground with Rudy. After the Mills, we came back home to eat leftover Cunetto's and rest up for the trip down to the Arch.

We made it down to the Archgrounds at about 6:00 and quickly found our perfect spot to set up camp for the concert and fireworks. Rudy and I took Caleb to the kids' zone where we made a hat, played some games and listened to some music. We went back to our seats for a while so that Jerry and Sherry could get something to eat and then traded out with them while Rudy and I went hunting for fabulous fried food on a stick. When we got back, the Train concert had started and we settled in for a while to listen to the music and eat our dinner. Caleb devoured his corn dog and some fries then had fun playing with Jerry and his daddy.As soon as the concert was over, the fireworks started. We weren't sure Caleb would handle the fireworks well. Last year, he covered his eyes the whole time. This year, he's started to be afraid of loud noises. We did get some earplugs that were a lifesaver! I told him they were kind of like medicine for his ears and they would keep the scary noises from getting him. Problem solved! He watched the fireworks in my lap and never once complained. He said he liked the green ones the best. When the fireworks were over, we made the trek back to the car and took an alternate route out of the city to avoid the crazy traffic we sat in on Thursday night!

Saint Louis ~ Friday

Friday was our designated ZOO DAY! Caleb was so excited about going to the zoo and seeing all of the animals. We drove back into the city and joined what seemed like every other person in St. Louis at the zoo. We saw a former student of Rudy's who now works at the zoo and he said that it was one of the busiest days they've had in recent history. I completely believe it! There were people everywhere. Fortunately, it wasn't too hot for a July day and we were able to enjoy seeing lots of animals...and people. The animals were really active and out where we could see them. The first thing we did when we got there was ride the train to the back side of the park so that we could go to the sea lion show. We got there a little early, so we walked through the big cat habitats first. The tigers were all laying out in full view and a lion was lazing under a tree just yards away from us. We had great seats for the sea lion show (thanks to Rebecca) and we all loved watching them perform. After the show, we held our breath as we very quickly perused the monkey house and then exhaled outside because Caleb wanted to see the "giraff-amos." (That is what he and Pops call the giraffes in one of his books!) Caleb kept asking to see the bears, so we managed to see them and the penguins too. We also took advantage of the new stingray interactive exhibit where you get to pet real stingrays (barbs removed). That was pretty cool - even for someone like me who really doesn't like animals all that much. We made a quick jaunt through the children's zoo before we called it a day!

And just for some perspective...

Here is Caleb at the zoo in July 2008:
And in July 2009:

After the zoo, we headed straight for our favorite restaurant in St. Louis: Cunetto House of Pasta! We waited over an hour for a table and it was worth every minute of it. Caleb even said, "Mmmm! This s'ketti is delicious!" The rest of us showed our appreciation by eating until we were miserable. BUT...no trip to St. Louis is complete without a trip to Ted Drewe's on Route 66! I'm not ashamed to admit that I played the pregnant card and requested a Ted Drewe's concrete on the way home. The line was all the way to the street (as usual), but the concretes were oh-so-worth-it!

Saint Louis ~ Thursday

Sherry suggested that we go to the Butterfly House on Thursday morning. Surprisingly, we had never been there, so we decided it would be a great idea. While we got ready to go, Sherry packed a picnic lunch for us. When we got to the Butterfly House, Caleb was very excited about the bugs that were on display. He loved looking at all of them. Here he is in the middle of about 500 cockroaches! There was a man in the lobby holding a millipede and Caleb got to touch it. He also got to feel a butterfly's wings and see a tarantula in a case. Notice that I took this picture from a few feet away. Sherry is braver than I am!As we were walking through the bug exhibits, I reached up to scratch my head and there was a beetle IN MY HAIR! I did the only thing I could: squeal like a little girl and throw it to the ground! I'm sure it provided a lot of comic relief to the volunteer workers who were watching! We went into the butterfly conservatory with strict instructions not to touch the butterflies. Have you ever tried to explain something like that to a 3-year-old? Not easy! We learned quickly that Caleb isn't a mosey-around kind of kid. He tired of the butterflies pretty quickly and Rudy took him out to look at more bugs while Sherry and I finished taking pictures in the conservatory. After the conservatory, we went outside into the garden. There are lots of beautiful flowers there, but we didn't see any butterflies. Caleb loved the trails, the pond and decided to dance under the event tent.

Caleb and Sherry also had fun climbing on the big caterpillar outside:

After the Butterfly House, it was time to head over to the park to enjoy our picnic. Fortunately, some nice people at a table next to us had some bread to share. Sherry packed a wonderful picnic lunch, but forgot the bread for our sandwiches. Oh, well - it all worked out!

After our picnic, Rudy let Caleb play on the playground for a little while. Then we went to 2 different malls in search of t-shirts to wear to the Cardinals game that night. We finally found what we wanted and headed home for a little bit of rest before leaving for the game.

We picked Jerry up from work at 5:00, then picked Virginia up at her house. We headed downtown for the baseball game and parked (thankfully!) in Sherry's office parking deck. We were only a few blocks from the stadium and got there shortly after the first pitch. Caleb was (not surprisingly) scared everytime the crowd cheered. He devoured a hot dog and some chips and enjoyed going for a walk in the concourse with Rudy. He came back armed with a bright red miniature bat, which he now loves dearly! He got so excited when he saw Fredbird dancing on the dugout and asked lots of questions about the ballgame. I think we have a lifelong Cardinals fan on our hands! Here are Rudy, Caleb (what a face!), Virginia, Sherry and Jerry at the game:

After the game, we walked back to the car and stopped to take a few pictures in the park. These cool arches are set up for the All Star Game next week. We thought they were a perfect photo op! (We even saw a wedding party taking pictures with them!) We were ready to get home but traffic wasn't in our favor. It took us over an hour to go just 5 blocks before we could get on the interstate. Once we finally maneuvered through the massive traffic jam due to lane closures, we were headed for the house and couldn't wait to get comfy and relax!

Saint Louis - Wednesday

We were excited to make our annual trip to St. Louis this year! We got up pretty early on Wednesday morning to hit the road for our 6 hour drive. Caleb did great except when we stopped to eat. He got a slight attitude adjustment from his daddy and we made the rest of the trip just fine.

We got to St. Louis around 2:30 and went straight to the Magic House. It was amazing! They've doubled the size since we last visited right before we moved. Caleb loved it...and Rudy and I did too! I'll put all of the pics from our trip on Shutterfly, but here are a few of my favorites:
One of the new parts that we haven't seen before is the government area. It has a courtroom, a legislative chamber and an Oval Office. Here's Caleb on the witness stand. We told him to say, "You can't handle the truth!" He did and got a big laugh, so he repeated it about 20 times. He thought it was hilarious!

And here's our future president hard at work in the Oval Office!
After the Magic House, we went to Jerry, Sherry and Rebecca's house. They are so gracious to not only give us a place to stay for free, but also to feed us and agree to whatever we want to do the whole time we're there. We love visiting with them and always have a great time. We were treated to a wonderful homemade lasagna dinner on Wednesday night!

First Ultrasound Photo of HotShot

I had a great OB appointment today! Rudy and I went to meet with Dr. Ford to have an ultrasound. I didn't know quite what to expect. It was much different from our 1st ultrasound with Caleb. At that appointment, we got a quick glimpse to make sure everything was intact and then we got to listen to a doppler of his heart beating. This time there was no doppler, but we got a much better look at the baby and its surroundings. We didn't hear a heartbeat, but Dr. Ford showed us the blinking pixels that indicate a strong heartbeat and we were assured that our little HotShot is doing just fine. I was pleasantly surprised to be given a printout of the ultrasound photo! (I added the arrows and labels so you can tell what you're seeing!) No, the baby isn't supposed to look like a "real baby" just yet, so don't be surprised that it's just a fuzzy white spot!

Next to seeing that sweet baby's heart beating, the best part of the visit was finding out that the subchorionic bleed is completely gone! That is such a blessing and a worry off of my mind.

The CRL at the bottom of the photo is the crown-to-rump length. HotShot measured 2 centimeters, which is just right for a gestational age of 8 weeks, 4 days. All of that put together gives us a due date of February 5, 2010. (Caleb's birthday is 5/2. Wouldn't it be cool if HotShot came on 2/5?)

We won't find out the baby's gender until either late September or early October. For some reason, I'm thinking it's a girl. Caleb goes back and forth. Rudy isn't sure. I guess we'll all just have to wait and see.

Sidenote for those who have asked: Yes, I do go to the same OB/Gyn office that Josh and Anna Duggar went to for their televised ultrasound. However...I see a different doctor. I'll be sure to let you know if I ever run into any members of the Duggar family - at the OB/Gyn or elsewhere. :)

Caleb's Ponytail

Caleb came home from daycare today with the front of his hair in a ponytail. I'm not exactly sure of the story, but he said Ms. Lindsay did it and he thought it was pretty funny. Honestly...so did Rudy and I. Because he thought it was so great, I took his picture. What amazed me was how I could take 2 pictures of him and one looks so much like his daddy (minus the ponytail, of course):

And the other one looks so much like me (when I was his age):

Meet My Friend, Zofran

I hate to take medicine when I'm pregnant. I will take an occasional Tylenol if I'm really in need. I take my regular medicines because my doctor has assured me that they are okay. Today, I met with the nurse at my doctor's office for a scheduled appointment and walked away with a prescription for Zofran - an antinausea medication. I am officially in love with Zofran.

My appointment was scheduled to go over the basics - what to eat, what not to eat, what meds are/aren't okay, travel safety, risk factor assessment, etc. I also had some blood drawn. Whew - glad they did that HIV test! (Ha!Ha!) The good news is that being nauseated 24/7 has made me lose a little weight - even though I haven't thrown up. After vacation, I was up a few pounds, but since I've been home and unable to eat anything but peanut butter sandwiches, I was back down to where I started. All is well. The nurse said that I don't have any risk factors for difficult pregnancy. I'll be able to deliver the baby at Mercy Medical Center and Dr. Ford will deliver the baby as long as she is in town...even if she isn't on call. That's great news! I asked her a few of my questions:

Q: I have a 3-year-old who is rough and tumble. What's safe for playing with him? Is it a big deal if he climbs on me, bumps me, etc?

A: The baby is perfectly safe and well-protected by several layers of "stuff." It's not a good idea to wrestle, but normal interaction is fine. I'm not supposed to lift anything over 25 pounds, but as long as I lift with my legs, I should be okay to pick Caleb up. I'm supposed to be really careful about lifting and twisting, because that could hurt my back.

Q: Ummm...I got my hair colored in week 4. Is that a big deal? (She said that the doctor recommends not getting hair color until after week 12.)

A. Not a problem. That's too early for anything to have passed through. (Now I just have to wait until after week 12 to get it retouched. This could be a problem considering how fast my hair grows on these prenatal vitamins!)

Q: I talked to her about the subchorionic bleed that was found in my ultrasound before my vacation. I asked her if this was something to be concerned about.

A: Probably not. Most women have those. Dr. Ford will look at it next Tuesday when I see her for another ultrasound and determine if it's a problem.

Q: WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS HORRIBLE NAUSEA????

A: At first, she suggested that I take vitamin B-6 three times a day. When I told her that I already take a vitamin B supercomplex, she suggested that I think about taking Zofran. Dr. Ford approved it. I took my first one tonight and was able to eat my entire dinner of salmon, couscous and green beans. It was delicious and I don't feel sick at all. I LOVE ZOFRAN. Have I mentioned that already?

Oh...and I got a whole bunch of free stuff today. It's mostly magazines and samples, but I do love some free stuff!

Home Sweet Home

We made it home at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon. Everything was just fine when we got here. Our housekeeper came while we were away, so the house was clean. We had laundry machines in our condo in Florida, so we had very little washing to do. It was great!

Caleb wasn't so keen on sleeping by himself Saturday night. He has been sleeping with someone for over a week and he likes it that way. Once we convinced him that he was going to his own bed, he crashed! He didn't even wake up until 8:00 Sunday morning!

I slept as much as possible on the way home to continue fighting nausea. It seems to have gotten a little worse every day. By Sunday, I was in tears (literally) because I felt so bad. I knew I had to suck it up and move forward because I was committed to volunteer at the Firefly Festival at the Botanical Garden on Sunday night. I did manage to get showered and dressed and got to Fayetteville to work for 4 hours in the blazing heat and humidity. We were so glad to see the sun going down! I had a great job, though - taking pictures. We all know how much I love to do that! When I got home Sunday night, Caleb was in bed and Rudy was relaxing in the living room. I didn't waste much time heading for bed.

Things were looking up for me on Monday morning. I made it through the morning without feeling too bad. I found that I could eat 1/2 peanut butter sandwiches without feeling gross and they seemed to help control some of the nausea for a while. I ate a total of 4 peanut butter sandwiches within 24 hours. I laid down during Caleb's naptime and fell asleep. When I woke up, Caleb and Rudy were in the living room. Apparently, Caleb never took a nap and when Rudy got home from the putting green, Caleb was walking around the house - unbeknownst to me. I guess I won't be taking anymore naps while Rudy's not home.

I felt okay after my nap and managed to take Caleb to Gymboree for his sports class. He wasn't so sure about it at first, but it took less time for him to warm up than it did last time. Maybe next week, he'll be okay with it. (fingers crossed) After Gymboree, we picked up Chick-Fil-A and brought it home for dinner. I ate about half of mine and felt like I was going to throw up. I actually GAVE AWAY a Chick-Fil-A sandwich...and fries. That should tell you something right there.

On the Road Again

I'm writing tonight from the lovely Holiday Inn Express in Pearl, Mississippi. We left Pensacola Beach this morning at about 10:00. We stopped in Mobile, Alabama to tour the USS Alabama battleship. Anyone who knows me knows that battleships aren't really my cup of tea, but I knew Rudy would like it and it would be something different that we could do to kill some time. Jackson is a good stopover spot between Pensacola Beach and home and there really isn't another place much farther north that would make sense for us to spend the night. We knew that we really wouldn't have much to do with Caleb once we got to Jackson, because we didn't want to get too far from the interstate. So - we took our time getting to Jackson and we'll get up and make the long leg of the trip tomorrow. The battleship was a good place for us to spend some time, but it was almost unbearably hot. It's only partly air conditioned and it was literally 100 degrees outside. We were glad to get back to the car and get the AC running. Caleb watched movies all the way from Mobile to Jackson and I dozed off and on when I could. When we got to Jackson, we found a Mexican restaurant and went out for dinner, then drove to a really nice mall and walked around to kill some time and try to give Caleb a chance to burn some energy. We got back to the hotel about 8:45 and got him ready for bed. As I type this, he and Rudy are sound asleep and I'm headed that way before too long. Rudy says we're leaving for home at 7:00 in the morning.

As of today, I'm seven weeks pregnant. My nausea seems to be getting worse every day. I told Rudy tonight that I really don't think I'll make it through this pregnancy without throwing up like I did with Caleb. I'm still wearing the SeaBands and trying to eat small snacks now and then, but most food really grosses me out. At lunch today, I choked down a McDonald's happy meal cheeseburger but the fries were one of the first things I've eaten in days that didn't make me sick. (Wouldn't you know it?!?) I ate some fajitas tonight at dinner and they were good. They weren't greasy at all, so I was able to eat the fajita meat without gagging. I go from being so full and nauseated to being so hungry and nauseated within minutes. I'm a little over halfway through the first trimester, and I'm banking on feeling better when I get to week 13 or so. Fingers crossed...

Thursday in Florida

Our last day on the beach was a great one. We did our usual morning routine of breakfast then head for the sand this morning. As soon as we made it to the tent, Caleb was ready to get in the water. Fortunately, we had already sunscreened ourselves to the point that there was absolutely no way we were going to get burned any more that we already had. (It only took us 4 days to figure out that it's easier to put on sunscreen in the condo than on the beach where it mixes with sand and hurts.) We wasted very little time grabbing the boogie boards and heading into the water. Caleb had Mr.L. and I laughing with his new favorite phrases: "ride 'em cowboy," "oh my goodness" and "ride, Clyde!" After what seemed like forever, Rudy finally convinced Caleb to take a break and come hang out under the tent to get some time in the shade after a lady on the beach said that she had seen a shark nearby when she and a friend were kayaking. We weren't totally sure it was true, because she didn't tell the lifeguard when he drove by, but we weren't taking any chances. There were some guys fishing with squid a little ways out from us and we thought they might just attract the shark up closer.

While we waited out our Jaws encounter, Rudy and Caleb made a "sand house" for a crab that Caleb found. Unfortunately, the crab was deader than a doornail...but at least he stayed put on top of his sand house. We kept expecting a seagull to swoop down and pick it up, but I never saw it happen. After what we decided was a sufficient wait on the shore (like we really had any idea), Rudy and Caleb went back out in the water. Caleb must've been feeling extra brave, because he told Rudy he didn't want the boogie board anymore. Rudy tossed the board up on the sand and carried Caleb back out in the water. Then he saw the sandbar and told Caleb he would have to stand up by himself. Caleb didn't protest, so Rudy tried it out. That was all she wrote! He stood on that sandbar and had the best time of his life. Rudy and I helped him jump a few waves and he loved it! He fussed a little when the water got in his face, but he toughened up pretty quickly.

We came in for lunch around noon. Mom pulled a miracle and got Caleb to take a nap. Rudy and I got cleaned up and went out for an afternoon by ourselves. We bought a couple of t-shirts at the Life Is Good store and then drove into Perdido Key to go to Target for some new shorts and a shirt for Rudy. Then we drove a little further and stopped at the Flora-Bama. For those of you who aren't familiar with the F-B, it's worth the trip. It's a beach bar that looks like a strong wind could knock it over and it is truly the capitol of the Redneck Riviera. We went in just to take a look around and say we had been there. The people watching is top notch and we think we may have met the mayor of the Riviera. His name was Alan and he was there with his daughter (?) or wife (?) and a 2-year-old with a prize-winning mullett. If I could've taken a picture without being so obvious I would have. It was hilarious! We also really enjoyed watching a guy windsurf. That was amazing!

When we left the Flora-Bama, we headed back to Pensacola Beach and stopped to pick up a few things. We got back to the condo to find Mom upstairs getting cleaned up and Caleb and Mr. L. back out in the ocean. They came in and Rudy gave Caleb a bath while I freshened up and ironed my pants. Rudy and Mr. L. went to Joe Patti's to get lobster for dinner. I went outside and scouted a place for our family photo. Mom started getting dinner ready. Caleb played and ate a snack.

Finally - we all made it back together and headed down to the dunes (accompanied by a very kind neighbor) to take our family picture. Once we got a few good shots, Rudy and I walked down on the beach with Caleb to take a few more pictures. I got some wonderful shots and I'm working to get them on Shutterfly as quickly as I can. My new camera creates such enormous files that it takes forever to upload the pictures. Hopefully, I'll get them all up by Monday at the latest.

After our photo session, we came back up to the condo to wait on dinner. Mr. L. fixed Caleb and I our "drink of the day" - a peach daiquiri without alcohol - which Caleb loved. The drink of the day has become Caleb's favorite part of the day. He greets Mr. L. chanting "drink of the day, drink of the day" when he sees him coming with our cups. What kid wouldn't love a sugar-filled frozen concoction in the 96 degree heat? Plus...I put an umbrella in our cups for an extra festive touch. I get the special treatment just for being pregnant...lucky me! :)

Once dinner was ready and on the table, we all gathered 'round for a dinner of lobster, corn, potatoes, salad and green beans. Caleb had mac&cheese. We sat down to eat and I took one look at that lobster tail and felt my stomach make a turn for the worse. I ran upstairs to the bathroom, but managed to keep from throwing up, which I hate more than almost anything. I eventually regained my composure and rejoined the family dinner, but stuck to the potatoes, corn and green beans for my dinner. Everyone else (except Caleb, of course) raved about how delicious the lobster was and I truly wanted to eat it, but just couldn't. Pregnancy does crazy things to a girl. I love seafood more than just about anything I can imagine, but I have had a hard time this week with eating even shrimp. It's awful! I have this prime opportunity to eat fresh gulf seafood and it turns my stomach to even think about it. Good grief! What next? I decide I suddenly don't like pedicures or chocolate? I shudder to think of it!

After everyone finished their dinner, Caleb helped Rudy and I give Mom and Mr. L. a couple of gifts that we picked up for them. We gave Mom a really cool picture frame to celebrate her retirement. (When we get back from FL, she only has four more days of work left!) We gave Mr. L. a Life Is Good t-shirt for Father's Day. He and Caleb had a good time playing after dinner and then we knew it was time to wrap up the fun when Caleb announced to us that it was "time to go inside! I ready for bed!" He practically ran up the stairs and is sleeping soundly right between LaLa and Pops.

Rudy went for his evening walk and then did some reading. I've been trying to upload pictures for about 2 hours now. It's time for me to head for bed too. We're leaving around lunchtime tomorrow to head for our overnight stay in Jackson, MS. We'll make the rest of the drive home on Saturday.

This has been one of the best vacations I can remember. I can't believe it's already over.

Wednesday in Florida

Rudy and Mr. L. played golf this morning. I slept in just a little and got up to find Caleb and Mom downstairs playing. After a lounging around for a while, we all got dressed and went into town to do some sightseeing and shopping. Caleb wanted a toy fish like the one Maddox had yesterday, so we were on a mission for a rubber fish. We looked everywhere we could think of and finally found one that was close enough. He has played with the crazy shark all afternoon! We also picked up a couple of t-shirts. Mom, Caleb and I had lunch at Bull Feathers on the boardwalk and came home to get out of the heat. When we got home, the guys were back from golfing and we all spent the afternoon in the condo. I took a good nap and slept so hard! When I woke up, we spent some time out on the deck (in the shade!) and then went to dinner. We had dinner at Peg Leg Pete's and it was delicious. There was live music and a playground for Caleb. After dinner, we came straight back to the condo. Rudy took Caleb out to catch a crab on the beach, then we sat on the deck and visited for a while. Mom, Mr.L. and Caleb have gone to bed now and Rudy and I are watching the end of the Arkansas baseball game. It is stressful! The score is tied at 3 in the bottom of the 10th with Virginia runners on 1st and 3rd...I gotta go!

Tuesday in Florida

OUCH! Day 3 on the sand brought our first taste of sunburn. I overestimated the shade power of the tent and then discovered the joy of coasting the waves on a boogie board. That equals a burned left shoulder, arm and back of thigh. Fortunately, that's all that got fried. My nose and forehead are a little red, but nothing major. I do, however, have a lovely white stripe across my nose from my sunglasses and a white stripe across each wrist from the SeaBands that I've been wearing 24/7 to help keep my pregnancy nausea in check. I'm not normally a tanner and I usually spend the entire year about the color of a catfish's belly, but on this rare occasion of a trip to the beach, I decided to go with SPF 25 rather than SPF 50, which is what we've been using on Caleb...who does not have a sunburn at all. Mom got too much sun today too, which is something I don't think I've ever seen in my life. Rudy has a pretty deep shade of red going on his back, but seems to think it won't last long. I sure hope he's right. Mr. L., of course, just gets darker. He says he's had a burn before, but I sure haven't ever seen it!

Other than the sunburn, today was great! We were on the beach by 9:15. Caleb readjusted to getting in the water and even handled getting some water in his face today. Every time it happened, he'd say, "Look, Mama! I not crying!" Around noon, Becca, Jimmy, Maddox and Aunt Harolyn showed up to play on the beach with us. They are on vacation in Destin, which is about 45 minutes away. We just couldn't be this close and not get the little boys together. Maddox wasn't so sure about the whole thing, so we came inside and had lunch. Once lunch was over, the boys played inside for a while and Maddox came out of his shell and decided we were alright after all. He and Caleb chased some balls around the living room and laughed and put on a real show. Finally, we all went back out on the beach and both boys played in the sand and then in the water with their parents. We had so much fun and it was good to see them playing together. Becca and I got some great pictures and we'll both get them on Shutterfly ASAP.

After they left, I got a shower and Rudy went back down to read on the beach. Caleb, LaLa and Pops chilled out together and read some of Caleb's books. The rest of the family ended up joining Rudy back on the beach for a while, but I decided I had met my sun quota for the day and stayed on the deck reading in the shade. Rudy made a wonderful dinner of spaghetti, salad and bread for our dinner and we all ate until we were stuffed...again.

Caleb surprised us all tonight by saying he wanted to sleep by himself. He has been sleeping with either me or Pops and LaLa. He decided he wanted to be Mr. Independent tonight. He told us to stay at the table while he went up to put on his PJ's. He made it up the stairs by himself and then called down to Rudy to help him go potty. I give him props for the initiative, even though he couldn't quite pull it off. He did manage to get his PJ's on all by himself...even his shirt and he was so proud! He decided that he wanted Pops to read his bedtime stories to him, because they had such a good time doing that last night, then he actually got into his own bed by himself. That lasted about 30 seconds. The next thing I knew, he was standing at the top of the stairs, asking for a hug. I gave him a hug and asked him where he wanted to sleep. He said, "With Pops and LaLa." I told him to knock on their door. When Pops opened the door, he took off like a shot and jumped in the bed with LaLa. As I type this, they are all 3 sound asleep. Rudy is reading on the deck and I'm trying to stay caught up on this blog so that I don't forget any of the amazing memories that we're making on this trip.

Tomorrow is our only day to stay off the beach. Rudy and Mr.L. are playing golf in Perdido Key. Rudy is super-excited because the course was a PGA tournament course for 10 years. Mom, Caleb and I are going to spend the day in town. We'll hit up the tourist shops and get lunch out somewhere before we come back tomorrow afternoon to meet up with the guys. Hopefully our sunburns will fade tomorrow and we'll be ready for our final full day of sun and sand on Thursday.

Monday in Florida

Today started just like yesterday: a few hours of sun and sand. We all took our respective spots and commenced relaxing all over again. It was HOT! Holy smokes...it was crazy hot out there and it's going to get worse tomorrow. That coastal breeze sure does help, but we all ended up in the water at some point today. In fact, Caleb even asked to get in the water. I was SHOCKED!!! Yesterday, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with that water. Today he was hesitant at first, but when Rudy took the boogie board out, Caleb wanted to join him. Pops took him into the water and held onto him while he got used to it. Then they started having fun. When a wave would come up, Caleb would yell, "Ride 'em, Cowboy!" and laugh like he was having the best time of his life. Eventually, he mustered up the courage to get on the boogie board with either Pops or Rudy holding onto it. He loved that! Mom and I sat right at the edge of the water and watched them for a long time. We packed it in for lunch around noon. I took a much-needed shower and then rested for the remainder of the afternoon. Rudy went "exploring" (driving around just looking at what was around here). Caleb watched a movie while Pops checked his eyelids for leaks. :) Mom and I loaded some music on her new iPod. Eventually, everyone came back together and decided to go for a drive. I opted out of the trip and spent the afternoon blogging and resting. The rest of the crew drove all over the place: Navarre Beach, past the Florabama, to the golf course to make a tee time for Wednesday, etc. They had a great time...and so did I. When they got back, the boys headed down to the beach again while Mom and I visited on the deck. After beach time, we all got cleaned up and went to Crabs for dinner. Caleb thought it was fun to eat outside by the ocean and we all had a great time! Unfortunately, we missed the crab races, which are billed as "the stupidest thing you've ever seen." When we got home, Rudy and I took Caleb down on the beach with a flashlight and his bug box and hunted for crabs on the beach. Rudy caught 4 of them and as I type this, they are out on the deck in the bug box. Tomorrow morning, they will go back into the ocean. Caleb even told them goodnight before he went to bed tonight. Tomorrow is a big day! Becca, Jimmy and Maddox are coming over from Destin to spend the day with us. We can't wait to get those boys out there on the beach together!


Best Calebism EVER~
We were walking back from our crab hunting adventure tonight and Caleb said, "Mama, look at all those stars." We sang Twinkle Twinkle. Then...
Caleb: I like God.
Me: Me too.
Caleb: God is my buddy.
Apparently, he had a spiritual moment under those stars...so did I.

Hot Shot

Me: Caleb, do you want our baby to be a boy or a girl?
Caleb: A boy.
Me: What should we name our baby?
Caleb: Hot Shot.

...and it stuck - for now.

Sunday in Florida

Note: I have pictures, I promise! I just haven't been taking my "good camera" down on the sand because I don't want to get sand in it. I've been taking the old point & shoot, but I forgot to bring the transfer cable so that'll have to wait until we get home.

We got up around 7:00 on Sunday morning. After a yummy protein-filled breakfast, we were on the beach by 9:30. Mr. L and Rudy set up our tent and we set up camp right in front of our condo. We lounged either in the sun or under the tent all morning and came in for lunch. Caleb was scared of the water and wouldn't go in it even if we were holding onto him. He wanted nothing to do with that! He spent his morning playing in the sand, digging holes, dumping buckets of water and kicking a ball around with Rudy. When we came in for lunch, Mr. L. and Caleb rested for a while, then we got cleaned up and all went back to Joe Patti's to get shrimp for dinner. We also stopped at the grocery store to round out our menu for the week. Five people in an unfamiliar grocery store is quite a sight. It reminded me of a really bad reality show. (But we did get a de-licious key lime pie that I'm savoring until the very last bite...then I might get another one.) We got back to the condo and back in our swimsuits and back on the beach. We stayed out there for as long as we could, just enjoying the afternoon breeze and the warm sunshine. When we finally packed it in for dinner, we came up and de-sanded ourselves. Mr. L. got ready to boil 15 lbs of red royal shrimp while Mom and I got the corn and potatoes ready. We ate until we made ourselves absolutely sick, then crawled into bed to sleep off the sun. Rudy went for an evening stroll on the beach and brought back a sandcrab for Caleb to find in his bugbox when he woke up...

Florida Vacation - The Traveling Days

DAY ONE - Rogers, AR to Jackson, MS
We got up bright and early on Friday to hit the road for Jackson, MS - a little over halfway to our final destination of Pensacola Beach, Florida. The trip was relatively calm. We drove straight through to Little Rock, where we stopped at Park Plaza to let Caleb get out of the car and run around the mall before eating lunch in the food court. We stopped for just over an hour and then got back in the car to make the rest of the trip. Caleb was a great traveler this time. He watched movie after movie and never complained at all. He got a little fussy just as we were leaving LR, but it was because his sippy cup wasn't working quite like he wanted - nothing major. We stopped for gas in Pine Bluff and then drove straight through my old stomping grounds in McGehee without even tapping the brakes. (The last time we drove through there, I tortured Rudy with a tour past the places I lived, my elementary school, etc.) We stopped for several potty breaks along the way - a necessity with a pregnant woman and a 3-year-old and finally rolled into Jackson right on time. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which we were pleasantly surprised to find had a pool - another necessity when traveling with a 3-year-old. He (like most kids) LOVES staying in hotels. The boys went to kill some time at the Bass Pro Shop, which Caleb said made him "sad" because there was a stuffed bear biting a deer or something like that. He did like getting to see an alligator there, though - and he loved seeing all the fish. The boys came back to the hotel to get me and we went to get some dinner. After dinner, we swam in the pool and headed upstairs to get some rest for Day 2.

DAY TWO - Jackson, MS to Pensacola Beach, FL
Caleb woke up on Saturday morning and said, "I so excited to go to the beach!"

Mom and Mr. L. met us in Jackson around 11:00 on Saturday and we followed them the rest of the way to the beach. As we had the day before, we made several stops along the way for potty breaks, lunch and leg stretching. We got caught in awful traffic going through Mobile, but Caleb got to see the battleship USS Alabama (from the car window) and we got our first glimpse of the Gulf. I was sure ready to stop seeing pine trees and start seeing palm trees! We finally made it to Pensacola and we were sure glad to get the trucks unloaded. Our condo is absolutely fantastic. It opens up right onto the beach. We don't have to haul our stuff across a street to ge to the beach or pack up in the car and park in a parking lot. We just go right out the back door, over the dunes and we're at the shore. In fact, I'm typing this on the back deck as I listen to the waves crashing and enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean. The condo has 3 bedrooms, a loft and 3 baths, so we have more than enough room for the 5 of us. The kitchen in this place is almost twice the size of my kitchen at home - which is good, because we sometimes all find ourselves in there at the same time. Mom and I took Caleb out on the sand for just a few minutes shortly after we got here. It was so good to feel that warm sand under my toes. I love that feeling. (I'm not so crazy about feeling sand in my bed, though...but it comes with the territory.) I haven't been on a beach since Rudy and I went to Mexico 5 years ago. There's just nothing like it. Caleb loved the sand and really wanted to make a sandcastle, but we convinced him that it would have to wait a little while. We came in and got some of our stuff unpacked while Rudy and Mr.L. made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on some essentials and to Joe Patti's to get oysters. When they got home, we had a quick dinner, then relaxed on the deck until bedtime. Caleb was exhausted and actually told us it was time to go to bed. He slept like a rock and I'm sure he was dreaming of sandcastles.

Scary Night with a Happy Ending

Last Thursday (6/11), I spent the day scrapbooking with Stacy. We had a great time, as usual. When I got home, I hit the ground running to get things packed and ready for our trip to Florida. After about an hour and a half of packing, I started to wear down and was having some cramping on my lower left side. I sat down for a while to rest and when I got up, a pain shot through my abdomen that was unbearable. I doubled over and hit the ground. I got myself up and went into the bathroom where Rudy was giving Caleb a bath. I told him that something was wrong and I needed to go to the hospital. We decided that he would stay home with Caleb and I would call Stacy to see if she could go with me. She gladly agreed to go so I drove over to her house and she drove the rest of the way to the hospital. When we got there, there was only one other person in the waiting area - which is a minor miracle. I was called back pretty quickly and answered the same questions about a thousand times: no bleeding, 6 weeks pregnant, last period May 1st, no vigorous activity, no heavy lifting, pain rated a 4 on a scale from 1-10. I kept telling them that the really bad pain was a one-time thing and I was more worried about it that anything. I explained that we were leaving town on Friday morning and as much as I love my Southeast Arkansas roots, I really didn't want to have to stop at the hospital in Pine Bluff or Dumas because I was hurting again or - God forbid - had an ectopic pregnancy rupture. As usual, Stacy kept me laughing through it all, even though I was worried sick. She also called Rudy every single step of the way so he wouldn't go crazy wondering what was going on. The staff ran a urinalysis and some blood tests, then I had the joy of getting a catheter so I could have an ultrasound. It wasn't as horrible as I'd expected, but certainly not something I'd want to do often. The ultrasound tech was wonderful even though she was the one who reversed that catheter to fill my bladder. UGH. She searched and searched and finally decided that she would have to do a transvaginal ultrasound. Again...UGH. However, through the miracles of modern medicine, she was able to use that ultrasound to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. AND - she showed me not only the gestational sac , the yolk sac and the fetal pole, but also the tiny little heartbeat. Just that one pixel blinking on that fuzzy monitor helped shrink my worries a thousand times. Not that it completely put my worries away, but it sure did help. I got back to my room and Stacy was patiently waiting for me. It was really getting late and we were just ready to get home at that point. The doctor came in and (with bedside manner severely lacking) told me that everything seemed to be okay, the fetal pole measured exactly right for a 5 week, 6 day pregnancy and I was free to travel. He then proceeded to tell me that the ultrasound did show a subchorionic bleed and that the baby's heartrate was lower than expected but in the normal range. He told me that I was just as much at risk of miscarriage as everyone else and what to do if I started bleeding or thought I was miscarrying. Either he did a terrible job of explaining what all of that meant or I went mental at the point of news that I didn't understand. So, when the nurse came in, I got my wits about myself and asked her to explain the whole subchorionic bleed. I wasn't too concerned about the heartrate thing. She said it wasn't a really big deal and lots of people have it. Would it have killed the doctor to say that???? Stacy and I headed for the car as soon as I was dismissed and spent the ride home convincing ourselves that everything would be okay and that the doctor was a complete social idiot while the nurse and the ultrasound tech were fabulous people. I did a little internet research when I got home and found out about subchorionic bleeds. I won't bore you with the details, but I can tell you that it's not completely serious, but something to watch for the next few months. My OB will be all over it. I go back to see her nurse on the 23rd and then to see her on the 30th. I feel okay about all of it. My main fear with that pain was an ectopic pregnancy and that didn't turn out to be the case at all. My urinalysis and blood work came back great. I'm trying not to think about it and just concentrate on getting this little one into the world safely. I've promised him/her that if he/she will just hang on for a while, I'll take good care of him/her forever and ever.

Summertime

Our family is officially in summer mode. I finished work on Wednesday (6/3) and Rudy finished at noon on Friday (6/5). I had a Children's Museum meeting on Thursday night. We spent the weekend kicking off our summer.

Saturday evening, we went to dinner with the Pratchards and left Caleb and their daughter, Bella, with a babysitter. It was the final evening of our 2009 Crawfish Feast. We've been out with them for crawfish once a month since the crawfish came in season this year. Afterwards, we sat on the patio at Jose's for a while, picked up ice cream and headed back to their house to relieve the babysitter.

On Sunday, we had Kathy and Grandma Voise over for dinner. Rudy grilled some delicious steaks and we enjoyed a nice evening with them. Caleb loved showing them all of his toys and all of his tricks. He's such a ham!

Other than that, I wasn't able to do a whole lot. I've been really fighting the nausea of early pregnancy and feeling pretty gross most of the time. I still can't figure out why they call it "morning sickness." It's more like all day and all night sickness! I haven't actually thrown up, but UGH it sure is miserable. Rudy has been an absolute life-saver. He has taken over most of the playtime with Caleb and has done more than I could've ever asked him to do around here. I keep promising him that this will pass and I'll be able to do more, but he just keeps assuring me that it's okay and he'll gladly do what needs to be done. I'm pretty blessed, right?

Yesterday, I went to my first OB appointment and then to get a few things for our beach trip. When I got home, Caleb was being his usual no-nap = cranky self. We hung out at home for a while until it was time to go to Gymboree. When we got to Gymboree, I found out that the class we're doing is just for kids - no parents allowed on the playfloor. I decided that was okay since Caleb is usually pretty independent. He went in just fine at first, then another kid started crying and he wasn't so sure. The class leader took a long time to get started and he got bored. That's when he decided he really didn't want to be there. I told him he could either go play or he could sit and watch the other kids play but that I wasn't going to hold him or let him leave the playfloor. He chose to sit for quite a while, then eventually decided he'd be okay joining in with the basketball activity. He shot quite a few baskets and then participated in the passing activities. He loved the 5 minutes of free play on the climbing equipment and was really excited about getting his Gymbo stamps at the end. When we left, he told me that he liked Gymboree ("gin-jo-wee") and that he would play more next time. We picked up dinner and brought it home and called it a night pretty early.

Today started out a little rocky - with Caleb waking up at 5:15!!!! He crawled into bed with me and Rudy got up to have a leisurely morning before going to teach trumpet lessons at 8:00. Caleb royally ticked me off by being wide awake that early in the morning and wanting to talk and play with me. Does he not know that I am NOT a morning person??? After an hour, I finally told him that he needed to stop messing around and he could either lay down quietly in my bed or go back to his own bed until it was time to get up. He tried to cry and then laid his head down and went to sleep. We both woke up at 8:15. After choking back the nausea, I got up and got ready, then got him dressed and took him to daycare. I had some errands to run and needed to get some things done today. We have to pay for daycare this summer whether we use it or not, so we're going to send him 2 days a week. It seems ridiculous to me that we're having to pay full price for daycare, but we can't afford to lose his spot for next year, so we're sucking it up and writing the checks. He loves going anyway and would be perfectly happy to go every day. I just can't bring myself to do that, though. I would feel like the world's worst mother and I would feel like I didn't get to spend enough time with him during my time off...even if I do feel like crap-o-la most of the time right now and can't do the fun stuff that I'd like to do.

Now we're getting ready for our beach trip. I'm going to do some preliminary packing this afternoon and finish it up on Thursday. I can't wait to get my toes in the sand and to watch Caleb play by ocean.

Approved!

I went to the doctor yesterday (6/8) for my pregnancy confirmation appointment. Basically, I had to take another pregnancy test so that they could tell me what I already know. It reminded me of the Saturday Night Live skit with the Target Lady who gets overly excited when someone's credit card gets approved:

Dr. Ford did confirm that I am, indeed, pregnant. Gosh - that explains all of the nausea, and exhaustion - not to mention that positive home pregnancy test I took 2 1/2 weeks ago...

All joking aside, it was good to hear the news from an actual medical professional. She did a quick pelvic exam and said everything seems okay. I go back on the 23rd for my nurse visit where they will give me all the do's and don't's and start the paperwork (payment) process. Then Rudy and I go back to see Dr. Ford on the 30th and she will do an actual ultrasound to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be, check for a heartbeat and do some measurements.

In case anyone is wondering, here's some information on being 5 weeks pregnant.

Transcending

I just finished reading Kelly Corrigan's memoir, The Middle Place. I thoroughly enjoyed the book but especially loved this essay that is printed at the end as a bonus. I looked for the transcript of it online but didn't find it, so I'm posting the video of her reading it. It's a very honest and well-written essay about my generation of mothers and friends - basically women in general. I hope you like it as much as I do.