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!

Pepapa's Birthday Party

We went to Hot Springs on Friday for Pepapa's 70th birthday party at Mom and Mr. L's house! We got there Friday night and let Caleb play for a while before trying to put him to bed. We weren't sure how bedtime would go, though. For the first time, we were trying to get him to sleep in a "big bed" with rails on the side, instead of in the pack & play. He has really gotten too big for the P&P and we all decided it was time for another solution. Caleb was having none of that. He cried and asked me to stay with him. He's started telling me that he's scared a lot lately. He knows it gets me every time! Rudy insisted on sleeping with him Friday night.

We spent most of Saturday getting ready for the big party! We slowed down long enough to visit with Jimmy and Kim for a while. At 2:30, we all paused just long enough to watch the beginning of the Hogs' game against Texas. It was a completely nauseating experience. The Hogs are just so bad this year and Texas beat the living daylights out of us. We were glad when the guests started arriving for the party and we could put that behind us and have fun.

The party was a complete success! There were over 50 people there, including Pepapa's family and friends. Everyone had a great time and the food was delicious. Rudy treated us all to the Arkansas fight song and then played Happy Birthday on his trumpet. Pepapa seemed to really enjoy the party and that was the most important part!

After the party, we cleaned up a little and then headed for bed. We were all exhausted! I slept with Caleb in his big bed and for once, we both actually slept. We were both so tired, there was no way we could avoid it!

We headed for home yesterday, loaded down with leftovers from the party and exhausted from all the fun. We stumbled through the evening and put Caleb to bed a little early before falling onto our pillows. The family fun was well worth the exhaustion, but we're sure glad we aren't doing it all again next weekend! :)

Caleb's 1st Gameday Experience

Rudy and I were so excited to share one of our favorite experiences with Caleb and Jan this past weekend. On Saturday, the 4 of us went to the pre-game rally at the Arkansas Alumni House. Because the kickoff was so early, we had a breakfast buffet instead of the usual fare, but it was so fun to show Caleb off in his Razorback regalia! When we first got to the house, we took a few pictures, but the fog was so thick, you couldn't even see the stadium in the background! As we were about to go in to get something to eat, the cheerleaders showed up. Several of them took to Caleb right away and he was super-thrilled to see some real "bee-zuh-backs." We hurried up to get a front row seat for the cheerleaders' performance. Caleb was tentatively in the middle of the action as the cheerleaders called the Hogs and sang the Fight Song. When they came out into the crowd to dance to "Hey, Baby," one of the girls came straight to Caleb. He was completely freaked out by that, but didn't cry. He just put his hands in his mouth like he always does when he's nervous. As soon as I offered for him to come back to me, he nose-dived into my arms. The cheerleader was very sweet about it and we thanked her a lot for taking the time for him. After they left, we had a yummy breakfast and even topped it off with frozen custard. (I don't care if they did change the name, it'll always be Shakey's to me!) Throughout the morning, I bored everyone to tears with my need to take pictures. I just couldn't stand the idea of not getting that perfect shot at such an opportune time! Once we were finished at the Alumni House, we meandered through some of the tailgaters. Jan was amazed by the atmosphere and we all soaked up the grins that came Caleb's way as he checked it all out. We stopped and took MORE pictures and then Jan and Caleb headed back to Rogers while Rudy and I made our way into the stadium. Alabama beat the living daylights out of us (49-14)! We spent the first half of the game in our seats with the sun beating down on us, then Rudy's co-worker and friend, Richard called and invited us up to their luxury box for the remainder of the game. The air-conditioning and hospitality were much appreciated! We stayed in Fayetteville for an early dinner at Jose's and then came back home exhausted.

Now...we prepare to play Texas on Saturday. Ugh.

Those Villines Boys

We found out this week that Todd and Tammy are expecting a baby boy! Won't it be fun for Caleb to have not only his cool cousin Elle who he idolizes, but also another boy to drive trucks and throw footballs with?!? The world just wouldn't be right without another generation of those Villines boys!

Back in Time

I was supposed to be working this afternoon while Caleb was napping. I stumbled upon a website (yearbookyourself.com) that kept my attention much longer than it should have. On this website, you upload a picture and then the site puts your face into old yearbook pictures. While I found some humor in morphing myself back to 1992 (all too realistic), it was much more fun to send Caleb back in time.

Haley (circa 1992)

Caleb (1956)

Caleb (1960)

Caleb (1970)

Caleb 1988 (is it me, or does he look a little like Rudy here?)

Caleb 1990Caleb 1992

Astronomy with a 2-year-old

Scene: Rudy and Caleb are reading a book. On each page of the book, there is a different learning theme (i.e., numbers, colors, shapes, etc). They turn to the "planets" page (which I think is a little far-fetched for a toddler's book, but I digress...) and the hilarity ensues.

Rudy: "That's the sun."
Caleb: "the sun"
Rudy: "That's the earth."
Caleb: "the earth"
Rudy: "That's Uranus."
Caleb: "That's my anus."

I haven't seen Rudy laugh that hard in a very long time.

Caleb Sings

Caleb loves music. He loves to bang on a drum, tap on the piano and play his Daddy's trumpet. He loves to dance, too - but mostly he loves to sing. He's been singing for a long time. Now, though, he sings real songs with real words. Sometimes the lyrics are a little questionable. Sometimes we're not really sure what in the world he's saying. He sings, "kinkle kinkle little star" often. For a long time, he sang "This Old Man" over and over at the top of his little lungs. This summer, he's really gotten into sports. Because of this new love for baseball and football, he started singing "The Baseball Song" (Take Me Out to the Ballgame) and "The Football Game Song" (The Razorback Fight Song). Just last week, he came home from school singing the ABC song. The more we listened, the more we realized just how precious his version was. We were on the phone with my parents one night and Caleb was showing off his new song. He sang his ABC and his "koo-r-s" and then came to the end of the song. Instead of "now I know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me", Caleb sang "now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep." We all laughed and he knew he had done something great. I've tried for days to get a good video recording of Caleb singing these songs. I wanted to capture them before he grows out of the way he sings them now. This evening, we managed to record him without him knowing it. We got a good recording of ABC's and a pretty good one of the baseball song. By the time we got to the football song, he was distracted and didn't finish the song. I'll try again later. But, for now - here's the latest of Caleb's performances:

Ouch.

Last night, Caleb and I were reading books together. It's truly one of my favorite things to do. I love that he loves books. I sit in the floor in his room and he brings me book after book. We read them and talk about them for long stretches of time. I love it.

We were on book number 7 or 8 last night - a book called "The Way I Feel." It has beautiful pictures and is intended to teach about emotions. Caleb giggled at the silly picture and growled at the angry picture. When we got to the sad picture, he said, "Why he crying?" My automatic therapist's response was, "I don't know. Why do you think he's crying?" That's when my precious child said the words that crushed me, "He sad. He Mama go to work." Oh. My. Gosh. I was stunned to silence for a few moments while I tried to gather myself. My only response was, "Yes, he's sad. His mama is sad to leave him too, but Mamas always come back. Mama will always come back."

Blue Ribbons and Black Stormclouds

Let me first start by saying how grateful we are that our beloved New Orleans was spared the tragedy that it faced during Hurricane Katrina. Now let me say that I'm amazed that yet another massive hurricane is headed for the Gulf. We have family in Harlingen, TX and we're praying for their safety during Hurricane Ike.

Who knew that we'd ever feel the effects of a hurricane? We live in Arkansas...make that Northern Arkansas! But feel it we did - it rained buckets for a few days after Gustav hit the coast. We considered the construction of an ark in our backyard...just in case. The rain stopped just before we thought we were going to drown (or at least get prune-fingers) from it. Now, it's starting again. We're getting the very first outskirts of Ike and we're expected to have some pretty nasty weather as the weekend goes on.

September has been a very busy month for us so far. Rudy and I are facing the challenge of getting acclimated to our daily schedules. We come home tired at night and do our best to keep up with the typical energy level of a 2-year-old. By the time Caleb goes to bed, we're definitely ready for some downtime. I've been reading a lot lately. I've really gotten into the Twilight series. I never thought I'd like a novel series about vampires and werewolves, but this one is seriously good. I've devoured the first 3 books and I'm now starting the 4th and final one. I'm completely hooked!

The Hogs have almost caused us to need blood pressure medication already this season! Two games in and things aren't looking so good for the rest of the year. I certainly hope that I'm pleasantly surprised, but I'm not sure we can handle the SEC if we can barely beat ULM and Western Illinois! Ugh.

We started something new this week. Our neighbors, Davey and Shalini have agreed to a babysitting swap with us! We decided to watch each others' kids one night a month. They'll keep Caleb on the first Thursday night of the month and we'll keep Jakey on the second Thursday. It's just for 2 hours - but it gives us a chance to have a grown-up dinner date once a month. We started this last night. They took Caleb to the county fair and despite a little rain, they had a great time. We expected them home around 8:15. Shalini called at 8:30 and said they were just about to leave! The boys apparently had a wonderful time looking at all of the animals and riding the carousel. Caleb was exhausted by the time I got him in bed. It was well after 9:00. I crashed right after he did. Since Caleb had so much fun last night, Rudy and I decided we'd take him back to the fair tonight. We went right at 5:00, before the crowds got too heavy. The only ride he was big enough for was the carousel. He loved it! He kept saying, "Yee Haw - Ride a horse!" He also loved seeing all of the animals - including tiny little baby monkeys and a huge snake! Of course, we also went to the livestock barn to see the farm animals. That's not exactly my cup of tea, but the boys loved the cows, pigs, sheep and goats. We had "fair food" for dinner - corn dogs, nachos and lemonade for Caleb and I and a fajita wrap and nachos for Rudy. After dinner, we indulged a little more and got a bag of cotton candy. Caleb's first bite brought giggles. He loved it! He kept asking for more and then telling me he was sticky. When we came out of the livestock barn, there were very dark stormclouds in the sky. We decided it was time to head for the house. By the time we got to the car, the first raindrops were starting to fall. It was perfect timing! We got home in time to watch the Wonder Pets and get Caleb to bed almost on time. We're looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

A Video About Kim & Melanie

This video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Am3bEGTdRw) is about my aunt Kim and her sister Melanie's story about breast cancer. It's amazing and insipiring. Our family is so proud of the strength that they have both shown. Now, they are on a mission to spread the word about early detection and treatment of breast cancer. Powerful women.

Prayers for NOLA

Three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated a city that Rudy and I love as though it were our own, we ask you to please pray for New Orleans and her people as they prepare for another potential disaster. Our hearts are in The Big Easy tonight.

A Mother's Humility

I try not to write much about the bodily functions that come along with raising a toddler, but I'm warning you now - this story is about poop and lots of it. I had an absolutely surreal experience on Friday and it's one that I hope I never have to live through again. It all starts with the fact that Caleb has been very congested for a while now. I took him to the doctor over a week ago. She wrote a prescription for an antibiotic, but suggested that I not have it filled unless he just didn't get any better for a while. Not only did he not get better, but he got worse. Rudy decided that we needed to be aggressive and start the antibiotics. I took the prescription to Walmart on Thursday night and we started it on Friday morning. The pharmacist warned me that it might be hard on Caleb's stomach. When I picked Caleb up from school on Friday, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he hadn't had any tummy troubles at all. On the way home, he told me his "fummy" hurt. When we got home, I put him on the potty, but he couldn't go. Rudy was straightening up the house in preparation for Mom and Mr.L's arrival, so I took Caleb with me to Walmart. I needed to get some flavoring put in the antibiotic because he had spit most of it out all over the place on Friday morning. Apparently, amoxiclav tastes pretty nasty. We're standing at the pharmacy waiting on them to flavor up the meds and Caleb gets a bad look on his face. That's when I got a whiff of him and knew we had a problem. I bent down and asked him if he needed to go potty and he said yes. I did a quick bottom pat to see if I was too late and sure enough, I was. By the time we got to the bathroom, he was a total mess. I got him in the stall and pulled his pants down only to find that he had actually had diarrhea. I hadn't thought to put a pull-up on him because he's been doing so great with potty training and we were only going to be gone for a short time. His little cotton briefs and his shorts were soaked. I threw his underpants in the trash and put his shorts in a bag. I sat on my knees in the bathroom floor at Walmart trying to figure out what in the world to do. I couldn't take him out of there naked but I also couldn't put his clothes back on him. My only hope was going to be a sympathetic mother who just happened to be in the bathroom at the same time. I opened the stall door and found my angel - a Walmart associate - even better than a sympathetic mother. I explained to her that my child had gotten sick and asked her if she would please go to the baby section to get some wipes and a pair of 2T shorts. She kindly did so and brought them back to me as quickly as she could. She also called maintenance to clean up the floor. I finally got Caleb cleaned up enough to put the new shorts on him. Maintenance still hadn't gotten there, so I used the wipes to clean up the floor as much as I could. I just couldn't bear to leave the mess for some unsuspecting person to find. I took Caleb to the sink and washed out his Crocs. (Thank Heaven for the washability of Crocs!) I carried my purse, the bag with Caleb's soiled shorts, the half-used box of wipes, the tag from the new pair of shorts and Caleb to pharmacy counter. I paid for the wipes, the shorts and the flavoring in the medicine and got out of there as quickly as I could. I was completely exasperated. I called Rudy and told him that we were on our way home and gave him a brief synopsis of what had happened. Mom and Mr.L. were already here when we got home. I put Caleb straight in the bathtub, put clean clothes on him, then changed my clothes and scrubbed my arms and hands until they were almost raw. My lessons have been learned. Lesson one: when Caleb says his "fummy" hurts, don't take him anywhere until after he has used the bathroom. Lesson two: we still need pull-ups in public places. Lesson three: there is nothing more humbling than sitting on your knees, cleaning the bathroom floor at Walmart with baby wipes.

Woo Pig Sooie!

This weekend was one that Rudy and I have looked forward to for months! In addition to it being a long holiday weekend, it's finally football season! Mom and Mr. L. came up for the weekend, getting to our house on Friday afternoon. Mom and I picked up BBQ for dinner and we all enjoyed a relaxing evening at home.

On Saturday morning, Rudy and Mr. L. took Caleb to the park. Mr.L. taught Caleb how to talk through the speaker-pipes on the playground. He and Caleb would stand at one end and talk to Rudy on the other end. Apparently, Caleb's favorite thing that Pops taught him to say was, "Hey, Rudy!" While they were at the park, Mom and I went to a store to get some things for Pepapa's upcoming birthday party. When we got back, everyone had lunch and then Caleb and Mr. L. took their afternoon naps.

Around 2:00, Rudy and I got ready to go to the football game. Mom and Mr.L. stayed with Caleb and they had a great time. They went to the Promenade, where Caleb pulled Mr.L. directly into the Build-a-Bear store. They played at the fountain and the playground and then went to Mad Pizza for dinner. After dinner, they went over to Chick-Fil-A for a milkshake and some more playtime. When they got home, they played "baseball game" in the backyard until it was time for Caleb to go to sleep. I was surprised to find Mom and Mr.L. still awake when Rudy and I got home from the ballgame. :)

And on that note...the ballgame almost gave me a stroke. We went to the Alumni house before the game and had a great time people-watching despite the fact that I'm fighting a nasty cold. We ate dinner with Chad and Ronni and then headed over to the stadium. There is always such energy in the air before a Razorback game and I got the chills a few times just from the excitement. This year has a different feel to it - lots of expectation from having a new coach but lots of uneasiness about having such a young team. We lost a lot of key players last year, so the change makes everyone a little anxious. The game was a rollercoaster of emotion. We almost lost to Western Illinois, but managed to win in the end. I am expecting a long, hard football season.

Sesame Street and Butterflies

We went to Ft. Smith last weekend to see Sesame Street Live. We left home as quickly as possible on Friday and headed straight for Ft. Smith. We met Jan and Grandma Voise for dinner at Varsity and then we all went to the show. In the way that only Caleb can, he took it all in. I honestly expected him to laugh, giggle, dance and sing all the way through. I should have known better. He sat in my lap and in Jan's and watched with wide eyes until it was almost over. He talked a little bit to the characters and pointed out some things to us and then eventually started to move to the music a little bit, but it took some encouraging. When it was over, he talked about it a lot and we got a note from his teacher on Monday saying that he talked about Elmo and Cookie Monster all day.

Apparently, this is the time of year for butterflies. At the entrance to our neighborhood, there are some bushes that are absolutely teeming with beautiful butterflies. We usually take a walk to see them in the evenings. Caleb has learned that when they aren't out and flying around, that means they are sleeping. He likes to shake the bushes to wake them up! He also knows now that bumblebees are "ouchy bugs" and we're not supposed to touch them. Let's just hope that he takes my word on that and doesn't try it out for himself. Taking him for that short walk in the evenings to experience one of God's most beautiful creatures is such a blessing that I enjoy thoroughly. I'll miss the butterflies when they are gone and I plan to plant some things next year to attract them to our house.

An Update on School

In 53 minutes, it will be September 2008. That is just so hard for me to believe. In so many ways, life feels like it is in fast-forward. In light of that, I have some catching up to do...

School is in full-swing. As he did last year, Rudy loves his job. He is fulfilled by the challenge of teaching the fundamentals of playing music to middle school students. He loves to teach them to play their instruments successfully and seems to be excited about some of the promise that he sees in his students this year. He also loves that he is home by 4:00 most days and that we have our weekends as a family. I concur.

The beginning of school has been a natural challenge for me. Any job change promises a learning curve and this one has held true to that promise. I'm getting the hang of it, but have spent lots of hours getting things in working order and trying to figure out just what I need to work on with my 52 new shining faces. I have to say, though - my school is wonderful. I never dreamed that I would enjoy working in an elementary school. The staff is so cohesive, the principal is so supportive and the school climate is amazing. Even though the idea of teaching "r" and working on lisps isn't too enticing, I'm encouraged and inspired by the people around me.

Caleb is doing very well at his daycare. He calls it "my cool." We hit a bumpy patch the week of the 18th, when the kids were transitioned to the new age groups. Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Janell were moved out of Caleb's class and we were faced with yet another transition to new teachers. Initially, we weren't all that impressed with the change. We weren't getting the consistent feedback that we had quickly become accustomed to and we even had a few negative interactions that primarily centered around Caleb's potty-training. I waited it out for a week, then grabbed an opportunity to talk to the asst. director. She was exceptionally apologetic and promised me that she would make sure that the problem was addressed with the staff. Last week was a complete turn-around. We got wonderful feedback from the staff all week - even the day that Caleb had 2 accidents and ran out of clean clothes! One of the teachers commented that Caleb was a good listener and both teachers told Rudy how musically inclined Caleb seems to be. I don't want to make this seem like I was complaining because nobody was bragging on my child. That's not the case at all. I just need feedback of some sort. It's extremely difficult to leave Caleb with other people every day. I need to know when I pick him up whether or not he's had a good day and I like to hear if there are things we need to address at home. I feel like we're getting that now and I'm very pleased.

Littlest League

As I was putting away laundry this evening, something caught my eye out the window...

I am the most blessed woman on the planet.

It's here...whether we're ready or not.

School starts tomorrow. Actual children will be filling the actual seats in the actual classrooms. Wow. Where did the summer go? As I write this, Caleb is sleeping and Rudy is ironing his clothes for tomorrow. I still haven't picked out my clothes and will likely wait until morning to do so. I have to be there at 7:00, though - so I may need to rethink that idea.

Last week flew by. Caleb did GREAT at daycare. He even had two accident-free days. Rudy and I had a variety of in-service days to attend. He had 3 nights of obligations and I had one. On Thursday night, we were both required to be at work stuff, so Caleb spent a couple of hours with our neighbors (Thanks, Shalini!) and reportedly was well-behaved.

Rudy took Caleb over to Grandma Voise's house on Friday night because I was supposed to have a crop night. That ended up falling apart, but I enjoyed the couple of hours of quiet anyway. Yesterday was great - we stayed home without any obligations. Rudy mowed the yard and I stayed in my PJ's until almost 4:00! We had a great dinner, thanks to Chef Rudy, and then went out for ice cream.

I haven't felt so hot today, so Rudy has taken the lead with Caleb. We went to dinner at the Harpers' house tonight with all of the Fayetteville band staff. I'm feeling better tonight and hoping to be 100% tomorrow.

Caleb's first full week back at daycare sent him full-force into learning mode. He has made huge strides this week in his language. Thursday night, there was a big thunderstorm that scared Caleb during the night. I went to get him from his bed and he said, "I wake up. What that?" I told him it was a thunderstorm, so he could sleep with me. He gladly climbed in bed with me and then at the next clap of thunder, he said, "No thunderstorm! No scare Caleb!" Yesterday, we were cleaning up his dinosaurs in the living room and he started counting them. He usually says "1-2-1-2", but yesterday he said, "1-2-4-5-6-7-8-9!" I'm not sure what happened to "three", but I was blown away by the other numbers, so I didn't worry too much about it! At lunch yesterday, he told me his peanut butter sandwich was "de-dishous" (delicious), which sent me into a fit of laughter! He has also recently started to sing along with us to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (AKA: baseball game song) and the Razorback fight song (AKA: football game song). I'm trying to get a video of it because it's so funny, but so far I haven't had any luck. According to Caleb, the baseball lyrics go something like this:
"Take me out to ballgame, take me out to ballgame, buy peanuts cacka jacks, ah ah ah ah get back, Woot woo woo for Tardnals (Cardinals), no win it shame, 1-2-1-2 out at the ballgame."

He needs a little more help with the fight song, but yesterday we heard him singing to himself, "hit wine, hit wine, going going, Go Bee-duh-bats (Razorbacks)!"

Big plans for next weekend: We're going to see Sesame Street Live in Fort Smith! Of course, Caleb doesn't really know what that means yet. I showed him the picture in the newspaper of the characters, though and told him that we're going to meet Elmo. He said, "yeah." Yesterday, he was talking to LaLa on the phone and I told him to tell her who we were going to see. He looked at me like I was crazy, so I handed him the picture and he started trying to tell her the characters' names so fast that he actually started to stutter. He couldn't even get the words out because he was so excited. Mom and I both commented that it's the first time we've ever seen him have trouble getting his words out because his brain was working faster than his mouth could produce the words. He eventually named them all: Elmo, JoJo (Grover), Big Bird, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Baby Bear, etc. Next Friday will be a BIG event in his little 2-year-old life. The only thing that would amaze him more would be meeting the Wonder Pets!

Arms Down, Head Back...

Several years ago, Rudy and I discovered a fabulous amusement park called Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. We have been twice and ridden some brain-rocking roller coasters. The Top Thrill Dragster was introduced in 2003. We stood in line for 2 1/2 hours to ride it. We got on and it broke down. I panicked and got off. Rudy stayed on and rode. Looking back, I'm jealous that I didn't do it too and if I ever get the chance again, I'm going to be right beside him - screaming my head off. The Dragster starts off by shooting you forward at 120 mph in 4 seconds. Because of the ridiculously fast start, there is a recording at the beginning that says, "arms down, head back." (There are rumors that the test dummies heads' snapped off because they weren't secured to the seatbacks.) That is how I always feel at the beginning of the school year. I'm going from 0 - 120 in 4 seconds and if I'm not seated firmly in my chair, my neck could snap. So, I sit here on the day before all of the teachers (new and old) report for work and I'm making sure that my arms are down and my head is back. Here we go again...

Caleb's New School

Caleb started his new school on Wednesday, August 6th. I dropped him off at 8:00 in the morning. He was excited all the way there, saying, "My kool, my kool, new friends" over and over. When we walked in, he was fine. When I tried to walk out, he was not. He cried and cried and sobbed. Mrs. Elizabeth held him and let him watch out the window while I went to the car. I could hear him crying all the way there. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I went to Wal Mart to get groceries and a guilt-toy for Caleb. I walked through the store in a daze. I remember talking to mom and looking for the 1% milk, but the rest of the trip was a completely surreal experience. When I got in the car, I called the school. The receptionist told me that she had just been in the room and that Caleb was doing fine and playing well with the other children. I felt 1000 times better and decided to go shopping for some back-to-school clothes. When I picked Caleb up at 4:00, he was excited to see me, but I could tell that he was comfortable in his new spot. Mrs. Elizabeth told me that he was a good boy and did very well on his first day. He even managed to go all day without an accident! As we were leaving, he looked out at the front lawn of the church and told me "I run outside and play with friends." I was content.

I just knew Thursday morning would be better. After all - he enjoyed himself on Wednesday AND they had a field trip to the drive-through safari planned. We talked all about it and he agreed that he wouldn't be sad because Mama would be back to pick him up in the afternoon. Well, change of plans. When we got there, I found out that if we get there before 7:30, he has to go to a different room until his teacher gets there. This was a whole different ballgame for Caleb and he cried all over again. I had to leave to go to my new teacher meeting, so I (again) left there in a daze and cried all the way to the car. As I was sitting in my meetings, I heard thunder. I immediately wondered if they would go ahead with the field trip, but trusted that they would make the right decision. Shortly after that, my phone rang. It was someone from the daycare calling to say that the field trip had been amended and they were going to Fun City. I knew Caleb would love that, but that he would be disappointed to not get to see the animals. When I picked him up on Thursday afternoon, Mrs. Elizabeth couldn't wait to tell me that Caleb had made a friend. Apparently, while at Fun City, Caleb paired up with a little girl named Adelaide. They walked all over Fun City holding hands and played together the whole time. When they got back, Mrs. Elizabeth asked all of the kids what their favorite part was. Adelaide said, "Caleb." Caleb said, "Slides."

On Friday, I dropped him off while the other kids were eating breakfast. Caleb sat down in his chair and started to eat, but as I left, he jumped up and said, "Wait for me!" I wanted to melt right there. Fortunately, Mrs. Elizabeth picked him up and distracted him while I left. The tears were a little better that day. When I picked him up that afternoon, he excitedly told me about their splash day outside. Mrs. Elizabeth told me that he had had an accident that day - his first since starting there, but that it wasn't a big deal. He has really loved getting to stand up at the potty since they have short potties that he can reach. Apparently, he needed to poop at lunchtime and he just didn't tell anyone. She said that he kept getting up from his chair, but he never said anything. He really has been proud of himself for having dry pants at school and we've only had one accident at home all week. I call that success!

This morning, we went to church where Caleb goes to school. I think that was a little confusing for him, but he did fine in the nursery. He cried a little when we left, but was standing at the window with his backpack when we came to get him. He said he had fun.

I'm pleased with the child care facility. I don't like that I have to take him. I don't like that he has to go to daycare. I'd rather be at home with him, but that's not possible for us. That's not even an option, so I feel like we have a safe, clean and loving environment for him and that's the best we can do. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning or any morning after that, but I know that someday I'm going to drop him off and he's not going to cry. I know that someday it won't be daycare, it'll be kindergarten and then middle school and then high school. Someday I'll be dropping him off at college and I'll look back and wish that he wanted me there like he wants me at daycare. For now, I just relish the afternoon hugs and the excited look on his face when he sees me in the window, drops what he's doing and runs to me yelling, "Mama, My Mama!"

Dewey

While we were in Hot Springs, my Memmie called and said that they wanted to come up and see us. My cousin Hannah was at their house and wanted to come up to visit. They decided to come up on Monday and spend the night. When we got home from Hot Springs, I straightened up the house and got things ready for visitors. Memmie, Poppie and Hannah got to our house on Monday afternoon and we enjoyed visiting with them on Monday night and Tuesday morning. We went out to dinner at Mimi's Cafe on Monday night and then came home to play with Caleb and visit. While we were talking, I casually suggested that Hannah could take Dewey home with her. I was half-kidding. The more we thought about it, though - it made complete sense. Hannah has always had pets. The Hatch family has had dogs (and other various animals) all her life. Now, she is moving back to Kentucky to get married. She has a condo with a courtyard and has all the time in the world to pay attention to a neurotic 8-year-old beagle. After I suggested it, we talked about it a little more and she called her fiance to get his opinion. Chris was apparently in agreement with it. I told her to think about it and let me know. On Tuesday morning, she agreed to take him, so I packed up all of his stuff, gave her the name of his vet's office and said goodbye to Dewey.

Rudy and I got Dewey when he was 6 weeks old. He was absolutely adorable. He had that one blue eye and one brown eye and the ear that (according to Rudy's Mamaw) had been dipped in Purex. He was the center of our attention for a long time. He was Rudy's dad's best friend (we even put a picture of him in Jess' casket when he died). Dewey became more human than canine and then as he got older, he got more and more neurotic. We have sometimes laughed that he became more feline than canine. Dewey was a lap dog, terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks. He was the dog that just couldn't help but lick you - even when he knew he wasn't supposed to. When we moved to St. Louis, we got Lucy as a companion for Dewey. Dewey outlasted her and all of her maladies. When Caleb came along, Dewey naturally took a backseat. As Caleb has gotten older and more mobile, Dewey has become less patient with him. He's never been aggressive with him, but was obviously irritated by his mere presence. As our lifestyle changed, we had less time for Dewey and it was costing us more to board him every time we traveled. We were finding that we had to rearrange our plans to come home and let him out more and more often. And with the purchase of our new house came a higher level of frustration for me about cleaning up his hair and making sure that the house didn't smell like a dog lived here.

We love Dewey, but it was time for him to find a new home where he has the attention that he needs. He will forever have a big place in our hearts. We wish him (and Hannah) well in Kentucky...