Are You Ready for Some Football

We are officially on the 48 hour countdown to kickoff! This time tomorrow, we'll be in the car headed for Fayetteville. The Hogs are playing USC on Saturday night. I'm not very optimistic about the outcome of the game, but it will be fun, nonetheless. Jan is picking up Caleb on Saturday morning and he's spending the night with her and the Voises in Rogers. We're headed home on Sunday night. It should be a super-fun weekend!

So, what's been happening with us?!?

The most amazing thing that has happened this week: laughter! Last Thursday night, after an exceptionally hard day at work, Caleb made it all better. He was laying on our bed and I started tickling him and doing our usual afternoon playtime things. He opened up and laughed - really belly laughed! It was so amazing! You can share in Caleb's laughter at: www.dropshots.com/haleyvillines

We had a fun weekend with Mom and Mr. L. They came in on Friday night and we went to dinner. Rudy had to work, so he wasn't with us until Saturday morning. Mom and Mr. L. thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Caleb. Mom and I took a short trip to Gordman's on Saturday to update Caleb's "wardrobe" and get a couple of little happies for ourselves to. We had a great dinner at home on Saturday night and enjoyed visiting with each other. I stayed at home with a sleeping Caleb on Sunday morning while Rudy took my parents to the airport. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting some things done around the house. The brass group that Rudy plays with had a gig at a bridal fair, so he was gone for a while. I kept noticing that it was pretty warm in the house and I finally went and looked at the thermostat. It was set on 77, but it was 85 in the house. Hmmm... There was no way that we were about to call a repairman on a Sunday, so I turned off the A/C and kicked all of the fans into high gear. At about 9:00, it became all too clear that we were not going to be able to sleep upstairs, so we got out the big air mattress and inflated it in the basement, where it wasn't AS hot as the rest of the house. Caleb slept in his pack & play in the basement too and we were just one big happy family. As soon as I got a chance at work on Monday, I called a repair company and made an appointment for the afternoon. The repairman was right on time when I got home from work and fixed the A/C quickly. It wasn't a very big deal - but $150 later, we were cooling off! It was awesome to be in our own bed Monday night and we were cool enough to actually get some good sleep.

It's been a crazy week for us, as usual. We're all healthy and doing well, though, so we can't complain.

Go Hogs!!!!

We're All Better!

Oh, what a weekend! Rudy ended up with the crud that I had. We called Jerry and Sherry on Saturday and begged them to come get Caleb. (We didn't have to beg very much...they love him!!!) Rudy and I were sick bums on Saturday and Saturday night. I went to get Caleb on Sunday morning and went to church with Jerry. By the time I got home, Rudy was feeling much better and we're back to normal now. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that Caleb doesn't get it too!

Caleb's First BooBoo, Mama is Sick and Daddy's Students are Back

Caleb has completed his first full week of daycare and he lived to tell about it. When I went to pick him up on Monday, Carrie introduced me to a little girl who she said would only be there this week. Well, the first two days with that extra little pair of hands were difficult for Caleb. Monday, she screamed through naptime, so he didn't get a very good nap at all. On Tuesday, I knocked on the door and Carrie answered it holding Caleb as usual. He was facing away from me and she said, "Before you see him, we had a minor accident, it's really not that bad." He turned around and I could see blood on the top of his nose. Carrie explained that the little girl was trying to be sweet and "share" a book with Caleb, but got too close and scratched him. I didn't get upset - these things happen. She did go to time out and apologized. She even took the baby wipes to Carrie to help her clean up his cut. When we got home, it was still bleeding and did so for quite a while. It finally stopped and after his bath that night, it didn't look so bad.
On Wednesday, the school buses started rolling again in Rockwood. Rudy's days and evenings are once again filled with middle and high school students. I don't know how he does it. My days are now filled with phone calls to parents, testing sessions with 3-5 year olds and meetings, meetings, meetings. I always look forward to picking up Caleb at 3:15!

As for today, I have caught a nasty bug and have spent the day throwing up and sleeping. I have a touch of fever and I hurt all over! Rudy went ahead and took Caleb to Carrie's and he stayed there all day. I couldn't even go pick him up - Rudy had to go get him. Now, because of my fever, I'm afraid to be around him. I can hear him talking to Rudy downstairs and crying now and then. Rudy is being awesome to take full care of Caleb and let me just be sick. Mamas aren't supposed to be sick.

A Wild and Crazy Week!

Since the last time I posted, so much has happened in the Villines household!

On Saturday (8/5), Rudy and I were given the royal treatment at the Cardinals game! Caleb stayed with Monica, because it was just too hot to take him and it's so loud there. When Rudy's band played the National Anthem at the game back in June, there was a parking mix-up and it was a big mess! So...the group sales representative for the Cardinals offered us free tickets to a game and invited us onto the field for batting practice. Wow! We met him at the stadium and he took us straight onto the field. We stood right beside the dugout and watched the Cards take BP. It was awesome! Rudy even got Albert Pujols' autograph on a baseball for Caleb. We were then taken to a "party room" on the first base line. It was air-conditioned and had outdoor seats, plus there was a free buffet and drinks. The night was awesome and the Cards beat the Brewers. Albert even hit a homerun!

Last week was the dreaded "back to work" week for us. On Monday, we went over to Carrie's house so that Rudy could meet her and her family. We were all in agreement about her keeping Caleb for us, so that was a complete load off of my mind!

On Wednesday night, I packed my lunch and Caleb's diaper bag with a heavy, heavy heart. I knew he would be okay, but I just dreaded the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives. The chapter we were in was so amazing and I knew that the next one could not possibly be as great - it meant less time with my baby.

On Thursday morning, I got up and got ready for work. Then, I fed Caleb and Rudy and I got him dressed and ready for the day. Of course, when it came time for me to leave, the little stinker gave me a great big smile that melted my heart! I left the house with tears in my eyes and met Monica for breakfast in Eureka. Rudy had the hardest job of all. He had to drop Caleb off at Carrie's and go to work. He called and left me a message afterward, saying that he had changed his mind and didn't want to be in charge of drop-offs. I told him that was just tough, because I couldn't do it. I'd rather do every single middle of the night feeding than have to do drop-offs in the mornings.

I made it through my first day of work and only called to check on Caleb at lunch. I was pretty impressed with myself! I was relieved to find that he was doing well and was actually napping when I called. When I picked him up at 3:45, he was playing in the floor with Carrie and was in a great mood! That made me feel so much better. When we got home, we took a little nap together and then got the house straightened up.

About 9:15, Jan and Chris made it here from Arkansas. Jan and I gave Caleb a bath and then got him ready for bed. The poor little guy was exhausted and so was I.
Jan and Chris kept Caleb on Friday, so leaving for work was a little easier. Just knowing he would be at home made me feel a little bit better. I couldn't wait to get home that afternoon to see him, though! Friday night, we went to dinner at Zia's on the Hill. It was good, but not great. Caleb was an angel. He slept all the way through dinner.

On Saturday, Rudy played in the Arkansas Alumni Association softball tournament. I worked the concessions and it was a long day! Jan brought Caleb out to the ballfield for a little bit and everyone enjoyed seeing him. We were too tired to cook dinner Saturday night, so we went out for Mexican food. Yum!!!!

Jan and Chris left this morning and we had a lazy day at home. I even put off running my errands until tomorrow. I guess Caleb and I will have a busy afternoon going to the bank, post office and grocery store. I did manage to do a little laundry today and get our things ready for going to work/Carrie's tomorrow. Caleb slept most of the day. I think all of the activity of the weekend was just a little much for him - and we all know he doesn't want to miss anything exciting!

As far as new developments for Caleb, it's all about the raspberries! We have laughed so much at him for blowing spit bubbles and making the craziest noises with his mouth! Sometimes he even spits on us. Rudy told him today that he looked like he was foaming at the mouth. It's pretty humorous, but I kind of miss the cooing and gooing from a couple of weeks ago. I'm so glad I got some video of it! I'll have to do the same thing with the raspberries.

Tummy time is getting a little better and Caleb's tolerance of the bathtub has improved a thousand percent. He is grabbing at things and taking them straight to his mouth. He has also developed a love for sucking on his fingers. It kills me to let him do it, but sometimes I have no choice. I've tried and tried to pull his fingers out and put in the pacifier. Sometimes, he even puts his fingers in his mouth and pops the pacifier out and across the room. If he ends up being a habitual finger or thumb sucker, it's not for the lack of me trying to avoid it! I gave it a valiant effort, to say the least. I just cringe when I hear him on the monitor at night sucking those fingers. My philosophy has always been that I prefer pacifiers over fingers/thumbs, because you can take away pacifiers at some point, but the state frowns on cutting off your child's thumbs. In my line of work, it's just so hard to imagine my child being a habitual fingersucker. Oh, I hope it's just a phase!

Childcare Search Success

Caleb and I went today to meet with the potential childcare provider that I mentioned in yesterday's post. I was excited to find that I was comfortable in their home and I felt like Caleb would be safe and happy there while I'm at work. So, my stress level has once again leveled off. The provider's name is Carrie and Caleb will be spending his days primarily with her and her 18-month-old son, Drew. She also has a 12-year-old daughter, Samantha, who doesn't start back to school for a couple of weeks. Her husband, Kevin, will be there in the mornings, but will leave for work shortly after Rudy drops Caleb off for the day. Because their house is so close to mine and because Rudy doesn't have to be at work until well after I do, he is going to do the drop-offs in the mornings and I'm going to do the pick-ups in the afternoons. That makes me one seriously happy Mama! I was dreading the drop-offs and this will make going to work so very much easier!

I decided that God was doing me a favor. The only way I can figure out his plan is to guess, but here's my guess. God knows that patience is not my strongsuit. God also knew all along that Caleb should be at Carrie's house when I went back to work. So...he provided a wonderful alternative for me to believe in and be comfortable with until Carrie was ready to open her home to us. (She just posted her advertisement a couple of days before I found her.) Kim's move is a surprise to us, but it was in His plan all along. God is good to me - in so many ways!

Another happy note about today - BAND CAMP IS OVER! For two weeks, Rudy has been working like a dog out in the 100 degree heat from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM and then coming home dead-tired. Today was the last day of summer band camp and tonight was "parent night." The kids performed the parts of the show that they know - which is a lot - and they looked great! Rudy is pleased with the show and the way it's coming together. A happy band director is a happy husband and father.

Tomorrow night, Rudy and I are going to the Cardinals game. We have free tickets and the special privilege of going onto the field and visiting the dugout before the game. That's pretty cool! The Cardinals goofed up the parking situation when Rudy's band played at the game back in June, so we're getting the royal treatment to make up for it! Caleb is staying with Monica and she's taking him to a soccer game. I made her promise to face him away from the field. I don't want him getting any bright ideas about playing soccer. We like "Real" football in this house! Of course, because I say that - he'll end up being a soccer junkie. Oh, I hope not!!!!!

Childcare SNAFU...and Some Good News

Yesterday, I got a phone call at about 6:00 from Kim, the lady who is supposed to keep Caleb this school year. She told me that her husband has been transferred to Kansas City and she will be moving as soon as her house sells. OH MY GOSH! I was in total shock and didn't really know what to do. It was about 10:30 last night before I got my thoughts together and decided that I needed to get on the ball and find someone else before I go back to work in one week. I sent out an e-mail to everyone I know in this area who might possibly know someone who could keep Caleb. I also got on the same website where I found Kim and frantically sent e-mails to several people. I finally got in bed last night after 12:30 and watched the clock for a while with my head spinning. This morning, I had 2 phone calls and a couple of e-mails from people I had contacted. I narrowed it down to 5 potential people and then did some phone interviews. Of the 3 phone interviews that I did, I'm really only interested in 2 of the people. I'm going to meet one of them tomorrow morning, so we'll see. Hopefully, Caleb will have a fabulous place to go next Thursday when I go to work and this will all work out just fine.

On a happier note, I think Caleb's blocked tear duct may be getting better. This is the second day in a row that I haven't had to wipe his eye at all. His eyelashes are even dry tonight and his eye isn't running at all! I was really hoping for that to clear up on its own, because I didn't want to have to go through with the surgery to repair it. Here's hoping it stays dry!

Three Months Old

Caleb is now three months old. I can hardly believe we are a quarter of the way through his first year. He continues to grow and change and amaze us. He has started to really enjoy looking in the mirror and has even "talked" to his reflection a couple of times. Bathtime is SO much better lately. He even seems to enjoy it a little bit. I never thought I'd see that day! He is becoming more and more vocal and he is starting to look like a little boy instead of a newborn. He still hates tummy time with a passion, but we have seen some improvement in his ability to lift his head when he's on his tummy. His head is now about 95% stable when he's upright and he loves to be upright! The child doesn't want to miss anything at all - he wants to see it all! Caleb is responding more to us from a distance and now smiles when he sees us across a room. He is reaching for things and batting at them a lot. He even manages to grab them from time to time and when he does, he won't let go! This includes my hair!

Things that I love about my three-month-old baby boy:
- our "conversations" about the world
- the way he makes his grandparents (and mine) smile
- the fact that he tries to ooh and goo at me with his pacifier in his mouth when I'm trying to rock him to sleep (this will not be cute when he starts talking for real!)
- that toothless grin
- the fact that he is so easygoing and easy to take out and about
- the way his Daddy's eyes light up when they play together

Happy Three Month Birthday, Caleb!

A Trip to Arkansas

It's been a whirlwind week for us! Where do I even start?

Last Monday, I took Caleb to Weight Watchers with me and asked the lady to weigh me twice - once with him and once without him. With some "fancy math skills, " I found out that my baby boy now weighs 16 pounds! He's officially in size 2 diapers and it's time to switch over to those 3-6 month clothes. At this rate, he should have no problem meeting the 20 pound rule at one year to have his car seat turned forward. Actually, at this rate, he may be driving at one year!

On Tuesday, Becca came to our house. We went to the mall to get a shirt for her to wear to her shower, had dinner with Jimmy (who was in the area for work) and bought Caleb an outfit with an airplane on it for his first plane ride! We ran errands until bedtime and then hit the pillow hard!

Wednesday morning, we were up bright and early to get ready for our trip to Arkansas. I packed everything that Caleb and I would need for a five day vacation and then got him ready to go. When we got to the airport, we realized what a sight we were: Becca at 7 1/2 months pregnant and me toting Caleb around. We were certain that nobody wanted to sit with us! The flight went great. Caleb didn't fuss at all. I put his pacifier in his mouth for takeoff and landing so that his ears wouldn't bother him. He slept most of the trip! I am so fortunate!!!! When we got to the airport, Mr. L. and Becca's dad and sister were waiting for us. We rounded up our luggage and said bye to Becca, since she was going to her dad's for a few days. Mr.L. and I loaded all of our stuff in the car, changed Caleb's stinky diaper in the back of the Jeep and headed for Hot Springs. Caleb and I were both exhausted when we got there, so we laid down for a nap. The next thing I knew, Mom was in my room and couldn't wait to see us. We got up and visited a little bit, then got on the boat and went over to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's house. They were glad to see us and couldn't believe how much Caleb had grown in just a month. When we got back home, we had some dinner and headed for bed.

On Thursday, Mom had to work, so I took the opportunity to go over and see Memmie and Poppie in Sherwood. We had a great visit and Caleb showed them all of his new "tricks." He even "talked" to me like he does at home - constant cooing like he's really having a big conversation. Memmie thought that was the funniest thing ever! We were sad to leave their house, but had to get back to Hot Springs before the traffic got too bad. The weather was gross and I was driving Mom's car, so I wasn't too keen on getting stuck in rush hour traffic in Little Rock.

When we got back to Hot Springs, we freshened up and then went to dinner at Applebee's with Stacy Schmidt, my dear friend from Rogers. She was in town for the state Special Ed conference, so we just had to get together. She was so excited to meet Caleb. We had another treat when some of the ladies from the Rogers Special Services office stopped by to see us while we were there. Linda Stewart, my former supervisor and dear friend, brought Caleb some adorable gifts and he thanked her with several great big smiles and a Caleb-style conversation! We had a great time visiting with all of them and it was awesome to see everyone.

On Friday, Mom took a vacation day and we spent our time doing some shopping and errands for Becca's shower. I had to go to the bank and open an account for the Alumni Association, so Mom and Mr. L. kept Caleb. They didn't seem to mind.

On Saturday, Mr. L. kept Caleb for a couple of hours while Mom and I did a little more shopping. It was a low-key day and that was nice and relaxing. Unfortunately, it was way too hot for us to go for another boat ride. Saturday night, Joyce came by to visit. The Holmes crew showed up too for a few minutes. Caleb got to meet Julie and Chris for the first time and got a very cute blanket from Leigh Ann and Bill.

Sunday was the big day for Becca's shower. She had a great turnout and got some awesome gifts! Of course, she was excited to get some Razorback things for baby Maddox! Caleb was very well behaved during the shower - as always. He eventually fell asleep and I put him down for a nap in his bed.

On Monday, we had a relaxing day and then headed for the airport. Mom and Mr. L. helped me get everything to the Southwest counter and then Caleb and I were on our own to get on the plane and head for home. After we got through security, I put him in the Baby Bjorn and fed him. I decided it would be a good idea to change his diaper while we waited for our plane to board, so we went into the ladies' room. As soon as I walked in there, I realized that I needed to go to the bathroom. This was my biggest fear about flying alone with Caleb - what was I going to do with him while I went to the bathroom? I had nowhere to lay him down and nothing to sit him in. So, I did the best I could! I left him in the carrier and he basically sat in my lap while I did the public bathroom hover maneuver. It was quite a feat, but we made it! We got on the plane with no problem (I love pre-boarding!) and the flight home was as easy as the flight there. Once we got on the ground in St. Louis, we got our suitcase and Caleb's carseat and took the shuttle to our car. It was about 102 degrees outside, so I was really sweating by the time I got the car loaded and the carseat installed. The whole thing was a big challenge, but I did it all by myself and I was pretty proud of the way it worked out!

When we got home, Rudy was SO excited to see us! He told me that he couldn't believe how much he missed us and that he might not ever let us leave for that long again! Band camp has been going well and he's pleased with the year so far. That helped, I'm sure! Rudy watched Caleb while I unpacked our things and then we crashed into the bed!

Caleb has been getting back into his routine the past couple of days. It has taken some time, but he'll eventually get straightened back out. Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment and then we went to Wal Mart and Schnuck's. He's so used to be hauled around everywhere - he was a trooper and slept through a lot of it! He went to bed last night at about 9:00 and woke up to eat at 4:00 AM. I put him right back to bed and it's now almost 10:30 AM and he's just now starting to stir. I think he was just completely worn out from the trip and has been catching up on some much-needed sleep.

I will post Caleb's 3-month birthday post later today or tonight and I'll add the 3-month pictures to the Shutterfly site too. I've already uploaded the pictures from our trip to Arkansas, so make sure you check those out.

Only 8 more days until I have to go back to work!