Halloween Home Run!

I picked up Caleb from daycare just as his Halloween party was ending. He was already pumped up about trick-or-treating. We managed to kill a little time by straightening up the house while we waited for Mom and Mr. L. to get to our house and for Rudy to get home. It was a little tough to figure out the logistics of it all, but we managed. After dinner, we suited up our little man in his baseball costume. (We are super-grateful to the Heidi and Ian for letting us borrow the costume!)

As soon as we got the costume on him, he started to throw a fit. My Halloween nightmare was coming true! We had been prepping him for it for a while and every time I mentioned it, I was met with whining and "no costume, Mama!" We even had a dress rehearsal in the living room one night where Caleb put on his costume and said "trick-or-treat" to Rudy. Rudy was pre-armed with a sucker, which he promptly gave to the whiny 2-year-old. We immediately praised him and pointed out that when you wear your costume, you get candy. He wasn't buying it. So, I spent the week leading up to Halloween thinking that it was going to be a total bust. Sure enough, the costume went on and the fussing started. Pops tried to convince him that he looked cool, we all tried to take pictures and Caleb just scrunched up his face and tugged at the costume. I wasn't letting that stop us. We loaded up in the wagon with the Elmo bucket from last year and headed across the street to the Colemans. Caleb wanted Pops to go with him, so they slowly crept up the sidewalk to meet Mrs. Angie. Caleb immediately covered his face with his hands and wanted nothing to do with it. Again...I wasn't giving up. We plopped him back in the wagon and headed for more houses. At the next stop, I went to the door with him. Illustrating that he didn't really get the concept yet, Caleb tried to give his candy to the lady that answered the door. How cute is that? Once he realized that he was GETTING candy, not giving it away, he was the king of the trick-or-treaters! As soon as the door closed, he turned around, ran toward everyone waiting at the end of the driveway and yelled, "I got candy!" This continued until the poor little guy was just so tired he could barely say, "trick-or-treat." He sure did like having Pops here to trick-or-treat with him. A few times, he decided that he wanted to go to the door by himself and told Pops and me to "stay there." That didn't really work out so well, because when the people would answer the door, he would freeze up and we'd have to come to his rescue. My favorite moment of the night was when one of our new neighbors tried to put a full-sized candy bar in Caleb's bucket and he gave it back to her and told her, "It's too big." I told him to just say thank you, but he was worried about it fitting in his bucket. He needs to learn that we are lucky to live in a town full of WalMart vendors who give away things like full-sized candy bars at Halloween!In the end, Caleb loved Halloween and he got lots of oohs and aahs over how cute he was in his costume. He was definitely the only baseball in HearthStone this Halloween. Amidst a lot of animals, cartoon characters and ninjas, our little baseball was an all-star! Rudy and I even got in the spirit of it and wore our Cardinals jerseys! When we got home, we dumped all of Caleb's candy out on the floor and let him have a few pieces, then we watched his Elmo Halloween movie and it was time for him to go to bed. The little one was exhausted, but still talking about trick-or-treat! He enjoyed answering the door and giving out candy a couple of times after we got home, too. It was such a fun night!

Saturday morning, Rudy cooked a yummy breakfast for us and then he and Mr.L went to Fayetteville for the Razorback game. I was supposed to go with Rudy, but really just wanted a relaxing day at home with Mom and Caleb. That's exactly what we had. Mom and I did laundry and straightened up the house. She did a little shopping during Caleb's naptime and I did a little relaxing. When the boys came home, we got ready to go to dinner at the Monte Ne Inn chicken restaurant. We ate until we were all sick and then came home to just spend time together. It was a great visit from my parents! I'm so glad they came up this weekend!

The Hogs won yesterday in their game against Tulsa. We were all glad about that! Wins are few and far between this year!

Today, Rudy has gone to scout for deer and spend some time in the woods, enjoying fall. Caleb and I ran errands this morning and now he's taking his nap. I have tons of work to do, but wanted to get all of this written first. It was a great weekend - one I definitely want to remember!

Infirmary Update

Not much time to write, just wanted to let everyone know that we are ALL going to work/school tomorrow. Caleb has bounced back beautifully and I'm getting a little better every day. Rudy is ready to get out of the house!

We carved pumpkins tonight and they turned out great! It was the first time Rudy and I have ever carved pumpkins in the 12 years that we've known each other. Caleb was appropriately grossed out by the "pumpkin guts" and like helping us pick up all of the seeds that fell on the ground. He was upset that he couldn't do any of the cutting, but he liked the idea of the activity. He even blew out the candles when we came in the house.

Mom and Mr. L. will be here tomorrow evening to share the fun of trick-or-treating and to take care of Caleb while Rudy and I go to homecoming. It should be a fun weekend...as long as we stay healthy.

Oh...and Rudy and I voted today! Yeah!!!!

"Daddy's a Superman"

WARNING: THIS POST IS ABOUT THE STOMACH BUG AND IS WRITTEN FROM A MOM'S PERSPECTIVE. IT MAY NOT BE FOR THE SQUEAMISH...

We went to bed last night at a decent hour. I took some awesome cough medicine and my antibiotic and hit the pillow. Rudy was snoring before I fell asleep and the baby monitor was whispering the sound of the wave machine in Caleb's room. Somewhere in the 1:00 hour, that all changed. I heard Caleb start to call for me. In my narcotic-induced fog, I checked the clock, but can't remember the exact time. I told myself to stick to my guns and make him cry it out. After all, he slept through the night Sunday and Monday. Fifteen minutes later, he was still crying, " Mama, Mama, Mamamamamama..." I tapped Rudy on the shoulder and told him that I needed for him to go check on Caleb to see why he was crying. I honestly would've done it, but waking up from a hydrocodone sleep is tough! He got up and I quickly heard him come back to the bedroom. I asked what was up and he told me that Caleb had gotten sick. He threw up in his bed. Immediately, my maternal guilt set in. I let him lay in his throw up for 15 minutes, calling for me and I didn't go get him. How was I supposed to know? Rudy told me to stay in bed since I'm already sick and he would take care of the situation. I grudgingly agreed and just as I started to doze off again, I heard that sound. I jumped out of bed, threw on a pair of PJ pants and headed (still foggy) into the living room. Rudy, still waking up, was determining the best way to help a vomiting 2-year-old at 2:00 in the morning. Unfortunately, Caleb had thrown up on the floor in the living room. When he stopped long enough, I helped him to the bathroom and held onto him while he finished throwing up. It was one of the saddest things I've had to do as a mom. It was the first time he's been old enough to understand that he needs to throw up in the potty. I kept telling him to "spit in the potty" and he would do just as I said. When he was finished, I took him in the living room and held him while Rudy spot-cleaned the carpet and stripped Caleb's bed. Caleb asked me what Daddy was doing and I told him that he was cleaning up. Caleb's response was priceless, "Daddy's a Superman." I agreed with him 1000 percent! After that, he told me one other time that he needed to "spit in the potty" and sure enough, he did.

I got Caleb a plastic bowl to hold in case he needed to throw up again, but he didn't want it. He kept giving it back to me. Knowing that he needed something "just in case," I decided to make it more appealing. I took the cup in the bathroom where we still have some potty training stickers left over. I put truck stickers all over the cup and took it back to Caleb. I told him it was his "truck chuck cup" and if he needed to throw up and couldn't get to the potty, that was the place to do it. He grinned and took the cup like it was the greatest thing in the world. Score one for Mama!

Rudy insisted that I go back to bed in order to go to work today and that he would stay home. I did and he stayed up with Caleb the rest of the night, holding him and helping him when he got sick a couple more times. When I got ready to leave for work, they were still in the recliner, exhausted from a long, hard night. It broke my heart to leave them like that.

Rudy tells me that Caleb only got sick once more during the night and at some point, it switched to diarrhea. That has been the case all day long. When I called home mid-morning, Caleb was soaking in an oatmeal bath and Rudy was going to put some cream on his bottom. The poor kid was miserable. He has felt better off and on today and tonight. He enjoyed playing cars tonight and understood when I told him that he couldn't have any milk until his tummy was better. He napped from 1:30 until almost 6:00 and asked to go back to bed at 8:15.

Rudy is staying home with him again tomorrow because of my work obligations. If we need another day on Friday, it'll be my turn. We're just crossing our fingers that we don't get it next. Mom and Mr. L. are supposed to come up on Friday for Halloween and to watch Caleb while Rudy and I go to the last football game of the year. We have really been looking forward to their visit and hope it doesn't get cancelled.

Monica and I were laughing via e-mail today about Caleb's tummy troubles on his first Halloween. I don't know what's up with that, but it needs to stop! This is not a tradition we need to carry on!

As for me, I'm still coughing. I feel a little better, but not back to normal yet. It's hard to tell what's pneumonia, what's lack of sleep and what's stress. The combination isn't healthy, that's for sure!

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for the little man, a miracle that Rudy and I don't get it, my recovery from pneumonia and a Bootiful Halloween. I'll keep you updated...

Cough...Hack...Cough

You know how I've been saying that I have this nagging cough that just won't go away. I've been calling it bronchitis. I was wrong. According to my 3 hour visit to convenient care tonight, my bronchitis has turned into walking pneumonia. I had to get a Rocephin shot in my hip (OUCH!) and I'll be picking up a variety of prescriptions at WalMart tomorrow. I was just too tired to go get them tonight! Seriously - walking pneumonia. This was supposed to be a healthier year for us.

Pumpkin Patch

Rudy met Jan at the Rudy exit (funny, huh?) to get Caleb this morning. They got home just as I was getting up and around. Caleb came in feeling the after-effects of a weekend with Grandma. I promptly put a movie on for him. This gave him some thinking time and gave us some breathing time before any of us had the chance to irritate each other. It has quickly become evident to Rudy and I that it takes Caleb some time to get used to the expectations of home when he's with any of his grandparents for an extended period of time. We're okay with that, we just have to make sure we remember. After the movie, Caleb ate his lunch at a snail's pace and then I put him down for his nap. He cried for a ridiculously long time before finally going to sleep.

At about 3:00, Rudy woke Caleb up and we got ready to go to the pumpkin patch. We went to the same one that we went to last year and it was just as much fun. When we got there, Caleb was a little grumpy from the hour-long ride. (I know - an hour to go to the pumpkin patch! It's worth it!) We went straight to the pumpkins, but he wasn't happy with that. We tried to get him to play on the hay jump, but he fussed and cried when he fell down. Then we let him play pumpkinball, but that frustrated him. We tried the slides and he did great until he cried when he couldn't do the big slide by himself. That's when Rudy pulled him aside for an attitude adjustment. After a stern talking-to, Caleb's attitude improved tremendously and we had a wonderful family evening together. Here are some of the things that we did:

The Hay Ride: We even saw some deer while we were on our 45 minute hay ride...

Of course, we picked out a few pumpkins and posed for some pictures:

Caleb liked pumping water for the duck races:

His favorite thing of the day was riding the cow train. He rode it 3 times. Rudy and I each rode it with him once and then he told us he could "do it by myself."

We took home a couple of pumpkins to carve this week:
And Caleb picked out a pumpkin that was just his size!
This is one of my favorite family activities that we do. I love fall and I love being with my boys at the pumpkin patch!

Birthday Friday and an emotional loss

As I said in my last post, I turned 32 on Friday. If you've read that post, you'll know that it caused some introspection and gratitude to come from my heart and mind right through my blogging fingers. It has been an interesting weekend, to say the least.

Friday started with one of the most uncomfortable IEP meetings I've ever been a part of. I won't even go into details, because those of you who don't live in the world of special education would be bored to tears. Suffice it to say, this wasn't a good one. The rest of the day went reasonably well. I did my usual work with kids and paper shuffling. I even stayed after school for about an hour to tie up some loose ends. Rudy took Caleb to meet Jan in Alma, because he was staying with her all weekend. She and my mom share taking care of Caleb on Razorback game weekends and she had volunteered for this one. To keep her from having to pack up and leave her house for the weekend like she usually does, she kept Caleb in Ft. Smith. From what I understand, they both had a blast.

When Rudy got home, he took me to dinner at one of our favorite indulgent restaurants, Cafe Rue Orleans. We came home stuffed to the gills, but managed to have a little birthday cake that he had kindly gotten for me. Around 9:00, Chad and Ronni Fellers got to our house to spend the night. They were in town for the Razorbacks/Ole Miss game on Saturday and spent Friday night with us.

The guys got up early on Saturday morning and played golf. Ronni and I slept in! It was a real treat for 2 moms. After the guys got home, Ronni and I went to the Promenade to do some shopping and then came home. We all got ready to go to the game and said our goodbyes. Rudy and I went to the Wilhelms' tailgate party and then walked up to the Alumni house for dinner before the game. We headed over to the stadium in time to witness the bizarre goings-on. It was Coach Nutt's first game back at Arkansas since leaving to coach at Ole Miss. The Arkansas fans were brutal to him. The boos were louder than any I had ever heard. Initially, I clapped for him - giving him the benefit of the doubt and showing some gratitude for the improvements that he brought to our University while he was here. My mind quickly changed, though. When he brought his team back out after warm-up to start the game, he held them back until our team came on the field. This classless act caused our team to enter the field to a chorus of boos, rather than the cheers that we always greet them with. His players proved to be as classless now as he allowed them to be when he was at Arkansas. I hated the thug behavior when it was our guys and I hate to see it from other teams. Now we have a coach who doesn't stand for that and I am glad. We ended up losing the game following a completely bogus offensive pass interference call that brought our fans out of their seats in disgust and anger. Then, Nutt proceeded to stay on the field long after the game was over. He was surrounded by cameras and milked it for all it was worth. By the time he finally left the field, most of the crowd was gone, his players and some assistant coaches had taunted our fans in the stands and he had officially lost any and all respect I ever had for him. I was standing outside after the game when 2 of the Ole Miss staff members walked by. One of them said, "I just love the looks on the faces as we pass by." As Rudy and I got to the elevator, I realized that we were going to have to get on with them and we decided to take the stairs. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold my tongue after a comment like that. We left the stadium disappointed and disheartened. The only good thing about the night was that the Wisemans and their friends invited us up to watch the game with them in their luxury box. At least we weren't freezing and packed in our seats like sardines.

We got home and it didn't take me long to crash in the bed. Rudy stayed up for a while, trying to avoid the Razorback message boards and playing video poker. After a celebratory Friday, it was a miserable Saturday night.

32.

I have been telling people that today is the 3rd anniversary of my 29th birthday. Yikes. 32. Thirty-two. 32. Thirty-two. No matter how many times I repeat it, I am thirty-something.

On the other hand...
I have an amazing husband who loves me like I could never imagine anyone would. He absorbs my faults and celebrates my successes. And he got me a cake - chocolate with buttercreme icing, which is my favorite. The fact that he knows (and remembers) that is pretty cool. Oh...and he got me a gold and silver Razorback watch. He loves me. He really loves me. Not that I ever doubted it...or needed gifts to prove it. He loves me.

I have a son who surprises me every day with his ability to make me laugh, cry, feel and tolerate things that I never thought I could. He is a blessing and a joy and the only miracle I can ever remember being a part of.

I have parents who think I'm special and tell me so and are my greatest cheerleaders, no matter how insignificant the cause.

I have 3 living grandparents who have been a blessing all of my life. They show me things and teach me things that only grandparents can teach. I am so grateful.

I have an unbelievable extended family whose journeys make me believe that everything is possible with God. I know that as long as I hold His hand, I am connected with them, no matter what.

I have friends that support me, carry me and comfort me. I have friends that laugh with me, celebrate with me, love me and know that they can count on me even when the world is spinning too quickly to hold on. They are the family that extends beyond family.

I have a career that keeps me stimulated and I know that because of it, we can pay the bills and I can touch the lives of children in a good way, which many of them need so desparately.

And most of all, I have the blessings of God that give me all of these things and more. What else do I need?

The Bad and the Good of Late October

There is nothing on this planet that makes me cringe as much as a whiny child. Guess what...I now have one. Since Caleb's surgery on the 10th, he has whined like there is no tomorrow. It makes me crazy!!! Let me back up a little and please excuse me if I whine.

The last time I posted, we had had "A Strange Day." That was the start of what turned out to be a nasty bout with bronchitis for me. It's now 11 days later and I'm still coughing. We were supposed to go to the Pumpkin Patch with friends on Sunday (10/12), but I spent the day in bed with fever. I spent the nights of the 13th and 14th laying awake and coughing. I actually went to the guest room so that Rudy could sleep. On Wednesday, the 15th, I went to the doctor and ended up with a ZPac, which helped but didn't knock it out totally. I also got some fabulous nighttime cough medicine. If hydrocodone had a fan club, I'd be a member. It turned out to be the only way I could stop coughing long enough to sleep. Caleb has also had a cough for quite a while. We thought the antibiotics after his surgery would solve the problem, but he's still coughing and now his nose is running too. Aaaggh! Silver lining: he doesn't have a ear infection! Rudy was a super-dad during all of this. He took full responsibility for Caleb while I had fever and continued to take care of him most of the week since I was feeling so crummy.

I had the day off on Friday, the 17th and it was a busy day! I took Caleb to school and came home to do laundry and pack for our trip to Hot Springs. We also had the carpets and living room furniture cleaned to rid ourselves of the remants of having an indoor dog and potty-training a toddler. Yeah!!!! After the Sears guy left, I called Stacy and met her for a quick trip to the Hammonds center craft fair and lunch. We went to get Caleb at school and came home to meet Rudy. Not long after he got home, we hit the road for Hot Springs. We made it there without any trouble. It was one of Caleb's easiest trips in a while! Hallelujah!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Hot Springs. Mr. L was at deer camp, but came home on Sunday morning before we left. Rudy played golf at Hot Springs Village with Chad on Saturday morning and Mom played with Caleb while I slept in. Unfortunately, Caleb hasn't taken too well to sleeping in the "big bed" with siderails at Lala's and one of us ends up having to sleep with him. Again...thank goodness for hydrocodone. :) Shortly after I got up, Aunt Harolyn came by to see us and then Pepapa and Anna Joyce came over. Caleb and Mom spent some time outside collecting acorns for Pops to feed the deer. I went shopping while Caleb napped and got an outfit to wear Saturday night. When I got home, Rudy was there and got ready to go over to Little Rock. We went to dinner and then to UALR for the Air Force Band Concert. Our friend, Chris was playing a trumpet solo, and it was our first time to see him play professionally. I think the last time I saw Chris play was at our wedding 10 years ago! After the concert, we all went over to Chad & Ronni's house for a little bit and then Rudy and I drove back to Hot Springs. When we got home, Caleb was sound asleep in Lala's bed. I'm not sure which one of them enjoyed that snuggle more.

On Sunday, Mom treated me to a special birthday lunch! She made my favorites: crawfish ettoufee and chocolate pie! Yum! After our early lunch, we hit the road for home. We made a short stop in Ft. Smith to see Jan and her friend Sue, then came home.

Of course, in our family, it seems that someone always has to be sick. Rudy woke up during the night Sunday with a stomach bug. He went to work on Monday, but came home early after a trip to the doctor. He was officially quarantined to the bedroom until this morning.

Sunday night, I went to bed at 9:30, thinking I would get a good night's sleep to prepare for a busy week. No such luck. Caleb woke up at 12:00, crying. I put him in the guest bed with me and we both went back to sleep. He woke up at 2:00 and whined/cried until I had to get up at 5:45 to get ready for work. I put him back in his bed at some point during all of that and he cried so hard, I thought he was going to be sick. So, I started the week on minimal sleep. This week is parent-teacher conference week for me, so I knew it would be busy. I left school at 4:30 on Monday and picked up Caleb. We went to the grocery store and then came home for dinner, bath, play and bedtime. I admit...I bought him a new movie at the store so we could have a low-key night. It worked. I put him to bed at his regular time and then had some work to do. It was midnight before I could get to bed. Of course, Caleb woke up at 12:30 screaming. I thought I was going to cry, but my Mom abilities kicked in and I sucked it up. He kept saying that his ears hurt. I gave him some pain medicine from his surgery and he went right back to sleep. Again...I love hydrocodone. We both slept most of the night and made it to school on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday was a LONG day for me. After school, I had parent-teacher conferences until 6:45. On Monday night, I had called our fabulous superhero babysitter, Kelly and worked out a way for her to take care of Caleb for me on Tuesday night. She came by my school and got my carseat, then went to Caleb's school to get him. They went to an early dinner at McDonald's and then came home to play. Rudy was still quarantined. When I got home, Caleb and Kelly were playing happily. Caleb told me he had to go potty, so I took him. My heart sank when I realized that he had diarrhea. I just knew that he had gotten Rudy's virus and we were in for another few days of misery. After a few more trips to the bathroom, I finally got him to bed. I called my principal and told her I wouldn't be at work on Wednesday and settled in for another long night. I got to bed at about 10:15 and, as expected, Caleb woke up at 2:00. Again, he told me his ears hurt. I gave him more pain medicine, took him to the bathroom (no diarrhea!) and we climbed in the bed. The pain medicine wasn't as effective this time. He fussed and cried and whined for over an hour while laying in the bed with me. He finally fell asleep around 4:00. We got up at 8:00 this morning and he played and watched TV while I dozed on the couch and counted down the time until his nap. After lunch, I finally got him in HIS bed for a nap and started some laundry. Then I hit the bed and slept like a rock until Rudy got home. Rudy woke up Caleb and took him to his follow-up appointment at the ENT. I went to school to get some work to bring home. I'm not sure why - it's not like I've even looked at it tonight! I guess I just needed to get out of the house and that made me feel productive. When I got home, Caleb was playing and Rudy had dinner almost ready. It has been a pretty good night. Rudy has felt so much better and enjoyed playing with Caleb tonight. He put him to bed not long ago and we've agreed to let him cry a little longer tonight before going to rescue him.

Everyone is going to school tomorrow. Rudy and I both have parent-teacher conferences and I have someone coming to my school to watch Caleb and another teacher's child. Good heavens, I hope it's a better day.

Now...for the update from the ENT. Nothing. He told Rudy absolutely nothing. He said that Caleb's ears looked fine. He wasn't worried about anything. He suggested a steroid for the inflammation that may be causing the ear pain, but Rudy turned it down. Caleb doesn't handle steroids well. We'll just keep giving him Tylenol and Motrin. Rudy said that Dr. Lee considered another round of antibiotics, but decided against it. I guess we're just going to have to ride this storm out with a test of patience.

Caleb's whining is ridiculous, but I don't know how much of it is because he doesn't feel good and how much is him being a pain. He will throw a holy fit and whine and cry, then look at me and say, "Mama, I not crying anymore." Usually, when he whines, I ignore him or tell him that I can't hear his words when he's whining. When it's the middle of the night, I tend to cave a little quicker. I'm just too tired to deal with it at 2:00 in the morning. I know I shouldn't get him out of his bed and sleep with him in the guest bed. I know that goes against every logical parenting rule. But...usually that cycles through about 2 or 3 nights every month or so. Not a big deal. Now, this has been going on for almost 2 weeks. It's not just getting old - it's old already.

I know I've written a lot of negativity in this post, so let me finish with some positives.

• Caleb has learned some pretty amazing things the past few weeks at school. He's starting to pretend a lot and his language has exploded once again.
• There is a child in his class that likes to try to scare the other kids by talking about ghosts and monsters. With Halloween coming soon, we've been tying to tell him that ghosts and monsters are pretend. When he starts talking about them at night when he goes to bed, I spray some air freshener that we call "monster spray" and he seems okay.
• As usual, he sings a lot. The new favorites are "Where is Thumbkin" and "Old MacDonald."
• Yesterday, Caleb walked into the living room with his blanket wrapped around his shoulders and told me that he was a princess. I thought that was pretty funny.
• Last Monday, he told me that it wasn't raining, it was just sprinkling.
• With all of the fall decorations out right now, he likes to point out all of the "squarecrows."
• When he is in the car with Rudy, Caleb likes to "help Daddy drive" by pretending that he is holding a steering wheel. He actually turns it the right way most of the time.
• He also likes to tell everything "Happy Birthday" - especially Taco Bell and the cows that we pass on the way home. That's a game that he and his Daddy made up one day and he's holding on to it.
• Caleb has started playing with his toys by "making them talk." He'll hold an Elmo figurine and say, "Hi, Elmo" then, "Hi, Caleb."
• Caleb's sense of direction seems pretty impressive to Rudy and me. He knows which way we turn to get places and if we don't go that way, he gets upset. He can also guess where we're going based on which way we're going.
• And, to make things truly positive...I would venture to say that Caleb is now fully potty-trained. He goes days between accidents. When we were in Hot Springs, I asked him if he needed to go potty and he said no. He then went into the bedroom, closed the door and wet his pants. I asked him why he did that. He said he "want to play, not sit on the potty." That's a pretty good sign to me that he can control his bladder. He's just being two.

A Strange Day

When we went to bed last night, Rudy said, "If Caleb wakes up during the night, please wake me up and I'll take care of him." I didn't argue one bit. When I heard Caleb crying at 4:00, I promptly tapped Rudy on the shoulder. From that point until I woke up at 8:15, I slept harder than I've slept in a long time. I woke up rested and without a headache for the first time in 2 weeks. I just knew it was going to be a great day! I came into the living room and found Caleb and Rudy playing, which is one of my favorite things to see. Rudy then offered to make breakfast, but needed a few ingredients so he headed to Walmart to get them. Caleb and I stayed home and played while he was gone. When Rudy got back, he made Ziploc omelets for us. They tasted much better than they looked and we all enjoyed having breakfast together. After breakfast, Rudy and I were talking about our plan for the day. Caleb was doing so great that we even considered going to the pumpkin patch, but decided to wait another day to make sure he was up to it. Rudy suggested that he take Caleb to the park for a little bit so that I could have some time by myself to scrapbook or do whatever I wanted. Again, I didn't argue. I quickly got out my scrapbook table and went to work. The boys came home from the park and played in the living room for a while. While I was cropping, I noticed that my headache had come back, but didn't think much about it. I've actually gotten kind of used to it lately. However, this didn't stop at a headache. I started feeling really gross pretty quickly. About 11:00, I called for Rudy and he came and walked me to our room where I laid down on the bed to try to make the world stop spinning. I wasn't sleepy or tired, just very dizzy and out of sorts. I covered my head with the blanket and before I knew it, I was sound asleep. I woke up at 3:00, feeling better, but still groggy.

Rudy told me that Caleb had never really taken a nap and that they were both pretty tired. Apparently, Caleb threw both of his blankets, his pillow and his stuffed animals out of his bed and reached over to pull a basket off of his dresser and into his bed. He had partially taken off his shirt and had managed to put his arm through the neckhole. The basket that he grabbed was full of things that we use off and on - diaper cream, Vicks cream, a thermometer, etc. It's a miracle that he didn't smear the creams all over the walls.

Rudy and I each managed to take showers before the Razorback game started at 4:00. While we were watching the game, I noticed that Caleb felt really warm, so I took his temperature. Sure enough, he was running a fever, which was expected after his surgery yesterday. I gave him some Tylenol and he continued to play. Rudy grilled burgers and made fried potatoes for us for dinner and they were yummy. After we ate, I still didn't feel so great, so I took my temperature and found that I, too, had a fever. Yuck. I took some Tylenol and hit the recliner to watch the rest of the game. While we watched the game, Caleb pretended to play football in the living room. He took his little football and crouched down. Then he would say, "hut!" and take off running in a circle around the couch. Eventually, he would fall down and say, "I tackled!" It was pretty stinkin' funny!

Caleb surprised me today. I took my contacts out and put on my glasses, then came into the living room where he was playing. He rarely sees me in my glasses, so he said, "What's that?" I said, "Mama's glasses." His response: "Oh, you beautiful." It made my day. I knew that I didn't look beautiful to anyone but my little boy. I hadn't fixed my hair after my shower, wasn't wearing makeup and had on my awful glasses, but Caleb thought I was beautiful and that's all that counts.

On a happy note, the Hogs managed to pull off their first SEC win of the year against Auburn tonight. Hallelujah Hog! I honestly didn't think we'd win another game all year. It's been a tough season so far and it's far from over.

What a day!

Surgery Success

Caleb did great in his surgery this morning! We got there at 7:30 and waited just a little while before we were called back for the prep work. It was hard to turn him over to a stranger and know that she was going to put him under. I distracted myself with a Southern Living magazine and Rudy read the paper. It wasn't long before Dr. Lee showed up at the door and called us back to the consult room. He said that Caleb's ears looked perfect and that he had no problem removing the adenoids. The nurse came to get Rudy and I from the waiting room just as Caleb was waking up. I held him for about an hour while he slowly emerged from his anesthesia fog. As he woke up, he started to talk a little more. He seemed to feel a little queasy, but wouldn't take any crackers. We made it home right around 10:00 and I held Caleb while Rudy made us a late breakfast. Caleb wouldn't touch his breakfast, but Rudy and I were starving! After breakfast, I took Caleb into my bed and we watched a little TV and rested while Rudy went to get some groceries. At one point, Caleb said, "Mama I want medicine my mouth." I guessed that his throat must be hurting, so I gave him a dose of the painkiller that the doctor prescribed. Since then, he's been much more like himself. He is singing and playing and watching Sesame Street. The only thing I've been able to get him to eat is ice cream and fruit snacks. I told him to enjoy it now, because tomorrow he's back on "real" food. Speaking of that...I got some wrong information yesterday. This morning, when I asked the doctor about a note for soft foods only at daycare next week, he looked at me like I was crazy. He said that with adenoids, there's no need to restrict his diet. He can have whatever he wants. Our only restriction is to keep him from playing too rough for a few days. I think we can manage!

Prayers, Please - Surgery Tomorrow

Caleb goes in for his new set of ear tubes and an adenoidectomy tomorrow morning. We are supposed to be at the outpatient surgery center at 7:30 and they expect to take him back at 8:00. The surgery should take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. We'll be there for a while afterwards so that they can make sure he comes out of the anesthesia okay and can eat/drink without getting sick. He can't have anything to eat after midnight tonight. Rudy has graciously offered to get up with him at 11:30 tonight to try to get him to drink some milk and eat a snack, then go back to bed. Poor little guy will be so confused. First, we've never woken him up in the middle of the night. Second, he ALWAYS has a cup of milk when he wakes up in the morning. This is without fail. The first thing he usually says when we get him up in the morning is, "I have milk, please?" Tomorrow, he has to not only go without his beloved milk, he can't have anything at all. For the first set of tubes (Feb '07), this was the worst part of all. He was so hungry when he came out of surgery that he practically inhaled his bottle. That made his ears pop, which hurt and made him cry like I've never seen before. It was heartbreaking.

I know this comes as no surprise to anyone. When I called the nurse this morning to get our arrival time, I had questions.

1. What's the recovery?
1 day for the tubes
4-5 days for the adenoidectomy
lots of pain relievers for the first couple of days and then fade those out
soft foods for 5-7 days
"take it easy" (no rough play, etc) for a week
no major travel for 2-3 weeks (Darn, there goes that tropical vacation we had planned)

2. When can he go back to school?
probably Monday, maybe Tuesday

I'm nervous about 2 things. First, my child is going under general anesthesia, which is always scary. He's two and they are going to put him to sleep. I know he will be anxious because we won't be with him and he'll be taken into a very strange place by people he doesn't know. Then they will start poking at him and he'll feel pretty helpless. I'll feel helpless because there's nothing I can do to help him. Second, the fear of the unknown is not my forte'. I want to know what to expect. There's no way to know in this situation. I just have to hope that Caleb will be a trooper and if he's not, I have to be patient until it passes.

I'll try to post something sometime tomorrow, but I don't make any promises. Hopefully, he'll sleep quite a bit to sleep off some of the painful time, but who knows!?! In the meantime, please say a little prayer for Caleb tomorrow morning and for his parents who are just hoping this will help.

Caleb's Musical Taste

We were in the car tonight on our way back from dinner at Chili's and I had listened to all the Backyardigans and toddler music I could handle. Jokingly, I turned my iPod to the Chingy song, "Right Thurr" (the clean version, thankyouverymuch). Caleb piped up from the backseat and said, "I like this song! I like it!" and started dancing in his carseat. Rudy and I cracked up! Unfortunately, he didn't like several of my other song selections. He did, however, say that he liked Jimmy Buffett. He is my child, after all.

I'm Haley Villines and I approve this message.

I've never been into politics. Most of it goes over my head or bores me to tears. This election has my attention, though. I believe that it truly is the most important one I've ever experienced. This time around, I'm adding a category to my list of demographics: parent. Now I vote as a Christian, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a woman, an educator, an advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves and a moderate environmentalist - among other things.

My decision has been made for a long time. I'm voting for Barack Obama. I supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries. I was disappointed when she didn't win. Now, though, I fully support the Obama/Biden campaign. I'm not completely thrilled with the choice of Biden for VP, but I'm comfortable with it. I understand it. I like his story, his ideas and his message - I just don't always like his tactics. He's a little too typical politician for my taste.

I support what the candidates stand for and I support the promise that I not only hear, but also FEEL when I read/watch/learn about their platform. I'm not fooled by politicians. I know there is a lot of junk under the surface and I know that promises are empty, but I believe that it is in the best interest of my family and my country to vote for the Democratic ticket this year. I hesitate to use the word "change" because I think it has lost its meaning in the melee of election season, but it fits. I'm ready for a change. Enough is enough.

A while back, I subscribed to get e-mail updates from the Obama/Biden campaign. I delete most of them without opening them, because I simply don't have the time to read them all. This one came today and caught my attention. The purpose was to encourage people to send an e-mail to their families to "educate" and spark conversation about Obama. I'm not into forwarding e-mails. Like me, most people aren't interested in reading forwards. However...you're here, so you must be in a reading mood. I've copied and pasted some of the sample e-mail into this post (below) so that maybe someone who is undecided will feel the excitement that I feel about this election.
I've been thinking a lot about the election and how important it is to our family.
I've decided to support Barack Obama, and wanted to let you know why.
There are many rumors floating around out there, so here's some information about Barack's positions on things I know are important to you:
-- Economy: http://my.barackobama.com/EconomyFlyer
-- Health Care: http://my.barackobama.com/HealthcareFlyer
-- Education: http://my.barackobama.com/EducationFlyer

More information Obama's position regarding a variety of issues can be found here.
Watch Obama's speech from the Democratic convention here.
See a video about who Barack Obama is, where he comes from, and what his values are.

Extra-Curricular Activities

I am in a dilemma. Maybe you can help.

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

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

Here's how I make decisions:

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

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

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

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

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

Yahooey.

I love technology. I love that I can type something in my living room while wearing my PJ's and within seconds, my friends and family can read it on their computer in their living room while wearing their PJ's. I love that they can read it when they want, not when I have a minute to talk on the phone. I love that I can post pictures of our family for people to see. I love that I can buy gifts without setting foot in a store, that I can check my bank balance at 2:00 AM and that I can keep up with friends from almost 20 years ago.

I don't love people who take technology and twist it to hurt other people. Someone hacked my Yahoo account. I had the same e-mail address through Yahoo for over 9 years. When I started my new job, I opened a Gmail account because my school district blocks my access to Yahoo. Today, I found out that some unknown person tapped into my Yahoo account and sent a potentially virus-laden e-mail to my entire address book. So, to all who received the e-mail about the "great website" and the deep discounts, I hope that you didn't open the link. I hope that if you did open the link, there isn't any damage to your computer. And...I hope that this never happens to you. It is maddening.

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!"