Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
This Is Not Funny At All
I woke up this morning with a sore throat and feeling kind of sluggish. I chalked it up to a couple of nights in a row of Caleb waking up during the night and needing help to get back to sleep. By mid-morning, I was feeling much worse and by the afternoon, I could hardly focus my eyes. I took my temperature and had a low-grade fever. By the time I got home, I had a fever of almost 101. I called Rudy and he took Caleb to the mall to play and for dinner. I managed to sit in the recliner for a while and got caught up on 3 weeks of Project Runway before I couldn't stand it anymore. I started shivering and aching and had to climb in the bed with my warm PJ's and the thermometer. I've been here ever since. I know it doesn't make any sense to get mad about being sick, but I am. That's just all there is to it. I'm furious about the fact that I'm sick again. Now I'm out of sick days and if I have to miss school tomorrow (highly likely), I won't get paid for it. I'm tired of being sick.
An Update for the Scrapbook Calendar
2/14 ~ Valentine's Day: It was a beautiful day, so Caleb and I played outside after school. We went for a wagon ride and blew bubbles in the driveway. Rudy was asked to substitute for the conductor of the U of A Campus Band, so he was a little late coming in. When he got home, we went out to dinner at Acambaro..jpg)
2/15-17 ~ A trip to Hot Springs: We drove down to Hot Springs on Friday after school. Caleb was awesome in the car and didn't really fuss much until the last 30 minutes or so. That's when I really wanted to start fussing too, but I didn't think it would be a very good example. :) On Saturday, Aunt Harolyn came over to visit and then we took Caleb to meet Drs. Jim and Elaine McNiece. Mom, Mr. L. and the McNieces have been friends for years! After that, we took Caleb up to the backside of the racetrack so that he could see the horses. Mr. L. has a friend who is a horse trainer, so we were able to go back to his barn, where Caleb could really get up close and personal. Caleb loved it! Last year, he wasn't so sure about those big animals, but this year, he was enthralled. He even reached out to pet them. .jpg)
2/15-17 ~ A trip to Hot Springs: We drove down to Hot Springs on Friday after school. Caleb was awesome in the car and didn't really fuss much until the last 30 minutes or so. That's when I really wanted to start fussing too, but I didn't think it would be a very good example. :) On Saturday, Aunt Harolyn came over to visit and then we took Caleb to meet Drs. Jim and Elaine McNiece. Mom, Mr. L. and the McNieces have been friends for years! After that, we took Caleb up to the backside of the racetrack so that he could see the horses. Mr. L. has a friend who is a horse trainer, so we were able to go back to his barn, where Caleb could really get up close and personal. Caleb loved it! Last year, he wasn't so sure about those big animals, but this year, he was enthralled. He even reached out to pet them. We had a relaxing weekend with Mom and Mr. L. and enjoyed our visit tremendously, but it was time to pack up and head home on Sunday.
2/18 ~ I was out of school on Monday, so I took advantage and made 3 doctor appointments. I got all of my systems checked out and given the go ahead and also managed to get a pedicure while I was at it. It was a busy - but productive - day.
2/23 ~ Aurick's 6th Birthday Party: Caleb was invited to his first Chuck E Cheese birthday party on Saturday. I took him when he woke up from his nap and he had a great time. He even danced with the big kids! I was so proud. I may never forgive Stacy for introducing him to Chuck E Cheese's...just kidding! The best part was that Caleb wasn't afraid of the costumed Chuck E. I was happy to see that, because we're taking him to his first Razorback basketball game on Saturday and I sure would like to get a picture of him with at least one of the mascots!
Monday, February 11, 2008
A GREAT doctor visit
We went to see Dr. Harmon today for a re-check on Caleb's ears and respiratory system. Praise Be...we got a good report. He said that everything is completely okay. We were so excited!!! So - we're not going to have to get tubes this year. However...the first ear infection he has, we are going straight to the ENT and requesting that he put in tubes immediately. Dr. Harmon agrees with that gameplan and we're going with it.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Stomach Flu...again
Back in early September, I wrote a post about our family having the stomach flu. I hoped I would never have to write another one. Yet, here I am - just 5 short months later, reliving the whole thing.
Here's how it all went down...
We all survived the respiratory junk that hit us at the end of January. It cost us a fortune in medications and nearly cost us our sanity (remember the steroids?), but we survived intact. Jan was up for the weekend, so we went out for a nice dinner at Cafe Rue Orleans on Friday night. We thoroughly enjoyed it - as always. Friday and Friday night, Caleb had a little bit of diarrhea, but we chalked it up to his antibiotics and didn't think much of it. On Saturday, Jan agreed (quite willingly) to keep Caleb so Rudy and I could have a day out together. We decided to take a chance on getting tickets at the arena for the Arkansas vs. Florida basketball game, so we went to Fayetteville. We did manage to get pretty great seats and had an absolutely fantastic day together. We watched the game, celebrated the big win with the other crazy fans, went shopping and went to dinner. Rudy even bought me a new iPod for Valentine's Day! Before the game, I commented to Rudy that my stomach didn't feel very good, but I just thought it was because I was hungry. During the game, I started to feel a little queasy and almost feverish, but I pushed it off because I was having so much fun. Rudy called a few times during the day to check in with Jan and Caleb and she said that they were having a great time, but that his diarrhea hadn't stopped and that he was developing a terrible diaper rash. She called us at dinner and said that we should probably come home pretty soon, because he was absolutely miserable and needed some really strong diaper cream to stop the rash. We left as soon as we could and stopped at Walgreen's for diaper rash treatment. When we got home, poor Caleb was in terrible shape. His diaper rash was so painful that he just couldn't be consoled during diaper changes. We were still blaming the antibiotics for his troubles...
I went to bed late Saturday night with a splitting headache and woke up Sunday morning with THAT FEELING. I laid there in misery for a while before I made my first sprint to the bathroom to throw up. That continued throughout the morning and went downhill from there. I definitely had the stomach flu. (In the meantime, Jan had to go help her mother take her father to the hospital. Grandpa's health has been really poor this past few months and he needed some pretty significant medical attention.) Rudy took over taking care of Caleb who obviously had more than just the antibiotics upsetting his stomach. Caleb was a different child than I have ever experienced. He cried at the top of his lungs all day long. He had to be held constantly and could not be satisfied by anything at all. I couldn't lift my head off the pillow without throwing up, so Rudy was completely exhausted by noon. We also knew that the way things were going - there was no way Caleb would be going to school on Monday and that I probably wouldn't either. That's when we decided that we needed to call for backup. I called my mom and she agreed to come up and take care of Caleb. She made it to the house at about 5:00 - just about the time the flu hit Rudy. I was as sick as I have ever been on Sunday night. I could not walk from the couch to the bed by myself. Mom was amazing (as usual) and did everything in her power to take care of Caleb and me and managed to get all of our laundry done at the same time. Somehow, Rudy managed to go to work on Monday. Mom left after going to Wal Mart to get prescription diaper cream for Caleb and Gatorade for me.
Monday and Tuesday nights, Rudy had concerts at the middle schools, so it was just Caleb and me. They were both very trying nights. We were both tired, both still not feeling great and both cranky. That doesn't make for a very good combination. But - we survived and our whole family had a great night last night. Rudy had another concert tonight and Caleb and I had one of the best nights together that I can remember. We played and read books and had dinner together. It was a complete turnaround. I'm praying that we are through being sick for a while and that we can enjoy some time together this weekend without any of the distractions of being sick, tired and cranky.
Here's how it all went down...
We all survived the respiratory junk that hit us at the end of January. It cost us a fortune in medications and nearly cost us our sanity (remember the steroids?), but we survived intact. Jan was up for the weekend, so we went out for a nice dinner at Cafe Rue Orleans on Friday night. We thoroughly enjoyed it - as always. Friday and Friday night, Caleb had a little bit of diarrhea, but we chalked it up to his antibiotics and didn't think much of it. On Saturday, Jan agreed (quite willingly) to keep Caleb so Rudy and I could have a day out together. We decided to take a chance on getting tickets at the arena for the Arkansas vs. Florida basketball game, so we went to Fayetteville. We did manage to get pretty great seats and had an absolutely fantastic day together. We watched the game, celebrated the big win with the other crazy fans, went shopping and went to dinner. Rudy even bought me a new iPod for Valentine's Day! Before the game, I commented to Rudy that my stomach didn't feel very good, but I just thought it was because I was hungry. During the game, I started to feel a little queasy and almost feverish, but I pushed it off because I was having so much fun. Rudy called a few times during the day to check in with Jan and Caleb and she said that they were having a great time, but that his diarrhea hadn't stopped and that he was developing a terrible diaper rash. She called us at dinner and said that we should probably come home pretty soon, because he was absolutely miserable and needed some really strong diaper cream to stop the rash. We left as soon as we could and stopped at Walgreen's for diaper rash treatment. When we got home, poor Caleb was in terrible shape. His diaper rash was so painful that he just couldn't be consoled during diaper changes. We were still blaming the antibiotics for his troubles...
I went to bed late Saturday night with a splitting headache and woke up Sunday morning with THAT FEELING. I laid there in misery for a while before I made my first sprint to the bathroom to throw up. That continued throughout the morning and went downhill from there. I definitely had the stomach flu. (In the meantime, Jan had to go help her mother take her father to the hospital. Grandpa's health has been really poor this past few months and he needed some pretty significant medical attention.) Rudy took over taking care of Caleb who obviously had more than just the antibiotics upsetting his stomach. Caleb was a different child than I have ever experienced. He cried at the top of his lungs all day long. He had to be held constantly and could not be satisfied by anything at all. I couldn't lift my head off the pillow without throwing up, so Rudy was completely exhausted by noon. We also knew that the way things were going - there was no way Caleb would be going to school on Monday and that I probably wouldn't either. That's when we decided that we needed to call for backup. I called my mom and she agreed to come up and take care of Caleb. She made it to the house at about 5:00 - just about the time the flu hit Rudy. I was as sick as I have ever been on Sunday night. I could not walk from the couch to the bed by myself. Mom was amazing (as usual) and did everything in her power to take care of Caleb and me and managed to get all of our laundry done at the same time. Somehow, Rudy managed to go to work on Monday. Mom left after going to Wal Mart to get prescription diaper cream for Caleb and Gatorade for me.
Monday and Tuesday nights, Rudy had concerts at the middle schools, so it was just Caleb and me. They were both very trying nights. We were both tired, both still not feeling great and both cranky. That doesn't make for a very good combination. But - we survived and our whole family had a great night last night. Rudy had another concert tonight and Caleb and I had one of the best nights together that I can remember. We played and read books and had dinner together. It was a complete turnaround. I'm praying that we are through being sick for a while and that we can enjoy some time together this weekend without any of the distractions of being sick, tired and cranky.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Do Tears Freeze?
So, we thought we'd be super-parents and take Caleb out to play in the snow yesterday. After all - kids love snow and he seemed to think it was pretty awesome last year, even though he was only 8 months old. Here's how it all went down:
All morning, Caleb went to the window and said, "'no" (his attempt at "snow") and laughed and looked in absolute amazement. So...after Caleb woke up from his nap, we started the bundling. We all put on a couple of layers and asked Caleb if he wanted to go outside. His normal response of, "'side! 'side! 'side!" was a pretty good sign that we were headed out for some fun! At first, his eyes got big, then he managed a half-smile. Then I picked up some snow and let Caleb touch it. He REFUSES to wear gloves or mittens, so I didn't push that too hard. Even though there wasn't much snow, we got out the sled
and Rudy pulled Caleb down the sidewalk a couple of times.
All morning, Caleb went to the window and said, "'no" (his attempt at "snow") and laughed and looked in absolute amazement. So...after Caleb woke up from his nap, we started the bundling. We all put on a couple of layers and asked Caleb if he wanted to go outside. His normal response of, "'side! 'side! 'side!" was a pretty good sign that we were headed out for some fun! At first, his eyes got big, then he managed a half-smile. Then I picked up some snow and let Caleb touch it. He REFUSES to wear gloves or mittens, so I didn't push that too hard. Even though there wasn't much snow, we got out the sled
and Rudy pulled Caleb down the sidewalk a couple of times.After that, things went downhill fast - and I'm not talking about sledding. Caleb freaked out. He cried when we tried to go for a walk, when we tried to go inside and when we tried to put him in his wagon. He was so upset! I asked him if he wanted to go inside and he cried harder. I asked him if he wanted to play and he cried. I'm embarrassed to say that it took me WAY too long to figure out that 
Caleb's idea of "outside" was very different from what he was experiencing and he was not handling it well. When I asked Caleb if he wanted to go outside, he expected to go out and find grass and concrete and sunshine. Even though he could see the snow through the window - that was just not his idea of what happens when we go "outside." We finally came in and stripped off the outer layer of clothes. He calmed down after a while and we went on with our normal lives...inside the house.
We have a 2nd snow day today and we are NOT going outside.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Antibiotics are Awesome!
We survived the parental round of general grossness around here - thanks to some handy-dandy antibiotics.
We're enjoying a wonderful SNOW DAY at home today! We haven't been out to play in it yet, but we plan to when Caleb wakes up from his nap.
We're enjoying a wonderful SNOW DAY at home today! We haven't been out to play in it yet, but we plan to when Caleb wakes up from his nap.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Update from the Infirmary
Life is so much better at our house these days. Caleb is feeling amazingly better. Rudy took him to Dr. Harmon on Friday for his 2nd round of rocephin shots and I took him in on Saturday for the 3rd round. The doctor that saw him on Saturday said that he still has 2 infected ears and is still wheezing. He wrote a prescription for augmentin and some eye drops. I think he's on the mend, but still isn't out of the woods just yet. We're keeping a close eye on everything.
The Lyons family came over for dinner last night. We enjoyed it so much. We love having friends over and we just haven't had the room to do that since we moved here. Now that we are in our house, we are looking forward to entertaining more.
The Lyons family came over for dinner last night. We enjoyed it so much. We love having friends over and we just haven't had the room to do that since we moved here. Now that we are in our house, we are looking forward to entertaining more.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
MUCH BETTER (video included)
NEWSFLASH AND HALLELUJAH: Caleb woke up from his afternoon nap a little groggy, but by dinnertime, he was almost back to his usual self. By bedtime, he was completely back to his usual self. He put on a show - dancing, singing, laughing and running around the house - that made Rudy and I laugh a much-needed laugh. Of course, Caleb is still sick - the ear infections and respiratory junk didn't go away miraculously - but I can handle all of that as long as he's not acting like a demon child. I am so glad to have my little boy back. See ya, orapred...may you never darken our doorstep again!
Multitasking: 
Say "cheese"...
My 100th Post and it's a long one
Forgive me if this post makes little or no sense. I'm writing on limited sleep, but writing helps me process information and is oddly therapeutic, so I'm putting this in words. Plus - I'm sure I'll need to look back on this post in a few weeks/months to remember this whole episode.
As I wrote in my last post, Caleb went to the pediatrician last Thursday. He was put on amoxicillin and xopenex (nebulizer) for a respiratory infection that was causing coughing, matted eyes and runny nose. The pediatrician also wrote a prescription for orapred and a stronger dosage of xopenex and said to have those filled if he didn't show improvement. Rudy stayed home with him Thursday and Friday. Saturday night, he had a fever of almost 103 degrees. On Sunday, we took it easy and stayed home all day and night. Monday, I had to go to work, but Rudy was off for the King holiday. He dropped off the extra prescriptions and I went to get them after work. Caleb took his first dose of orapred on Monday night with his dinner. We knew he was still too sick to go to school on Tuesday, so Rudy planned to stay home with him again. On Tuesday, the Caleb we all know and love was replaced by a monster. Rudy said that he spent the whole day crying about the smallest things and being aggressive for no reason at all. When I got home Tuesday, he was still being a pain. Rudy needed a break and I can't blame him one bit. He went to run an errand and I decided that maybe Caleb was just feeling cooped up and needed to get out of the house for the first time since Wednesday afternoon. I took him to the mall to get some dinner and read books at the bookstore. When we walked into the food court, he threw his first full-fledged tantrum. In addition to screaming bloody murder, he pulled my hair and pinched my cheek and flopped his whole upper body limp while kicking me. Looking back on it, this was pretty impressive body control. I certainly didn't see any positives to it at the time, though. I was just glad the mall wasn't crowded and there wasn't anybody there that I knew. I calmly (pat on the back) took him into the bathroom area and sat him down on the couch and very sternly told him "no scream, no kick, no hurt Mama." He got big tears in his eyes and gave me a hug. It was almost like he realized that he had just had an out-of-body experience. It was at that point that I realized that I was dealing with more than just a tantrum and that this had to be related to his medicine or to being sick or both. We got dinner from Subway and he hardly ate anything. He did, however, enjoy the echo of the empty food court and drinking water from a straw. At that point, whatever made him happy was fine with me. After dinner, we went to Borders, where my precious child proceeded to go up to a display of Cookie Monster books and say, "uh-oh" before pulling about 10 of them to the floor. He did manage to help me clean up his mess before heading off to the stairs, which he decided to climb. That was perfectly fine, except he didn't want to come back down once he got to the top and - again - threw a lovely fit in the store. I managed to get through the check-out with the help of a very kind store associate who played with Caleb while I paid. I got into the car and drove straight home, still wearing the mark on my face from where he had pinched me earlier.
When we got home, Rudy and I struggled with the decision of sending him to school on Wednesday or not. His nose and eyes had dried up and his cough was much better, but we were now looking at the major personality change that we figured out was from the orapred. We decided that since he hadn't had fever in 36 hours, we'd take a chance with the knowledge that I might have to drop everything and go get him. I dropped him off on Wednesday morning, checked in the nebulizer with instructions for dosing and talked to one of the directors about the decision we had made and asked her to please call me immediately if I needed to come get him. My phone rang at 3:00 and I left work 15 minutes early to go get him. His teacher said that he was just so obviously miserable and had coughed and cried all day. I don't know why they waited so long to call me, but I got to him as soon as I could. He coughed all the way home with the strangest cough I've ever heard. It was heartbreaking. When we got home, he cried for over an hour and I couldn't figure out why. I offered him milk and a graham cracker, but he threw them back at me. When Rudy made it home, Caleb just wanted to be held. His wonderful Daddy dropped everything and held him while I cancelled my students for today and made some mashed potatoes - one of Caleb's favorite foods. When we put him in his chair to eat, though - he wouldn't even take a bite. He just cried until we picked him back up and held him.
In the meantime...I called the doctor's office Wednesday afternoon to ask if we could please take him off the orapred if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Dr. Harmon's nurse, Noel, was wonderful and managed to get us off the orapred and got us a prescription for pulmicort - another nebulizer medication. When she called me back to tell me that she got the prescription, Caleb was standing right next to me, crying so loudly that I could hardly hear. Noel asked me if that was him and I told her, "Yes, and I have no idea why he's crying." She said, "Haley, he doesn't either." That made so much sense to me and put the whole thing in a much better perspective. Nurses are amazing that way.
Caleb took both of his nebulizer treatments like a champ, which is tough, because that means sitting still for a long time! We gave him his amoxicillin and put on his PJ's at 7:00, because he was just so lethargic. As soon as I picked him up from the changing table, he put his head on my shoulder and went to sleep. I sat down in the recliner and held my sleeping child for 2 hours last night. If it was the only comfort I could offer him, I was willing to sit for as long as he needed. I thought he would rest better in the bed, though, so I put him in the guest bed with me. He woke up off and on all night long, coughing so hard I thought he was going to be sick and crying out in pain. He tossed and turned and finally got into a restful sleep at about 4:30. We both slept hard from that point until about 7:30, when I got up to start getting ready to go to the doctor. I didn't want to wake him up since he was finally sleeping, so I waited as long as I could to get him ready. I gave him a cup of teddy grahams while I was packing his diaper bag and a backpack with some things to entertain him at the office. He managed to spill the grahams, which sent him into a screaming fit on the floor. I knew it was going to be a trying trip to the doctor.
We actually got in to see the doctor pretty quickly, which was a huge blessing. Morning appointments are the way to go! I was quite a sight at the office, though. I had my coat, Caleb's coat, Caleb's "bed" (his blanket that he suddenly wants all the time), a full-size backpack and a kid-size backpack that we use as our diaper bag. Oh...and a toddler with a mind of his own who wanted to go in the opposite direction of where we needed to be at all times and screamed horrifically when I suggested otherwise. I'm sure I was "that mom" that all of the others looked at and just shook their heads thinking that I was a complete disaster and needed to get it together. They were right, but I didn't care. When Dr. Harmon came into the exam room, I said, "I bet you hate to see our names on your daily schedule." He just smiled and patted me on the back. Don't think that I didn't notice the fact that he didn't deny it. He looked at Caleb's ears and said they were in bad shape. I asked if they were infected and he said yes. He listened to him breathe and watched his pulse-ox for about 30 seconds and then wrote a prescription for phenergan with codeine and ordered a shot of rocephin for today and another one for tomorrow. He said that he'll decide tomorrow whether or not he needs another shot on Saturday. He's off the amoxicillin, but still on both breathing treatments. The rocephin shots are apparently very painful for kids, so the nurses apologized over and over to me and to Caleb for giving them. I assured them that neither of us would hold a grudge as long as they made him feel better.
After the doctor's office, we stopped very quickly at my office so that I could get my therapy materials for tomorrow. After that, we headed for Walgreen's to drop off our new prescription. Caleb had fallen asleep in the car, so I ate some Chick-Fil-A in the car while I waited on the medicine. When I went to pick up the prescription, the pharmacist told me that she had called the doctor's office because the phenergan was not recommended for children. Apparently, it can cause respiratory distress in children. What?!?! Why in the world did my pediatrician write the script then???? I kept my cool and asked her to call me when she heard from the doctor. Shortly after I got home, she did call and said that they had come up with an alternative and it would be ready when we wanted it. Rudy is picking it up on his way home from work today.
I tried to put Caleb into his bed when we got home, but he didn't want anything to do with that idea. I asked him if he wanted to eat and he said, "eat" so I put him in his chair and gave him some chicken. He very s-l-o-w-l-y managed to eat 4 nuggets and drink 1/2 a cup of milk. I gave him his breathing treatments and we read a book, then watched some "Melmo" (Sesame Street) before I put him down for his nap. That was about an hour and a half ago and he's starting to wake up now. We'll see how the afternoon goes...
As I wrote in my last post, Caleb went to the pediatrician last Thursday. He was put on amoxicillin and xopenex (nebulizer) for a respiratory infection that was causing coughing, matted eyes and runny nose. The pediatrician also wrote a prescription for orapred and a stronger dosage of xopenex and said to have those filled if he didn't show improvement. Rudy stayed home with him Thursday and Friday. Saturday night, he had a fever of almost 103 degrees. On Sunday, we took it easy and stayed home all day and night. Monday, I had to go to work, but Rudy was off for the King holiday. He dropped off the extra prescriptions and I went to get them after work. Caleb took his first dose of orapred on Monday night with his dinner. We knew he was still too sick to go to school on Tuesday, so Rudy planned to stay home with him again. On Tuesday, the Caleb we all know and love was replaced by a monster. Rudy said that he spent the whole day crying about the smallest things and being aggressive for no reason at all. When I got home Tuesday, he was still being a pain. Rudy needed a break and I can't blame him one bit. He went to run an errand and I decided that maybe Caleb was just feeling cooped up and needed to get out of the house for the first time since Wednesday afternoon. I took him to the mall to get some dinner and read books at the bookstore. When we walked into the food court, he threw his first full-fledged tantrum. In addition to screaming bloody murder, he pulled my hair and pinched my cheek and flopped his whole upper body limp while kicking me. Looking back on it, this was pretty impressive body control. I certainly didn't see any positives to it at the time, though. I was just glad the mall wasn't crowded and there wasn't anybody there that I knew. I calmly (pat on the back) took him into the bathroom area and sat him down on the couch and very sternly told him "no scream, no kick, no hurt Mama." He got big tears in his eyes and gave me a hug. It was almost like he realized that he had just had an out-of-body experience. It was at that point that I realized that I was dealing with more than just a tantrum and that this had to be related to his medicine or to being sick or both. We got dinner from Subway and he hardly ate anything. He did, however, enjoy the echo of the empty food court and drinking water from a straw. At that point, whatever made him happy was fine with me. After dinner, we went to Borders, where my precious child proceeded to go up to a display of Cookie Monster books and say, "uh-oh" before pulling about 10 of them to the floor. He did manage to help me clean up his mess before heading off to the stairs, which he decided to climb. That was perfectly fine, except he didn't want to come back down once he got to the top and - again - threw a lovely fit in the store. I managed to get through the check-out with the help of a very kind store associate who played with Caleb while I paid. I got into the car and drove straight home, still wearing the mark on my face from where he had pinched me earlier.
When we got home, Rudy and I struggled with the decision of sending him to school on Wednesday or not. His nose and eyes had dried up and his cough was much better, but we were now looking at the major personality change that we figured out was from the orapred. We decided that since he hadn't had fever in 36 hours, we'd take a chance with the knowledge that I might have to drop everything and go get him. I dropped him off on Wednesday morning, checked in the nebulizer with instructions for dosing and talked to one of the directors about the decision we had made and asked her to please call me immediately if I needed to come get him. My phone rang at 3:00 and I left work 15 minutes early to go get him. His teacher said that he was just so obviously miserable and had coughed and cried all day. I don't know why they waited so long to call me, but I got to him as soon as I could. He coughed all the way home with the strangest cough I've ever heard. It was heartbreaking. When we got home, he cried for over an hour and I couldn't figure out why. I offered him milk and a graham cracker, but he threw them back at me. When Rudy made it home, Caleb just wanted to be held. His wonderful Daddy dropped everything and held him while I cancelled my students for today and made some mashed potatoes - one of Caleb's favorite foods. When we put him in his chair to eat, though - he wouldn't even take a bite. He just cried until we picked him back up and held him.
In the meantime...I called the doctor's office Wednesday afternoon to ask if we could please take him off the orapred if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Dr. Harmon's nurse, Noel, was wonderful and managed to get us off the orapred and got us a prescription for pulmicort - another nebulizer medication. When she called me back to tell me that she got the prescription, Caleb was standing right next to me, crying so loudly that I could hardly hear. Noel asked me if that was him and I told her, "Yes, and I have no idea why he's crying." She said, "Haley, he doesn't either." That made so much sense to me and put the whole thing in a much better perspective. Nurses are amazing that way.
Caleb took both of his nebulizer treatments like a champ, which is tough, because that means sitting still for a long time! We gave him his amoxicillin and put on his PJ's at 7:00, because he was just so lethargic. As soon as I picked him up from the changing table, he put his head on my shoulder and went to sleep. I sat down in the recliner and held my sleeping child for 2 hours last night. If it was the only comfort I could offer him, I was willing to sit for as long as he needed. I thought he would rest better in the bed, though, so I put him in the guest bed with me. He woke up off and on all night long, coughing so hard I thought he was going to be sick and crying out in pain. He tossed and turned and finally got into a restful sleep at about 4:30. We both slept hard from that point until about 7:30, when I got up to start getting ready to go to the doctor. I didn't want to wake him up since he was finally sleeping, so I waited as long as I could to get him ready. I gave him a cup of teddy grahams while I was packing his diaper bag and a backpack with some things to entertain him at the office. He managed to spill the grahams, which sent him into a screaming fit on the floor. I knew it was going to be a trying trip to the doctor.
We actually got in to see the doctor pretty quickly, which was a huge blessing. Morning appointments are the way to go! I was quite a sight at the office, though. I had my coat, Caleb's coat, Caleb's "bed" (his blanket that he suddenly wants all the time), a full-size backpack and a kid-size backpack that we use as our diaper bag. Oh...and a toddler with a mind of his own who wanted to go in the opposite direction of where we needed to be at all times and screamed horrifically when I suggested otherwise. I'm sure I was "that mom" that all of the others looked at and just shook their heads thinking that I was a complete disaster and needed to get it together. They were right, but I didn't care. When Dr. Harmon came into the exam room, I said, "I bet you hate to see our names on your daily schedule." He just smiled and patted me on the back. Don't think that I didn't notice the fact that he didn't deny it. He looked at Caleb's ears and said they were in bad shape. I asked if they were infected and he said yes. He listened to him breathe and watched his pulse-ox for about 30 seconds and then wrote a prescription for phenergan with codeine and ordered a shot of rocephin for today and another one for tomorrow. He said that he'll decide tomorrow whether or not he needs another shot on Saturday. He's off the amoxicillin, but still on both breathing treatments. The rocephin shots are apparently very painful for kids, so the nurses apologized over and over to me and to Caleb for giving them. I assured them that neither of us would hold a grudge as long as they made him feel better.
After the doctor's office, we stopped very quickly at my office so that I could get my therapy materials for tomorrow. After that, we headed for Walgreen's to drop off our new prescription. Caleb had fallen asleep in the car, so I ate some Chick-Fil-A in the car while I waited on the medicine. When I went to pick up the prescription, the pharmacist told me that she had called the doctor's office because the phenergan was not recommended for children. Apparently, it can cause respiratory distress in children. What?!?! Why in the world did my pediatrician write the script then???? I kept my cool and asked her to call me when she heard from the doctor. Shortly after I got home, she did call and said that they had come up with an alternative and it would be ready when we wanted it. Rudy is picking it up on his way home from work today.
I tried to put Caleb into his bed when we got home, but he didn't want anything to do with that idea. I asked him if he wanted to eat and he said, "eat" so I put him in his chair and gave him some chicken. He very s-l-o-w-l-y managed to eat 4 nuggets and drink 1/2 a cup of milk. I gave him his breathing treatments and we read a book, then watched some "Melmo" (Sesame Street) before I put him down for his nap. That was about an hour and a half ago and he's starting to wake up now. We'll see how the afternoon goes...
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Baby, It's Cold Outside!
On Saturday, the 12th, Mom and Mr. L came up to bring us some odds and ends for the house and to visit. We had a wonderful time. Rudy cooked an amazing dinner Saturday night and we all sat around the table and laughed at Caleb as he learned to say, "Oh, no!" and a hilarious version of "Oh, man!" It was a great visit.
On Sunday, we took advantage of Mr. L's truck and followed them to Ft. Smith to give Jan an outdoor cabinet that we couldn't get to her on our own. We stayed and had lunch with her before leaving for home.
I woke up on Tuesday feeling like I had been run over by a fleet of trucks. I absolutely couldn't get up and make it through a day with 3, 4 and 5 year olds, so I called in sick. I ended up sleeping 20 of the 24 hours of Tuesday. It took a few days before I started feeling better, but I didn't really have much of a choice...
On Thursday morning, Caleb woke up with a matted eye, runny nose and a fever. He had been coughing a lot all week, but the fever was what really concerned me. Rudy took the day off and took him to the pediatrician. He was diagnosed with a bad respiratory infection. He's on a nebulizer for breathing treatments and also a round of antibiotics. The nurse said that he didn't need to go to daycare on Friday - or any day until he got better because his immune system was weak and he could end up with RSV. So, Rudy stayed home on Friday as well. It was miserable for me to go to work and leave them here. I was worried all day, but I was so busy that I didn't have time to do much about it. Besides, it was a crummy day at work and I really just wanted to get home to my boys.
Friday night (after lots of debate about what was the right thing to do), Rudy and I went to dinner and a movie. We got a babysitter and actually went on a date. Kelly is a junior in college and we've known her since she was in high school. She had our cell phone numbers, so we felt comfortable leaving Caleb in her care. He was only awake for about 2 hours while she was here. Our much-needed date was fantastic - great meal and great movie (Juno) - and we got back here by midnight.
Nothing really changed with Caleb on Saturday. We stayed home all day and night. During his bath, he got a funny look on his face and said, "Poo." I asked him if he had to poop and he nodded his head. I picked him up out of the tub and put him on the toilet, but that made him cry, so I put a diaper on him. After a few minutes, he said, "bath" and I put him back in the tub. He hadn't dirtied his diaper, but he had wet it. Right after his bath, he did dirty the diaper that I put on him. I'm hoping this means he's starting to realize the feeling of needing to go to the bathroom and that will make potty training a little easier next year. We'll see. He's been doing that more and more often lately. While Mom and Mr. L were here last weekend, he started pooping IN the tub and I said, "Caleb, are you pooping?" He nodded at me and said, "Yeah." Mom scooped him up out of the tub and I cleaned it out before running him a fresh bath. Only in a mother's world!
He went to bed just fine Saturday night. I had trouble getting to sleep and had dozed off at about 2:45, when I started to hear him moaning and crying. I thought maybe he was just unsettled and would get back to sleep in a few minutes. It just got worse, though and he eventually started calling for me. I went into his room and picked him up. That's when I realized that he was burning up with fever. I changed his diaper and wet PJ's and then gave him some ibuprofen. As I tried to get him to sleep, I took his temperature and it was 102.9. I took a deep breath and prayed that the ibuprofen would work quickly. Fortunately, it did and I felt his fever break a short time later. He tossed and turned for a while and finally went to sleep about 4:00. Needless to say, we both took long naps today. We stayed in again today and I'm about to go stir crazy. Not stir crazy enough to look forward to going to work tomorrow - that would just be crazy!
Rudy is off tomorrow for MLK, Jr. day, but I have to go to work. We're going to wait and see how Caleb does tonight before we decide about daycare tomorrow. He seems to feel fine, but he's still very congested. He has danced around and played a lot today, and we have followed him around with tissues. I think he is just as stir crazy as we are, but we can't chance him getting any sicker, so we'll be conservative about sending him back.
On Sunday, we took advantage of Mr. L's truck and followed them to Ft. Smith to give Jan an outdoor cabinet that we couldn't get to her on our own. We stayed and had lunch with her before leaving for home.
I woke up on Tuesday feeling like I had been run over by a fleet of trucks. I absolutely couldn't get up and make it through a day with 3, 4 and 5 year olds, so I called in sick. I ended up sleeping 20 of the 24 hours of Tuesday. It took a few days before I started feeling better, but I didn't really have much of a choice...
On Thursday morning, Caleb woke up with a matted eye, runny nose and a fever. He had been coughing a lot all week, but the fever was what really concerned me. Rudy took the day off and took him to the pediatrician. He was diagnosed with a bad respiratory infection. He's on a nebulizer for breathing treatments and also a round of antibiotics. The nurse said that he didn't need to go to daycare on Friday - or any day until he got better because his immune system was weak and he could end up with RSV. So, Rudy stayed home on Friday as well. It was miserable for me to go to work and leave them here. I was worried all day, but I was so busy that I didn't have time to do much about it. Besides, it was a crummy day at work and I really just wanted to get home to my boys.
Friday night (after lots of debate about what was the right thing to do), Rudy and I went to dinner and a movie. We got a babysitter and actually went on a date. Kelly is a junior in college and we've known her since she was in high school. She had our cell phone numbers, so we felt comfortable leaving Caleb in her care. He was only awake for about 2 hours while she was here. Our much-needed date was fantastic - great meal and great movie (Juno) - and we got back here by midnight.
Nothing really changed with Caleb on Saturday. We stayed home all day and night. During his bath, he got a funny look on his face and said, "Poo." I asked him if he had to poop and he nodded his head. I picked him up out of the tub and put him on the toilet, but that made him cry, so I put a diaper on him. After a few minutes, he said, "bath" and I put him back in the tub. He hadn't dirtied his diaper, but he had wet it. Right after his bath, he did dirty the diaper that I put on him. I'm hoping this means he's starting to realize the feeling of needing to go to the bathroom and that will make potty training a little easier next year. We'll see. He's been doing that more and more often lately. While Mom and Mr. L were here last weekend, he started pooping IN the tub and I said, "Caleb, are you pooping?" He nodded at me and said, "Yeah." Mom scooped him up out of the tub and I cleaned it out before running him a fresh bath. Only in a mother's world!
He went to bed just fine Saturday night. I had trouble getting to sleep and had dozed off at about 2:45, when I started to hear him moaning and crying. I thought maybe he was just unsettled and would get back to sleep in a few minutes. It just got worse, though and he eventually started calling for me. I went into his room and picked him up. That's when I realized that he was burning up with fever. I changed his diaper and wet PJ's and then gave him some ibuprofen. As I tried to get him to sleep, I took his temperature and it was 102.9. I took a deep breath and prayed that the ibuprofen would work quickly. Fortunately, it did and I felt his fever break a short time later. He tossed and turned for a while and finally went to sleep about 4:00. Needless to say, we both took long naps today. We stayed in again today and I'm about to go stir crazy. Not stir crazy enough to look forward to going to work tomorrow - that would just be crazy!
Rudy is off tomorrow for MLK, Jr. day, but I have to go to work. We're going to wait and see how Caleb does tonight before we decide about daycare tomorrow. He seems to feel fine, but he's still very congested. He has danced around and played a lot today, and we have followed him around with tissues. I think he is just as stir crazy as we are, but we can't chance him getting any sicker, so we'll be conservative about sending him back.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Christmas and All Settled In
We're finally HOME! We could not possibly be happier with our new home and we are thrilled to be settled in and unpacked. Everyone keeps saying that they are amazed that I already have pictures hung on the wall and boxes unpacked. Well, it's me and that's how I do things. I can't stand to live in a place where I have to sidestep boxes and the walls are bare. I want it done so I can relax and enjoy my life.
The morning of the 21st, Rudy got up and took Caleb to Jan's in Ft. Smith. She kept him all weekend for us, which we greatly appreciate. We closed on the house at 2:00 and went straight home to start moving stuff. We moved the entire contents of the kitchen that night. On Saturday, we got up bright and early to get a head start on the moving truck. We hauled a couple of loads of stuff in our cars before the truck ever showed up. We had 2 guys helping us move and they were pretty good. They had all the right equipment to make even the heavy stuff easy to maneuver. They were gone by 4:00 and we were left with a big huge mess. At times, we looked around and had no idea where to even begin to work. But - we jumped in there and got it done. We made sure that Caleb's room was ready for him when he got home on Sunday. The basics were all done by the end of the weekend.
On Sunday, we met the Villines family for lunch in Fayetteville. Todd, Tammy and Elle brought Caleb to meet us. We enjoyed our time with the family. Jerry and Sherry, Rebecca and Derek and Tom came back with us to see the house after lunch. We were so proud to show it off, even though it wasn't finished yet.
On Christmas Eve, we spent the morning waiting for the cable guy and the delivery of our new dryer. (Our old one had almost caught fire and we didn't know it!) Once all of that was done, we went to Jan's in Ft. Smith. The Voise family had a wonderful dinner there and it was good to see everyone. The best part was watching Caleb and Elle play together.
Christmas Day (Rudy's 32nd birthday), we came back home. After Caleb's nap, he opened his Christmas presents from us and then we went over to the Voises for dinner and to visit some more. Jan and Chris came back to the house and spent the night. We were all exhausted when we got home! We had been on a whirlwind adventure for several days...and it was only just starting.
On the 26th, Mom came up to help me with decorating/unpacking and watching Caleb while I did those fun things. It was wonderful having her here. I don't know how I ever would've gotten all of those boxes unpacked without her! Rudy left for Fordyce (deer camp) on the afternoon of the 26th and met Mr. L. down there. Mom and I worked ourselves to the bone for 2 days and then packed up on the 28th and went to Hot Springs.
After Caleb's nap on the 28th, we went over to Aunt Harolyn's to see everyone. Becca, Jimmy and Maddox hadn't been there long and we were so glad to see them! Caleb and Maddox played and had a Goldfish cracker picnic in the floor with Aunt H. Caleb taught Maddox how to call the Hogs, which was almost enough to give Jimmy a stroke. Of course, all of the Arkansas fans in the group loved it! The two boys had a great time playing with cars and trucks, dancing and soaking up the spotlight. That evening, we went to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's house to see them and I helped Pepapa set up his new high-speed internet. It was quite an ordeal, but we got it done and got home just in time to put Caleb to bed.
On the 29th, Rudy and Mr. L. came back from Fordyce and Rudy had killed a deer. He was so excited! That afternoon, we went back over to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's for our big family Christmas. We had a great time seeing everyone. It was a very special Christmas this year. We were so glad to have the little boys running around and playing. It was the first time we've had 2 little ones at Christmas in a very long time! In addition to that, we were all glad to be together for the first time since Kim's breast cancer diagnosis. It made the meaning of Christmas and the feeling of family a lot more important than usual. She is doing fantastic and I was so glad to see her smiling face! Please continue to pray for her and for Jimmy.
When we got back to Mom and Mr. L's after dinner, we went ahead and opened all of our Christmas gifts with them so that packing up the car would be an easier task the next morning. Not that it was easy with all of the stuff that we had to take home!
Caleb made a major haul on the Christmas gifts this year. He got a wagon, lots of Little People stuff, some movies, some books, a 3-in-1 tricycle/rocker, cars and trucks and even a Lightening McQueen car that he can ride on and make lots of noise! He loves it! I even cleaned out his toy box when we got home from Hot Springs to make room for the new things.
We spent the last couple of days of the year finishing up the house and getting our lives back in order after the move. We didn't do anything at all on New Year's Eve. In fact, we were sound asleep when the clock struck 12. We were completely disappointed in the Hogs' performance in the Cotton Bowl. I even managed to sleep through the entire 3rd quarter. It was THAT bad!
I had to go back to work on the 2nd, so Rudy took Caleb to school and came home to work on the remaining "to-do" list. On Friday night, Chris came up and spent the weekend with us. He and Rudy did some lawnwork for the Voises on Saturday, then went to see a movie Saturday night. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days, so we spent a lot of time outside playing. Rudy went back to work on the 7th and some sense of routine has returned to our lives. We're looking forward to the weekend. Mom and Mr. L. are coming up on Saturday morning. They are bringing some fantastic hand-me-down furniture and taking our old refrigerator back with them. They are looking forward to seeing the finished product of our new home...and looking forward to seeing Caleb too.
As for Caleb's milestones...I couldn't be more excited! He's talking so much now that I can't even keep up with all of his words. He has even started putting 2 words together occasionally. A couple of days ago, he said, "Hi, Daddy." He loves to play with his Little People and with anything that has wheels or plays music. He asks for Elmo, movies ("moobee") and TV ("teebee") more than I'd like for him to, but we monitor what he watches, so I guess it's okay. He loves Monsters, Inc. and Cars. He also loves Sesame Street and pretty much anything on Sprout. I was amazed a couple of days ago when I realized that he can identify a star...and says that word "star" anytime he sees one. He also says, "Wow!" when something really amazes him. Oh...and he dances. It is pretty much the funniest thing he's ever done. I've tried to catch him doing it on video, but he loves the camera, so when I get it out - that's all he focuses on. He will go to Rudy's clock-radio on his nightstand and press the button that turns on the radio. Then he starts grooving with his shoulders and turns around in circles. This lasts about 15 seconds before he turns off the music, then turns it back on and does it all over again. It never fails to make me laugh! His other favorite thing right now is opening and closing doors. This is enough to make me crazy sometimes, but I figure it's a passing phase. It'll get old after a while and we'll move on to something else that makes me nuts. Other than wanting to be "side" (outside) all the time and throwing a holy fit when he doesn't get to go, he's a pretty easy-going little man. He loves his school, his teachers and his mama and daddy. My favorite thing in the world is to walk into his classroom in the afternoons and hear, "Mama!" and see that smiling child come running towards me. What more could I ask for?
The morning of the 21st, Rudy got up and took Caleb to Jan's in Ft. Smith. She kept him all weekend for us, which we greatly appreciate. We closed on the house at 2:00 and went straight home to start moving stuff. We moved the entire contents of the kitchen that night. On Saturday, we got up bright and early to get a head start on the moving truck. We hauled a couple of loads of stuff in our cars before the truck ever showed up. We had 2 guys helping us move and they were pretty good. They had all the right equipment to make even the heavy stuff easy to maneuver. They were gone by 4:00 and we were left with a big huge mess. At times, we looked around and had no idea where to even begin to work. But - we jumped in there and got it done. We made sure that Caleb's room was ready for him when he got home on Sunday. The basics were all done by the end of the weekend.
On Sunday, we met the Villines family for lunch in Fayetteville. Todd, Tammy and Elle brought Caleb to meet us. We enjoyed our time with the family. Jerry and Sherry, Rebecca and Derek and Tom came back with us to see the house after lunch. We were so proud to show it off, even though it wasn't finished yet.
On Christmas Eve, we spent the morning waiting for the cable guy and the delivery of our new dryer. (Our old one had almost caught fire and we didn't know it!) Once all of that was done, we went to Jan's in Ft. Smith. The Voise family had a wonderful dinner there and it was good to see everyone. The best part was watching Caleb and Elle play together.
Christmas Day (Rudy's 32nd birthday), we came back home. After Caleb's nap, he opened his Christmas presents from us and then we went over to the Voises for dinner and to visit some more. Jan and Chris came back to the house and spent the night. We were all exhausted when we got home! We had been on a whirlwind adventure for several days...and it was only just starting.
On the 26th, Mom came up to help me with decorating/unpacking and watching Caleb while I did those fun things. It was wonderful having her here. I don't know how I ever would've gotten all of those boxes unpacked without her! Rudy left for Fordyce (deer camp) on the afternoon of the 26th and met Mr. L. down there. Mom and I worked ourselves to the bone for 2 days and then packed up on the 28th and went to Hot Springs.
After Caleb's nap on the 28th, we went over to Aunt Harolyn's to see everyone. Becca, Jimmy and Maddox hadn't been there long and we were so glad to see them! Caleb and Maddox played and had a Goldfish cracker picnic in the floor with Aunt H. Caleb taught Maddox how to call the Hogs, which was almost enough to give Jimmy a stroke. Of course, all of the Arkansas fans in the group loved it! The two boys had a great time playing with cars and trucks, dancing and soaking up the spotlight. That evening, we went to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's house to see them and I helped Pepapa set up his new high-speed internet. It was quite an ordeal, but we got it done and got home just in time to put Caleb to bed.
On the 29th, Rudy and Mr. L. came back from Fordyce and Rudy had killed a deer. He was so excited! That afternoon, we went back over to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's for our big family Christmas. We had a great time seeing everyone. It was a very special Christmas this year. We were so glad to have the little boys running around and playing. It was the first time we've had 2 little ones at Christmas in a very long time! In addition to that, we were all glad to be together for the first time since Kim's breast cancer diagnosis. It made the meaning of Christmas and the feeling of family a lot more important than usual. She is doing fantastic and I was so glad to see her smiling face! Please continue to pray for her and for Jimmy.
When we got back to Mom and Mr. L's after dinner, we went ahead and opened all of our Christmas gifts with them so that packing up the car would be an easier task the next morning. Not that it was easy with all of the stuff that we had to take home!
Caleb made a major haul on the Christmas gifts this year. He got a wagon, lots of Little People stuff, some movies, some books, a 3-in-1 tricycle/rocker, cars and trucks and even a Lightening McQueen car that he can ride on and make lots of noise! He loves it! I even cleaned out his toy box when we got home from Hot Springs to make room for the new things.
We spent the last couple of days of the year finishing up the house and getting our lives back in order after the move. We didn't do anything at all on New Year's Eve. In fact, we were sound asleep when the clock struck 12. We were completely disappointed in the Hogs' performance in the Cotton Bowl. I even managed to sleep through the entire 3rd quarter. It was THAT bad!
I had to go back to work on the 2nd, so Rudy took Caleb to school and came home to work on the remaining "to-do" list. On Friday night, Chris came up and spent the weekend with us. He and Rudy did some lawnwork for the Voises on Saturday, then went to see a movie Saturday night. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days, so we spent a lot of time outside playing. Rudy went back to work on the 7th and some sense of routine has returned to our lives. We're looking forward to the weekend. Mom and Mr. L. are coming up on Saturday morning. They are bringing some fantastic hand-me-down furniture and taking our old refrigerator back with them. They are looking forward to seeing the finished product of our new home...and looking forward to seeing Caleb too.
As for Caleb's milestones...I couldn't be more excited! He's talking so much now that I can't even keep up with all of his words. He has even started putting 2 words together occasionally. A couple of days ago, he said, "Hi, Daddy." He loves to play with his Little People and with anything that has wheels or plays music. He asks for Elmo, movies ("moobee") and TV ("teebee") more than I'd like for him to, but we monitor what he watches, so I guess it's okay. He loves Monsters, Inc. and Cars. He also loves Sesame Street and pretty much anything on Sprout. I was amazed a couple of days ago when I realized that he can identify a star...and says that word "star" anytime he sees one. He also says, "Wow!" when something really amazes him. Oh...and he dances. It is pretty much the funniest thing he's ever done. I've tried to catch him doing it on video, but he loves the camera, so when I get it out - that's all he focuses on. He will go to Rudy's clock-radio on his nightstand and press the button that turns on the radio. Then he starts grooving with his shoulders and turns around in circles. This lasts about 15 seconds before he turns off the music, then turns it back on and does it all over again. It never fails to make me laugh! His other favorite thing right now is opening and closing doors. This is enough to make me crazy sometimes, but I figure it's a passing phase. It'll get old after a while and we'll move on to something else that makes me nuts. Other than wanting to be "side" (outside) all the time and throwing a holy fit when he doesn't get to go, he's a pretty easy-going little man. He loves his school, his teachers and his mama and daddy. My favorite thing in the world is to walk into his classroom in the afternoons and hear, "Mama!" and see that smiling child come running towards me. What more could I ask for?
Thursday, December 20, 2007
15 Days Later...
I'm back! It's been 15 crazy days since I took the time to sit down and record the life of the Villines family. Things have been a little wild around here since I last wrote.
Caleb has gone back and forth from being a complete and total grump to being our normal fun-loving kid. I like the fun-loving days a lot better, but who wouldn't? We've been blaming it all on teething (the usual scapegoat) because nothing else makes sense. He hasn't had fever and hasn't shown any signs of ear infection or any other horrible sickness. He's just mad at the world. He isn't sleeping well either. He's been waking up every night somewhere between midnight and 2 AM and cries like he's been stung by bees until we give him some milk. He usually sucks that down by the time his diaper is changed. We've tried putting him back in his bed and walking out, but that starts the wailing all over again. At first, we were determined to wait him out and just let him cry, but that's impossible. He will literally cry all night long - which means no sleep for anyone and some very miserable days. So - we give in (I know...I know) and get him. We've been taking turns sleeping in the guest bed with Caleb for over a week now. It's getting old. I'm hoping that the transition into the new house is a natural time for us to cut that out. However, we have some crazy days ahead of us with the schedule that we have for Christmas break. Tonight, we resorted to Benadryl to (hopefully) help him sleep through the night. We'll see.
We close on our house tomorrow at 3:00. Everything has come together beautifully. Last night, we went by there with our Realtor to make a punch list and I literally got tears in my eyes when I pulled in the driveway. The house is just so pretty and so much more than I ever dreamed I'd be able to have at the age of 31. I can't wait to live there. The movers come Saturday morning!
Caleb has gone back and forth from being a complete and total grump to being our normal fun-loving kid. I like the fun-loving days a lot better, but who wouldn't? We've been blaming it all on teething (the usual scapegoat) because nothing else makes sense. He hasn't had fever and hasn't shown any signs of ear infection or any other horrible sickness. He's just mad at the world. He isn't sleeping well either. He's been waking up every night somewhere between midnight and 2 AM and cries like he's been stung by bees until we give him some milk. He usually sucks that down by the time his diaper is changed. We've tried putting him back in his bed and walking out, but that starts the wailing all over again. At first, we were determined to wait him out and just let him cry, but that's impossible. He will literally cry all night long - which means no sleep for anyone and some very miserable days. So - we give in (I know...I know) and get him. We've been taking turns sleeping in the guest bed with Caleb for over a week now. It's getting old. I'm hoping that the transition into the new house is a natural time for us to cut that out. However, we have some crazy days ahead of us with the schedule that we have for Christmas break. Tonight, we resorted to Benadryl to (hopefully) help him sleep through the night. We'll see.
We close on our house tomorrow at 3:00. Everything has come together beautifully. Last night, we went by there with our Realtor to make a punch list and I literally got tears in my eyes when I pulled in the driveway. The house is just so pretty and so much more than I ever dreamed I'd be able to have at the age of 31. I can't wait to live there. The movers come Saturday morning!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Santa
We took Caleb to see Santa at the Promenade on Friday night. We stood in line forever! Once we finally got to the front of the line, the bozo running the camera decided that it was time to refill the photo paper, but didn't know how. So...that took what felt like eternity! In the meantime, Caleb runs over to Santa and laughs, smiles and does everything you want your child to do when they meet Santa. As soon as the camera moron figured everything out - Caleb was completely done with Santa. He didn't want to sit there anymore, he didn't want to smile and he didn't want to have his picture taken. I finally got him to say, "cheese," and the camera moron missed the shot because he was tinkering with the computer. The camera moron stood there and shook some danged bells while Caleb sat and cried, pouted and reached for Rudy and I. Aggghhh! The guy showed me the 3 shots that he took and I simply said, "never mind." Rudy and I took Caleb and left. I was not a happy camper!
Tonight, I decided to brave it again and give it another shot. I took Caleb back to the mall. Santa was on his dinner break, so we walked around for about 20 minutes while we waited on him to get back. We waited and waited for the people in front of us to finish. When they did, I took Caleb over to see Santa. I had thought ahead and brought his squeaky Santa toy for Caleb to hold. Well...here's what we got:
Tonight, I decided to brave it again and give it another shot. I took Caleb back to the mall. Santa was on his dinner break, so we walked around for about 20 minutes while we waited on him to get back. We waited and waited for the people in front of us to finish. When they did, I took Caleb over to see Santa. I had thought ahead and brought his squeaky Santa toy for Caleb to hold. Well...here's what we got:
Yes...Santa is flipping off the camera while holding my child in his lap. I can't decide if it's the saddest thing I've ever seen or if it is downright hilarious. I could crop it to just be from Caleb's shoulders up so that he isn't traumatized in the future...or I could just leave it alone and laugh about it for years to come!
Ho Ho Ho!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
I can't even believe it.
Remember this? It wasn't long ago that I was just wondering when we would all be "well." Praise the Lord! We just got home from a pediatrician follow-up appointment where Caleb was pronounced WELL and was given his flu shot and his 18-month vaccinations. Rudy's nagging cough and bronchitis have passed and other than a little sinus pressure from the weather change - I'm doing fine too.
When we left for Thanksgiving, our new house was up, but didn't have any brick or flooring. When we got back on Sunday, it was mostly bricked and the tile had been put down! Woo hoo! I had a few extra minutes this morning, so I drove by to see what had been done. There were about 5 or 6 workers in the garage. I don't know what they were doing, but at least they were doing something!
Thanksgiving was a wonderful break! After our offer was accepted on the house, I went over to pick out granite for the countertops, carpet, paint, lighting, doorknobs and make a couple of other decisions with the builder. After that, we went to the house to take some pictures. We decided to go see the Christmas lights in Fayetteville and have dinner too. That was a lot of fun! Caleb loved the lights and all of the people.
On Monday, we went to see the Morrises in Spiro. We stopped by Jan's office to say hi and drop off some things that she left at our house. After lunch and a visit with the Morrises, we headed for Hot Springs. Mom and Mr. L. were so excited to see Caleb (and us, I guess). We had dinner and then Caleb had his first oreo. He made such a mess that he had to have a bath!
On Tuesday, Caleb spent the day with his Pops. Pops took him to Mountain Pine to show him off and he was the big man on campus for the day while Mr. L. went to a meeting. They came back home that afternoon for an attempt at a nap. Rudy and I went to Shreveport for a much-needed mini-vacation and came back on Wednesday.
Wednesday was a low-key day for us. Rudy and came back from Shreveport and Mr. L. grilled burgers for us. I took Caleb to get a haircut. Other than that last part, it was a relaxing day!
Thanksgiving Thursday was great! Mom really outdid herself on a Thanksgiving feast big enough for a family of 10, instead of just the 5 of us. After our wonderful meal, the boys headed for deer camp until Saturday. Mom, Caleb and I were lazy the rest of the day. I guess all that laziness made Caleb not want to go to bed that night, because we couldn't get him to sleep for anything! We all ended up sleeping in Mom's bed together - all 3 of us!
On Friday, I took Caleb to visit Memmie and Poppie for the morning and a yummy lunch. After lunch, we headed back to Hot Springs, so that Caleb could get a nap in the car. When we got back the Razorbacks were playing LSU, so I planted myself in front of the TV to watch what I was afraid was going to be an LSU blowout. The Hogs surprised me (and football fans everywhere) by beating number one LSU in Baton Rouge! It took 3 overtimes, but they managed to pull off an upset for the ages! It was so much fun to watch! After the game, we went over to visit with Pepapa and Anna Joyce and ended up staying for dinner.
The big boys came back on Saturday. Mr. L. grilled steaks that were to die for! Even Caleb ate some tiny bites. Aunt Harolyn had dinner with us and we all laughed at Caleb's antics. He was really putting on a show at dinner. He never ceases to crack me up when he's in that mood.
We came home on Sunday and got ready for another week of work. Rudy made chili and we vegged out all evening. Caleb had a terrible night of not sleeping. He woke up at 2:00 and I finally got him back to sleep at 4:00 by laying in the recliner with him on my chest. We slept until 6:00, when I had to get ready for work. Monday night wasn't much better, but Rudy took the night shift and slept in the guest bed with the Bug. I was so thankful that he slept through the night last night.
So...it seems like we're on the upswing. Yeah!!!! We also got a good report on Kim's bloodwork, so everyone is thankful for that.
When we left for Thanksgiving, our new house was up, but didn't have any brick or flooring. When we got back on Sunday, it was mostly bricked and the tile had been put down! Woo hoo! I had a few extra minutes this morning, so I drove by to see what had been done. There were about 5 or 6 workers in the garage. I don't know what they were doing, but at least they were doing something!
Thanksgiving was a wonderful break! After our offer was accepted on the house, I went over to pick out granite for the countertops, carpet, paint, lighting, doorknobs and make a couple of other decisions with the builder. After that, we went to the house to take some pictures. We decided to go see the Christmas lights in Fayetteville and have dinner too. That was a lot of fun! Caleb loved the lights and all of the people.
On Monday, we went to see the Morrises in Spiro. We stopped by Jan's office to say hi and drop off some things that she left at our house. After lunch and a visit with the Morrises, we headed for Hot Springs. Mom and Mr. L. were so excited to see Caleb (and us, I guess). We had dinner and then Caleb had his first oreo. He made such a mess that he had to have a bath!
On Tuesday, Caleb spent the day with his Pops. Pops took him to Mountain Pine to show him off and he was the big man on campus for the day while Mr. L. went to a meeting. They came back home that afternoon for an attempt at a nap. Rudy and I went to Shreveport for a much-needed mini-vacation and came back on Wednesday.
Wednesday was a low-key day for us. Rudy and came back from Shreveport and Mr. L. grilled burgers for us. I took Caleb to get a haircut. Other than that last part, it was a relaxing day!
Thanksgiving Thursday was great! Mom really outdid herself on a Thanksgiving feast big enough for a family of 10, instead of just the 5 of us. After our wonderful meal, the boys headed for deer camp until Saturday. Mom, Caleb and I were lazy the rest of the day. I guess all that laziness made Caleb not want to go to bed that night, because we couldn't get him to sleep for anything! We all ended up sleeping in Mom's bed together - all 3 of us!
On Friday, I took Caleb to visit Memmie and Poppie for the morning and a yummy lunch. After lunch, we headed back to Hot Springs, so that Caleb could get a nap in the car. When we got back the Razorbacks were playing LSU, so I planted myself in front of the TV to watch what I was afraid was going to be an LSU blowout. The Hogs surprised me (and football fans everywhere) by beating number one LSU in Baton Rouge! It took 3 overtimes, but they managed to pull off an upset for the ages! It was so much fun to watch! After the game, we went over to visit with Pepapa and Anna Joyce and ended up staying for dinner.
The big boys came back on Saturday. Mr. L. grilled steaks that were to die for! Even Caleb ate some tiny bites. Aunt Harolyn had dinner with us and we all laughed at Caleb's antics. He was really putting on a show at dinner. He never ceases to crack me up when he's in that mood.
We came home on Sunday and got ready for another week of work. Rudy made chili and we vegged out all evening. Caleb had a terrible night of not sleeping. He woke up at 2:00 and I finally got him back to sleep at 4:00 by laying in the recliner with him on my chest. We slept until 6:00, when I had to get ready for work. Monday night wasn't much better, but Rudy took the night shift and slept in the guest bed with the Bug. I was so thankful that he slept through the night last night.
So...it seems like we're on the upswing. Yeah!!!! We also got a good report on Kim's bloodwork, so everyone is thankful for that.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Thankful
As Thanksgiving arrives in fine turkey-day fashion in only 3 hours, I continue to realize how much I have to be thankful for this year. These are just a few of the things that seem to continually come to mind tonight:
Rudy and Caleb - Seriously...what did I do to deserve them? Even through the frustrations of everyday life like pneumonia, sleepless nights, checkbooks and piles of laundry - I love those two boys with every ounce of my being. God truly blessed me when he gave them to me.
Mom and Mr. L. - My foundation could not be any more solid. I know that I am loved unconditionally and I know that they would go to the ends of the earth for me - without me having to ask.
My grandparents - Wow! When I think about how blessed I am to be 31 years old and have 4 living grandparents, I am amazed. The simple blessing of knowing that they have walked before me is enough to give me the strength to face anything.
I am thankful to have extended family to lean on and be leaned on by, friends to share the craziness of life with, a safe place to lay my head at night, a new home on the way, 2 working and comfortable vehicles, a job that gives me the means to do those little extra things that make life a little bit sweeter than it needs to be, food to fill my senses and most of all the love of God that I see in every detail when I slow down long enough to notice.
Thankfulness is a little overwhelming and heartwarming at the same time. Happy Thanksgiving to all...
p.s. Thanks to all who have offered up prayers for my Aunt Kim and Uncle Jimmy. Without telling all of their business online, I can tell you that Kim got wonderful news at a doctor's appointment this week and our whole family is grateful for everyone's prayers. The tough stuff isn't quite over, but there's light at the end of the tunnel. Please continue to pray for them as enter the next phase. We are certainly thankful to God for getting them to this point.
Rudy and Caleb - Seriously...what did I do to deserve them? Even through the frustrations of everyday life like pneumonia, sleepless nights, checkbooks and piles of laundry - I love those two boys with every ounce of my being. God truly blessed me when he gave them to me.
Mom and Mr. L. - My foundation could not be any more solid. I know that I am loved unconditionally and I know that they would go to the ends of the earth for me - without me having to ask.
My grandparents - Wow! When I think about how blessed I am to be 31 years old and have 4 living grandparents, I am amazed. The simple blessing of knowing that they have walked before me is enough to give me the strength to face anything.
I am thankful to have extended family to lean on and be leaned on by, friends to share the craziness of life with, a safe place to lay my head at night, a new home on the way, 2 working and comfortable vehicles, a job that gives me the means to do those little extra things that make life a little bit sweeter than it needs to be, food to fill my senses and most of all the love of God that I see in every detail when I slow down long enough to notice.
Thankfulness is a little overwhelming and heartwarming at the same time. Happy Thanksgiving to all...
p.s. Thanks to all who have offered up prayers for my Aunt Kim and Uncle Jimmy. Without telling all of their business online, I can tell you that Kim got wonderful news at a doctor's appointment this week and our whole family is grateful for everyone's prayers. The tough stuff isn't quite over, but there's light at the end of the tunnel. Please continue to pray for them as enter the next phase. We are certainly thankful to God for getting them to this point.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sold!
No time to write this morning...
Just wanted to say that we got our house! We'll be moving over Christmas break! We are ecstatic!!!
Just wanted to say that we got our house! We'll be moving over Christmas break! We are ecstatic!!!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
A New House...Maybe
In the 6 days since I posted last, a lot has happened:
Wednesday, I got my hair cut/colored. The best thing about getting my hair done is that I get the fun of coming home looking like this:
Yep - that's me...with straight hair. Ha! It cracks me up everytime I look at it.
I worked late on Thursday in anticipation of BEING OFF ALL NEXT WEEK! Yeah!!!! Now, that's something to be thankful for. I need a break from work in a bad way and it just so happens that I'm off all week.
Rudy, Caleb and I met with our Realtor this morning to look at houses. Whaddyaknow...we found one that we love. You can see the info here. This is what it looks like right now:
Obviously, we won't be moving in in the next week or anything, but maybe someday! We made an offer, but we haven't heard anything. It has 3 bedrooms, an office, a 3-car garage (or 2 cars and a 4-wheeler if you ask Rudy), a big laundry room, a huge living room and a covered back porch. Did I mention that I love it?!?
On a more serious note - I have a BIG prayer request. My aunt, Kim, recently found out that she has breast cancer. The lump was removed last week. She's going to meet with a surgeon for tests, etc this week to figure out a course of action. Kim is an awesome person and probably the healthiest person I know. This whole thing makes no sense, but she has complete faith that God has reasons for everything and will pull her and Jimmy through this stronger than ever. Her sister is currently being treated for the same thing, which is what lead her to get a mammogram in the first place - since she's only in her thirties. So...if you would - please say a prayer for Kim (and Jimmy).
Happy Thanksgiving...
Wednesday, I got my hair cut/colored. The best thing about getting my hair done is that I get the fun of coming home looking like this:
Yep - that's me...with straight hair. Ha! It cracks me up everytime I look at it.
I worked late on Thursday in anticipation of BEING OFF ALL NEXT WEEK! Yeah!!!! Now, that's something to be thankful for. I need a break from work in a bad way and it just so happens that I'm off all week.
Rudy, Caleb and I met with our Realtor this morning to look at houses. Whaddyaknow...we found one that we love. You can see the info here. This is what it looks like right now:
Obviously, we won't be moving in in the next week or anything, but maybe someday! We made an offer, but we haven't heard anything. It has 3 bedrooms, an office, a 3-car garage (or 2 cars and a 4-wheeler if you ask Rudy), a big laundry room, a huge living room and a covered back porch. Did I mention that I love it?!?On a more serious note - I have a BIG prayer request. My aunt, Kim, recently found out that she has breast cancer. The lump was removed last week. She's going to meet with a surgeon for tests, etc this week to figure out a course of action. Kim is an awesome person and probably the healthiest person I know. This whole thing makes no sense, but she has complete faith that God has reasons for everything and will pull her and Jimmy through this stronger than ever. Her sister is currently being treated for the same thing, which is what lead her to get a mammogram in the first place - since she's only in her thirties. So...if you would - please say a prayer for Kim (and Jimmy).
Happy Thanksgiving...
Monday, November 12, 2007
Maybe Someday...
...I'll be able to write a post about how we're all healthy and we're all feeling great and nobody in our house is sick. Not today.
I have a head cold/sinus pressure that is about to make me crazy. Rudy still has the remnants of bronchitis. And then there's Caleb:
Saturday night, Caleb went to bed at 8:30. Stacy and I were cropping and started to hear him crying around 10:30. I went back to his room and picked him to try to soothe him back to sleep. He was having none of that! He cried and patted the back of his head, so I gave him some Ibuprofen and put him back down. He slept for a little over 2 hours and then woke up screaming. I went in and gave him some milk and tried to lay down in the guest bed with him. He wiggled, squirmed, cried and yelled all night long. Rudy and I ended up taking turns sitting up, just trying to soothe him because he was obviously so uncomfortable. We couldn't figure out what was wrong, though. He eventually went to sleep laying on me in the recliner at about 6:30. We spent the whole day on Sunday switching off holding Caleb and napping. Somehow, Rudy also cleaned the bathrooms and washed his car, but I have no idea how! It was one of the most miserable experiences I can remember! We were all so tired and cranky and we just couldn't figure out what was wrong with Caleb. I called the Dr's exchange at about 6:00, because he hadn't eaten anything all day. He had just laid on the floor or in our laps. He wasn't interested in toys or food or anything! The nurse called and said that we should just watch him and make sure his fever didn't spike, but other than that - she had no words of wisdom. I just knew that after laying around all day, we would never get Caleb to sleep, but he went down to bed just like always and slept all night long. He woke up this morning a little cranky, but nothing out of the ordinary. We went to school and he seemed fine. I got a call from his school at about 1:45 that he had a fever and that his right ear was draining really badly. I told them I would be there as soon as I could. I finished my last kiddo for the day and then went to get him. We went straight to the doctor's appointment that was supposed to be for pnuemonia follow-up. When we got in to see Dr. Harmon, he said, "We're going to have to get this kid to stop getting sick on the weekends!" Rudy and I agreed whole-heartedly! Dr. Harmon took one look in Caleb's right ear and said that his eardrum had ruptured and that the left one looked like it might do the same. He put Caleb on another round of strong antibiotics and said that if that doesn't work, we'll probably do a 2nd set of tubes. The poor kid has been through the ringer and back again. He was in a pretty good mood tonight and enjoyed playing with his Daddy while I got some necessary work done. Hopefully the drugs will do their job and we'll be better, but I'm not making any promises!
I have a head cold/sinus pressure that is about to make me crazy. Rudy still has the remnants of bronchitis. And then there's Caleb:
Saturday night, Caleb went to bed at 8:30. Stacy and I were cropping and started to hear him crying around 10:30. I went back to his room and picked him to try to soothe him back to sleep. He was having none of that! He cried and patted the back of his head, so I gave him some Ibuprofen and put him back down. He slept for a little over 2 hours and then woke up screaming. I went in and gave him some milk and tried to lay down in the guest bed with him. He wiggled, squirmed, cried and yelled all night long. Rudy and I ended up taking turns sitting up, just trying to soothe him because he was obviously so uncomfortable. We couldn't figure out what was wrong, though. He eventually went to sleep laying on me in the recliner at about 6:30. We spent the whole day on Sunday switching off holding Caleb and napping. Somehow, Rudy also cleaned the bathrooms and washed his car, but I have no idea how! It was one of the most miserable experiences I can remember! We were all so tired and cranky and we just couldn't figure out what was wrong with Caleb. I called the Dr's exchange at about 6:00, because he hadn't eaten anything all day. He had just laid on the floor or in our laps. He wasn't interested in toys or food or anything! The nurse called and said that we should just watch him and make sure his fever didn't spike, but other than that - she had no words of wisdom. I just knew that after laying around all day, we would never get Caleb to sleep, but he went down to bed just like always and slept all night long. He woke up this morning a little cranky, but nothing out of the ordinary. We went to school and he seemed fine. I got a call from his school at about 1:45 that he had a fever and that his right ear was draining really badly. I told them I would be there as soon as I could. I finished my last kiddo for the day and then went to get him. We went straight to the doctor's appointment that was supposed to be for pnuemonia follow-up. When we got in to see Dr. Harmon, he said, "We're going to have to get this kid to stop getting sick on the weekends!" Rudy and I agreed whole-heartedly! Dr. Harmon took one look in Caleb's right ear and said that his eardrum had ruptured and that the left one looked like it might do the same. He put Caleb on another round of strong antibiotics and said that if that doesn't work, we'll probably do a 2nd set of tubes. The poor kid has been through the ringer and back again. He was in a pretty good mood tonight and enjoyed playing with his Daddy while I got some necessary work done. Hopefully the drugs will do their job and we'll be better, but I'm not making any promises!
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