Doctor Appointment

I wasn't going to post anything about Caleb's visit to Betsy (his nurse practitioner) today, but it was such a good visit that I thought I would go ahead and get it down.

First the stats:
Weight: 37 pounds 2 ounces
Height: 39.5 inches (by the way, he grew 4 inches in the past 12 months)
BMI: 16.73 (who knew they started measuring this so young)
Blood Pressure: 99/69 (very good)

Caleb also had his eyes checked and he passed his vision screening.
The best news of all was that he passed his hearing screening. He has had these tympanograms in the past and has never passed a single one. Last year we went round and round with the PA at the ENT's office that we visited about tubes. He had never had an infection, but had transient fluid in his ears, but the PA was convinced that we should put in tubes. I knew that it was not the right decision and told them absolutely not. The PA disagreed, contacted our insurance company to try to convince them to convince me and even called our house a few times trying to get us to consent to the surgery. I think the behavior bordered on harrassment and needless to say, we have not returned to that practice since. Today made me feel very validated as the maker of the medical decisions for our son. I had no doubt my decision against the surgery was right (all of Caleb's other doctors agreed with me too, by the way), but you just couldn't convince this silly PA.
Anyway, we left the doctor with a few names of doctors that we need to see. First, we have to make our first trip to the dentist. Caleb actually just got his last molars just a few months ago (we're very slow at getting teeth on my side of the family), so we have waited until now. We also have to go see a pediatric dermatologist about a place on Caleb's leg. It has just started to bother him and he is a little self-concious about it and even says it itches/hurts sometimes. Betsy seems to think it might be a cyst of some sort. I see some sort of procedure in our future for that one. The last doctor we have to see is a pediatric opthamologist. Caleb has always had issues with what looks like pink eye, but no one has ever really decided that that is what it is. He has it for weeks on end during the fall and spring and we thought it might be linked to his allergies, but we wanted a specialist to check it out and make sure it's nothing else more serious.
All in all, Caleb was given a clean bill of health and we'll go back for his 4 year next March. Despite his difficult first couple of years, Caleb has turned out to be a very bright and healthy boy. Betsy's words, not just mine!

Happy Birthday Baby

Dear Caleb,
Today you turn 3. It is a shock to my system to see that and to know that you are growing up so fast, much too fast for your daddy and mama.
Three years ago you made your surprise and urgent entrance into this world. You were in such a hurry to exit my body but have thankfully never been in much of a hurry to exit our arms. You are the most loving little boy I have ever been around. Your favorite things are still being held by either myself, your daddy, your mommaw or your pawpaw. On a regular basis you ask one of us if we are ok when we are maybe not so ok. You are so intuitive and just know when something is just not right.
Some of your favorite activities are going to WalMart, going to Home Depot (you are a child after your grandfather's own heart), watching a handful of shows on TV, playing with balls and Jaq, talking to daddy on the phone and watching/trying to run the computer. You have always been fascinated with all things electronic, but this year your obsession with computers has really emerged. It has caused me to ask, on more than one occasion, if there are computer classes offered for kids your age.
You are also a very smart child. You have always been bright, but this year you have proved to us that you remember things beyond what even your dad and I do. Randomly, you will ask a question about something we have done or told you we will do days or weeks in advance and sometimes you get a little exasperated at us because we just can't remember what you are talking about. I remind you that someday you will be old like your parents. Regardless, every morning you wake up and tell me what we are doing that day. You surprise me everyday by remembering correctly what the events for that day are.
Your daddy and I know that you will also be a great big brother. You already talk about Piper and hug my belly everyday. Everytime you see a baby in a store or at someone elses house you point them out and hug and kiss them, if you can get close enough.
You are the spitting image of your daddy. In fact, I often call you his clone. When you sit together and watch motorcycle races you both assume the same position and look exactly the same. However, you are still, and hopefully will always be, a mama's boy. You still love to hang out with your old mama and we have so much fun together everyday!
Caleb, you are and will always be your daddy's and my heart. You have made us a team and have brought us closer than we ever knew we could be. You are always our baby and we love you so very much! Happy birthday baby!
Love,
Mama and Daddy

Our Fun Weekend Part 1

This past weekend was quite busy and fun. This coming weekend will be even more so, but I wanted to post pictures now before there got to be too many.

Here's how our weekend started. Pretty deceptive for what was to come. Caleb is officially transitioning out of naps during the day. If I put him down for a nap, it will take him over an hour to get to sleep and then it takes 3 hours to get him to sleep at night. I think it is probably time. However, this happens from time to time where he just gets so tired and just falls asleep.

On Friday, we went to Allen, a neighboring city, to have lunch with the Easter Bunny. Caleb talked about it for weeks and was so excited. Here's the calm...

and here's the storm. He was petrified of the Easter Bunny and is still talking about how he/she scared him.

Saturday, my friend Lisa had her big Easter Egg hunt at her house. Caleb had the best time hunting eggs and we got so much candy I don't think we will ever get it all eaten.

Here's Caleb hunting eggs. That basket was getting pretty full, but he just kept on going.

Caleb and Kathryn. Caleb loves Kathryn and the feeling is mutual. This was a moment of sharing that I had to share. These two are so sweet together.

I thought this might make a cute picture, but instead I got Caleb in mid-sneeze. Caleb is just like his dad in that whenever they get into direct sunlight they both sneeze.

Here's Lisa covering Caleb's eyes to play pin the tail on the bunny. He got so dizzy after the spin around that I had to guide him to the poster to stick his tail on. It was pretty funny!

Of course the trampoline was a huge hit and Caleb kept saying his was bouncing even though he was rarely on his own two feet.

Caleb playing ring toss. He still just walks right up to the apparatus and puts the rings right on. I guess we should work on that!

Saturday night, we drove to Mesquite for my niece Madison's birthday party. My sister-in-law's mom just opened an indoor bounce house party place and that is where the party was held. These businesses are huge in our part of town so we know that she'll be very successful!
Jes and Caleb were playing air hockey. Everytime Jes got the puck into his goal, Caleb got so excited because he thought he scored! Very cute!

Caleb going down the slide. He loves these things but they make his mama nervous because I can't crawl in after him anymore to get him if he gets stuck (which has happened before).

There was also a Wii at the party and Caleb had the best time with this. The players thought he was quite cute and gave him something that looked like a controller to play with and he thought he was really playing.

Sunday was Easter, of course, so we had the Easter basket opening, like every year. Here's Caleb's favorite part of his basket, a little ball that the Easter Bunny found at Target. He is still carrying it around today and nearly took it to bed with him last night.

This was the last picture I got before my camera battery died. Here's the basket with lots of toys and candy. All in all, it was a good weekend but just a preparation for what is to come this weekend.

Baby Update

First of all, we have decided on a name. We have decided that our daughter will be named Piper. Jes was very much the one that decided that and there was some debate between Alyson and Piper, but he decided just in the past few weeks on Piper. We still have not come up with a middle name, but I just wanted to share that development now.
Today I had my 24 week appointment with my doctor. This month it was time for the dreaded glucose tolerance test. I did not deal well with this test last go around and was dreading it this time around. Sure enough, I got all shaky and nauseous again, so hopefully that means that there will be no issues this time. Dr. Robins was able to find Piper's heartbeat as well and it measured 150 today. He also feels like she is in the breach position partially because of where he found the heartbeat and also because I told him that I feel lots of movement very, very low in my pelvis. It almost feels like she is trying to stand up on my pelvic bones. Not the most comfortable position for me, and rather dangerous if I have to go to the bathroom in the least bit.
The big news of the day is that we set a date for my c-section. We were shooting for the 3rd of July, but Dr. Robins felt that was too long to wait, so we set the date for the 30th of June. Neither one of us feels like I'll make it that long, but we had to set a date to reserve a spot, nonetheless.
All in all, everything looks good and my next appointment will be in a month.

Our Other Children

I don't really talk about my other kiddos on this blog too much, but we do have 2 furry children that we count as part of the family. A friend of mine asked to see pictures of Jaq, so I thought I would dedicate a post just to our furry little ones.
















Here's a picture of Gus, our first born. We got Gus just a month after we got married while we were living in Tyler, I was finishing my last year of graduate school and Jes was working nights. We bought Gus from a pet shop in Tyler where they told us that he was just 6 weeks old. He was very small and we noticed that he had fleas so we just treated him like any other pet we had had and tended to him. Our first vet appointment a few days later gave us quite the surprise. Gus was actually closer to 5 months old and had every bug and parasite known to a cat. We were furious at the people at the shop where we got him, but we had fallen in love with Gus and nursed him back to health. I think he knew exactly what was going on and bonded to us immediately and is our baby.
We initally got Gus as company for me during the long nights as I have always been quite the chicken at night. Turns out, Gus was Jes's cat for the longest time and would have little to nothing to do with me, unless he was needing to be fed. Lately, Gus and Caleb have been inseparable. We used to have many moments where we worried about Caleb with Gus around as he can be quite territorial, but instead, Gus has adopted Caleb as his own. They love on each other and they even sleep in the same bed now too. It's really very sweet.

















Our other furry child is Jaq. We got him last summer, I think it was late July. His mom, a full blooded Golden Retriever, wandered into the hanger Jes worked at, pregnant and needing medical care. One of the ladies took her home and Jaq was born shortly thereafter, along with 9 other brothers and sisters. We couldn't tell if and what Jaq was a mix of so we decided to take our chances and see what he would grow up to look like. Come to find out, Jaq is a mix of Golden Retriever and Great Pyranees (don't quote me on that spelling). He is a very active, sweet, big dog and Caleb just loves him. We are almost past the puppy stage, so Jaq is starting to calm down a bit and we are getting to the good parts of having a dog.

Remember when he looked like this? This is back before we knew what breed mix he was. He was just so cute and furry, even if he did pee on my floors! Jaq is a very bright dog and obeys a few simple commands. He will stop and sit when told and even listens to Caleb when he tells him to. Maybe he knows that he's Caleb's dog...

Caleb and Jaq love playing together outside. He is most definitely an outside dog too. Even when we had temperatures in the teens and 20s and we would want to bring him inside during the night, we would have to practically drag him in. The weather just doesn't bother him. We'll have to see how he does in the heat this summer. That will probably be the deal breaker for him.

















This isn't the best picture, but it shows Jaq in his normal way, perpetually moving. He is a very active dog and we have recently discovered that walks are the way to tire him out. He runs the backyard all day long, but when made to walk, not run, it really wears him out. When he gets home from his walks, he just collapses and falls right to sleep. Now if only we could get Caleb to do that!



















Jaq in a rare moment of stillness. It took me forever to get this picture and it's not the best, but it's my youngest child in all his glory.

Guess Who...

Guess who stuck his hand in his diaper about an hour ago and pulled out a handful of poop?


Guess who ran up to his Mama with a grossed out look on his face asked, "Mama, what's this?"


Guess who got a bath in the middle of the day?



















This little rascal!

What Am I Going To Do With These Boys Of Mine?

It is really no secret that my husband, and boys in general, tend to think tormenting other people is quite funny. This is pretty apparent to me in all those movies and tv shows they watch. Three Stooges anyone?
Anyway, for as long as we have been together, around 8 years, Jes has always thought it was the funniest thing ever to roll down the car window when driving by a golf course or driving range and yell, "Fore" at the top of his lungs to distract the players. (That's some run-on, huh?)
In the process, Jes has taught Caleb this "fun" activity anytime we drive by one of these golf courses. By the way, we live right by one. Caleb doesn't do this unless he's with his dad and sees a golfer.

Until today.

We were in the drive thru at Walgreens and I rolled down the window to talk to the lady inside. I was already half way through my request with the nice Walgreens lady when I heard, "FFFFOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRE" come from the backseat.
All I could do was sigh, shake my head, and call his dad. Jes laughed for a good 5 minutes straight.

Welcome To My World!