Caleb's Birthday Weekend

Ok, I'm a whole week behind, but I literally just found time to go through the millions of pictures I took to find a few good ones.


This motorcycle was our gift to Caleb for his birthday. He was so excited because it is blue like Jes's and he can ride it outside.

Caleb's birthday party was a Bob the Builder theme. He still loves Bob and my mom and dad got this really cute cake complete with tool candles!

We had Caleb's birthday party at The Little Gym. I had planned on having it here but we attended a party for another friend of ours late last year and it just was apparently clear that Caleb loved this place!

We sang some songs with the staff and they made such a big deal about Caleb's birthday. When they sang Happy Birthday to Caleb, I cried. Blame it on pregnancy hormones...

The kiddos got to run around for a bit and just bounce off the walls in between activities.

The parachute has to be the all around favorite for the kids at these parties. I have even considered getting one of these for our own personal play, but it's not quite as much fun without all the friends around it to laugh with!

Since Caleb was the birthday boy, they let him sit in the center while we played with the parachute and sang Happy Birthday again. As you can see, Caleb was having a blast!

This was probably the most hilarious part of the whole party. Everytime Caleb sees anything on fire, candles, etc, he tries to blow it out. We lit the candles and put the cake in front of him and he had the candles blown out before we even got to get everyone's attention to sing Happy Birthday. I think we had to re-light the candles 3 times before he got them blown out at the "right" time. We were all just laughing at the whole thing!

The cake was really yummy and everyone loved it! This was the best birthday party Caleb has ever had and it was made better by having all of his friends there!

Sunday, Jes and I went to Grapevine with the Chadwick family to see Thomas the Train. KJ Chadwick is Caleb's best friend and he is still talking about going to see Thomas with him!

The Chadwick family. Quite a good looking group, huh? KJ's mommy, Courtney, is having a baby too, not long after our Piper will be born. It's really great that our boys can go through these major life events together!

The boys rode in these cars that were powered by them turning the handles in front of them. They had so much fun and they both just laughed and laughed as they went around and around.

It got pretty hot and the boys were running around like a pair of crazies so we took a break for lemonade.

The best part was the train ride. Caleb still talks about riding Thomas. I have a serious dislike for trains, but I bit the bullet and hopped on and rode with everyone else. I have to admit, it was nice to sit for a few minutes and enjoy the breeze.

We finished up the weekend by Caleb discovering a love for washing dishes. He just takes his stool from the bathroom and brings it into the kitchen, I give him my dish brush, put a little soap and water in the dish and away he goes. I wonder how long I can exploit this and get him to wash my dishes for me...

Flexibilty is the Name of the Game

I had so many things planned for today. I will venture to say that at least 85% of them will not get accomplished. Caleb started coughing a few days ago when the winds picked up and the pollen started flying. Today, my mommy instinct told me that he needed to stay home from school. Well, that and the fact that neither him nor I got a full straight hour of sleep last night. It's going to be a fun day!
By the way, one of the things I was planning on doing today was uploading all the pictures from our weekend, including Caleb's birthday party. I don't think that will happen on top of all the grading I have to do and the cleaning that needs to get done as well. It's all about being flexible, right?

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!

Sonogram Pictures

I know it's taken me forever to get these posted, but it's been pretty crazy at school and I just haven't been able to get to the scanner. Sorry about them being a little lopsided. I was in a slight hurry as I'm doing this right before a class that is located clear in Timbuktu!
This first picture is our little one's profile. Here, she looks just like Caleb did and it looks like she'll have Jes's nose. Thank goodness.


















This picture is the 4D shot that they were able to get of her face. If you can't see it, she is looking to the left and her hand is up in the air. When Jes saw this shot, he said, "That is definitely one of our kids" as Caleb has always slept with his hands in the air or tucked behind his head. Must be genetic.
Anyway, in this shot her facial features look a little different, more like mine. We'll just hope that she keeps Jes's nose and she can have the rest of me!

I Couldn't Resist

After I took Caleb to a playdate today, we had to make a run by Walmart for a few choice items. Of course, I had to wander over to the baby/kid's section of the store to see if there were any cute things for Caleb for the upcoming season. This is a habit of mine that might become dangerous if I keep doing what I did today.
I found these darling little numbers:




















We've barely known for 24 hours that we're having a girl and I've already bought stuff. Like I said, I couldn't resist. Let the shopping commence!
By the way, I did find a 2 shirt combo (one is a polo shirt) on the clearance rack for Caleb, so he didn't come out empty handed!

Caleb's Valentine's Day Shirt

I totally meant to post a Happy Valentine's wish to everyone on the actual day, but of course I didn't. I was uploading pictures to my computer this afternoon and found this one taken on Valentine's Day of Caleb in his Valentine's Day Shirt. He has had this shirt all year and finally got to wear it out in public for all to see. I thought it was a cute picture and so very true!

Sonogram Results

Are you ready for this? We're having a...




GIRL!!!!!

Everything looked great and we were able to get some good pictures of her even though she is very active. The sonographer also did a couple of 4D looks at her face and she looks just like Caleb! We had a little trouble seeing her female anatomy because for most of the test she had her legs clamped together and her ankles crossed. We had to do some poking and I was coughing a bunch to get her to spread eagle for just a little bit. We managed to get her to show her stuff for just long enough to see what wasn't there (and the little that is) and for the sonographer to get a couple of shots of her anatomy. We don't own a scanner, but I will use the one at work to post the shots we got of our little girl today! Thanks to all of you who were praying today that all would turn out great!

2 Going on 15

It's really no secret that in just a few short weeks, I will be mother to a 3 year old. Really, when did that happen? Just last week I was given a small glimpse into our future with a teenager, something I have dreaded since I tinkled on that stick over 3 years ago.
Anyway, a few days ago we had just returned home from the biweekly trip to school and Caleb was in a mood. (This not a rare occurance as he is usually so tired from the daily activities and lack of his normal 2 hour nap.) Caleb ran directly into his room right as we walked in the door and started playing with something. He was awfully quiet, so I came around the corner to check on him and make sure he wasn't climbing the walls (you think I'm exaggerating) and he was just standing next to his bed. I said to him, "Caleb, what are you doing?" and he turned, looked at me and said, "Bye, bye Mama." and tried to shut the door on me. Hello? When did he turn into a teenager with an attitude? This can't continue for the next 12-15 years!

Pregnancy Dream

If you have had a baby, you know that we pregnant women have some rather strange and bizarre dreams. Last night I had one that was more scary than strange.
If you don't remember, during our first sonogram, the sonographer discovered that there were actually 2 sacs in my belly. She could only see one baby, but she told us that even though it was unlikely that there was a baby in the other, it couldn't be ruled out until our 20 week sonogram. This comment has haunted me this whole time. If God saw fit to give us 2 at the same time, we would deal, but I have not wanted multiples of any sort. I'm not totally sure that I can handle that.
Back to my dream. We went in for our sonogram (6 days from now by the way) and they found a baby in the other sac, so we were having twins. Jes and I were shocked as was our family.
I know it's only a dream, but these pregnancy dreams (and most of my dreams for that matter) are so life-like and seem so real. I'll be worried about this until next Thursday!

Please Pray For Ashley Adams

I read a blog on a regular basis about Ashley. The long and short of it is that she is not even 3 and has had multiple organs transplanted and has fought for her life on more than one occasion. Late last week, Ashley succumed to a pneumonia that her doctors are having a difficult time diagnosing and therefore, helping her overcome. It is a very scary situation for her and her family compounded by the fact that she had to be transported from her home in Longview (East Texas) to Nebraska to the hospital where her specialists are.















This is a picture from just a week or so ago when Ashley was home. I can't imagine the pain and despair this family is in watching their little pickle, as they call her, suffer. Click on the link to go to her blog and learn about this amazing family and little girl! http://ashleyadamsjournal.blogspot.com/
Pray for God's provision in this situation.

Hello Again Emergency Room, Our Old Friend

Today we made a trip to the ER, but this time is was not for one of Jes's kidney stone issues, but for me.
I have a condition called Neurocardiogenic Syncope Syndrome. Basically all that means is that I am much more prone to passing out due to wild swings in my blood pressure and have many more irregular heart beats than the average person. I have a mild form of the condition which keeps me living a relatively normal life. Those with a worse type of the condition are bed bound and are on many medications, plus may or may not have a pacemaker. I just have to be really careful of my exposure to heat, limit my exercise, and consume around 2xs the amount of sodium and other electrolytes (lots of Gatorade) as the normal person.
Today I was packing up some boxes in Caleb's play room, as we are planning on moving him in there and using his current room as the new baby's room. I wasn't overexerting myself, however I felt very much like I was going to pass out. I have experienced this sensation enough times that I can tell before it happens.
I went and sat down but had to get right back up because Caleb was into something and I nearly lost it again. I figured it was time to call Jes (he was working down the street on an airplane) and he rushed home. He felt like we needed to go the hospital to have me and the baby checked out, just to be safe, so off we went to PHOP (Presby Plano, where my OB is).
Everything checked out fine, but I have to get back on my treatment regimine asap and watch for more symptoms. Thanks to my mom and dad who came right out and entertained Caleb and myself so that I could get properly looked at.

The Evil Bug

It is not terribly uncommon for the house of Mathis to be stricken with a stomach bug. We just seem to be more susceptible to them around here than most. There is not a season that goes by when we (or most of us) don't get at least a couple of go arounds with one.

Jes had it earlier on in the week and now it has befallen Caleb. With Jes, I never really know if he has a bug or not as his digestive issues are extensive, usually slightly not on par, and highly questionable. Now that Caleb has it, we know that it was a bug.

So, I just finished spraying down the house with Lysol, including all his toys, and will commence with the disinfecting of all other surfaces, dispensing lots of water and Pedialyte, and washing of the hands every 12.2 seconds to make sure I don't get it.

Let's just hope and pray that it's a quick 24 hour thing. Maybe this is retribution for my complaining about having to change diapers lately. Ok, I get it.

Why Can't We Just All Get Along?

The other day I asked for some unsolicited advice anonymously on a mom's website that I have used in the past to get information in the past. What transpired was a whole list of good ideas to my issue and one particularly nasty post about me being a bad mother and how my son was going to meet some type of terrible demise because of my actions, or lack thereof.
So, here's my question, what gives some moms the idea that they can lump all their misgivings, unresolved issues, assumptions, and bad feelings onto other moms? Why does there have to be this idea of trying to be the best, or better than someone else, and in the process tearing the other mom down in the process? Why do other moms feel the need to judges and give dirty looks when your child is acting up knowing full well that theres will start screaming within the next half hour too?
Here's my point: we are all moms. We all love our kids more than we can express. We all want to best for them and want them to be safe, happy and feel loved.
I just feel very blessed that I am surrounded by supportive, helpful, loving moms who love my son as much as I do and vice versa.

Sigh...

Today I had to take Caleb to the doctor. No, he is not sick, but I still had to take him. Here's the story:
I have not been too thrilled with the physician in the pediatricians office that we go to. Some time ago, we happened into seeing the nurse practitioner, Betsy, and she is the only reason we stayed with that office. She listens to me and has always been on top of things and understands that I probably know Caleb better than anyone. Can't really say that about the doctor. Sigh...
Yesterday, as the winds howled and it reached 80 degrees (is it really February?), Caleb started his normal routine of sneezing and his eyes started watering. Usually when this happens, Betsy will give us whatever we need, knowing we've done this multiple times, without having to actually travel to the office, pay a copay, expose all of us to the myriad of germs that live in those offices, wait for an unearthly amount of time, only for someone to look at Caleb and say, "Oh, you're right, he does need _____ medication".
Anyway, today I called the office, forgetting that Betsy was on maternity leave still and got roped into actually having to brave the office. Something about needing to check his ears for infection, yet he's never had one and had no symptoms of one. After all the aforementioned bad stuff, we got the prescription I called for in the first place this morning, or so we thought.
I waited 2 hours, called the pharmacy to make sure they had the request. Of course they didn't. I called the doctor's office, and the doctor had sent the request to the wrong pharmacy, who knows where. After 2 more requests, someone at the pharmacy found it within their means to actually check the fax machine and see that it had been sitting there all this time, even though Jes was standing right there and I talked to them multiple times. If only people would do their jobs. Sigh...

One Fun Birthday Party!

Coming up on 2 weeks ago we attended our friends little girl's 2 year birthday party at Little Gym. I have to say it was one of the most fun birthday parties we have ever been to and will most likely copy the idea and have Caleb's 3rd party there.

















Caleb and KJ playing on the bars together. You can never separate these two if they are in the same building.
















Caleb played with jingle bells and sang songs,
















we ran in circles singing songs,
















rode on my shoulders singing a song (see a pattern here?)















stood on his head with the help of Daddy,
















and jumped on a blow up contraption that allowed all the kids to get on at one time.
















I love this picture, even though the lady in the background looks tired and I look like the broadside of a house.
















After cake and singing the kids chased bubbles and we sadly had to go home. We had the best time!