Ear tubes, Turkey, and Trees, Oh My!

We have been pretty busy over the past month. At the top of our list has been the health of poor little Caleb. He had his 5th ear infection in early November and we headed to the ENT. After 4 days of antibiotics, the ENT asked me if I had been giving him his medicine because his ears still looked horrible. We went the following week for ear tubes. The following Monday he was supposed to get vaccinations and they assured me to just bring him on unless he had a fever. Being the great PA/mom that I am, I never thought to check his ears. When we arrived, the ever-so-wonderful nurse practitioner asked very nicely if I had not noticed the gobs of gook coming into his ear canals. He went back on antibiotics. By Thanksgiving day, he had hand, foot and mouth. I was sure that was what it was but we went back to the doctor on Monday. We seem to be in the clear so far this week, but then again it is only just beginning!!

We spent Thanksgiving at home and ate with our wonderful neighbors who we might as well call family. It was a relaxing day since I had to work on Friday. Austin tried to cause a little commotion by falling into the outside firepit. Gasp, sigh, and wonder if this is for real! You know it is the truth. I had gone to take leftovers home and Austin was not sitting in the chair as he should. From what I understand he fell forward into the firepit and then was pulled out by Andy, his trusty wing man if you will. He was more upset that he was pulled out by his hoodie hat than about falling. He had one little scratch and some black soot under his eyes but otherwise weathered another storm just fine!

We put up our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. I got a burst of energy so Austin and I put up all of the inside decorations at once. He was a lot of help and was excited to be involved. We tried several times to get a picture for the Christmas card in front of the tree but were never successful at getting the two of them to smile at the same time. Caleb is on his own terms but is cute as can be when he decides to smile.

Well, it is back to battling the Christmas crowds. I do believe I might just do it from my computer! Until next time...

Halloween and More!

So I did not get a chance to post pictures from Caleb's birthday party so they are included in the slide show above. He had a good time walking around and looking at his gifts. The cake was not so much on his to do list this time around. He just was not interested. He did eat a piece of cake when I fed it to him from a fork. Next on our whirlwind of events (actually this begins Friday night and we ended with the birthday party on Sunday) was the Fall Festival at school. Both boys had a really great time. Caleb enjoyed the bean bag toss, hay pile, and making his own pumpkin with stickers. Austin enjoyed just being the social butterfly that we all know and love! It seems like he knows everyone. Saturday we headed to Henderson for Dad's class reunion. We had a nice time seeing some people Shane had not seen since graduation while the kids stayed with grandparents. Then Sunday was Caleb's party.

This past weekend was Halloween and we had some birthday parties mixed in there. Our neighbor, Ashley, turned one on Halloween and we had a great time celebrating with her. That night we all went Trick Or Treating together. Yes, the babies were in charge of the cooler as we went around the neighborhood. Austin did a great job despite worrying about the dogs as he went. The cemetery picture is from one of my patient's houses in the next subdivision over. They have an impressive display both inside and out! From the pictures you will see that the little ones tired quickly and we were back home by about 8:15. We finished the weekend Sunday with pictures for the boys' birthdays and Christmas. They both did a fabulous job and the pictures turned out great.

We are going for several more ECU games before the holidays and who knows what else we will get in to. Until next time ...

The Big One Year Old!

This past Saturday was Caleb's first birthday! He has had many firsts over the past week. The Monday before his birthday, he took off walking! He has not looked back since. He is all over the place but most enjoys following Austin. Friday before our trip to Greenville, we turned his car seat around and he had his first forward facing ride. It was much more eventful for us than him. He slept the entire way! Saturday he went tailgating and to his first Pirate football game. It was so cold and needless to say he was unimpressed. He did clap several times but wanted to get down and walk through the bleachers. He and I spent the 2nd half in the Pirate Club building where he took a nap. He also has had his first taste of whole milk and has decided that he does not like it cold out of the fridge. We will have to conquer this along with his protest of the sippy cup in the next week or so. He will be having his official birthday party this Sunday and we will post more pictures after that.

Austin has been doing well too. He has learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. It is kind of hard to teach him in our neighborhood due to lack of open area so he took his bike to Nana and Grandpa's for the wide open space. It did not take long at all. He also saw a baby calf pretty much right after being born. We were thankful we did not ride by several minutes earlier!

We have the costumes in place for Halloween and have lots of plans for next weekend. We will post more pictures after the party Sunday so stay tuned!

Austin is 5!

I have been meaning to post this earlier, but...

After a loooong birthday week and 3 parties, Austin is officially 5 years old. It is hard to believe that before too long he will be going to kindergarten. He had his birthday party for his friends the Sunday before his birthday. We did it at Dreamsports in Apex. It is an indoor soccer field and hockey rink. They have a soccer program there for kids and their coaches conducted the entire party. They played soccer games and ran around for about an hour before having cupcakes and opening presents. Everyone seemed to have a great time. On his actual birthday, Friday, he had a cake at school and then a cookie cake later that night. That Sunday he had cake again at his Nana and Grandpa's for that side of the family. He was very excited and was hard to control at times!

Austin is doing great in Pre-K. His only downfall is talking too much! He is doing a great job with his sight words, writing his letters and numbers, and is actually participating in art. This is a real accomplishment from the quick scribble we received last year. He is continuing to do good in soccer. He scored the first goal of their first game and then proceeded to score several more times including once in the wrong goal! He gets so excited and is an excellent cheerleader when he is not on the field. He had his 5 year check up on Friday and anyone who asks will get an ear full. He passed his hearing and eye tests for the first time at the pediatrician, did excellent during the "check up" but had a complete melt down after having his finger stuck and then having to lie on the table for the shots. He cried and cried and then proceeded to tell me that Dr Helton was pretty cool, but that nice lady in the blue shirt is not so nice and is really not cool. As we were leaving, the Doctor gave him a hug and as the nurse went to give him a high five, he turned his back to her and said they were not friends after that. He told Shane later that she really liked to give shots but he did not like getting them. Thank goodness we do not have to go back for awhile!

Caleb will be having a birthday in 2 weeks. I can't believe that I was fat as the side of a house last year this time. He is really getting a great little personality. He laughs like Woody the Woodpecker and usually has a smile on his face. He is not walking yet but pulls up on everything and cruises around pretty darn fast. We will save the rest of his news for his birthday post. Until then, stay healthy!

Vacation and a New Camera

Yes, that's right! I got a new camera just in time for vacation so there are a ton of pictures if you have the time. We returned on Saturday from our trip to Myrtle Beach. We spent a week there last year for my education conference and decided to do it again this year. The Resort is great with all the pools and the slides for the kids. We had a great time and did so many things. Most days were spent at the beach or pool at least for a short time. Other highlights of the trip were Austin and Dad playing golf, Ripley's Aquarium, and our time at putt putt. Caleb was great during the day but did not sleep worth 2 cent at night. Both of the kids enjoyed the water. Caleb enjoyed eating the sand more than the water at the beach. Austin had fun just being silly and not being in a structured environment all week.

Caleb now has 4 teeth, is a very fast crawler, and is pulling up to cruise around where ever he wants to go. He eats everything in sight and will steal your food right out from under your nose if he thinks that will be better than what he has got. He is trying to drink from a sippy cup but has not been as easy to break from the bottle as Austin was.

Austin is doing well and we are trying so hard with the discipline. His new class has helped us some but he is definitely a hand full! He is so proud because he can write his numbers now. He is writing things all the time. He will start soccer this week. He seems excited but we will see how it goes.

The pictures above are just a sample of what we took! Those pictures in this post are of our beach photo shoot. They were pricey but well worth it. Until next time....

9 Months and On the Move!

Caleb turned 9 months on Friday and, despite all of our efforts to tether him to the ground, is moving everywhere. He began to crawl last weekend and has not stopped to sit still since. He is also pulling up on everything. He will let go for a split second but is still pretty stationary after standing. He loves being outside and riding in his car. He is eating like a pig. He likes just about anything but we are having some problems with meat. He just does not have a taste for it yet! He had his well child visit and weighed in at 20 pounds 6 ounces. He is 29 inches long. We took him out of the baby carrier because his feet were pressing up against the back of the seat. It is a little depressing to see him growing so fast! (Not so depressing that we are considering more kids though!)

Austin is doing pretty good. He finished up T-ball and we have registered him for soccer for the Fall. He is doing great in his new class. His manners are back where they should be for the most part and he is a little bit calmer when he comes home from school! We think the teachers are really socking it too him and could not be happier. He has started liking his hair spiked up as you can see from one of the pictures. He is still playing golf and is getting pretty good with his swing. He is loving the pool and being outside. He is also looking forward to our beach trip the middle of August and talks about it every week.

About 2 weeks ago, Austin and Caleb welcomed a new cousin. Colby was born to Lauren, one of my cousins and her husband Brock. He is cute as can be and looks just like his dad.

Out to the side of the blog, I have listed several of our favorite things and links to their websites. My new rave is the Wubbanub. I know, it sounds pretty crazy but to an 8 month old it is the best thing ever! It is a little beany baby attached to a Soothie pacifier. I bought one for Caleb after he just would not sleep through the night. After getting that thing, he slept every night but 2 for the next 2 weeks. We are now back into getting up once a night every couple of nights but things are really a lot better. Click on their link if you know someone with a non-sleeper! Some of the other things listed are snacks or some cool things I have found in my conquest to go "greener." I have been trying to do some things better without becoming a crazy fanatic. I also just don't have the time to pay that much attention to everything! We are making an attempt.

On a more sad note, my grandmother lost her fight to ovarian cancer last Thursday. She has been living in a rest home and passed away peacefully surrounded by family. Things are much better this way because she suffered so much over the past 4 months. She had gone from a self-sufficient person to someone who was dependent on others for everything including eating at the end. We went to Greenville for the services and the boys got to hang out with some cousins they don't see very often. Everyone is hanging in there and just supporting one another. We got to see my sister's kid, Carter, as well and he is growing like a weed.

Until next time, stay safe and enjoy the summer!

Teeth and a Trip to the Beach

That's right! Caleb has not one, but two teeth. About 2 weekends ago, Caleb came home from daycare ill as could be on Friday. When I conducted my almost daily check for a tooth, I found one tooth that appeared to be trying to break through. The next day when I pulled down his lip to take a look, I realized there were 2. He has been ill off and on ever since but seems to be doing better with it all.

This past weekend we went to Myrtle Beach just to get away. We could not leave until after Austin's T-ball game Saturday morning. He got to play first base and got an out but became frustrated when he had to move to a different position the next inning. He definitely likes the action. Below is a video from the weekend before. I think it is the longest at bat in T-ball history! Just kidding, but I think me videoing him was definitely a distraction.



After the game, we went to Biscuitville before hitting the road. Insert the horror music and Dun, Dun, Dun expression here. While sitting with the tray in front of him (way to go mom and dad), Caleb proceeded to put his fingers in the piping hot grits. Yes, that lead to a screaming baby. I remained fairly calm and wiped the grits off and whisked him to the bathroom. He was tired anyway so things just got worse. Finally we were on the road with screaming baby and irritated 4 year old in tow! The area on his finger did blister up but he is doing well and seems like it does not bother him.

The ride always seems long when kids don't sleep the whole way! We made it though and Austin immediately went to the water slides at our hotel. He had a great time all weekend in the water park area and only walked down to the beach one time. Caleb had a good time in the baby pool and floating in the lazy river. Saturday night we went to play putt putt. Dad won of course but Austin and Mom had several hole-in-ones each! Austin is actually very good. Sunday we spent the day at the pool and then went for a nice dinner. Yesterday was shopping day and then returning home.

Austin has moved up into the Pre-K classroom at school. He has tolerated the transition much better than we had anticipated. He is ready for the challenge and is starting to like his new class more every day. Caleb is eating food galore and wants someone to help him pull to stand instead of sitting still. He will pull up and jump all around. He just isn't strong enough to pull up by himself yet. He wakes up every morning with a smile on his face and is only waking up 1 time a night if even that now.

Well, I am off to make bottles and prepare things for tomorrow. It is a never ending circus around here!! Until next time......

A Weekend of Firsts

This past weekend was one of many firsts for everyone. It all started on Thursday night when Shane yelled to me from the other room with something resembling "He said it, he said it!!" He assured me that Caleb had just said his first word and guess what. The boys continue to dominate in our house because Dada was Caleb's first word. There was some baba mixed in there but after several minutes, I could not deny that he had definitely said Dada.

Friday was my birthday and Austin informed me earlier in the week that he was going to get me a special cake for my birthday. He was going to buy me a princess cake because mommy was the only girl in the house and was the only one who qualified for a princess cake. So, on Friday, I received the first "princess" cake that I have had in my entire 32 years. Austin had gone shopping and decided on the cake below because it was chocolate and had a "princess" on top. It is actually Tinkerbell but was a darn good cake. Austin also had a first when they took a trip to the nail salon to get my gift certificate. Shane said that he very quietly looked up and said "Daddy, are we getting our toes painted?" After a look of relief he then asked, "Do we get to wear masks?" I thought it was really cute.











Friday night, we cooked out with our neighbors. Austin got to eat his first marshmallow that he roasted himself over the fire. (Yes, it was really 80 degrees and there was a fire. Only on Onondaga Court do such things happen!!!)












On Saturday morning, we left for Caleb's first beach trip. We went to Atlantic Beach so the boys could spend some time with their cousins. Caleb was not so sure of the ocean or the sand.













He then proceeded to eat sand in mass quantities!













He had quite a nice conversation with his sunglasses. Press play to view the video.






But then decided he had had enough!












He had a nice time just playing on the deck with the breeze in his hair. (HaHa)

Austin had his first fishing experience later that night. He was really only interested in the fish once they were caught. Sitting still for any amount of time is a challenge.

On Sunday, we returned to the beach for a little more fun before returning home that night.

I wanted to include just some cute pictures as well. Austin is really starting to help entertain Caleb more and more. He is great at getting him to laugh. They seem to do well together without major injury yet.

Click on the play button to watch their fun!

Well, it was back to the same old same old today. Everyone survived the weekend and we had a pretty good time. Hope everyone else stayed safe. Until next time.......

7 Months Old!

Yesterday, Caleb turned 7 months old. Where has the time gone? He has now mastered sitting up and is enjoying playing with more toys in the floor. He occupied himself for about 30 minutes yesterday while I did some house work. Being the horrible mom that I am, I also let him watch his first TV program yesterday. He was cranky and no one could really make him happy so I took out Bear In the Big Blue House. This had been Austin's favorite show. The big bear did it again! Caleb was mesmerized. I guess once a week is not that bad! He also got the hang of eating puffs yesterday. I had given him several a few times before but he had not gotten any in his mouth. He was successful about 3 times I think out of the 15 he was given! Oh well, he was sure cute trying!

Not so sure I like these puffs!

I missed!

Reclining to watch Bear!

Austin had T-ball on Saturday morning bright and early. They got their pictures made and then had a game. He did a great job hitting the ball but continues to be easily distracted in the field by other players not necessarily doing like they should. I accidentally had the camera on the wrong setting so there is a little video of him hitting below. Sunday we were supposed to go to the Mudcats with his team but the game was rained out. He was bumbed but enjoyed playing the Wii with Daddy instead.

Click on the picture to watch the video below:


One last crazy, weird thing. My grandmother passed away 2 years ago yesterday. It was kind of wierd when they told me Caleb would be born on the 17th of October but I knew that the date had special meaning and that things would go great. Weird enough, her birthday was the 17th of November (too many 17s)! Anyway, after her funeral I was given a calla lilly plant that had been given to the family. (This is one of my favorite flowers.) Last year, Austin and I noticed that the plant got it's first flower on May 17th. This year, I looked on the 16th and no flowers. Yesterday I went out after the rain had stopped and sure enough, there were 2 "blooms" that were not there the day before. They were still green but definitely were more flowery than the day before. It is just weird to me how mysterious things happen every day.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Enjoy the day off from work!!