Winter Wonderland

As I mentioned before, we got a ton more snow. It's so pretty outside and was actually nice enough to take Caleb out on Friday afternoon. He LOVES the snow. He had a great time helping his daddy build a snowman. He also enjoyed throwing snowballs for Macy to chase, which of course she loved too. Needless to say, he was NOT happy when it was time to go inside! We hope everyone has a fun, safe New Year's Eve! Caleb will be attending his first New Year's party tonight. A lot of his little buddies will be there and he's so excited! They, however, will eat and sleep anywhere, and you all know how Caleb is! I am sure we won't be staying very late....

No More Doctor Appointments!

Well at least until 2008! Caleb had his last 2 appts for the year and they both went great. His 2 year check up went much better than I expected. His doc was thrilled with his weight (22 pounds 12.5 oz) and height (32 3/4 inches). He has gained almost 3 pounds and grew 2.5 inches since his 18 month check up, so when you look at his growth over a longer amount of time, it's really pretty good. He was so happy that he's finally on the darn growth chart (I still don't know why docs are so obsessed with that) He couldn't believe the strides he's made developmentally. Last time we saw him, he wasn't walking or talking. He is concerned about his speech, but isn't going to push more therapy at this time, which is good. The best news is that we don't have to see him until Caleb is 3! Of course I will be talking with him a lot on the phone since C will have many blood draws before that, but as long as we can keep him healthy he won't have to go back for a long time! His ped and favorite nurse even gave him a birthday present, which I thought was sweet!
I also took him to his lung appt. His pulmonologist was also very happy to see how well he's doing. He actually told me that he has no idea why C breathes so fast. He's still concerned about his rapid breathing, but since C is so active and doesn't wheeze or cough with activity and his lungs sound clear, the doc doesn't feel the need to push more testing at this time. Plus, his bronchoscopy didn't really show anything significant which he said was the "ultimate test." I am glad he was honest because so many docs/residents that we see will try and make up a reason or excuse for something, which I cannot stand. I'd rather hear that they don't know why rather than know myself that they are making something up. Anyway, we got his refills for his inhaler and don't have to see him again until May!
I was supposed to have my appt today, but we are in the middle of yet another snow storm. It's actually very beautiful outside, but not the kind of weather I want to be driving around with Caleb in. It's been snowing all day and we're expected to get at least 6 inches, so I called and switched it to next week. I've been feeling great and man does this guy move a lot! I don't think he's ever sleeping. Let's just hope he gets all this out of his system before he's born! I need a kid that will sleep!
We still have to celebrate Christmas with Joel's parents so I will share pictures of our holiday next week. I do have to share a funny story though. We went to church on Christmas eve and at the end everyone lit candles and sang silent night. Since his birthday, Caleb has been really into blowing out candles. After mine was lit, he kept trying to blow it out. There were still people lighting theirs, so I asked him if he wanted to sing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus. He shook his head "no" and said "Ahma!" (Elmo) I guess we'll work on the real meaning of Christmas next year!

Can you tell that he's constantly pushing his limits??!!

Christmas is Here!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas (part 3)

Looks like we're going to have a really white Christmas! It's been snowing all day along with 40 mph winds...the snow is coming down sideways! We've gotten the "all clear" from our family that everyone is healthy (which is amazing), so we'll be able to spend the next couple days with our loved ones. YAHOOOOOO!
Here's our Christmas picture from last year and this year. It was so much harder to take this year's picture because he kept standing up and running away. This one was snapped just as he was about to stand up. He has his "I'm-up-to-no-good" look in his eyes....Oh well, I still think it's pretty cute.

Countdown to Christmas (part 2)

Caleb's 2nd Christmas was much more fun. Even though we were in strict isolation for RSV and didn't go anywhere for Christmas, we were so thankful that we were home together. And of course Caleb was very spoiled with all the gifts he received!
Here are some pictures of Christmas 2006:

In the first one he's wearing the same hat that he had on in the pics below!

Countdown to Christmas (part one)

It's hard to believe that this will be Caleb's 3rd Christmas. I tend to try and forget his first one. He was very sick and waiting for the holiday to be over so he could be transferred to Children's for his heart surgery. He had been given 6 doses of Indocin to try and fix his PDA, but it didn't fix the problem. It did however make his kidney's shut down and made him very swollen. Normally I love Christmas, but that year it couldn't get over fast enough.
Here are some pictures from Christmas 2005:

My mom got him a cute "First Christmas" preemie sleeper but he couldn't wear it yet. His nurse and I laid it on him for a quick Christmas picture. Joel was getting so mad at us..."Just leave him alone!"
The nurses convinced us to go and have Christmas dinner with Joel's family. It was the first time I left the hospital since he was born. When we came back, we found a little elf in Caleb's isolette!
Check back for happier pictures of Christmas 2006!

Note to self....

.....Next year, I need to do a better job of hiding Christmas presents, especially those for Caleb's older cousins. Since "big boy" toys are much more fun than any of the hundreds of toys he currently has to play with.

I finally got my Christmas shopping done. I am such a slacker. Caleb found the bags that had gifts for his older cousins who are 3 and 6 and younger cousins who are 1 and 2. Of course he was screaming and signing "open" immediately after he found them. So, I decided it would be fun for him to help me wrap them. Not so much. I got out everything I needed for the task and within 30 seconds he grabbed the scissors and cut a hole in his pants. It was like we were in slow motion as I was reaching to take it away from him. I still can't believe that he could operate the scissors that quickly! Once I took that away, he was back into the toys crying when I tried to take one away from him. I finally convinced to him to let one of the presents go "ny-ny" on the paper and then gave him the tape for distraction (another mistake). He really enjoyed wasting 3/4 of the tape and screamed when I tried to use it...ughhhh! I'd hand him another toy when I needed the tape, which of course he wouldn't let me wrap when I was ready for the next one. We repeated this process until all of the gifts were wrapped (some of them twice since the little stinker started opening them when I wasn't looking).

Now I am just worried that when his cousins open the gifts, Caleb is going to think they are his! He has been very dramatic lately (even more than normal) and I can just picture the scene now....his cousins will want to play with their new toys, and Caleb will ditch all of his new things (making people feel bad) and try to take their toys from them. I think I will take some Tylenol before gift opening since Caleb's new and improved temper-tantrum-scream is enough to give me a migraine!

Baby boy #2 update:
31 weeks this week (or 32 if you go by our due-date from my high risk doctor!!)! I had my doc appt today and everything "looks fabulous!" The count down begins! It is sort of strange to think of it that way because with Caleb, each week we were counting up! In 5 short weeks, we'll be "full term." I feel like we have so much to do! I have given up hope that we'll have C sleeping through the night by the time his little brother arrives. For a while he was only getting up once a night for a bottle, but now he's back to 3-4 times again. I guess I am well trained for when the new baby comes! Joel put the crib up in the baby's room and guess who constantly wants to be in it?! I keep telling him he had his chance!

Bad habit starting early....

Snow Day!

We are having a big snow storm today. I think the south-east portion of WI has shut down for the day! We started getting sleet in the middle of the night, which then turned to snow. When we woke up this AM it was raining, started to snow again shortly after and now it's been raining/sleeting for the past couple hours. They say it's going to change to snow again. It's really strange weather. It sounds like the roads are a complete disaster. Even Joel's company called and told him to stay home. Commutes that normally take 5 minutes were taking over an hour. Caleb was SO excited to see him when he woke up. He was manic, running around shouting "Dat!!"

I also want to share some pictures of our trip we took on Saturday. Every year we take a sleigh ride with Joel's family through the Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary. This is the first time we were all able to go. It was only 10 degrees and I was very nervous about taking Caleb, but he absolutely loved it. Santa sits on a tractor and pulls a huge sleigh through the preserve. The sleigh has speakers and Christmas music is played the entire ride. There are hundreds of dear, buffalo, and elk roaming free. Santa also makes occasional stops at cages where little animals are kept. At each stop there is also a big stocking that is full of little gifts for everyone. After the ride, we went into the lodge for hot chocolate and cookies. When we took off all of Caleb's layers, I was happy to find that the only thing cold on him were his cheeks. I guess the plus side of having such a small kid is that he still fits into an infant sized snowsuit! We even agreed to go to a little restaurant afterwards. (Yes I was a nervous wreck at first, and yes, I had my bleach wipes and table cover!) We had such a large group of people that we ended up with a room to ourselves, which made me much less nervous since I knew they were all healthy! Caleb did so well there considering it was the FIRST time he'd ever been to a restaurant (I wish I would have taken a picture of such a big "milestone!") I am so happy we were able to do something "normal" for a change! Here are some pictures from the day. I know he looks like he's not enjoying himself in the first two, but that was when we first sat down and he was a little unsure of what was going on. He actually was smiling and pointing to animals once we got going!

Sunglasses were one of the presents from Santa and guess who wouldn't take them off??!!

Joel, Caleb, Santa, Jake and Sammy (Who is also a big fan of sunglasses!)

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

I want to share pictures of C's birthday party, but first I need to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB RYAN!!!! I still cannot believe that you are 2 years old! You have developed into a sweet little man that cracks us up all the time. You are so smart and witty. We are so proud of all your accomplishments and are honored to be your parents! We love you so much!

Caleb had a wonderful birthday. We started out the day by going to play with his NICU buddy Joshua. Josh was a 34 weeker, but had severe lung issues and spent a lot of time with Caleb in the same row of the NICU. We really bonded with his parents and big sister when we were there and are very lucky we had and still have them for support. You'd never know Joshua was a preemie. I think his mom told me he's 36 pounds. He kept calling Caleb "baby." It was pretty cute. Caleb can sure hold his own though! This is the only picture I could get of them and it makes me laugh. Typical 2 year olds!
After supper, Grammie came over with a TON of presents from her and Grandpa and from several other special people. He also received a lot of money to spend on more presents when summer comes (Which I think is so clever!) Caleb's birthday also falls on St Nick, so he was doubly spoiled. Of course his favorite gifts were the balloons she brought and his new snow boots. He's had a lot of fun playing with his new toys. I have decided, however, to keep some of them in their boxes and bring them out when his baby brother comes.

Since he threw up his entire supper, I thought he'd at least try the cake. No such luck. (Which is exactly why I bought such a little cake!) He messed with the frosting and played with it enough to look like he ate something, but he didn't. Maybe he just wanted to continue his tradition from last year....He really enjoyed blowing out the candles though. I had to light them at least 4 times, so he could keep doing it. (He couldn't quite get them out by himself, but he didn't know we helped him!)
He really didn't want to go to bed because he had so many new toys and books to play with! I think he had a great day. Thanks to everyone who sent gifts or cards in the mail. I can't wait until we can actually celebrate with everyone! Here's one last picture of him with a few of his presents. His smile is priceless!

Where has time gone?

I still cannot believe that Caleb is going to be 2 tomorrow! Our little baby is growing up. Actually, he got weighed today and only gained 2 ounces in one month...UGHHH! (22 pounds, 12 oz) I guess he's trying to keep with the "2" theme or something. I'm trying not to worry too much about it, but I am nervous to tell the feeding team his weight and I know I am going to get a lecture on Friday from his pediatrician. Anyway, just wanted to share some pics from last years "birthday party," Which consisted of Caleb, Joel, Macy and I.
I know I sound like a broken record, but it's amazing how far he's come since last year (from not even crawling to walking, running and dancing!!)! God is GOOD!

All about CC Bear

Caleb is really changing lately. He's doing so much more than he was even a month ago. I decided that I would sit down and write about his latest accomplishments and share some interesting facts about him. It might take me a few days to get it done since I can only use the computer when he's sleeping otherwise he wants to "help" me.

*He may end up with multiple personalities since he has so many nick names. We call him CC, Joe-Joe (don't even ask me where that one came from!), Joey, Bear, Stinkman, and of course Caleb Ryan. He answers to all of them!

*He has recently added some new words to his vocabulary. He just said his first words 1 month ago and now he has quite a few! He now says mama, dada, out, up, yes, hot, hat, bubble, pop (meaning the carbonated beverage!), dot-it (got it...sooo cute!) booo (blue) and ny-ny.

*Even though he can't say them, he knows all his colors. He's able to pick out the correct color marker from his bin when asked and will bring us the correct color ball/car/toy as well.

*He knows the shapes circle, square, heart, triangle, and star. He's really good at drawing circles.

*Before he goes down for a nap or to sleep at night, he now has to say "ny-ny" to everything in our house. And I mean EVERYTHING. Examples are the ny-ny to the lights in the kitchen, the pictures of him on the fireplace, Macy, the Christmas tree, lights in the hallway, the baby's room, etc. It started off by just saying good night to Macy, but now it's starting to take forever!

*He LOVES to dance. He's really good at tap-dancing like Elmo does, doing the hokey-pokey, and ring-around-the-rosie. Today when I came home from work, he was "head-banging" and running around to some rock music Joel had playing. He's always cracking me up! It's hard to believe that he just started walking at the end of June and now he's dancing and running!

*He can now jump and both feet (well at least one consistently) leave the ground!

*He has a "sneaky walk" that he likes to do. He hunches his shoulders over, sticks his tongue out and walks on his tip-toes. I am still not sure where he learned that! Rhi-maybe Troy taught him??!!

*He loves it when we sing songs. His favorites are "The wheels on the bus" and "Head, shoulders, knees and toes."

*He loves to listen to music. But, if the music is too loud for him, he'll cover his ears until we turn it down.

*He is obsessed with the moon. He has to look for it every night and is so excited when he can still see it in the day time. He calls it mama, which can be confusing at times!

*After he bites or pinches us, he yells "Aaaaach (Ouch)!!"

*He continues to love glasses. Sometimes he'll wear his sun glasses around the house all day (which is why I took the lenses out. I didn't want them to hurt his eyes). He still has a pair of sun glasses in the car and always puts them on right when we get in and usually wears them for the whole trip. (unless he's watching a DVD of course!) If he knows you wear glasses and don't have them on, he'll sign "glasses" until you put them on! He made up his own sign for glasses, which is "thumbs up", since we use to say "cool dude" when he wore his sun glasses.

*For some reason, he's obsessed with the letter M. If he sees it in a book or on the fridge (magnets), he gets so excited.

*He's very possessive of Joel's things. For instance, I put on one of Joel's sweatshirts last night and Caleb threw a fit! He was so upset, even had tears, until I took it off. He smiled and took it to his "Dat." He also hates it when Macy carries Joel's shoes/socks around the house.

*He continues to love books, although we have to read them in a specific order. I will suggest a book and he'll shake his head no until I find the right one. However we will eventually read the ones he skip. (The order is different every time) This week, his favorite books are the RSV information shot book and the JC Penny toy catalog.

*He's starting to get picky about what he's wearing. I have started to give him 2 choices of shirts. He usually shakes his head "no" to both of them, but eventually agrees to wear one of them.

*He loves to look at himself in the mirror (or anything else that he can see his reflection in). Anytime he puts on a hat or his glasses, he has to go and check himself out.

*He had a complete melt down when he got his hair cut this time. He normally loves going to the kids salon (they have a big gym to play in and fish tanks in front of the chairs where he sits to get his hair cut), but this time he freaked out and even a video didn't calm him down. The funny thing is, every day at least 5 times, he points to his hair and pats his head until I say "Yes, Caleb you got your hair cut and it looks GOOD!" He gets the biggest grin on his face.

*Joel just asked him who he likes better Dat or Mama. He said MAMA!!! That's my boy!

Well, I think that about covers everything! As you can see, he's really thriving and developing into a smart little man. Once again, we are truly blessed.

Fluid makes all the difference

We are now almost 28 weeks into our pregnancy. I am feeling great. Well, except for the horrible cold that I somehow managed to get. (and am praying that Caleb won't get...) I came across a couple pictures from the week before Caleb was born. The first one is an ultrasound picture taken at 27 weeks. Notice how there is no "black" (fluid) around his little body. Fluid not only protects the baby's body, but also helps their lungs develop. I still cannot believe that he survived 9 weeks like that.

I found this picture on the Internet of a baby at 27 weeks so you can compare:

Here is a picture of me the week before Caleb was born. I gained less than 10 pounds with him:

Here's a picture of my belly now. I have gained almost 30 pounds...YIKES!: So we are plugging along. I am blessed that I haven't had any real complications so far. He seems to be in constant motion...a lot like his big brother already. I see my OB on Monday for my regular checkup. It's hard to believe that Caleb is going to be 2 next week!! Because of RSV, we are planning on having a party for him in June to celebrate his 2.5 birthday. Of course WE will be celebrating (and I will share pictures with you!)!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for. Too many things to list. These pictures are of Caleb last year. He started sitting by himself that week and was only able to do it for a few seconds. I remember having a hard time getting these pictures because he kept tipping over. Now I have a hard time taking a picture of him because he won't sit still! Like I said, we have so much to be thankful for.....

Christmas in November

It looks like we've already had Christmas at our house. My sister-in-law brought over two huge bins of all of her boys' Little People play sets. I swear they had every single one. She also brought over their play kitchen and all the dishes/food that goes with it. My brother and his fiance also came over and gave him his birthday/Christmas present early. He loves his new GeoTrack train set. I am surprised that he knows how put the train on the tracks correctly and how to work the remote control. Our baby is growing up!! He even started saying a new word since he got it. He says "bup, bup, bup" when it goes up the hill. He still signs "down" when it comes back down though. He'll will sit and play by himself for a pretty long time and I can actually get some things done. (I guess the million toys he already has aren't cool enough anymore.) Anyway, with his birthday and St Nick in less than 3 weeks and Christmas close behind, I am not sure where we'll put all of his stuff! I have already put several bins of his toys in the basement, but it doesn't even look like I have put anything away! He is so spoiled!

He has started be a stinker again with eating too. Not sure what's going on, but he's driving me crazy. He's vomiting a lot more during meals and really not eating much at all. He's not acting sick. I guess we'll be visiting the feeding clinic this week!

My doc appt went well today. Everything measured good and his heart rate was good as well. I really wish I could have another ultra sound though! I will now be seeing my OB every 2 weeks. They are into their new office now which is beautiful. It has floor to ceiling windows in the waiting room and it's right above Lake Michigan. I could have sat there all day, watched the waves and relaxed. (no, Caleb wasn't with me!)