Bye-Bye Bottle, Hello Potty!

Last Sunday night (Father's Day) was Caleb's very last bottle. We had stopped all of the daytime bottles at 12 months, but continued with the bottle before bed to ensure that Caleb got his necessary intake of milk each day. He didn't fall asleep with the bottle, so I didn't think it would be all that difficult to take away. However, I still seem to "plan for the worst" with any of these transitions. And once again, I am usually pleasantly surprised by how easy he adjusts! He asks for it each night, but we just tell him that it went bye-bye and that bottles are for babies and he is a big boy now. I don't think he really understands this, but he hasn't thrown a fit or even cried for it once! This makes me so much more at ease about the transition from our family of three to a family of four!

So, I have officially crossed off 2 items from my "To-Do" List before the baby comes. Yay! We'll find out what we're having on July 15th. We are so excited!

On Saturday my dad (who is a family physician) made a comment about how he thinks that Caleb is ready to be introduced to the idea of potty training. This really blew my mind...I really hadn't even thought about that since he is just now almost 18 months. But being the overzealous parents that we are, we took Caleb to pick out his very own potty. He chose an Elmo potty and he enjoys sitting on it for short periods of time. He hasn't actually gone potty yet (nor do I expect him to for a LONG time), but he sure does like his new talking Elmo potty!

Here are some pictures at the park:

And me a few weeks ago at 4 months (16 weeks)... I feel huge. And this heat hasn't been too fun either. Ugh!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Happy Father's Day to three of the most wonderful dads ever!!!! Kevin, you are an amazing daddy to Caleb. Dad and Dean, we love you so much!!!

Celebrity Look-A-Likes

The other day Caleb and I went for an early morning walk (the only time of the day I can stand being outside without soaking in water first). We met a neighbor down the street who was having a garage sale. She approached us and enthusiastically exclaimed that he looked just like Shiloh. "Shiloh???," I said. "Yeah, you know, Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie's little girl." She went on and on about how much he looked like her...his blue eyes, his lips, everything. Now, I could be offended that she suggested that my little boy (who already had a haircut) is being compared to a girl. But this is the offspring of Brad Pitt we're talking about!!! Boy or girl...I'll take that as a major compliment. :) Since I don't stay up on the latest of celebrity kid's gossip, I decided to google her and found this picture. Not exactly a spitting image, but I see some resemblances. Now, if only Caleb's mama could look more like Shiloh's... :)

Caleb has also been sticking out his tongue whenever he is in pursuit of something or running away. It reminded me of Michael Jordan's signature tongue stickage. :)

a father's day project FAILED

So, I had this "bright" idea of wrapping all of our Father's Day gifts in plain wrapping paper with Caleb's footprints painted all over it. I figured the easiest way to go about this was to dip his feet in paint and then have him walk all over the paper in our driveway. Well...here's how it went. First of all, I dipped Caleb's feet in the paint and it scared him.

Then he didn't want to walk on the paper because it felt funny (I don't blame him...I have some weird feet texture issues myself).

So he decided he would walk ALL OVER our driveway instead! Too bad those adorable footprints couldn't have ended up on the paper.


We finally abandoned our efforts and settled for cleaning up and playing with the hose. Don't ask me why he looped it through his legs...



Oh, and the paint was much more permanent than I thought. So if you come to our house and there is blue and green footprints all over our driveway, you'll know why.

Sorry Kevin, Dad, & Dean...you won't be getting your presents wrapped in adorable toddler footprint paper (at least not this year). :)

Feeding the Giraffe

After heading to Lamar's for donuts on Saturday morning (per my request, of course), we decided to make an impromptu visit to the zoo. I have always wanted to feed the giraffes there, but we've never had the opportunity until that day! Giraffes are Caleb's favorite...he sleeps with one every night and has a 5-foot stuffed giraffe in his room. He has started calling them "Addies" now...not really sure where he got that one! He used to try to just say "aff" but couldn't pronounce the /f/ sound, so it came out /s/, which was quite amusing to others and VERY embarrassing to Kevin and me. So, we are thankful that he now lovingly refers to them as "Addies." :)

A Bad-Mommy Day

Last Friday was not a good day. I felt like a terrible mother who was incapable of caring for her own child! I called Kevin crying and cried some more when he got home. I questioned why I am staying home when someone else could probably take better care of Caleb than me (yes...it was a REALLY bad day). I was reading a book this weekend called Celebrations of Faith and read the following paragraph. It spoke directly to my situation and my feelings that day...

"Today I didn't say the right things. I didn't give enough hugs. I didn't listen to all their imaginary stories. Today I hurried them through what could have been very special moments, to achieve my binding agenda. Today my prayers were too short and my lectures too long. My smiles, I'm sure, didn't hide my fatigue. Today I didn't heal any wounds; in fact, I'm sure I caused some. Their tears fell and I felt too lifeless to wipe them away. Today I felt completely defeated and totally inadequate for this position called "mommy." But as I kneel in prayer to confess my failures, I am reminded...I am not their hope. I am not their total joy. I am not their salvation. He is!"

I don't have to be a perfect mother, as long as I am pointing my children to the One who is and always will be perfect. In fact, my imperfections help them to see just how much we all need a savior. Thank goodness we are not in this parenting thing alone...we have a Heavenly Father who loves our children even more than we can!

I think God knew that I needed some special times after Friday to build up my confidence in myself as a mother (I have always struggled with confidence in every area of my life). Caleb and I have enjoyed so many amazing and precious moments together this week. I am amazed by his tender heart, loving nature, and zest for life. He is truly one amazing child and I love him more every day! And I once again feel a little like I know what I'm doing. As I have poured out all of my concerns to God, I feel so at peace. I am not even as anxious about the craziness of caring for two kiddos as I have been the past couple of weeks!

PS-Here are some pictures I took of Caleb as I was playing around with my camera...these are pre-haircut!

I was tickling him in this picture...that's my knee on the right. :)

The Curls are Gone...

We finally did it. Despite the fact that my baby boy is called a girl almost daily (and other affectionate names such as "Joe Dirt" by Aunt Kellie & Uncle Brad), I have never had the slightest inclination to chop off his beautiful golden locks. That is, until this week when his hair was stringy, mullet-like, and just plain unruly. So, on Saturday morning we decided it was time to chop it off. I had planned to trim Caleb's hair myself (thinking that if I butchered it we could just take him into a barber shop), but then I guess Kevin remembered my poor attempts at giving him haircuts with some clippers from Wal-Mart when we were first married and trying to save money, so he insisted on doing it. So here are some pictures and video from this momentous event. We put the Bumbo on the coffee table, stuck a movie in the DVD player (which is a treat for Caleb), and gave him a popsicle and presto! I'll be honest and admit that I did shed a few tears...not only was this a milestone in every baby's life but I absolutely ADORED his hair. He looked so sweet, baby-like, and adorable. He still looks sweet and adorable, just more like a big boy. Just another reminder that my precious baby boy isn't really a baby anymore!

Before

Daddy cutting Caleb's hair

We're finished!

After...the curls are gone!

Amen!

Today we picked up Kevin for lunch in Sedgwick and went to the local pizza place for a buffet lunch. By the time we got the high chair, our first round of food, and had Caleb settled and eating lunch, we had completely forgotten to pray. After we were all finished with our food and were getting ready to leave, Caleb folds his hands and says "Amen." How sad that our almost 17-month old son had to remind us that we didn't pray!

*On a side note, Caleb enjoys prayer time and has even begun to say his own prayers by repeating after us (it normally consists of "Jesus, I love you, Amen"). He also enjoys letting people know when their prayers are too long by very loudly shouting "Amen" whenever he thinks the prayer should be over. Luckily, his "Amen" sounds more like "Mamey" and I don't think anyone recognized what he was saying at church on Sunday!*

water, water everywhere!

Caleb LOVES the water. He loves bathing, swimming, and yes, splashing in Sage's water bowl. We went swimming at my mom and dad's for the first time this summer and we were in the water for an hour. Caleb still didn't want to get out! Unfortunately we forgot our camera for that occasion, but I did capture father and son giving Sage a bath on Saturday. Caleb had a great time (and Sage seemed to tolerate it pretty well too). :)

And I thought caring for 1 toddler was tough...

how about 76 kids??? A dear friend of ours, Meagan, has spent the last 2 years working at a mission in Zambia. She has recently decided to commit to serving at the orphanage for another year...she is one of the most amazing people I know! My sister left on Saturday evening to go spend a few weeks with Meagan. She flew *by herself* through Chicago, London, & Johannesburg (some of the busiest airports in the world), to reach Livingstone. My mom told me that she did finally make it there, after an assortment of delays. Please pray for my sister and for Meagan as they are caring for these precious children! I "borrowed" some of Meagan's pictures from Facebook to share...

Crystal...I knew you'd love this one! This picture is of triplets who were born in the middle of a road. They were brought to the hospital covered in sand and dirt. This is after they were bathed.

Who says a double stroller is just for 2???? How about 5 kiddos?

When trying to potty-train 25 toddlers at a time, it becomes a social event!

Meagan sent this picture as her Christmas card last year...it is so precious!

Isn't he ADORABLE? His name is George.

Babies getting ready to take a bath. In another picture, there are 5 kids in the tub at a time. :)

Meagan with about 30 of her little ones.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" -Matthew 25:40

Change is a-comin'....

I am a person who does not do so well with change, or at least not the thought of it. I am a worry-wart by nature and agonize over every change. The day of my wedding, I woke up crying and didn't stop for a while because I didn't want my relationship with my family to change. When I was pregnant with Caleb, I was so worried that his birth would change my relationship with Kevin. Well, it did...but in an amazing and beautiful way. We have grown so much stronger as a couple since he came into our lives. With every change, my relationships have grown stronger...so why am I so worried about the changes that this next baby brings??? I'm not sure, but maybe it's because I feel a tad guilty that I won't get to give Caleb as much attention or maybe it is because I feel like I have my hands completely full with my VERY ACTIVE little boy and can't imagine juggling a newborn too? Probably a lot of things contribute to this feeling, but I still worry. In my heart, I know that we are giving Caleb one of the greatest gifts of his life...the love of a sibling. And I know that we will work out a schedule. I know Kevin will continue to be an amazing help. I know that I will love this baby just as much as Caleb (my mom describes it as a whole new chamber opening up in your heart). But I still worry...so I am trying to just give it to God.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6

In the mean time, I will seek the advice of others. And I will plan...because it makes me feel like I am doing something (although just praying about it should really be enough). So here is the start of my Pre-Baby To-Do List. I know I am crazy...I'm only 14 weeks along. Like I said it makes me feel better to do something. Some of these are behavioral and some are practical...but here it goes.

• Organize my maternity clothes! I am almost to the point where I am needing to wear these, but can still fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes.
  
• Wean Caleb from his nighttime bottle (Kevin has made me promise not to do this until after Father's Day. He is the one who gives him his bottle at night and it is Kevin, not Caleb, who is more attached to this time)
  
• Work on making my discipline more consistent.
  
• Move Caleb into his new room/bed. We have to wait to find out what we are having before we know exactly what the arrangement will be, but once we know that is the next step.
  
• I'm not planning on even thinking about potty-training Caleb until he's two, but if some reason he suddenly shows interest and readiness, read up on best strategies.
  
• Prepare the new baby's room.
  
• Put together "Thank You" folder with pens, cards, & stamps to make organization of "thank-you's" more seamless.
  
• Plan made for care of Caleb during and after the birth of the new baby
  
• Stock up on two month's worth of diapers (preferably at an AMAZING sale)
  
• Get and wrap gift(s) to give Caleb after the baby is born. Any great ideas???
  
• Create "activity bags" of independent activities Caleb can do while I am nursing.
  
• Teach Caleb what he is to do with the bags (in teacher language this is called guided practice...when he does it by himself, that is independent practice). :)
  
• Clean out all clutter in our house and unnecessary items that we are storing. Take items to either Goodwill or the warehouse for Nhowe Mission.
  
• A month or two before my due date, start preparing "extra" meals to keep in the freezer.
  
• Most importantly, enjoy this precious time that I have with Caleb.

Do you have any suggestions? I will continue to add and keep track of my progress on these tasks.