I'll take a happy face over a nap any day... well today anyway.

It seems today Caleb has decided to turn nap-time into play-time. He's known how to roll for months now, but hasn't really done it in his crib. This morning he went down for a nap... and apparently finally discovered he can roll in his crib too. I heard all sorts of happy noises and laughing, and when I went up to see what was going on, I stumbled upon the happiest face I've ever seen. Considering this is a boy who has always hated and refused to be on his tummy... I was quite surprised. By the time afteroon nap had rolled around, he again decided that fun doesn't have to stop in the crib. Finally, after an afternoon of errands, and very little sleep (coming from a boy who usually sleeps 3 hours during the day), I peeked out of the kitchen to find Caleb had fallen asleep on the floor. Needless to say, he's now sleeping soundly.

Oh, and as an update on his medical situation... the weekend went wonderfully! Other than a few side effects from the antibiotic, he's loving life. Follow-up is this Thursday, and we're planning to hear that he's healed. God is good!

Like Mother, Like Son

Whew, what a day. So we ended up taking him in to the surgeon today-- because I wanted this settled before the weekend. He woke up this morning as cheery as could possibly be, and it just broke my heart to think that by the end of the day he'd probably be in mass amounts of pain. Tried to stay positive though...

The dr. appointment went as well as could be expected. I had so many 'worst case scenarios' going through my head; I was just about prepared for anything. He thought it best to drain the abscess. We agreed. So Caleb got some local, had 2 nurses holding down his legs, Dad holding his torso, and Me, sobbing away while I rubbed his face. I think he cried more from being terrified than from the actual incision. I didn't see it, and I don't look forward to when I have to. It only took about 5 minutes (thank God!) and the hole was packed with gause. Then we got wonderful news from the surgeon: we just have to leave the packing in for 24 hours and don't have to continue doing it ourselves! Thank the Lord. That was the biggest relief to me, because it definitely would've been an impossible task to accomplish alone. I counted, and I believe 6 arms would've been needed for the process. Anywho, cross that off the list! He's just on Tylenol for the pain, and is now on a new antibiotic, that should treat MRSA if that's the case. I insisted on a culture, which may take 2 weeks, but I'm almost positive it's the same bacteria I had. My theory is that he had it from the get-go, gave it to me, and then had it sprout up again this week. He has a follow-up next week, so our prayer is that he just doesn't have to experience too much pain while he heals.

Another interesting tidbit... the doctor seemed shocked that I hadn't taken this nasal antibiotic in addition to the others I took while I was infected. He still thought it was important that I do so, so I'm now back on an antibiotic myself. Perfectly healthy, yet medicated.

So, that was our day. Since we've been home this afternoon Caleb has been laughing and smiling. Sitting, playing, and not acting like he's bothered in the least. Not sure if that's because he's so tough or because the local hasn't worn off yet :-) Anyway, thanks to all who have kept us in their prayers over the last couple of days. Soon this will all be over with and I'll have another story to write in his baby book!

This is the face I got right after we got home :-)

He won't remember any of this...

I must've told myself that 100 times today. Come this morning we had a bit of a setback. Turns out I was completely off track with my "teething" scenario. His "diaper rash" turned into an abscess, and I'm so thankful I took charge and went to the doctor today. It's so reminiscent of my mastitis situation... though definitely not to the same degree of severity. So he's on a few antibiotics, and I was lucky enough to get him in with the same surgeon I went to. His appointment is set for Monday, but if he doesn't improve at all by Friday I'm not going to wait the weekend to do something about it. I learned that lesson all too well 6 months ago. Doctor after doctor told me 'wait it out... just do this and you'll be fine', when I knew better. I've found my gut instinct to be much more reliable than some doctor over the phone who can't see the current situation.

My memories of those weeks when I was so sick are still so ingrained in my mind. I could hardly hold him, let alone feed him or pick him up when he cried. I relied soley upon my husband and my mom to take care of my 6 week old baby. I can't imagine ever going through anything worse. I don't think I'd make it through alive. He's not going to get as sick as I was though... I won't let him. It just won't happen.

SO, whoever's reading this... I'm asking that you pray for my little Caleb. It's a scary situation, especially with me knowing how bad it COULD get. We're just praying that he's healed through this medication and doesn't have to get it drained. Pray for Brian and I that we stay strong and know the right thing to do at the right time. I'm just so thankful that he's going to the surgeon we know so well, and who's known him since he was just a month old. The nurses all love him there, and I know he'd be taken care of if need be.

Sorry for the depressing post. It's just one of those 'valley' days. Before I know it I'll be up on a mountain top again. That's the way God works, and I trust him.

Let me see ya grill!

For the past 3 days, poor little Caleb's been crying... A LOT. He's normally really chill, talkative, and smiley, but these past few days have been rough. I attribute it to the mean unseen pearly white that's trying to make an appearance. I just hope this phase doesn't last too long; it kills me to look at those tears on his face. His pacifier has basically been attached to him night and day, but it's not helping to quiet the situation any. Tried tylenol, teething rings, etc... none of which seem to help much. He's also had a bad diaper rash which he has 3 creams to treat. So this week we seem to just be in survival mode. Wiping up tears, and smothering on the butt creams. Poor little boy. On a happier note, I just love his giraffe outfit!

Well, we can't all come and go by BUBBLE...

As we all know, I'm obsessed with the Broadway show "Wicked", and I was lucky enough to have seen it recently with the two best leads of all time. So, I figured I'd give a little more insight as to why I'm so in love with this show. The story line is amazing-- The untold story of the witches of Oz. Glinda, who's beautiful and popular, and Elphaba, who's born green, misunderstood, and disliked. The two end up as roomates, hate each other at first, but become life long friends. I just love the age-old story of the underdog.

Anywho, I wanted to share a few clips of the show. The first, being the climactic moment of one of my favorite songs, Defying Gravity. The second is my favorite song of all time, As Long As You're Mine. I'm all about romantic love songs, and I just think it's so adorable that this pair is actually married in real life. Ok, enjoy! And if you don't... well... that would just be weird.

Round 2

I've tried this blogging thing before... but it only lasted a few months before I got too lazy to keep up with it. Now with a 6 month old, I'm finding writing to be quite therapeutic. Seems I've been up since 5:30 this morning because of a husband who had the sudden urge to go fishing before sunrise, and a cranky, teething baby... so I'll take another stab at this tomorrow when I'm a bit more coherent.