The Growing Caldwell Family

I feel like we have been sick for the past month and I'm ready for us to happy and feeling good again.  St. Patrick's day was a fun day, but they weren't feeling great and weren't interested in giving me big smiles!  Have to love the Irish Princess and Lucky Boy!

In the midst of all our illness, Charlie cut his first tooth today! I can't get a picture of it, but he is so cute checking it out with his tongue. His tooth is on the bottom right up front.

Yep, Charlie woke with fever feeling miserable. Aaron took him to the pediatrician and he doesn't have the flu. He has the same sort of virus SG had several weeks ago and then Aaron and I had it. He hates taking Tylenol with a passion and fights wiping his nose just as much. So, he isn't the easiest patient, but he is the sweetest.

Sunday I was congested and by Monday night my ears were hurting pretty bad. Tuesday morning I used our Teladoc benefit and had a three day z pack anabiotic prescribed. Wednesday I felt worse, so Jeanne' came to take SG to school and me to the doctor. The doctor felt I needed a stronger antibiotic so he gave me an anabiotic shot and prescribed amoxicillin on top of the other. Thursday evening I thought I was feeling a bit better and ate dinner with Aaron and the kids and actually managed to take a shower. Friday morning I woke up expecting to feel even better and planned to take SG to school. As I got us ready for school, I realized that I felt awful and it was all that I could do to actually get her there and get home again. Mom offered to come and take me back to the doctor and I gratefully accepted. When the doctor saw me back at first he thought steroids were what I needed to reduce all the inflammation from the infection.. I was pretty upset because he felt the steroids w

After his week away, Daddy came home last Saturday and Charlie was all grins! I think he missed his Daddy as much as Daddy missed him.

He can sit so well!

I posted about SG having a yucky virus and then Aaron and I got it and I realized it is a really yucky virus!  Wednesday afternoon I started feeling bad and by the evening I knew I had the virus.  I had a high fever and a blinding headache.  I managed to stay home with the kids while Aaron went to EFM, but was anxious for him to get home because I was pretty much incapacitated.   He started with the virus late Wednesday night and by Thursday morning he asked Mom to come get the kids.  I hate missing even a minute with them, but I knew we couldn't take care of them.  Thursday and Friday passed in a blur as we were both pretty much only able to lie there.  I had a fever over 102 and just felt miserable.  I think all my Emergen C and drinking plenty paid off because by Friday afternoon I was feeling a bit better and willed myself to get up and move around a little.  That seemed to help my headache and by Friday night I was ready for the kids to come home.  Charlie was feeling bad o

This is the sweetest baby with a cute personality, but he looks like an absolute angel when he sleeps. If only that we're more frequent. I try not to complain, mostly because I want them to know how much joy they bring us, but I am tired. I'm not even tired, I am exhausted. Aaron is too and I give him a lot of credit for helping at night when he can. We need a way for us as a family to get 6 consecutive hours of sleep a night. Eight would be even better, but I think we could function on 6. Charlie's sleep is the main issue. He starts in his crib around 7:30 and sleeps for 30 minutes or an hour before he wakes up. I will nurse him back to sleep as long as I feel like it has been long enough since the last feeding that he isn't going to nurse until he throws up (he has done that on multiple occasions). If I am not going to let him nurse again so soon, it is better if Aaron soothes him back to sleep with bouncing, rocking, and patting. I serve only one purpose

SG has been sick with a yucky virus for 3 days now. She started with a fever on Thursday and we hoped it had left on Saturday, but no such luck. She has a terrible cough and runny nose, too. We went to the pediatrician this morning (thank goodness for Sunday appointments) and she tested negative for strep and the flu. The pediatrician thinks it is likely a different virus a lot of kids are getting that has high fever associated with it. He said it may be a few more days before she is feeling better.

I took SG for her three-year-old check-up right around her birthday, but I just never got around to posting about the actual check-up. She weighs 32.2 pounds which is in the 56th percentile and she is 37 1/2 inches tall which is the 55th percentile. She was in great health and my main concern was her picky eating. The pediatrician recommended that we stay on her current asthma medications which are Singulair, Flonase, and the Flovent inhaler. We have had so much success with these that I agree we should definitely continue. During that appointment Sarah Graves also had her hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines. Wednesday I took her to see ear nose and throat specialist for an allergy check since we haven't been back since October. The doctor felt that Sarah Graves has done so well with the medications that we should try being off of them for a while to determine if she really needs them. I also mentioned that at the recommendation of our chiropractor we had removed most dairy f

Aaron is away at training this week, so Lovie is staying with us.  She is sleeping over every night this week! Sarah Graves is thrilled to have Lovie stay at our house!  If it were up to Sarah Graves, we would all live on a compound together.  Isn't that what every child wants, all their favorite people in one place all the time? I have appreciated all the help.  The evenings are hectic enough, but doing it by yourself is just exhausting.  It has been nice to have someone there to talk to once the kids are in bed.  I am not used to having anyone to help me get SG ready in the mornings and I could definitely get used to that!  If Lovie and Pops ever want to move in, I would be happy. We have missed daddy a lot while he is gone and one of those reasons is his patience getting Charlie back to sleep.  I can usually get him down the first time, but the frequent wake ups after that start to wear on me.  We have done alright though and once Charlie comes to bed with me, he has slept

He is getting up on his hands and knees and rocking now.  It won't be long before he is crawling.

SG's friend Peyton was, I believe, the last in her class to turn three.  His party was on Sunday afternoon at his house.  Because Charlie had been sick, SG and I went to the party and Daddy stayed home with Charlie.   Some of her best friends were at Peyton's construction themed party.  Her favorite things were playing on this roller coaster toy and the Little Tykes bounce house in their basement! The kids were so cute sitting around the table singing happy birthday and clapping for Peyton as he blew out his candles.  

I almost forgot to post these cute pictures of Charlie.  We took these one Saturday a few weeks ago so that we could remember this cute roly poly baby stage.  He really enjoyed getting to be nakey for a while!

Last week feels like it was a blur.  Sarah Graves was sick Sunday night and still didn't feel great on Monday morning.  Then, Charlie started with some sniffles.  Tuesday afternoon I started feeling like I had a stomachache and by Wednesday morning I knew it was the stomach flu.  Thursday I was feeling better and by early Friday morning Charlie had started with it.  His seems to have done like Sarah Graves where he seemed better Saturday and was sick again early Sunday morning.  I have decided that when you have kids, especially a child that shares your bed, you need guest rooms so that you have extra beds waiting with clean sheets for when the unexpected happens during the night! We had some fun too and I will post about those events soon!

Dear Charlie, Six months old already is hard to believe!  In some ways it feels like you have been part of our family forever.  Look what you have accomplished in just six months!  You grab for everything, respond to your name, sit up, roll all around, and even scoot yourself around.  The best parts are your smile and your laugh.  You are a physical little guy.  You are now able to sit up and play for a while without tipping over.  You roll with great ease to get to what you want.  You can even scoot yourself around; although, I’m not sure exactly how you do it.  You grab for everything and immediately want it in your mouth.  No drinking glass, piece of paper, or earring is safe in your presence!   You also grab on to hair, which can hurt sometimes.  Sissy is not fond of this part.  Lovie tells me you are also able to hold onto your bottle, and you will grab for me while you are nursing.   Sometimes this results in me getting a pinch and combined with your desire to