Update on a Monday!

I have the cutest little boy in the whole world! This morning, he made up a new game where he’ll hand me his cup, then back up a few steps, then reeeeeeach out to get it back from me, straining and making a big dramatic effort. It’s HILARIOUS! When he finally reaches it, after mom makes a good stretch too, he’ll hold onto it, laugh, then hand it to me again and back up. Good night, does that kid make me happy!

Miss Angela loaded us up with some Smith hand-me-downs when we saw her last, and because of one situation or another, I didn’t get to sort through them until this weekend. There are several pairs of absolutely ADORABLE shoes, and he’s too big for them all! I was just about sick. So he keeps bringing me different shoes, holding them up, and saying “Shoes?” He already has a pair on his feet, mind you, but he’s very adamant that there should be more.

“Shoes” is really his first REAL word. “Mama” means mom, more, I want it, and I need something. He’s also pretty good with “puppy,” “baby” and “fish,” but sometimes uses them interchangeably with something else, so they’re not definites yet. And “uh-oh” doesn’t count as a word with me, since he uses it correctly, but then also uses it to get attention and to let me know that he’s about to do something naughty.

Anyway, it’s so fun to have more clothes for him! It’s especially fun to see him wearing clothes that I’ve seen Collin and Cooper wear! Today he’s wearing this adorable blue camo shirt that Cooper wore in some of the pictures I have of him, and it’s SO fun to have that come to mind when I see Caleb!

It was a pretty good weekend here for the Fashbaughs! Saturday morning saw us running errands – Home Depot and Sam’s. Caleb was having a cranky morning, but then he took a little nap in the car, and then we put him in the basket part of the cart and let him have full access to the animal crackers. His attitude improved exponentially! Letting him walk around is getting more and more dangerous these days, since one of his favorite games is to squeal and run away from mom and dad!

I’m seriously considering a kid-leash to hook onto his clothes at the very least.

Anyway, the rest of Saturday went well. Sunday morning found us becoming members at our new church! Pastor called up anyone who wanted to dedicate their life to Christ or become new members. Usually, there are a couple dozen people who go up to applause, and then Pastor separates out the two groups. Well this time, we were the ONLY people who went up at ALL! It was really hard (and FUN!) to stand there facing the congregation while everybody was clapping and staring. After church, we probably had a couple dozen people grab us into bear hugs and welcome us. We’re really, really excited about this phase of our lives. Can’t wait to get involved with small groups!

Tummy Baby – aka “Tater” – continues to grow and thrive. We got our first pictures of him or her a couple weeks ago. It was so fun to be with Jonathan on Valentine’s Day and get to see our baby, and hear the heartbeat. The first time I heard Caleb’s heartbeat, I was all alone. So sad!

Anyway, we went through a whole drama with anti-emetics. We changed insurance – and we’re broke! – so I tried to make do with a much cheaper one. No dice. Not only did it NOT help, it actually made things worse! So we’re relying on the kindness of this new baby’s grandparents to help us afford the Zofran again. Ugh. I hate spending this much money on medication! (But I praise God that it’s available, and that Tater has grandparents who can help us with a LOAN to pay for it!)

It's February!

Here we go again! It's been a really long time since I posted because I couldn't figure out the new Blogger. Would you believe that I'm considered a little of a techno-geek at work? At home, though, I have the TRUE geek, so I get to be helpless...

I am hearing a huge uproar about the website not being updated! I agree with you all! What kind of craziness allows a gorgeous little boy like Caleb Zakai to go undocumented in picture for two full months?

We haven’t quit taking pictures, really, it’s just been tough getting them up on the website! First of all is Jonathan’s new position at work – he has transitioned into sales, and suddenly he’s away from the house for more than twelve hours a day, needs to work more weekends, and has just been away all of this weekend on a business trip. So he hasn’t had a whole lot of time to get new pics up.

Also, there lies the issue of our fourth Fashbaugh, who has made my life a little tougher to lead. When Caleb was just a kidney bean in my tummy and making me this sick, I could sleep in, haul myself to the office, do my job, go home and collapse. Jonathan understood and was very supportive.

Caleb DOESN’T understand, doesn’t let me sleep in, and doesn’t allow for anything less than a fun-as-ever Mommy at night. So I have to maintain my attitude for him, but everything else has gone to heck in a handbasket. My dishes don’t get done for days, my laundry is clean, but sits in a basket for a week, and before yesterday, I couldn’t have told you the last time I swept the kitchen floor.

Which brings us to the point of how much I miss the dogs. Not just for their cuddle-ability, but because they helped me get away with not sweeping or vacuuming every week if I didn’t have time. But now, if I go even a couple of days without those things, it’s pretty obvious. Oy.

Let me think of the coolest Caleb things going on. Hmm. He’s gotten fiercely adamant about WALKING up stairs like a big boy as opposed to crawling up them. I try not to baby him, but he sure seems to fall down a lot more than I would like now! He fell down a few of Angela’s stairs on Saturday – hard wooden ones, too! It’s a good thing that he was already battered from his day on Friday so that the new marks weren’t noticeable.

Tomorrow is the Teddy Bear Parade at Caleb’s school. I’ll be taking some time off in the morning to go check it out – I’m taking cut up fruit! What a fun mom-like thing to take to a school! With his peanut allergy, I’m becoming more sensitive to the nutritional limitations that others might have. Now just cross your fingers for me that a lot of fruit will be on sale tonight!

Wednesday is our first doc appointment for the fourth Fashbaugh. For those of you who know my Dad, it will come as no shock to hear that his nickname for this baby is “Tater.” Niiice. My sister took it one step further to bring about “Gator Tater.” My mom called her Petunia, but I countered that if it is indeed another little boy, he might be scarred. Besides, everyone knows that if it’s a girl, we’ll call her Lola Monet!

So Tater seems the easiest and least offensive nickname at this point. I tried to use my own nickname of Jellybean with Caleb, but everyone ended up calling him Punkin because that’s what Grandpa called him. Oy. Overruled on the name of the fruit of my own loins!

Ew. Loins.

Everything that he does is so perfect that I’m having trouble even thinking of something fun to put here! He’s started greet everyone he sees with “HI!” and a big wave. He points out birds in the sky. He loves black olives. His spoon work is getting a little better, and his meals more varied. He’s running a lot rather than just walking. He will say “Nigh-nigh” when it’s time for bed. He thinks he’s awfully clever for figuring out how to climb up on absolutely everything.

Oh, and his new trick is throwing everything into the trash. Joy! We’ve lost toys and hats to the Big White Can, but it’s getting worse. Yesterday, since Jonathan is in Miami, I had to distract him while I spent some quality time hanging over a toilet, suffering a bout of afternoon-morning-sickness. So I handed him my phone, which is always good for five minutes without interrupt. Unfortunately, when I finished my business, he had “lost” the phone. It took me to the end of the evening to find that stupid thing. I had thrown macaroni and graham crackers onto it. Gross.