Happy Birthday to my baby!

... who really isn't a baby anymore. He's full of life, overflowing with spunk, and a typical boy in every sense of the word. He jumps more than a kangaroo, laughs louder with each passing day, and loves with every fiber of his being. He has an amazing sense of humor and like every other little three year old, will say anything and everything that's on his mind.... which often makes me want to die of embarrassment, but I wouldn't have it any other way. He's a wonderful little boy and I'm so blessed to have him in my life.

Yesterday we had his big birthday party, and he had a great time. Now... I must confess, his birthday party wasn't the big bash I'd originally planned, but I've got to tell you.... with two weeks (and counting!!) until the baby arrives, I'm exhausted, and it was thrown together in the last minute...... but as long as he had a great time, that's all that matters! So, in Caleb's world it was a success!! Originally, I wanted to grill, but Matt wasn't wild about the idea and since it was cold and windy, we just made food in the house. Fran (Matt's mom) offered to make taverns, and I was ALL OVER it! So, while she made that, I made some sides and dips, etc....

One of the highlights for my little man was having everyone sing "happy birthday" to him. He sat on the kitchen island right behind his cake with a HUGE smile on his face. He couldn't contain the laughter! It was so sweet!

All day, I couldn't help but think about three years ago..... I was in the hospital holding the most precious little boy I'd ever laid my eyes upon. I knew I had a lot to learn. Up until that point, my life was filled with princess dresses, tea parties and Barbies. All of a sudden, overalls, trucks and dirt invaded my world, and I knew very little about little boy games. I was nervous. More than anything I wanted to be the type of mommy he deserved, and hopefully, three years later, I've done an OK job.... I remember praying that I would be good mom to a little boy, and now I can't imagine not having him in my life. It is such a rewarding and fulfilling job, and my heart literally overflows with love for him.

Now.... life has not been all rosy lately. I'm getting bigger by the day, my nerves are shorting out, and little things that I normally wouldn't think about, totally get under my skin. It's insane. I'm achy, tired and cranky. Lately, I've been having severe cramps in my lower abdomen. They hurt so badly that they're taking my breath away..... and unlike contractions, they don't come and go.... Oh, no.... either the pain is there or it's not. At Caleb's party, I had CONSTANT pain in my belly for about an hour and it didn't leave for even a minute. I was about in tears and sweating like pig. It was so bad I was getting lightheaded... UUUUUGH! However, this "pain" only happens occasionally. It's not like contractions that come and go, I either have it, or I don't, which is good, I guess.....

In good news ... life is about to get easier! Today Danyel and I interviewed a new cleaning lady and both fell in love with her on the spot. If she does half of what she says she will, it's worth every penny. Literally, she does it all, and when she's done, my house will shine like the sun! I can't wait!! She's going to start on September 30, which is the day I'm due, so if I'm not around, Danyel will let her in, and I will come home to a house that sparkles and smells fresh and new. To say I'm thrilled about this is the understatement of the year!!

Which reminds me... one more thing to add to the "honey-do" list. We need a keypad on the garage. I've been meaning to have Matt put one in for ages, and it's to the point that it just has to be done, especially, when Libby (cleaning lady) asked me if I wanted to give her the code so she could clean while I'm not here.... She's coming Tuesday mornings, and Caleb has gymnastics, and to be honest, I'd rather not be here while she cleans. So, it'd just be easier.....

In other Caleb news..... Today he had his three year checkup. He weighed 29 pounds (10th percentile) and was 35.5 inches tall (25th percentile), and is healthy as could be! I had to laugh.... before Dr. Jon came in, the nurse asked me tons of questions ... does he go to daycare, is he around smoke, do I have any concerns about speech or hearing, etc... Finally, she looked at me and said, "do you have behavioral concerns?" UUUUUHHHH, define that please, because I've got a list a mile long! LOL!! But no, in general, he's a typical three year old boy full of energy! Ha! I mean really... what kind of a question is that???

I know I've said this a million times, but we seriously have the best pediatrician. He's so wonderful with the kids, and a great doctor as well. What more could I ask for??? Anyway, when he arrived in the room, he and Caleb instantly started laughing and calling each other "dude" and "little dude". Jon sat him on the bench next to me, and started looking him over. He was down on Caleb's level, and was sitting so that both of Caleb's legs were in between his knees. I'm not sure if this makes sense or not, but essentially Jon was sitting on his stool with his legs on the outside of Caleb's knees.... Anyway, when he started checking the reflexes on Caleb's knees, Caleb started laughing uncontrollably. He couldn't believe that Jon could make his foot kick by hitting his knee with the stethoscope. Jon missed "the spot" on the second knee, so Caleb gave him this huge fake laugh and kicked him right between the legs. Oh man... we were all rolling to the point of tears. It's just soooo Caleb, and totally caught Jon off guard! LOL!!! A few minutes later, Jon was asking Caleb for a "five" and he put his hand over Caleb's lap and then would pull his hand out so that Caleb would hit himself. He'd then razz Caleb about it, and they would both laugh. The third time he asked Caleb for five, Caleb looked him and said, "I know this game" and he intentionally DIDN'T try to hit Jon's hand, but went straight for his own lap. Jon was about in tears, and told me that Caleb had one of the best little personalities on a three year old he'd ever seen! Caleb looked at Jon and said, "Hey Dude, I'm on fire!" OMG it was too funny!!