Whispering Sweet Nothings

Today was a good day altogether- nothing very exciting. I am attempting to get Caroline back on her sleep schedule/nap pattern, and I would say she did about 50% better...maybe tonight and tomorrow we'll see 75%...and then 100%! I just want to get some zzzz's at night. I enjoy her enthusiasm to play with me and love on me into the wee hours, but I need to get some rest!

This video was taken at lunchtime- and yes, she's still in her PJ's. We had nowhere to go, so she was still lounging. So was mommy...but I stayed off the camera.

Brad went up to the hospital for his 1st day before his 1st day on the job. He rounded with the residents and got to know where he will be spending the next 2 months of his life. He is starting out at the Children's Hospital doing pediatric surgery. It's a killer I think. He is on call 10 times this month (at the hospital) and only has one weekend off...which is post call if that even counts! So I think he'll be tired and we'll be missing him bunches, but it's officially time to start what we have been called to do. It's amazing to look back into our past and see that God has shaped us, built us, and designed us to be right here in this place. Sometimes it looks pretty bleak, I'm not going to lie. BUT I know that the Lord has had these plans for me since I was a tiny tot- and now I get to see Him prove His faithfulness to me. You couldn't ask for anything better than that!

It is really neat sitting here thinking about all our med school buddies that are about to start their professional careers tomorrow. I'm sure there will be a lot of tossing and turning tonight. My heart goes out to them, their spouses and their families. They are ready...they just have to take their first steps tomorrow. Please say a special prayer for Brad as he begins work tomorrow. I know he would appreciate them...and we'll let you know how the first day goes tomorrow!

Daytime fun...

Caroline and Izzy have become best pals...despite the hair pulling they seem to get along fine!

I can stand up!!

Today Caroline showed her skills and was standing up on her own for the first time successfully. First while I was drying my hair- she was sitting on my bedroom floor and scooted over to the excersaucer and just pulled her little self right up. Then, this evening before bed she was practicing her pull ups on the diaper box...amazing how fascinating little things become when it involves your own child! Maybe the grandparents will gloat along with us...I'm sorry to bore the rest of you! :)

My baby is a carnivore- see video

We had a great afternoon at the park by the RiverMarket downtown. They had a lot of fun stuff to do for kids- I couldn't help but get excited for the days when Caroline can run around and enjoy playgrounds, slides, and water fun on her own. But until then, mommy and daddy are making sure she gets to experience them the best she can. It was so hot and yucky we didn't stay long. And, we forgot her hat and sunscreen...we were very naive to think she would stay covered in her stroller...hahaha. That lasted about 5 minutes. She loved the water fun- it reminded me of the Atlanta World of Coke fountains in Centennial Park. We got as close to getting wet as possible with all the kiddos splashing around. We made some new little friends- but Caroline scared them away....watch the video at the end. I think she was showing off her new top pearly white! The little girl was NOT enthused. :)

Dinner is always better with friends...

Friday night I cooked a boston butt bbq style and we had the Rutledge's over for dinner. Those boston butts are humongous and we always need help eating it! The kids played, ate, and even got to take a splish splashing bath together. The daddies were so kind to bathe them while the mommies got to sit and relax for a few minutes. I think it was good prep work for Lane to have a little one in the bath with him...only a few short months and he will have his little brother here.

Saturday afternoon Jonathan and Brad decided to use an electric smoker to cook some chicken quarters for us to eat. We went over to their house and enjoyed their nice, roomy HOME...I always get a twinge of jealousy when I am there and have to come home to the tiny little apartment. :( There home is beautiful and we had a fabulous time. Amber made some yummy pineapple upside down cakes that knocked our socks off. Thanks for such a delicious dinner guys. I am sure we'll do it again sometime soon...like tomorrow...and the next day...hahahaha. We love our Rutledge friends.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Daddy got to play some too!

LOVED the slide!!

After her Sunday morning nap

This morning we went back to the same church we have been visiting. We really love the music and could see ourselves ending up there, but we also know we should probably give a few more places a try and see where God leads us. It is full of young couples with children and reminds us a lot of Ingleside, just a bit larger! Something like 6,000 people flow through this church on an average Sunday morning. It is nice though- very worshipful environment. AND we have YET to get pages from the nursery!! Caroline enjoyed her 2nd day at the nursery and this was the comment I received after the service "she's a busy little one isn't she??" and I just laughed and said, "uh huh" thinking, I have to wrangle this "busy" one all day long! But I think she was pretty good- if she has a bottle, you can't go wrong! We got up around 8:00 this morning and I decided that it would probably be best to go to the 9:00 service to stay as close to her sleeping schedule as we possibly could. We rushed around getting presentable and ran out the door and made it with 3 minutes to spare. After it was over and we picked CGH up from the nursery I realized that I had forgotten to even put little bloomers on Caroline's behind...she was bottomless! Her dress was long and poofy though, so hopefully no one got diaper-mooned! :) Oh, where has my brain gone??

We decided to go out to a nearby park this afternoon between Caroline's naps because it was ONLY about 94 degrees out...instead of the 104 degrees that it has been the past few days! We hopped in the car, drove a few blocks and found this playground. It was Caroline's first experience...and I think it was a hit! She enjoyed the swings but I think her favorite was going down the slide with daddy. :)

It's a....

BOY!! My sister is having a little boy! They told family and friends today. We are SO excited!! Caroline will have a little buddy to play with now. I am sure she will be able to keep up. We can't wait to meet him. We'll have to wait until October...but until then, I cannot quit imagining what this precious little one will be like! We love you baby Seaver!!

Little Lane

It was truly amazing that God allowed 2 out of the 3 incoming ENT residents at UAMS to be from Mercer. It made the idea of moving to Little Rock a bit easier to swallow. Literally. On match day the lump in my throat disappeared after we locked eyes with the Rutledges and realized we were going to the same place. Amber and Jonathan Rutledge have a precious little boy named Lane who is 2 going on 20. He is a ball of energy! I must say that from the moment Caroline laid eyes on him, she was smitten! Just look at him...wouldn't you be?? She LOVES to watch him play, watch him watch TV, watch him swim, you get the point. They have really started to get to hang out a lot more since they are each others first buds in Little Rock. She loves to pull his gorgeous hair and scream sweet nothings into his ears! :) I don't know if I am to keen on her dating older men, but he's a sweetie. Amber is also expecting another little boy in November. Maybe she'll take after her mommy and go after a younger man....

Our First Playdate!!

Today was our first official playdate! A 5th year ENT resident wife, Rebecca Lee, invited Caroline and I to come play at their house this afternoon. Amber, our wonderful friend from Macon, and her little boy Lane were invited as well. We went and enjoyed an afternoon with Rebecca, her sweet little 21 month old daughter Alex and David, who is about 4 weeks old maybe?? Anyway, Rebecca gets MAJOR props for being such a great mommy and so active after just having her sweet little boy. We swam, chewed dolphins, played in the hose, and got dirty! It was fun to watch Caroline watch the "big kids" and want SO desperatly to join in the fun. She hung in there like a trooper and enjoyed the pool and splashing with them. I have learned that playdate in a kiddie pool for baby means playdate in the kiddie pool for mommy as well...I got drenched! But it actually felt nice in the 100 degree weather! We can't wait to do it again sometime soon.

Playtime

Pinnacle Point Park...aka The Worst Day in Little Rock so far

So our apartment is teeny tiny. I get bored, Brad gets bored, and I know that Caroline gets bored playing with the same toys in the same room with the same lighting etc. When we were in our house we would always have the option of going outside and enjoying our nice yard for a mix in scenery. Apartment life is not so easy to enjoy the great outdoors with. Every day at some point we run out the door, carry the stroller down the flight of stairs, and take a quick stroll around the concrete apartment complex for as long as we can bear the heat. But that doesn't count as real outdoor experience in my mind.

I decided that even though I had hurt my back on Saturday night (not sure exactly the cause, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with lifting my sweet little juicy baby up and down all day) that I would get out and attempt to exercise. That is what my dr. hubby recommended anyway. So I get all geared up, in my exercise clothes, tennis shoes, packed a bag with toys, a beach towel to sit on, lunch for baby (in case we get to stay through lunch time) and head out the door with high expectations. I wanted to go experience Pinnacle Point- a big mountain/state park about 10 m miles away. It was really hot, but I thought we could do it. I slathered Caroline down with sunscreen (and made sure it was on for at least 3o minutes before exposure! :) ) and we got to the park. I pull out the BOB stroller, my hiking/walking companion, and put the tot in.

Well, she wasn't liking it from the get go, but I took the advice of one of my smart mommy friends and decided I would just let her cry a bit while I got my exercise and enjoyed my excursion. Well, the crying turned to shrieking and the fellow hikers, and bird watchers started giving dirty looks. I guess the wildlife doesn't hang around when there is a screaming banshee near by. So I took her out of the stroller, and we headed to a nice grassy area to sit and play. She immediately decided she despised all her favorite toys and found a new affinity for grass. She has always enjoyed touching and feeling plants...since day one. So I thought, ok, let her play. She's allowed to get dirty, we'll bathe when we get home. I think I was successful in not letting her eat any of it, but the grass play only lasted about 5 minutes. She was hot, fussy, and not having it. So our morning out lasted from 9:45 to about 10:25...max. She screamed all the way home in her car seat, and when I finally got her out she had broken out in hives all over her face. Now, as a novice mommy I have learned that my child can work herself up into such a tizzy that she makes herself all read and splotchy- drama queen with a capital DQ. BUT there was something in me that panicked and thought "what if there was something in that grass she was playing with!! She's allergic!!" So I grabbed her, ran up the stairs and decided to put her right in the tub.

My back had been feeling fine so far and I thought I could manage the bathing experience if I took my shoes off and just sat behind her little tub inside of the big garden tub. Well she wasn't digging her bath for some reason and decided she was done. She starting crying, pulling up and basically stood up. I quickly grabbed her towel, and pulled her up, and then it happened....something AWFUL pulled in my lower back and I couldn't move. At all. I panicked and thought, "what am I going to do???" I waited a few seconds as I collected my self, and somehow managed to grab the screaming baby, get out of the tub, walk to the living room, drag my purse by my toes to the quilt laying on the floor, and we both hit the floor....both in tears. I couldn't move. I couldn't get my wet baby diapered or calm. She eventually decided we were playing a game and started laughing at me, which made me cry harder! So I am texting back and forth with Brad, b/c he's in orientation, and finally pull it together enough to get a diaper on the babe despite the excruciating pain in my back. Luckily it was nap time, so I threw a shirt on Caroline, waddled to her crib, and set her down. She didn't like it, but eventually she fell asleep as I laid on the floor wondering how in the world I was going to make it through the day. I finally took 2 Tylenol and my sweet girl slept for 2 solid hours while I rested.

The rest of the day was spent watching Baby Einstein and jumping in her jumper. I was worthless. The good news....today I feel much better!! We didn't attempt anything major today- just a quick stop at a store, and my back is still in tact! Thank you to all my sweet family that is praying for my recovery- I never knew how BAD back pain could be! Hopefully I will be quick to heal...because Caroline doesn't slow down- not even when mommy begs her too!

I love my daddy!

Caroline LOVES her daddy! He has such a sweet, special touch with her that she reacts so well to! She knows that her daddy will take care of her. While Caroline is DEFINITELY going through a clingy-mommy phase right now, she is absolutely smitten with her dad as well. He can make her giggle the loudest, smile the biggest, and fall asleep the easiest. Brad has cherished his time with his little girl before his busy schedule begins. I have NO doubt that he will continue being the perfect dad for our sweet little girl.

Monday Milestones

Monday was a big day for Miss CGH. She has been working on these skills for quite awhile now and we knew the day was about to come. She has officially learned to sit up on her own in her crib. We have a video monitor and when she started fussing at her wake up time (which is 6:45!! Eeeek!) I clicked the monitor on and what did I see? A sweet little baby sitting in the corner of her crib waiting for her mommy to come get her. She has been sitting for a long time now, but getting into the position is a bit more challenging. Not anymore! She has it down and ever since Monday, each nap, nights sleep, is ended with her sitting up in her favorite corner. I put a few toys in her crib during her nap time in case she wants to just "chill" before or after she snoozes. She is absolutely a big girl- now I know that the standing up is going to come quick. I haven't noticed if she knows how to lay back down once she's up...it can't be to hard to figure out.

2nd milestone- the sippy cup! I have taken the advice of my fellow mommies and given her a sippy cup (1/2 juice 1/2 water) and tried to let her "learn" to drink it on her own. Until now she has just enjoyed gnawing on it with her 2 little teeth. BUT on Monday, after a lot of mimicking mommy, she tipped the cup up herself and enjoyed almost a complete cup of juice! She had half of it down her outfit, but she enjoyed it! Next to drinking from it, her favorite thing to do is chunk the cup as far as she can across the room- she gets added distance if she is in her high chair. She will take it and sling it like a shot put...or whatever you call those things! :) Anyway, Cheers to Caroline!

Orientation Begins!

Brand new part of the hospital.

This is the ENT building.

The whole campus.

Today marks the first day of orientation for Brad. He was very excited, and a tad nervous. I am confident that he will do amazing and exceed all expectations during his residency. It's just "his way" of doing things. I'm so proud of him and am praying that I will be ALL he needs me to be during this exciting time in our lives.

She has the position down...

Caroline turned 7 months old on Friday, June 19th and she decided it was time to take her first few "crawls". Of couse as soon as I turn the video on she freezes and gives up, but maybe this will give you a little taste of what she's up to these days. She tempts you in this video...I know that any day now we'll look over and she'll be going 90 to nothing on those little hands and knees. After a few minutes she gives up, and and flails around on her belly. I can't believe we're so close to crawling...look out world!! Wow! She's such a big girl!

For Lee Parish

Ever since we learned that we would be moving to Little Rock our wonderful friend Lee Parish has been telling us that we needed to visit a pizza joint called US Pizza. Well today we finally did. We have seen several of them spread out all over town but we chose the one in the Hillcrest area. It looked rather new, so I bet this wasn't the exact location that is held so dear in Lee's heart, but it was awesome. We enjoyed our own little personal pan pizzas (their lunch special) and it was delicious! We took my parents there and they liked it...so Lee, you are right, US Pizza is the bomb. I'm sure we'll be making frequent trips back to this restaurant. Thanks for the rec! We look forward to the day when your sweet family comes to visit and we can all dine together! :)

My Love Day!

Brad and I will celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary on the 25th...which is next week. BUT since my parents are in town this week, we decided to take a "day date" and spend the day together. We thought about going away for a night- but honestly, I just didn't feel ready to leave sweet Caroline yet. I know SHE would be fine, it's ME that would struggle. SO we planned a fun day in our new town of Little Rock. I LOVE it when Brad takes the initiative, calls to make reservations and plans something special for us and he did an amazing job giving me just what I wanted today.

We woke up early...around 6 because CGH must have gotten word that mommy and daddy were leaving for the day, she wanted to play before we even made it out of the house. We did get out by 8 and headed to Starbucks where we relaxing, drank coffee and ate yummy blueberry muffins. We sat outside in the perfect weather and reminisced on our relationship. Crazy how far God has brought us...and even more amazing to think about where we will be in the future. The important thing is that we are TOGETHER. I thought about our past and wanted to include a few pics from the early stages of our relationship to B.C. (before Caroline). Forgive me...I got a little carried away. It's tough to pick just a few from our 5 1/2 years of dating, and 4 years of marriage...I think you can see which are the oldies...












Anyway....after Starbucks we went to the Clinton Presidential Center/Library. This was our one "touristy" spot for the day. Since we are now living in LR, we thought we should try and visit the "hot spots" of the town so we can know what to recommend. It was pretty neat- a replica of the real oval office and other good stuff. Not to mention that they were featuring some space exploration study this month. They had this 3-axis spinner thing (the technical term) that you get strapped into and they spin you upside down, around and round like you're in space. It was nuts! And of course, if you know Brad Hobbs, we had to do it....so we did. And it was an experience. We do have video of that, still debating whether or not to share. :)

After that we got to go to the best part of the day...THE SPA! We treated ourselves to a massage and facial at a local day spa. It was marvelous!!! Best massage I've had...and it was my first one given by a man...so I may become a believer in men-masseuses. :) We spent several hours there and were totally relaxed and rejuvenated when we left.

We were hungry after that so we headed to a local restaurant- The Old Mill Bread and Flour Cafe. It was so yummy! We had a light lunch (after the spa you seem to want to eat healthy...)of soup and salad or sandwich. They make tons of breads and yummy baked goods. We ended up buying a loaf of Cinnamon swirl bread to bring home with us. Can't wait to try it.

We were so greasy from our rub down massages and facials that we ran by the apartment to shower and get dressed for the rest of our afternoon/evening. We got to steal some kisses from CGH and thanked mom and dad profusely for given us a day of "freedom" that we so desperately needed.

Then we went and "dream" shopped at some pricey shops. Brad said it was dumb, I said it gives me inspiration to mimic it with cheaper versions of everything. It was fun for awhile, and totally mindless, which was the ultimate goal.

We had dinner reservations at a local restaurant called Trios. It was amazingly delicious and I can't wait to go back try something else. It's a little hole in the wall place that slowly filled up with people as the evening continued. I had a yummy Berrylicious Beef tenderloin Salad- blueberries, strawberries, feta, toasted walnuts...mmmmmm....I loved it! Brad had Pretzel crusted pork tenderloin with amazing steamed veggies. We had peach tea that was perfect- No sweetened tea in a lot of places it seems, but they always have some way to make it yummy. It was a perfect ending to our date day.

We headed home in a hurry and grabbed Caroline and the rents and hit the pool for a quick evening swim at the pool. She loved it, the water was perfect, and we all had a good time.

Today was truly the PERFECT day. Not just because of the things we got to do, but because we got to spend the day together. I LOVE being with Brad no matter what the occasion and I have learned to truly cherish each minute we get to spend with one another. As the busy season lies ahead of us, we will hopefully look back on this day and remember it as our final day of relaxation and love before the chaos begins! I'm sure there will be more of these in the years to come....100 more hopefully!