Happy (late) Halloween

From the Odoms

Just Rambling

I don't even know where to begin so I'm just going to start rambling off the latest things that have occurred in the Odom household...

1). Kross is almost crawling! Well, I guess he is crawling... he just has a weird way of doing it. He gets up on all fours and then does a little hop and pulls his knees closer to his arms. I'm sure he'll figure out the "faster" way eventually and I will be chasing after him!

2). Kross can clap his hands now, too. He has this toy alligator that sings if you squeeze him. Kross will bite him (he hasn't quite figured out that he can use his hands to make him sing) and when the music starts he will clap his hands. We all clap our hands with him and he just loves that.

3). Wes and I went to OKC last week so he could take his MMPI test. Don't ask me what those letters mean. All I know is that it is some sort of 550-question psychological test. Anyways, we go back on Nov 9th and Wes will meet with a psychiatrist to discuss his results. He will also have a complete physical, orthopedic exam, and vision screening. Whew! That wears me out just thinking about it.

4). When we went to OKC on Thursday, the OHP discussed the Academy with the applicants. Wes will be gone for 17 weeks... leaves Feb 29th and returns June 27th. He will not have any contact with us for the first 4-5 weeks. That means no phone calls or email. Nothing. However, all of the spouses will receive updates on what their significant other is going through. They told us that during the Academy, the cadets will not know anything that is going on in the outside world. I may get an email one day telling me that I can come see him for two hours on a Sunday and Wes will know nothing about it. It will be a surprise each time we visit him, especially in the beginning. We watched a video from a previous Academy and let me tell you... no one could pay me to go through that. Too much yelling. Not enough sleep. Physically too demanding. Just not my cup of tea. I think the video made Wes want it more, especially when it showed the graduation and I know that he will make it there.

5). That's about it :-)

The OHP called...

and offered Wes a position! They called him on Friday afternoon and said that he has been accepted. He goes to OKC on Thursday for his polygraph test. Keep in mind that he must pass ALL tests before he can go to the Academy. Thank you all for your continued prayers...

On another note... Kross is getting two more teeth! His top two teeth are beginning to poke through his gums. I can't believe that he has four teeth and he's not even seven months old! He will look so different. He won't even look like a baby anymore :-(

Sorry this is a short post. I have a lot I need to get done around here before I go to bed. Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Wes was selected!

Before everyone thinks he's now a highway patrolman, let me clarify. He was selected. He has not been accepted... yet :-)

The OHP called Wes yesterday and said that he made it through the selection process! He has an executive interview on Thursday in OKC where he will meet the Commissioner and Chief of Patrol. If offered a position in the Academy, he will be scheduled for the following tests:

Polygraph test
Written psychological test
Vision test
Psychological interview
Complete physical exam
Orthopedic exam

Acceptance into the Academy is contingent upon successful completion of all tests. I'll let everyone know how his interview goes on Thursday. Please keep him in your prayers!

This is the month...

we've all been waiting for! This month we will find out if Wes will be accepted to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Naturally, Wes' nerves are on edge. For those of you who know him, you know he's already a worry-wart so you can imagine! We are keeping our fingers crossed that everything turns out to his advantage. Everyone tells us that they know he will get accepted, but it's not as easy as it sounds. There were hundreds of applicants and they are only accepting around 75 people to attend the Academy. I am fully confident in Wes, but no one can control how the Chief selects his troopers.

Please keep us in your prayers this month. I will let everyone know when we receive a letter.

New do?

My friend, Amy, brought a magazine to work yesterday to show me a hair color she is going to get this fall. As I was thumbing through it, I came across an adorable hairstyle. I asked Amy if she liked it and she said, "Yeah, I think you should get your hair cut like that!" Of course, I had to ask everyone in my office their opinion because that's just the way I am about those kinds of things. Everyone agreed that I should give it a shot. It's a little shorter than I'm used to, but I am really considering it. I'm just so afraid that I will hate it and then I will have to wait a really long time for it to grow back out.

Well, around 4pm or so Wes came to Kelworth because he locked his keys in his truck and he needed mine. When he came in, I held up the picture in the magazine and asked him if he liked it. Wes... a man of few words... looked at it in disgust and said no. I asked him what he didn't like about it and he said, "I just don't like it." Good reason, huh? So, I don't know if I'm going to go through with it or not. I guess we'll wait and see!

Latest pics

Here are some pictures that I took of Kross this afternoon. I tried to get a close-up so you can see his teeth, but I guess I didn't zoom in enough :-)

Talking, Rolling and Teething

Kross starting saying Dada this week. It is so sweet! He constantly says it over and over. The other day, Wes was giving me a hard time because Kross kept "talking about him." As Wes was going on and on about Kross saying his name first, Kross yelled "Dada" as if he was trying to tell him something. Wes shook his head and said, "I know, son. I know." Then he just looked at me as though they had something going on and I wasn't supposed to know. Eat it up, Babe. Eat it up!

Kross also learned how to roll over from his back to his stomach last night. He couldn't completely figure out what he had done because he kept trapping his arm underneath his belly and it was making him mad. I'm sure he will figure it out in a matter of time and then he will be rolling all over the place.

Oh yeah... I forgot to mention that Kross also has two teeth! Yes... TWO! They are the middle bottom two. It seems really early to already have some teeth, but he does. I seriously can't believe how fast that little booger has changed. Before I know it, he will have a mouth full of teeth and be saying Mama ;-)

Motherly Love

I remember when I was pregnant, people would try to describe to me a mother's love. They would say there is no love deeper than that of a mother. Sure, I believed it... but it was also something that I knew I would have to experience in order to fully understand. I now know what it feels like. It's a feeling beyond explanation... and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." ~Rajneesh

Is he getting big or what?

Okay... so I'm a little bored. My second post in what... 5 minutes? Well, Wes is out fighting a fire and Kross is asleep, so why not??? Actually I just wanted to post this picture of Kross. This was taken last Sunday after church. He's looks like such a big boy! We cleaned out his closet today and we couldn't believe that he actually fit into some of those clothes! We don't see how drastically he changes because we're around him everyday. It's just amazing.

The Latest...

So much has gone on since my last update. Where should I begin? Wes and I had an "in-house" interview with the OHP last night. He asked a lot of tough questions, but we made it through. My questions were somewhat difficult... "What are your opinions about this profession?" "How would you feel if your spouse was killed in the line of duty?" "How do you feel about your spouse pursuing a career in this profession?" These are just a few examples, but I am confident that I did fine. I was open and honest and that's all that matters. In the meantime, please say an extra prayer for Wes. This in-house interview is just one of the many steps they take before he can get accepted. If they call him back for another interview, he will have to have a polygraph, a physical exam, a psychological exam, plus a few other things before he can get accepted into the Academy. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated!

We tried taking Kross to daycare last Monday and it didn't work out. The babysitter called me at work around 1pm and said that I should probably come get him because he wouldn't stop crying. I had to leave work for a little while while my mother-in-law rushed back to Poteau from Fort Smith to watch him (Thanks, Janey). Naturally, once we got him home, he was all smiles :-)

We killed a brown recluse in our closet the other day. For those of you who know me, you know that I am TERRIFIED of spiders. I seriously have arachnophobia! I went in the closet to hang up some clothes and there he was... running across the floor! I knew immediately he was a brown recluse because Wes made me watch some documentary a few weeks ago about spiders. I guess he thought that would make me less afraid of them! Anyways, I "stepped" on him but I wouldn't step hard enough to kill him. I guess I was afraid he would bite through my shoe and instantly inject his poison into my foot. So, I started yelling for Wes to come in the closet. He came in there (seemed like 5 minutes later) and asked why I was screaming. I was like, "I'm going to raise up my foot. There is a brown recluse under it. I repeat, a poisonous brown recluse spider is under my foot. You need to step on it when I lift up my foot." (I am laughing as I'm typing this because Wes didn't have on any shoes). He said, "Just go ahead a kill it while your foot is on it!" (I know, people, that would have been the logical thing to do, but I was too scared) So I raised up my foot and that huge spider started to run away. In the meantime, I'm running out of the closet, sweating bullets, feeling nauseated, AND shaking like a leaf. Wes is on his hands and knees trying to kill it with a shoe and succeeds! I am so happy that was easy :-) I couldn't sleep a wink that night. Kross started crying around 5am for his pacifier, but I was too scared to put my feet on the floor in the dark, so I woke Wes up out of a deep sleep to go get it. I know... I have an illness.

My Dad and step-mom came to town today to see Kross. We had a good visit. They stayed for about 3 hours and then headed back to Durant. I'm happy I got to see them!

Oh yeah... I almost forgot to mention that I had strep throat a week ago, but I am fully recovered. I hope I never get that mess again!!! Well, enough rambling for now. I'll try to update more frequently so that my next post won't be as long :-)

Just Rambling

So, have I mentioned that I have the best baby in the world? Of course, I'm partial... but I do think he’s just perfect. He was in the best mood all weekend. He’s cooing out loud more and more and it just melts my heart. Every time I look at him, he starts smiling. Every time I hold him, he’s content just being in my arms. Oh, and he LOVES to sing the “Wheels on the Bus.” He may not understand the words, but the tune of that song instantly calms him. He just smiles and laughs every time I sing it to him. I just love that boy so much… my little stinker.

Wes and I got to go on a date this weekend! How exciting is that?!?! We went out to eat and then bought some books for Kross. We also bought some plants for our flower beds. I know... we are so romantic :-)

Kross was supposed to start going to daycare tomorrow, but the babysitter has strep-throat… so we have a minor change of plans. Ashley (my brother-in-law’s girlfriend) is actually going to come over to our house and keep him until 2pm and then my mother-in-law will take over until Wes gets home. I must say, that I am kind of happy it has worked out this way… I was sure dreading dropping him off at daycare tomorrow :-(

Well, I just thought I would take a minute to update my blog. Hope everyone had a good weekend!

The Pacifier

My in-laws are going out of town tomorrow. They won't be back until late Monday night :-( Wes is taking off tomorrow to keep Kross and my other mother-in-law will keep him Friday and Monday. I am praying that Kross will be okay with the transition. He is a very routined baby, so we're hoping he doesn't mind getting out of his routine for a few days.

We went out to eat with Bob and Janey (my in-laws) tonight and Kross was SO GOOD. He sat in his carrier for most of the meal. He started fussing at the very end so I just held him while I finished eating. He just sat in my lap and patiently waited while I ate. As I've said before, I am so lucky to have such a sweet baby :-)

I had to post this picture that I took tonight. Gizmo somehow got one of Kross' pacifiers and he carried it around forever. He didn't want to let it go when we tried to take it away from him. It was so funny! Dogs... you gotta love 'em.

Our Sunday

Kross slept during church today so we didn't have to take him to the nursery. That was the first time he has done that... he usually starts crying right when the music starts :-) We had a cookout at my mother-in-law's after church and that was pretty fun. Wes' brother came to town this weekend, so we got to spend some time with him. We were supposed to go back over there this evening for some homemade ice cream, but we didn't have time :-(

My friend, Brooke, came over after we got home this afternoon. She measured and weighed Kross while she was here. She works for the Health Department and she makes home visits for those who can't afford insurance, so she actually had the scales and measuring chart in her car! That was convenient considering Kross' next doctor's appointment isn't until late July! He weighs 15 lbs 5.5 oz. He's gained nearly two pounds in one month! He measured 26 1/4 inches long, so he only gained 1/4 of an inch in length, but he's still a pretty big boy!

"It's a Monday!"

That's what my co-worker, John, says every time you ask him how he's doing. The thing is... I can actually relate! I don't know why, but this week has not been my week. Maybe it's the weather... it has rained everyday... just when you think it will be a sunny day, here comes the rain. I've also had a lot on my mind, but I won't bore you with that...

Wes is at fire duty tonight. I just gave Kross his bath and put him to bed. He is such a good baby. We went for a walk tonight, but we got to the stop sign and Kross was ready to come home! That lasted an entire three minutes :-) He doesn't care for the outdoors much, but I'm sure that will change in time.

Well, I don't have much to post... nothing new to report. I've posted a picture that my mother-in-law took today. Kross had just woken up, so he looks a little sleepy...

Three months old...

Today is Kross' three-month birthday. Wow... it has gone by SO FAST. I just can't believe how much he's learned in the short time he's been here.

This past week, Kross learned how to spit. Not that he necessarily knows what he's doing, but he knows he's making some kind of new noise... and he likes it. It is so funny! Of course, he makes a mess, but it's just too cute.

He's also become quite vocal in the last few days. He will talk or laugh out loud and scare himself. Once he realizes he's the one making that unusual noise, he will get louder and louder.

He's beginning to like his carseat. 'Like' may be a strong word... tolerate is more like it. I think it's because he's learned how to play with his toys and he can now keep himself entertained. This is a great achievement in our book. We used to hate taking him anywhere because once we got there, we had the worst headaches ever. Trust me... that boy will let you know when he's not happy. Speaking of... I think he's tired of swinging in his swing.

This is an attempt...

to begin blogging. I have friends who are addicted to this, so I thought I would give it a shot. Not that I'm wanting to develop an addiction, but I think it would be fun to have something to do in the little spare time that I have.