Happy Monday!

After a rough Thursday and dealing with a sick little one most of the weekend, I'm happy that it's Monday. Grant is still not quite himself, but the fever is gone. He got most of personality back yesterday, but his appetite is still MIA. After eating a chip last night, he started coughing and threw up all over himself and me right before bedtime. Hopefully, that was an isolated event!

On a quick Target run yesterday, I picked him up some new undies. The Spiderman undies he was donning a few posts back seem to have lost their luster ALREADY! He doesn't want to wear them anymore... ever! So now he has Thomas the Train and Elmo to entertain him. There were so many new undies when I brought them home yesterday that he couldn't decide which ones to put on. I put one pair on him and then he picked up some more and asked if they went on his head. I tried to explain that they all go in the same place. He ended up with 5 different pairs on (at the same time) before he seemed satisfied. I didn't snap a picture, but I don't know that you could tell how hilarious it all was without being there anyway.

Tomorrow is a big day. I have another ultrasound tomorrow. Please say a quick prayer that everything looks good with the baby. I guess as long as everything is OK, etc. and given that "it" cooperates, we should be able to get a look at what we're having. I am sure I will post tomorrow with all of the info.

A Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood......not really

Yesterday was a bit of a rough day! Our hose pipe (garden hose for those of you that don't live in this area) sprung a leak, which shouldn't seem like a big deal, right? Well, it is because we have to water ALL of our flowers every stinking day. I swear I don't remember the last time it rained at my house. My in laws that live about 10 minutes away had a big storm on Sunday, but I think the sun was still shining at our house. Seriously, our yard and our trees are really suffering from this heat and lack of water. Anywhooo, back to the hose.... Grant loves to help me water. It's usually the first thing he says when we pull in the drive every afternoon.. "I water fowers, mom." This little hole in my hose created quite a problem though; seems Grant was much more interested in putting his head in the water coming out of this teeny tiny hole than actually getting any on the flowers. Did I mention the mosquitoes at my house are horrible? This only seems to make it worse, and I seem to get no less than 4 bites per night. So, we got a new hose. No big deal, just one more thing on the list.

Then, our garage door opener decided not to work anymore on Wednesday night after church. It worked fine before church, and fine when we opened it to come home, but then it wouldn't shut. It just kept making this humming noise. I would've sworn that those things weren't supposed to be expensive, but I guess I was wrong. Turns out, ours wasn't expensive. Actually one of the repairmen told me we had the cheapest operator ever made. Thanks for that.. a simple I can't fix it would've done just fine. Apparently, it was so cheap that no one will work on them, they just recommend replacing it. So that's what we did, and now several hundred dollars later we have a fancy new garage door opener.. just what we needed to spend money on!

Now, my poor little one is sick again. I have no idea what's wrong with him, but his temp is hovering right around 102. He coughs every now and then, and kind of whimpers afterward, so I think it hurts. He also has 2 of his 2 year molars coming in, which are either causing this or just not helping it a bit. We have company coming in to town today, and my whole family coming over tonight. Hopefully, he'll feel a little better before everyone gets here.

To add to all of this, my A/C cannot keep up with this heat outside, and the amount of sun that we get through the back of our house in the afternoon is absolutely turning our living/dining/kitchen areas into an oven. Last night, I think the thermometer read 81 degrees inside and the air was set to 69. I've had enough of the heat... bring on fall weather, please!

One last thing.. now this was purely stupid.. Just a little while ago I was taking the trash out from both bathrooms. I had both bags in my hand and was standing up to walk out of the bathroom, somehow I ran into the door facing! I busted the inside of my top lip, ever so slightly chipped my front tooth, and put a dent in the door facing. When I looked in my mouth, fearing the worst, it was full of white flakes. I thought they were from my tooth, but it was paint from the door frame. Yes, I know I really need to watch where I'm going.

Sorry to rant about all of life's little problems, but some days it feels like they just keep coming your way. Hope everyone is having a better day than I am, and here's to hoping mine turns around!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 3rd anniversary! Unlike today, our wedding day was the perfect August day if there ever was one. I think the high temp that day was around 77 degrees, which is unheard of in Tennessee in August. I think the forecasted high today is around 100! The sky that day was a beautiful blue with clouds that looked they were painted in just for our pictures (but not the one above). Despite a few little things along the way, the day went off without a snag. It was a wonderful day. I'm a wedding kind of girl, and I've been trying to talk Pookie into doing it again ever since then. However, I seriously doubt that he'll ever be a taker. If you had told me three years ago that I would have a 2+ year old and another child on the way, I probably would have laughed. I guess instead, God is the one laughing at how well we think we can plan these things! It's been a great 3 years though, and I can't imagine doing things differently now. So Happy Anniversary!

On another note, apparently in the past few days, we have graduated to "mom and dad" status. Grant isn't calling us mommy and daddy anymore. It happened to me first. On Saturday, I noticed the occasional "momma" which I thought was odd. Then on Sunday, the word "mom" ended every sentence that Grant spoke to me. Pookie asked me if it bothered me, and I said he just sounded so grown up (at this point, he was still calling him daddy.) Monday night, "dad" became the word of choice, not daddy. Is this really supposed to happen this early??!! I'm not sure what's more endearing about mommy and daddy, but it just sounds a little more babyish I guess. Mom and Dad seems really grown up to me, and I'm not sure that I'm ready for Grant to be that grown up. I guess there's no stopping him now! Look at this picture. This was taken this morning right before I dropped him off. He'd been up all of 2 minutes, and this is how he smiled at me. You can see the mischief even right after he wakes up. He's such a mess!!

We had a wonderful weekend hanging out my Nana and Papa's pool. This little one finally took to the water! He liked it last year, but was too little to really let go with floaties. This year, he has mostly spent his pool time on the steps or running around on the outside. Saturday, he did ok in the pool, but Sunday was the day. It was like it all finally clicked. He figured out how to stay up with the floaties and swam all over the pool. We hated to even take him out of the water. Yesterday, he said he wanted to go swimming and he put his floaties on and told me to blow them up. We're so afraid that he'll forget what it's all about before next weekend that I think we're going to try to take him over there one night this week. It figures that now that we're so close to the end of the summer, he's finally enjoying it.

First Game

On Friday night, we took Grant to his first real baseball game. He's been to a few t-ball and softball games before, but we took him to the Nashville Sounds game Friday. We weren't sure how long we would actually get to stay because of the threat of rain and also Grant's patience. He ended up doing great. I was really surprised. We sat in Gen. Admin. so he'd have room to roam, and I think that definitely made a difference. We left after the 7th inning stretch, but it was mainly because mommy and daddy were ready to leave, not Grant. At 9:00 on a Friday night, I'm ready for bed. I never thought I'd say those words, but it's true most every night of the week! Jackson and his girlfriend went with us, and they were a great help with Grant as always! Here are some pictures of his first trip to the ballpark.

On Saturday night, we went over to a friend from high school's house. They have a 3 year old, and another on the way. Some of our other friends from high school were also there and they have a 1 1/2 year old and one on the way. So all of us pregnant girls had fun watching our kiddos play and discussing pregnancy the 2nd time around. Our kids haven't seen each other in awhile so they were a little timid at first, but by the end of the night, they were having a ball. I always wonder why we don't get together more often when we leave. It's such a good time. With all of the toys in the house, you can see what the 3 of them were most interested in playing in... a TV box! Makes me wonder why we waste our money on all of these expensive toys.

Another first Grant had in the last few days... His first time to shuck corn, not that this is a monumental experience, but we do live in the South, and there's nothing like fresh corn! He tried to eat it as soon as he peeled the first husk off. When daddy came home, he was telling him that he helped make the corn for dinner, and he was really proud of himself. He totally cracked us up while he was eating it. He said ummm yummy after just about every bite. It was kind of like that scene in the movie What About Bob when Bob makes a comment after every single bite he ate. I'm not sure if he Grant really thought the corn was that good, or if he was just so proud of himself for helping that it made it that much better to him. Here he is holding his corn high for me to see.

In baby news, we have 12 more days until our next ultrasound. I'm both excited and a little nervous about it. Everyone seems to think this baby is a girl, but I've prepared myself for a boy. Hopefully, it will cooperate so we can get a clear look and tell for sure. More importantly, I hope that it looks healthy. I am starting to feel what I can definitely tell are kicks. I had a couple of flutter feelings last week, but couldn't really differentiate them from all the other crazy feelings I seem to have in my stomach. The past few days I've felt some things that could only be baby though. That's my favorite part of being pregnant, so I'm glad I'm finally to that point. I think it's my husband's favorite part too. Last time, I had a hard time getting him to leave my stomach along so that I could go to sleep. Grant was a real acrobat, especially at night! Anyway, I'm feeling great, and just anxiously anticipating August 14th!

Sleepless Nights

I know those of you that already have more than one child are laughing at my title thinking I have no idea yet! I know, I know, ask me how I'm sleeping in about 6 months, and I'm sure it will be worse, but....Grant is battling something that's causing him to run a fever the last few days and as an added bonus, he's moaning with every breath while he sleeps. This may have been really cute when he was a few weeks/months old, but at 2+ years old, I'd do anything for him to sleep quietly. I'm not complaining because the poor thing is sick and he's so full of energy normally and he just hasn't been himself the last few days. Hopefully, he'll be back to his spirited self soon.

Of course, if he didn't sleep RIGHT NEXT to me the moaning might not be such a problem. There is a goal of him sleeping in his own bed as soon as we get around to rearranging the furniture in our house. Until then, I figure no need to get him to sleep in his bed in one room and then go through it all again with a new room and bed. Plus, I get to go to sleep without a battle at least a little while longer. Before we knew Grant was not feeling great, we stayed at Pook's parents until almost midnight watching a boxing match (they watched while I tried to sleep with Grant in another room). I actually dozed off several times, but that child of mine never once fell asleep, not even in the car on the way home. I just don't understand anyone that hates to sleep as much as he does. I hope this next one is the total opposite in that regard!

We had Life Groups by the pool at Pook's mom and dad's Sunday night and we really enjoyed it. The weather over the weekend couldn't have been any better. The break from the the humidity that we enjoy so much of in the summer here was a welcome one. I wish the whole summer could be that way. So, it was a busy weekend, as it always seems to be. Hopefully, this week we'll have a chance to slow down and catch up on some sleep. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be the other way around. Oh well, I'll take it whenever I can get it.

Birthday with Ducks

My 29th birthday was on Friday the 13th! Yikes! To begin the last year of my twenties on the Friday the 13th is not something I was extremely excited about. Friday was fairly uneventful, so hopefully since the year didn't start off in a bad way, it won't be jinxed. My mom and two of my brothers went to a local steakhouse for dinner. As always, it was great! We only go there a few times a year, and I always wonder why after we eat. Grant enjoyed it too. He probably didn't care much about the dinner, although he seemed to really enjoy those fat buttered rolls, but the ducks were definitely the main attraction for him. He thought he wanted to touch them until they were the ones doing the touching. These ducks were literally taking the bread as I would put it into his hand. We switched to throwing it to them in the water shortly after that, and he loved watching them race for each and every piece. It's funny to watch them because you know that these ducks probably get fed 100 times per day, yet they still chase every piece you throw.
We spent Saturday hanging out at Nana and Papa's pool, and Sunday Grant got to spend the day with his daddy. I told him that for my birthday I wanted a day just to run around like the pre-Grant days. That is one thing I really miss doing. I'm such a shopper, but this day wasn't so much about buying as it was just checking out my options. I have been thinking about furniture options for Grant and for the new baby, so I wanted to check out what everyone has these days. I ended up buying some bedding for this baby that is fully returnable should it not be the sex that I bought for. My husband says I've jinxed us now, but I told him the sex is not going to change just because I bought crib bedding. Anyway, I didn't really settle on any furniture, but at least I have an idea of what is out there for when we get ready to make a purchase.

All in all, it was a productive day, and I felt great when I got home. Shopping is like therapy to me, even when I don't buy anything (although some great shoes or a great outfit are always mood boosters too!). Since I don't work in the "big city" anymore, I rarely get to the malls, and it's probably one of the things I miss the most, pathetic I know! I'm certain that my husband and my checkbook don't miss me going at all. However, I'm now an avid checker of craigslist and ebay, so I'm not sure which is better. Once a shopaholic, always a shopaholic I guess. Speaking of, I've been reading the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, and they're hilarious. They're totally frivolous reads, but enjoyable nonetheless. I read for pure enjoyment. I'd love to say that I read to learn, etc, but usually when I pick up a book like that I never make it past the first 20 pages. Maybe one day I'll try another one of those "types" of books.

A Busy Week

Since I last posted, we've had some extremely busy days. Last Tuesday afternoon (July 3rd), Grant and I jumped in the car and headed to Gulf Shores, AL. We were staying with my mom, and the family of the bride who were busily preparing for the wedding. Grant was quite a trooper on the car ride down. I couldn't have hoped for any better. We drove up to the sounds of fireworks, which Grant said scared him, but he didn't want to quit watching them. Wednesday, we enjoyed a great day on the beach, a grill out at the beach house, and then awesome fireworks on the beach. They were literally going off in every direction. We couldn't turn our heads fast enough to see them all. Grant and I really enjoyed them! Thursday and Friday were spent getting ready for the wedding. It was a crazy and exhausting couple of days, but everything turned out wonderfully. The wedding and reception were beautiful. A link to a slideshow of some of the pictures from the big day is below:

http://www.marcelainphotography.com/slideshows/Mount


Then came Saturday....
We were changing houses, so the morning was spent packing and getting everything in the car. After that, Grant and I spent a few hours on the beach while everyone else emptied the house. I think they were all sick of the Doodlebops by then, so I thought it best to get him outside where he wouldn't be in the way. Once everything was packed up, mom, Grant, and I headed into town to get lunch and planned to spend the afternoon by the pool. However the afternoon took an unexpected turn, and we ended up spending 8 hours in the emergency room. I had a scare with my pregnancy, but after 8 hours at the ER, and a visit to my dr. on Monday, they say everything seems to be fine. Hopefully, it was an isolated event, and it will be smooth sailing from here on out. I did get to see the baby again, and get this.. they think it's a girl! She said no boy parts were evident, so I am hoping they're right, but trying not to get too excited yet. The official ultrasound is on August 14th, so we'll know for sure in about 5 weeks (we hope)! All in all, we had a great time and were thankful to be included in all of the wedding events. We wish daddy could've gone, but I know I won't be going again without him anytime soon! Here are a couple of pictures of Grant at the beach. I could not keep him out of the water!

The night of the wedding, down by the water. He was too interested in getting in to look at the camera. The photographer had offered to take some pics of him, and then he fell asleep right after this! I was so looking forward to that, but maybe next time.

Grant just chillin on the beach

Grant and Rebecca enjoying the pool!

Grant running for the water!