First Dentist Visit

Hayden made his first official visit to the dentist's office yesterday morning! (I say "official" because he did visit a pediatric dentist one time in Trussville when he chipped his front tooth.) We have found a great dentist here in Georgia, and Hayden is finally old enough to start his cleanings. I had been telling him how they would count his teeth and "tickle" them, so he was prepared for that. I did forget to explain about the chair and equipment...oops. He seemed a little unsure of that at first, but after some reassurance from me and the dental hygienist he did great!!!

They were really impressed that he was only 3 1/2 because he didn't cry at all. At the end of the visit, he got to pick a prize and of course got a new toothbrush and toothpaste. We were in and out in about 45 minutes, so that made things a lot easier! He has started saying lately when I ask if he's my baby, "No, I'm a big boy. Livee is your baby". I guess he is getting to be my big boy after all!

Hayden's Sibling Class

Last Tuesday night Hayden and I attended his sibling class at the hospital. They had baby dolls there and showed the kids how to swaddle and change a diaper. The teachers also talked about what kind of things they might see the doctors and nurses doing to mom and the baby. Then they took us over to Labor and Delivery to look at the room and show the kids the warming bed where they would put the baby. I was really glad that we got to do that so that Hayden (and I) could see everything. The kids each got a snack, t-shirt, and coloring books also. Overall, I thought that it was a great class, especially since it was free! He was the youngest one, and we had some paying attention issues, but I think that he probably took more away from it than I realized. I guess we'll see!

The kids each got a "birthday hat" as the teacher called it. It was to show them what the nurses and doctors might be wearing.


The littlest older sibling there!

Showing Hayden how the bed turned into a recliner.

Vacation Week - Stone Mountain

On Saturday, we got up and headed to Stone Mountain. There was a downpour on the way there, and I guess we passed ahead of it b/c once we got there it was sunny for a little while. We checked into the hotel and set off for our picnic lunch. I was looking for a specific picnic area that I thought would be closer to where we were going to end up. We passed by several, but didn't stop. Then we couldn't find the one I was looking for, so we ended up sitting on some concrete steps. It was just as well because we barely got through eating and the downpour came. Luckily we were very close to the car. It only rained for about 5 minutes and then cleared up, so it didn't ruin our day.

After the failed picnic, we headed into the village to visit the Great Barn (which was really cool with all of these neat slides, but very loud), ride the train around the mountain, and play putt-putt golf. Hayden was already worn out from the week before, so he fell asleep on the train! Poor baby! He made it through about 14 holes of putt-putt and then started melting down. We stuck it out, though, and finished. Uncle Char-ee came in first (he thinks it's b/c he's a semi-professional...bah), I came in second, Dave came third, and Hayden came in last. Charlie was keeping score, so Dave can't say I cheated on the scorecard this time!!!

We left the village and headed to the little German restaurant just outside the park for dinner. Dave and I ate there last year and loved it. And while the food was good this year the service was pretty lousy. But I digress. After dinner we headed back to the hotel room to rest for a few minutes before we took the shuttle to the mountain lawn for the laser show. I think that this was Hayden's favorite part. He loved riding the "bus". Of course when we got there and Hayden saw the laser swords, he wanted one, which we expected but forgot about. So Dave set off in search of cash while we just relaxed in our lawn chairs. Once the laser show started, Hayden forgot all about his laser and sat in Dave's lap. I don't think he ever quite fell asleep, but he was pretty close!!! He did fall asleep on the shuttle ride back to the hotel. We were all pretty exhausted at that point and glad to head for bed.

The next morning, we got up and slowly made our way downstairs for the breakfast buffet. If you ever stay at Stone Mountain (even if you don't stay in the hotel), you have to go for breakfast. They have everything you could possibly imagine! Waffles, french toast, all kinds of fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, oatmeal, hashbrowns, biscuits, gravy, fresh made omelets, juice, cereal, milk, etc... It was a pregnant lady's dream! I really did eat entirely too much, but it was so nice not having to cook it and clean up!!! The buffet is also great because kids under 5 are free. Hayden loaded up on waffle and blackberries, two of his favorites. After breakfast, Hayden wanted to swim, so we took him to the indoor pool before check-out. He was pretty sad to have to leave, so I'm sure we will enjoy swimming this summer in our neighborhood pool.

After check-out, we headed back to the village to do a few more things. First, we went to Skyhike where Dave and Charlie climbed all around and Hayden got to go to Camp Highland, which is the kids' section. He did the obstacle course twice and loved every minute! He said he was Spider-Man climbing on everything. Second, we rode the cable car to the top of the mountain. Once up there, Dave and Hayden and Charlie walked out to the edge of the mountain. I gave up at about halfway because it was drizzling rain and really cold up there! When we made our way down, we had lunch and then walked over to the Plantation. The rain was still drizzling so we were slowing down at this point. We enjoyed looking at the houses, but were definitely glad it was a short tour! We got to see the poor bald sheep (it was sheep shearing day) and the goats. Hayden wasn't really interested, so I don't think it was the highlight of his trip. Then we headed home! I am still tired and it's been four days, but we had so much fun last week and now we can say we've done these things around Atlanta!

Vacation Week - Aquarium & Braves Game

On Thursday, we went into ATL to visit the aquarium. We had heard how great it was and were only slightly disappointed. It is a really neat aquarium with several very large tanks, but there were lots of field trips and it was generally too crowded for my liking. I guess being 8 months pregnant didn't help! We spent a good portion of the day there and by the time we left, we were pretty well worn out. Hayden's favorite part was probably the 3D Deepo movie. We thought it was pretty cute too! We could have enjoyed the Titanic exhibit more if Hayden didn't keep setting off the alarms on the glass cases. That afternoon Uncle Char-ee came to visit with us for the weekend. We really enjoyed having him tag along with us!

I don't know who these people are, but this fish looks fake in the pic!

Enjoying his dolphin sucker.

Jellyfish...boing.

Coral Reef tank in the Tropical fish section. It was very pretty.

On Friday, we went back into ATL for the Braves game. They were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:30 pm. We got there early so that we could use our free birthday tickets. Yay! Telluride was playing a pregame show, so we ate hotdogs as we enjoyed the concert. Dave got to pick out a new Braves hat and we got to take our time getting to our great seats! We were on the Outfield Pavilion level at the very center of back field. That was a pleasant surprise!!! We stayed up until the 7th inning, then headed back home. I could barely walk (swollen feet) at that point, so it was probably a good thing that we left early. I will round up the Vacation Week postings later!

Just the three of us...for 7 more weeks.

Our view

Scoreboard!

Binoculars are great for occupying a 3 1/2 year old! Hayden had to have his Uncle Char-ee and Daddy sitting on either side of him. He ended up calling them the "guys" by the time the weekend was over.

Longest Appointment EVER!

I had the longest doctor's appointment today. 5 hours!!!!!!! I got to the doc's office at 9:30 this morning and waited for an hour and a half. Then I had to go over to the Outpatient center at the hospital for my Non-Stress Test and Ultrasound where I waited for an hour and a half. Plus, they monitored me for an hour on the NST. I got home around 2:30. So, to put it mildly, I am tired. I am supposed to do these weekly, and I am really hoping it doesn't go like this every time. I was assured that it wouldn't, so we'll see.

Enough griping...Livee is looking good. She is 4 lbs, 1 oz, so she might be an 8 pounder after all. She is breathing and swallowing, and I got to see her sweet little face. She is still head down and was moving all around this morning. I am starting to swell some. I think the last few days of non-stop going has really not helped...plus all of the sodium filled junk food. My clothes are feeling tighter and my ligaments have been a little sore. 7 more weeks to go! Maybe I'll go early???? That would be so nice!

Vacation Week - Muscle Shoals

We started off Dave's vacation week with a Mother's Day trip to Muscle Shoals. I was very excited to wake up to cards and flowers and we stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way for brunch. That evening, my brother and sister-in-law came over with Carson and Carley Grace and my grandparents came over as well for a Mother's Day dinner. We had Cuban sandwiches, Cuban salad, black beans, and pineapple upside down cake. Our favorite form of entertainment is eating!!!

The next day, my dad got out the little Jeep for Hayden to ride around in. It took him about 30 minutes to get warmed up, but once he did he really took off! He rode that on and off for most of the day Monday and Tuesday. My mom and I got out (all by ourselves!) on Monday to run some errands, shop, and eat lunch. It was nice!!!

On Tuesday, I worked on consignment clothes for the fall consignment sale (yes, already) and everyone came back over for dinner. On Wednesday, we left Muscle Shoals and headed back to B'ham for Dave's mom's retirement lunch at Firebirds (which was delicious!). We stopped at Barnes and Noble and met up with my friend Traci and her youngest for a few minutes beforehand. It's always great to see her! I wish we had more time to hang out. After a delicious lunch, we headed home to Georgia. More Vacation Week postings and pics later!

Dave's Cool Sunset

Dave was shooting a story last night at some lake in north Georgia and caught this really cool sunset.

We have a date....

July 7, 2009 should be Livee's birthday if all goes as planned (that is, if I don't go into labor before then...which I don't think will happen since I was a week overdue with Hayden). I had an OB appointment this morning, and my uterus is measuring at exactly 30 weeks. I don't have any swelling yet and my blood pressure was also fine. I've gained around 22 lbs. It's more than I wanted, but I've been gaining steadily at around a pound a week. If that continues with 8 1/2 weeks to go, then I should end up at around 30 lbs overall. That will be just fine with me!!! I don't want to go over 35 lbs because I had a really hard time getting it back off with Hayden. Most people don't tell you that you actually retain an extra 5 to 10 lbs while you are breastfeeding. Since I was used to eating so much while nursing, after I weaned Hayden I actually put on more weight! I WILL do things differently this time around. Live and learn!!!

27 weeks (Left); 30 weeks (Right)

Livee is around 3 lbs right now and is dropping down into my pelvic area. She moves a lot when I sit at the computer, probably because I'm squishing her! She is around 15 1/2 inches long, and can open her eyes. She had been moving around a lot at night, but for the last week she has switched to daytime. She gets hiccups at least once a day, and I feel those when I'm being still. I'm still exercising twice a week and trying to eat pretty well. I do get cravings, though, and it's usually something bad. Last week it was Oreos. Yesterday it was an Italian sub from the pizza place. I never know! Bending over to get things is getting quite hard and shaving my legs gets me out of breath as does going upstairs. I've got pregnancy insomnia most nights, which means I wake up around 3 and stay awake for around 2 or 3 hours. It doesn't matter that I'm exhausted. I just can't go back to sleep. Around 3 pm, I tend to crash. I don't know if it's sugar levels or the extreme amount of progesterone but I usually have to lay on the couch for at least 30 minutes. I've got Livee's bag packed already and have the list for mine laid out. (Never can be too prepared!)

I go back on May 18th for my next appointment that will include an ultrasound and a non-stress test. The non-stress tests (NST's) will basically look for heartrate abnormalities and the doctor didn't seem too concerned that we will find any of those. They will be done weekly until Livee is here. Since things have been going well, the doctor was pretty confident that nothing will go wrong. To quote "Meet the Robinsons"... we just keep moving forward!

Mall Carnival

Our local mall had a carnival in the parking lot when we were there on Monday night. Hayden was so excited because he loves rides. First, we went to the food court to eat while we were waiting for it to open and he could hardly stand it. He got to ride the kiddie roller coaster, carousel, choo-choo train, and some bug ride by himself. He's getting to be such a big boy! All three of us rode the ferris wheel right before we left. Overall, it was well worth the money to entertain us a little. I've been getting very bored at home lately!

After we left the mall, we headed home and stopped by Dunkin' Donuts on the way for a little dessert. We had never had their donuts and I have to say, we were very disappointed. Krispy Kreme has them beat any day of the year!

Blogging about sweet things reminds me, here's a new pic of our baby niece Carley Grace.

She's already 10 weeks old! We can't wait to see her and her big brother Carson next week!

New Catchphrases

I'm sure these will be coming to a household near you in the future...especially if you have a 3 year old or will have one soon!

• "Moma, you got to be patience. Just be patience."
• Gets in trouble, then tells us... "Okay, okay relax!"
• "I don't want to."
• After I have showered and put clothes on.... "Where're we goin?" (Like I can't just shower for the sake of showering.)
• Chock-a-locka! (We have no idea.)
• "Mom, look, now my hands are all clean. Nice and shiny."
• "I gotta smell my blanket."

Take Home Outift and More

We haven't really been doing much of anything around here lately. My parents came for a visit last weekend and brought with them mounds of things from my sweet cousin. We inherit lots of toys and clothes from her two boys and she also happened to have some sweet girl clothes as well. We cannot even say how thankful we are to her!!!

Everything is still going well with the pregnancy. I am almost 30 weeks, which sounds great to me! Only 9 1/2 weeks to go!!! Livee has become so big that body parts are starting to poke out. My belly also does the wave, usually at night when I'm watching TV. Hopefully May will fly by quickly with everything that we have to do. Dave has a vacation week this month, so on Mother's Day (5/10) we will head to Muscle Shoals for a couple of days. We'll come back to Georgia and hit the aquarium on Thursday and go to a Braves game on Friday night. That Saturday (5/16), we are going to Stone Mountain to spend the night and see the sights (and hopefully I can get a massage as well). Hayden hasn't seen the laser show, plus they have a train and other activities for kids that we are excited about showing him. The following week will be Hayden's sibling class at the hospital and then the pool opens Memorial Day weekend. Plus, the most important event of all happens on May 27....my 30th birthday! Just kidding....well, okay, mostly kidding. Then June will be here! Between all of that and church and some other things that need to be done....well, you get the picture.

So, on to the blog title. Here is Livee's outfit to come home from the hospital. I didn't even have to buy it because it was mine!!! The thing hanging down is a bonnet and there are bloomers to match. I will probably put knit baby booties on her to finish off the ensemble. I feel so fortunate that my mom saved a lot of my baby things, including several smocked dresses that she made herself. We're just glad we get to use them!!!

Next is an Alabama Crimson Tide baby blanket and bib and burp cloth set! Our neighborhood yard sale is this week and our neighbor just happens to distribute sports stuff. I nabbed these two for $10, which is a deal when you're looking for things like this.

Last but not least is a sweet onesie that we got at Gymboree. It is embroidered with "little sister" on it. I'm going to get Hayden a shirt embroidered with "big brother" to match some aqua and white checked shorts that he already has. I can't wait for a photo opportunity with the two of them!!!