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!