WE. ARE. MOVING. (picture bratty little girl with tight fist hands on waist... maybe even a foot stomp)

Love our house.  Hate my drive.

I'm not sure when or where, but mark my words, before we have another baby and stretch time even thinner, we are moving closer to my office. And trust me I know.  I'm nothing if not dramatic at times. 

If there is no traffic, and I break every one of those precious laws I swore in front of God and the State of Georgia to uphold, I can drive one way in 25 minutes.  Normally its closer to 35.  That's over an hour of Hardin time I waste in the stupid car.

I used to love my drive.  For one, we live in the Georgia country.  My drive includes things people travel many miles to soak in and photograph.  In over 20 miles there are 6 turns (and as many animal species).  That includes out of the subdivision and into my parking lot.  That's a lot of nice, calm, country road in between.   It was also my time to prepare my head mentally for what I had ahead that day.  Maybe even catch up on some NPR.  Or the Bert show.  On the way home I could cool down, reflect, and give my self time to leave work in the garage before walking inside. 

Well, having H has eliminated the need for those things.  I fly by the seat of my pants on my schedule most of the time and I the thought of taking work inside never even occurs.   

It would make such a huge difference if I could hop in my car and be home in less than 10 minutes.  OH MAN, it makes me excited just to dream about it.

Jason is in the car a lot with his job, and closer to my office will be closer to his daily drive but farther on his office day Thursday.  What he is much more concerned about is being further away from his country club.  That said, I think he'd trade that for more afternoon help, especially if we have #2, in a second.  He is also on board because of the difference in school quality.  

So, all of our talk about possibly moving the end of 2012, may just actually come to fruition a little earlier.  We would lose our you-know-whats if we sold, so I think we are going to rent our house out.  While the thought of being a landlord is NOT something either of us want, it sure beats the alternative of me having a total break down because I miss my sweet little boy way too much around the end of the month.

So happy to have 3 weeks of calmness before it hits again!

One funny story for today.  I make chocolate covered strawberries for one of my favorite office's annual awards ceremony.  It is in the morning and I haven't had time to purchase the first thing.  I had to get in some Hardin time, but couldn't go to the store after he went to sleep because Jason had darts tonight.  So, I ran home and picked H up to accompany on my trip tonight.  Double bonus, he loves a good ride around Ingles.  Well, it hadn't occurred to me what else I needed to buy.  Enough alcohol free sparkling fruit juice for 100 people.  While I knew I didn't have a baby and a cart slap full of Champagne, that is exactly what it looked like.  I felt like mother of the year.  

One more thing.  Hardin has been answering our "who does dada/mama love?" question for a while with a very enthusiastic "MEEEEEEEEEEE."  I must give Jason credit for that.  He worked all day one daddy-day-care day on that one.  Now, when you start to say I.....love.... he goes YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU.   It sounds just like Soulja Boy's Superman song.  And that cracks me up!

Knee-Knee.

I survived Spinathon, barely.  All I can say is that it is a really good thing they say a prayer before every class at the Y.  It reminds me not to say words I shouldn't.  And that I'm doing something to take better care of the body God gave me.  That said, the last 30 minutes were extremely difficult.  Turns out, I'm great at working out for 60 minutes.  Anything more than that and I go downhill fast.

I was going to reward myself with a mani/pedi after, but I called and H had just woken up from his nap.  It was substantially warmer out than it was earlier and I wanted to get home and go on a long walk with my little outdoors man.

We didn't even make it out of our driveway when I turned around and saw the horses.  AT THE FENCE.  That never, ever, ever happens.  Hardin and I spend so much time looking out the windows up stairs at them, but they keep their distance from our subdivision which backs up to their pasture.

I ran inside, grabbed some apples, carrots, daddy and the camera.  Hardin was very quiet at first, taking it all in.  I think he was in shock at the size of a horse in real life.  Once he warmed up, he LOVED feeding them.  There were four total that came up to us, but only this sweet white one was really into us.  He let us pet him, ate out of our hands, and did that breathing-out-floppy-lip thing horses do.  When you ask H what a horse says, he says Knee-Knee, and then smiles.  I think he knows he is saying the wrong thing little goof ball.

I had on the wrong lens and I couldn't zoom out to get Hardin and the horses faces together.  There is only about a 2 foot break in the kudzu where you can see them.  Trust me on this one, it was one very happy little 16 month old face.  Ahhh... he's 16 months today.  I just realized that!  

 

Way too windy!

All Hardin wanted to do was play outside today.  It was nice, but way too windy when we were out in the yard.  I put a few layers on him and we played in the garage instead.  He loved getting into everything.

We also went to lunch, the drug store and the flea market while daddy played golf.  Hardin scored a 50 cent hot wheel and a $2 giant blue ball.  You would have thought he found the golden ticket when he picked out both.  He was so sad when we had to leave the new ball downstairs to go to bed.  Baaaaallllllllllllllllll...

Sweet boy.  I'm enjoying these times where I can make my kid's day with a trip to Chick Fil A and less than 3 bucks.  If I remember anything about growing up with my brother, it's that boy's toys double in price with every year they age.

Now we're watching the new Harry Potter and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for "Spinathon" tomorrow.  That's a fancy way of saying two-hour-killer-workout, and you have to pay for this torture.  Ugh! 

g g g g G!

That's what Hardin says when we start going downstairs on work mornings.  The first few G's are babble, the last is very strong.  Strange how he knows if I have on makeup Gigi is here.  He never says that when I'm in sweats and a ponytail.  Smart one, that kid. 

Today was a Gigi's house day, and for the first time EVER Hardin napped like he does at home.  I'm pretty sure mom has never been happier.  She has dreamed about the day she could keep him there more often.  At first we thought he hated the pack-n-play, but almost 6 months ago I bought an entire bed for him to keep there, and he still hated it.  Crib, bedding, bumpers, blankets, the whole shebang.  I'd given in to the fact that they'd just be used for my next youngin and hopefully my bro and sister's kids.
 
I've skipped talking about it, because in the grand spirit of most obnoxious things in my life, I think if I ignore them they will go away.  Lo-and-behold it did!  He napped from 12:30-after 3.  Hallelujah!  As spoiled rotten as I am for having mom here every day, I get stir crazy in my house when it's raining all weekend, so I can only imagine how she feels 4 days a week.  She's slowly getting a little bit of her life back.  Must be time to have another baby... HAHA, not!  Hopefully next year.  As usual, I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but this really was a big day for G.  Really.

Other than that, we've just been dealing with a super stuffy nose and cough this week.  No funky colors and no fever, so we're just relying on saline drops and a humidifier to work their magic on our boy.  And one of Mimi's secret tricks.  Shhh...  cake on a thick layer of adult vapor rub on the bottoms of his feet, followed by good socks, right before bed.  I kid you not, he coughed the entire way home from mom's tonight, all through dinner and bath, and then after his vapo-foot treatment his little hiney popped straight into the air and he went to sleep.  Not a cough out of him since.  There must be a handbook they give grandmothers, because they sure do know something to cure everything baby related.  God bless them!  

Happy happy day!

First, one of my very favorite people in this world, who I am fortunate to call one of my best friends, welcomed a happy healthy baby boy today.  I am so excited to go meet Brady Dene (after her amazing late mother Bardene), in the morning!  And Mary Ellen is a superstar, sweet baby was 9lbs. 10oz. 

I won't be forgetting his birthday anytime soon either.  It was two years ago today that I came running out of our bathroom hollering downstairs for Jason to go run and buy another pregnancy test.  We were getting ready to go on a ski trip with three other couples and had just started trying to get pregnant in January.  I thought I'd better take a test "just in case" before we left.  I didn't want to do anything I shouldn't while carrying a baby.  Good thing I took that test (and the two that Jason brought home).  I spent the weekend by myself in the cabin on the phone while everyone else went skiing.  I still think I got the better end of that deal! 

A little more than 8 months later we welcomed our amazing little creation into this world.  I cannot believe it has been two years.  I am being extremely modest when I say it has been the best two years ever. And that's saying a lot, because we had some pretty good times before our little buddy. 

These pictures were taken a few minutes after H woke up from a nap today.  Lately he has been a total grouch after his second nap.  The only thing that makes him happy is to bring his Dougs (2) and blanket into our room to cuddle for a few minutes.  He also has about 4 of our pillows.  I'd be happy too! 

Finally, I am terrified for my Weight Watchers weigh-in in the morning.  Friday night I did okay, but tonight I went to Taste of Athens with a ton of folks.  We ate everything from escargot, pork bellies and beef tongues to pimento cheese, hot wings and cinnamon rolls.  It was only one bite of everything, but I think my 4 week losing streak may be over.  It was totally worth it though.  The food, the wine, and mostly the company.  Mama thoroughly enjoyed her night out!  

Again, he LOVEs the iPhone feature where you can see yourself in the screen.  Every time he sees my phone he says "Baaay BeeE."

Monkey Joes

Last night we celebrated daddy's birthday at dinner at Five and Ten.  We left when we put H down and Gigi stayed and spent the night.  We had one of the best dinners I've ever had, and were both so full we were home in bed by 10:30. 

Today Gigi, Hardin and I met Ali, Olivia and Honi at Monkey Joes.  It was fun, but the babies were still a little too baby to fully enjoy it.  They didn't know that though, and H sure did exhaust himself running around.  His favorite is the slide.  I'm not going to lie, it's pretty fun.  I'll be sad when he gets to go down it alone. 

The rest of the day was spent napping and playing around the house.  Daddy drops the tunnel from Hardin's tent on him from up top.  Hardin thinks it's the funniest thing ever. 

Love the babies faces!  Mine, not so much.

Mimi Likes Them

Mimi likes the Gymboree pictures, and that gives me a great excuse to keep posting them. He's getting more and more adventurous every week!

Valentines Day.... Mmmwaa!

This is Hardin blowing a kiss.  Mmmwaa!

And yes, I went there with the conversation hearts border.  Again.  At least I posted the one without the border on Facebook. 

Happy Valentines Day!

I have also listened to this song about 90 times today, quite a few of those times with tears in my eyes.

Things are awesome with Jason and I now.  But there were a few times over the early years that both of us considered giving up.  I thank God, often, that neither of us did.  Realistically, that's what to be expected when you start dating someone at 20 years old, but just saying it now makes me crazy.  I can't imagine in a million years spending my life with anyone else.

This is my all time favorite picture of us.  It hangs on the wall right when you walk in from our garage.  It was taken by my sweet friend Ali in the very early days of our relationship.  We were at Genco in Athens.  Jason is wearing Ali's hat, and evidently I couldn't get enough of it! 

Hardin, we will talk a lot about cigarettes over the years.  A LOT.  If you had any idea how hard it was for your daddy to quit you would never touch one.  I pray you never will. 

My how things work out.

I'm telling you what, sometimes things just work out in the sweetest of ways.  Those two cuties are proof.  It's also worth noting that between the two of them, they have 6 last names.  Hardin Pharr McWhorter.  Townes Harding Smith.  Only in the south!

We met Libba, Townes and her parents the Athens Kids Expo today.  It was a little crazy, but we had fun letting the boys run wild for a while.  They were surprised to see a much less clingy Hardin this time.  The boys greeted each other with a kiss, SO sweet.  We were both surprised at how well the boys did with the characters.

We followed that with lunch at Raffertys.  I was hesitant because Hardin is not always the best at restaurants.  Libba claims Townes isn't either.  But together, they were great.  They shared their food and crayons and entertained us all.

LONG naps followed.  Then a quick trip to Walmart, dinner and bed. 

Oh, and one more thing.  Mimi sent Hardin a new Melmo (Elmo to the rest of us) video for Valentines day.  He was in a total zone when it started.  He sat still for 10 minutes straight, and that never happens!  He has no interest in watching his videos on the big TV.  He only likes to watch them on the little travel DVD player mom got him for Christmas.  Works for me!

Justin's Birthday Card.

I ordered a cute little pair of pants for H (from Smockadot Kids... shameless plug) but he only had one shirt to match them.  I went to my scrap cloth pile the other night and found a little brown polka dot piece that matched perfectly.  I made a big H shirt for him and was trying to get a picture tonight but my little H was going NUTS.  I told Jason to hold him still for a second and this is what I got.  Cute enough.

This is what Hardin must have really been thinking about daddy's constraints...

As soon as Jason saw it he said in his laugh-talk you ha-ha-have to send that in Justin's birthday card! 

Brothers!  For the record, I rarely remember to send my own brother a birthday card, so the chance of Justin actually getting one in May is slim, but I'll try for Jason's sake.  He really thinks Justin would get a kick out of this picture. 

H also enjoyed jumping all over our new bedding.  We are SO excited about our Valentines gift.  The last time we bought a new mattress cover, pillows and down comforter was when we first moved in together.  In 2005.  They were pretty yuck.  Jason and I are not far behind him to test it out ourselves.  It was a LONG week! 

Silly

I realize it is silly to post a picture every week, but we just have so much fun and today was slide day! Yay!

Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Sweat:
This was my kitchen at 1am this morning.  Ugh.  Every once in a while I need a reminder of why I like my little area of the law.  I got it last night.  I had to give a presentation on unfamiliar contracts today, in a fancy room full of attorneys, and that had me slightly on edge.  Jason was right when he asked why the heck they asked me to do it, but I managed to pull it off like I had it together all along.  My bro's text was "Haha, just talking to some a$$holes, don't sweat it."  The kid can channel dad like no other! 



Tears:  No picture of that. 
Hardin had his 15 month check up this morning.  The original appointment was last week, but when we got there and she saw how stuffy and cranky he was we put it off the rest of the exam to let him feel better.  Lets just say that he hadn't forgotten about the "pin down" to test his ear pressure and get the throat culture.  And this was daddy's first solo appointment.  He said it wasn't nearly as bad as last week, but he was not happy.  As far as measurements, they think he's about 31in, 23lbs and the same 19.5cm head, 25-50% on both.  That said he was out of control squirming so I wouldn't hang my hat on those numbers.  He's weighing a little less than last week, but we are expecting a full rebound after his little cold. 

Blood:
A company that sends a lot of business my way was having a big blood drive today.  Jason and I were both signed up, but they were not interested in my blood after starting a Z pack Monday.  I met him there at 2:30 and took the boy for cookies at the park and an afternoon at home.   Poor J got the bad end of that deal, but I was SO thankful for him being there since I couldn't give!

The very worst part, and one of my most favorite.

The very worst part of being sick is having to lay in bed while my boys went to get lunch, the park and the grocery store.  To top it off, they didn't seem phased by my absence.  Watching their little relationship develop may be my most favorite thing ever. 

This picture below says it all.  I love his little hand on Jason's arm. I was sitting on the back patio watching H play ball, when Jason came driving around the side of the house to take him for a ride.  Hardin loved it.  He stood around for a good while vrooming afterward. 

You can also tell daddy dressed him.  He looks like such a big kid in those jeans.  I'm not so sure how I feel about that! 

He can straight up palm a ball!

Trying to find another cookie, he and daddy crushed 3.

Cathy gave him this for his birthday and he's really started to love it!

Silly Sounds

This video was yesterday before bed.  I'm trying to teach him all of his family members names, but my favorite part is the truck/motorcycle sounds.  You should hear it in person, he literally grumbles from deep inside.  You can kindof see his bruise on the right side of his forehead, but luckily it's not to visible in the phone videos. 

Today I did a load of laundry, not because my kid was wearing Santa's Helper jammas in February, but because my favorite pjs were dirty and I need them to lay around in tomorrow.  H and I both have a touch of the crud, and it's amazing what I let myself get away with because of that!

This ridiculous scene is his bath when we get out ALL of the toys.  We do that every Friday then I dump in some white vinegar when he gets out to keep the toys from getting funky.  Fortunately, he is my child, and helping me put all those toys back into the frog that hangs on the wall is his favorite part.  For now at least.  I'm not naive enough to think that will last, but a mama can dream.  

Goose Egg :(

I can hardly even write this I feel so crazy, but having a father who died from a freak head injury does not make for a very peaceful mama. Obsessively paranoid about all things brain would be a more accurate description.

My boy is WIDE OPEN these days, and tonight that included a full fledged dive into the sharp corner of a wall. My heart stopped. Hardin was silent for the longest two seconds ever, wrapped his little arms around my neck and then screamed like I have never heard him scream. It only lasted about 15 seconds, and then he shook it off and was back to playing.  I on the other hand am still tearing up.

He wouldn't let me hold ice on it at all. We let him stay up until 8 so we could watch him. He's acting just fine, but has quite the large goose egg on his sweet little head. Man just typing that has my eyes full of tears.
I am so scared of brain swelling I will surely be sneaking in his room all throughout the night. I am sure Jason thinks I am crazy. And scary. And sad. He'd be right in thinking all of that.

I see no point in hiding my craziness, Hardin will certainly know I am nuts so he might as well know why!
Note to self: call mother-in-law and tell her how beautiful, calm, put together, lovely and wrinkle free she is after raising two McWhorter boys.

Morning Update:  He was totally fine this morning except for the Frankenstein bruise down the side of his head.  You can still see the line from the wall.  I also realize how dramatic this post sounds, but I might as well keep it out there.  There is really no way for me to adequately describe how sick the slightest little head bump makes me, much less a big one like this!