Summer Fun Continues

We are trucking along and enjoying our summer as much as possible.  Hardin is such a trip right now and we spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out what he's doing and more importantly, why. 

We've also noticed how much Hardin is missing his friends at school.  He's constantly asking us to go to Gigi's house so he can play with her neighbors, go to Cawley and Lillian's house, etc.  Yesterday he told me very assertively Mommy, my daddy NEEDS to take me to the baseball park so I can play baseball with the big kids.  He was so serious.  And it took mama less than 24 hours to find a little team sport for him to play this fall.  He starts soccer the first weekend of September and Jason will be assistant coaching.  We are all very excited. 

We had a fun weekend with Cat and the kids while the boys played golf.  Now we're counting down the days until our week at the beach together!  

Where to begin?

I've been sleeping instead of blogging, and we've been so busy during the days I'm not sure where to begin...

We'll start with the most exciting news, our baby on the way is a GIRL!  Every bit of my intuition the past few months was telling me it was a girl, but I still can hardly believe it.  Up until this pregnancy started I just knew we'd have two boys.  Needless to say my mind (and debit card... shhh) have been going a little crazy, in a good way, with the news.

Hardin's been keeping himself quite busy, too.  He's still in swim lessons three times a week and aside from his pure HATE for floating on his back, he's doing well.  As soon as she flips him over he starts yelling GET ME OUTTA HERE!  And that's a lot better than the previous week's tear tantrums.  The actual swimming part is fantastic.  So good that his instructor asked us to keep him after a few days next week to use as an example for other kids.

Two weekends ago Cawley & Co. came up for the day, and Hardin went to spend the night with them so Jason and I could attend a concert on lake Lanier.  That night Cathy casual asked him if he wanted to sleep in the pack-n-play or with Cawley in his big boy bed.  She said he immediately said Cawley's bed and started walking up stairs ready to go right then.  He did great through the night.  We decided to run with it and he's been in his big boy bed here ever since.  That went so well I joked that Cawley could potty train him too.  No such luck, even with C and Lillian going he wanted nothing to do with it.  He told Cat he was too busy.  

I went to pick him up the next morning and we went down to the Grant Park farmer's market, the play ground and the zoo.  The littles were cracking us up with their maps.  They were so sweet and lovie, too.  I think it was because they were exhausted but it was still cute.

Last weekend Mary Ellen came up with Liddie and Brady.  We went to the neighborhood pool Saturday and the Buford splash garden Sunday.  The kids had an absolute blast running around together and both Liddie and Hardin pitched tearful fits when it was time for them to go home.  I couldn't blame him, I felt the same way about Mary Ellen leaving.

The last big event was July 4th.  We'd heard this was a big deal in our neighborhood but I think we both underestimated it a bit.  We received an itinerary the week before and had a good laugh at the decorated golf cart parade and the regatta, a paddle board race in the lake.  A lot of things were rained out but we went down for the kid games, parade, BBQ and fire works.  Hardin was all about decorating the golf cart, but when we drove around he in the parade he kept asking hey, where's the parade? where's the parade?  It was every bit as ridiculous as we thought it would be, and that was fun.

Oh, one more thing.  Hardin had his first real shiner.  He was carrying a golf club at Gigi's house and tripped walking.  He hit his head on the side of a table and had a good black eye for a week.  After the swelling went down it wasn't too bad, but he looked rough for a couple of days.  Shockingly, he barley cried.  He stood right up and told my mom he was tough and fine and shook it off (we literally shake like crazy to shake off little falls).

Melt My Heart

For the most part, our days are full of T-Shirts and work-out shorts.  Hardin wants to wear whatever daddy is wearing.  If only I could get Jason in a Jon-Jon...  It's sweet, really. 

But every now and again I have an excuse to dress him like a proper southern tot.  My cousin's south Georgia afternoon church wedding was the perfect occasion.  I may have squealed a little when I got him dressed.  I know these days are very limited so I try and soak up every little traditional minute. 

The wedding was lovely until the very end when I opened the lady's room door and startled my sweet 85 year old grandmother.  She lost her footing and fell very hard and hit her head.  I just about lost it.  Fortunately, my cousin getting married and his brother are both EMTs and they had their bags out in no time checking her vitals and everything else.  Still, we don't mess around with falls in this family so we took her to urgent care who sent her to the emergency room for a CT scan.  She's still mad at all of us for keeping her up until 1 in the morning, but she was discharged with a clear head and some pain meds for her banged up arm. 

Today we are also remembering my sweet daddy who passed away five years ago today.  It feels like yesterday and a life time ago.  Hardin and I looked through a big album of his pictures tonight and he giggled every time I tried to explain that I was the tiny girl.  He may not be with us the way I wish he were, but having his little namesake around sure does keep him present every day.  That kid has a LOT of his grandfather in him...  the good, the silly and the strong. 

Sweet farewell, baseball and a swimmer to be.

This weekend Hardin and I went to the Skilling Farm for the last Memorial Day celebration before they move.  I've been going since 2003 with the exception of the year we were on our honeymoon, and it was certainly bitter sweet leaving a place that holds so many crazy and wonderful memories.  But, there wasn't much time to get sappy chasing H all over creation.  Jason was on a golf trip with Justin, and I was very thankful Ali, Austin and Olivia were such a big help with Hardin.  Hardin's been talking about "Ohlibia's farm" for a few days now.

Daddy came home Sunday and we took it very easy lounging around.  Monday we went to the park and Hardin was in for an unexpected treat.  There are a few great parks around here, but whenever we give him a choice, he ask to go to the Baseball Park.  He loves to watch the big kids play ball in between his monkey ways.  The big field was empty and Jason asked him if he wanted to go run the bases.  Needless to say he took off running and didn't stop.  He ran them a few times and loved every second except getting dirt in his shoes.
http://youtu.be/J3WQcvT0KM4

Today, Hardin started his much anticipated swim lessons.  We've been talking up "miss Christy's pool" and learning how to swim for a while now, and the first lesson blew both of our expectations out of the water.  His instructor only teaches Monday through Thursday, 11am-2pm, but I was lucky enough to sneak away to take him.  I literally said a teary eyed prayer standing right there in the pool room thanking God for my career that allows me to be there for these experiences.

I am always proud and impressed by his can-do-anything attitude, but today was just so awesome.  He clung to my leg when we first got out of the dressing room, but the second I handed him over he was all about it.  Both instructors were genuinely impressed he was so trusting of them during the first lesson.  They said it normally takes a week or so before the crying stops and listening starts.  Not this water baby.  The difficulty with him is getting him to stand still until they say it's time to jump.  And he was NOT happy about leaving.  Fortunately they have horses on their land and the kids are welcome to feed them when they are done.  I bought a huge Costco bag of carrots so he and Jason will be prepared tomorrow.  He'll go 3 times a week for 20 lessons, and I can't wait to see him at the end!
http://youtu.be/IE9PLPqgMCE

These two videos may be my favorite ever!

Splish Splash

I've been dog tired, and still feeling the first trimester yuckies.  I'm trying to ignore it and keep trucking along as normal but around 8:30 every night it catches up with me.  Coincidently that is when Hardin goes to sleep.  For some reason I was delusional to think round two would be easier, but it turns out I'm still tired from the inside out, and have a two-and-a-half year old and even busier office to take care of. 

The excitement is still MUCH better than anything else.  I also got a gut feeling this week this little baby is a girl.  I've been wrong a lot, but just putting my blind guess out there. 

Hardin had a little chest infection he couldn't shake this week, and ended up with a little inhaler to clear it up.  He thinks he's really something special when he gets to use his super hero mask twice a day.

And in honor of one of one of his favorite things in the world right now... here are a couple of pictures of him in MOMMY'S BATH!!!! 

God bless you.

The past two nights, I have been sitting downstairs long after putting Hardin to bed, thinking he was sleeping peacefully.

Both nights around I sneezed around 10pm.

Both nights he didn't miss a beat in hollering GOD BLESS YOU MOM-MAY!!!!!!!  And then again until I said thank you.

While I sure do wish he had been sleeping that late, I sat down there just grinning at his thoughtfulness. I couldn't love that little stinker more if I tried.

Commentary on the big news.

I forgot to mention Hardin's responses to the news of the baby on the way.  We just started talking about it about a week ago, but here are a few responses to me or Jason saying there's a baby in mommy's belly...

I gotta baby in MY tummy.

Yea!  The werms (worms) are spying on us.  But don't worry mommy, they are good spies.  They are good werms.

I want some supper. 

I'm a big boy, not a baby.  Where's my saber? I'ma save the day. 

We're not going to press the issue much more until I'm showing, although I'd love to just to hear his responses.