Officially Summertime

It is now officially summertime for us! Garrison's last day of school was yesterday, he had his first popsicle ever the day before that, and he went swimming for the first time this year over the weekend. While I'm not looking forward to the heat and definite sweating that will take place, I am excited about our family vacation, extra time with the little man, and of course knowing that Austin will be here soon after the summer is over.

The little man enjoying a popsicle outside. (Figuring out how to eat it was quite a challenge... hence the stain of popsicle juice all over his shorts)

After finishing his popsicle (and changing his shorts) he wanted me to fill up his pool. This is a baby pool I found at Dollar General after he fell in love with one like this at school at the "Spring Fling". They had it filled with water and full of toys and he loved it... and started requesting "mama buy you pool" every single day, twice a day. We have a bigger blow-up pool for him to swim in but this one has been perfect for just playing in the water.

Yesterday was the little man's last day of school and it turned out to be sort of bittersweet for me. It actually took me by surprise when I started to feel a little emotional about it. I think I'm definitely hormonal! We've just had such a good year and Garrison had a great first experience with school and I think I got attached to his teachers and his sweet little classmates. I'm also very "type A" and love a routine but I know change is coming for us this summer. I'm excited about more time with Garrison this summer, but I'm also kind of nervous because I know I'm just going to get bigger and bigger and more and more uncomfortable, not to mention hot, but we can't stay inside all summer- we need places to go and things to do! (Which is why I'm going to attempt to come up with a summer calendar.... not something for every single day and not things that will take up the entire day- naptime is way too valuable, just something to fill our mornings a couple of days a week).

The other thing that made yesterday sort of emotional is that it just hit me that he's growing up and this is the cycle we'll go through year after year after year and never be able to slow down or make stop. Don't get me wrong, I want him to grow and change and learn (he can't stay 2 forever and I don't want him to), it's just a reality that catches you off guard sometimes. Yesterday was not supposed to be a big deal... until that reality set in and I was faced with that reminder again. Just looking back at his first day school made me realize how much he's grown and changed. He was only 18 months old his first day and not quite out of the baby stage yet. Now he's such a big boy... he doesn't have a paci anymore, sleeps in a big boy bed, goes to the potty, etc. We've reached a lot of milestones this school year and he has learned so much and had so much fun. I know he's going to miss it because he's already been talking about it and trying to understand what it means to not have school during the summer. Which is another reason I could have cried yesterday. I felt guilty about it being his last day of school and worried that he wouldn't understand and that he might be heartbroken over it. Oh goodness. I've got to blame that one on the hormones.

Even though yesterday was bittersweet, I'm so thankful for the great experience my little man had this year and for how well he adjusted to school and came to absolutely love school. We will definitely miss Ms. Heather and Ms. Brandi but it's reassuring to know he'll be in same place next year with some of the same classmates. And I'm so grateful that another school year is something we can look forward to... even if I will be waddling the entire first month of school. =)

My sweet boy with his very first teachers

Potty Training Progress

It's a little scary to even write the words... we think/hope that maybe, just maybe, Garrison is getting the hang of going to the potty and wearing big boy underwear (and staying dry!), and even telling us when he has to go. Yay!! We know we can still very well have setbacks and that he still hasn't seemed to master pooping in the potty consistently, but we are really excited!

We actually introduced the potty back when he was almost 20 months old (and I wrote about it here.) We weren't super consistent with him when we started just because he wasn't quite ready to be potty trained and we weren't ready to put him in big boy underwear, or take him in public, or try to figure out how to make him go at school, etc. But, I have to say I'm really glad we at least introduced the potty early because once we started back with consistent training, he was ready and knew what to do.... and best of all we weren't starting from scratch. It just seemed to make things easier overall. Of course the holidays were sort of a setback with traveling and being busy and away from home a lot, but then I think Terrell and I got sort of slack with it because we knew he wouldn't go potty at school (his teachers had tried) and we were definitely putting off taking him in public. My child touching and sitting on things in a public restroom... yuck. So we ended up sort of taking some time off from potty training. He would still go occasionally before getting in the bathtub and sometimes at home with me but it was a definite break from consistent training.

Finally we made the decision to start back the week of Garrison's Spring Break from school. That didn't exactly go as planned because we weren't in town for the entire week and the days we were in town we weren't at home very much. Sooo, the week after Spring Break is when I started taking him back to the potty and setting the timer so we'd keep track of when he needed to go back, etc. We clapped and made a big deal about him using the potty at first, and then about him being dry when we went to the potty. He got stickers for being dry and a small piece of chocolate for pooping in the potty. I put him in pull-ups everyday and encouraged him to tell me when he had to go.

Things went well when we started back (and again we were thankful we had already introduced the potty so he knew what do), however... we started noticing some major inconsistencies a couple of weeks in. It really seemed like no matter how often I would take him, there were always times he would be wet before we made it back to the potty. Then there were lots of times when I thought he had been dry all day in his pull-up, but as soon as we put him in big boy underwear he wouldn't be able to stay dry 15 minutes. We really started wondering if maybe he wasn't quite ready and just didn't know how to "hold it" or at least tell us before it happened so we could take him to the potty.

Then a few weekends ago when we were home almost an entire day on Saturday, we put him in big boy underwear and decided to take him to the potty every 15 minutes. This was our way of trying to "head off" an accident and prevent it from happening but also have him feel what it was like to be wet in big boy underwear and hopefully dislike it/get tired of it. Things were sort of frustrating because he still managed to go through almost every single pair of underwear he owns, but we didn't give up... even though I was ready to. We just tried to be patient with him and again made a big deal about him being dry and going tee tee in the potty, not in his underwear.

Even though we didn't see tons of progress that weekend, I believe it was sort of a turning point for us. The next week he wanted to wear his big boy underwear all the time (of course he was still in a pull-up or diaper for naps/bedtime/errands), we started using public restrooms (like Target and Chick-Fil-A), and he actually went at school! It finally occurred to me to take him myself to the potty at school and hope for the best. So for the past few weeks I've been taking him to the potty at school as soon as we get there and then his teachers try to take him a couple of times after that. He hasn't been consistent about staying dry at school, but I'm proud that he at least started using the potty there and we only have one more school day left before he's out for the summer. I also noticed that if I took him every 30 minutes, he seemed to be able to "go" more and then he would stay dryer for longer. (Thank goodness I was done with the every 15 minute drill. It felt like my entire day revolved around taking him to the potty. Not fun.)

We've now been on two outings in big boy underwear, plus to play outside for long stretches of time, and had a couple of dry naptimes and all nighters (which is amazing to us)! One of the most exciting things we've noticed just in the last week is that he has now started telling us when he needs to go. We still set the timer and work to take him consistently, but if he has to go sooner he typically tells us and if he doesn't have to go, we usually believe him. It has been so rewarding to witness him finally catch on and figure this whole going to the potty thing out. Like I said earlier, we still have to master pooping in the potty and we know setbacks are very possible, but we are just thrilled with how things are currently going! It seems silly, but I'm so proud of my little man and so thankful that I'm witnessing another milestone!!

22 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 22 weeks

Size of Baby: 11-12 inches and weighs about 1 pound (probably more since he was 14 ounces at 20 weeks)... about the size of a papaya

Total Weight Gained/Loss: I think I've gained 12 lbs total but I'm not 100% sure. I'm definitely going to find out when I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks. All I know is that I feel big.

Maternity Clothes: Just about everything is maternity at this point. Thankfully I can still wear my comfy t-shirts.

Gender: It's a boy! Austin Carson Selph

Movement: He seems to be very active and I've even felt a couple of really good kicks recently.

Food Cravings: Mostly ice cream (which is why so far we aren't keeping any in the house)

What I Miss: Being able to squat down and bend over easily and being able to get off the floor easily. Playing with and taking care of Garrison has become interesting... and it's only May. Oh dear.

Sleep: I'm still sleeping really good. Yay!

Symptons: Lots of trips to the bathroom, tightness in my back, and having a really big appetite.

Best Moment This Week: Going through Garrison's baby clothes today and finding lots of cute little gowns, sleepers, onesies, and outfits that Austin should be able to wear. We were pleasantly surprised!

What I'm Looking Forward To: A shopping trip for a few more maternity necessities like pajamas, dressy clothes to wear to shows, and a bathing suit. =)

Me and my 2 boys =)

Daddy's Boy

This was so sweet, I couldn't resist. Garrison has been a daddy's boy lately and just can't get enough of Terrell. He definitely has his moments of wanting me and requesting me to do things for him, but it's like he craves the attention of his daddy more than anything. I think part of it has to do with the fact that Terrell has had to work a lot of hours lately and Garrison just really misses him (and appreciates a break from me!) and I think part of it is he's just at an age where he loves daddy and loves doing things with daddy and like daddy.

Anyway, last night Terrell, Garrison, and I all had on our flip flops. Terrell and Garrison had been outside taking Bailey out and checking the mail and I usually wear mine around the house anyway. Before Garrison got ready for bed he noticed Terrell had taken his off and left them right outside of his room. I already had mine off while I gave him a bath so mine were also right outside his room. So of course the little man had to put his beside ours. I thought it was really cute seeing all our flops lined up together. Well, this morning when Garrison woke up he noticed that his flip flops were the only ones left in the spot outside his room from the night before. He immediately starting asking about mama and daddy's flip flops and I told him I was wearing mine and I thought daddy put his up. I guess that satisfied him because I don't remember him bringing it up again. After I got home from taking him to school I was getting ready to take Bailey out and looked down to see 2 pair of flip flops side by side laying by the back door. Precious. Terrell leaves his at the back door a lot so he can put them on before going out with Bailey or taking the trash out. I'm guessing that the little man spotted them this morning and decided that his needed to be right beside daddy's. So sweet. I guess my future holds 3 pair of flip flops side by side because I'll have 2 boys trying to be like daddy. =)

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day weekend actually started for me on Thursday when I picked Garrison up from school. He told me Happy Mother's Day when I walked in (I think they had been practicing) and then gave me his first ever handmade gift. So sweet! I melted. It was a butterfly with four of his little handprints as the wings and his teacher's had written "Happy Mother's Day! Love, Garrison" with 2011 in the bottom corner. Terrell was actually home for lunch Thursday when we got back from school so we showed it to daddy and I told him I wanted to frame it. I can't be sure, but I think he might have slightly rolled his eyes at me, or at least let out a little sigh. I can't help it that I think it's the most special thing ever! And, I've been wanting to find a spot to hang up framed artwork and candid photos, so I think I'm getting my way on this one.



On Friday I received my other gifts from Terrell and Garrison and was completely surprised. We met Terrell at Stevi B's for supper since he had to work a little late so we were in separate cars... and he got home much later than us from eating. I even called to check on him when he was more than a few minutes later than us. Finally he walks in as I'm getting the little man ready for his bath and hands me a card. It was SO sweet and from all 3 of my boys. Then he brought in not one, but two bouquets of flowers. One from Garrison and one from him. They were gorgeous and I was very surprised! I actually wasn't expecting anything because Terrell already got me my Mother's Day gift back in March. He had the monthly pictures we made of Garrison on his birthday for his first year, framed. It is beautiful and I love to look at it. It's so special to me, I can't wait to start one for Austin.

Garrison seemed fine Friday night until right before bedtime. He felt just a little warm and I suspected he had a low grade fever but he went to bed fine and seemed okay when I left his room. About 30 minutes later he started crying and Terrell went in to sit with him and check on him. A little later they were out of his room and Garrison was burning up. He had a temperature of almost 104. We immediately gave him medicine and something cold to drink and I put a cool washcloth on his forehead. He was pitiful and I was scared. He has never had a temperature that high and it was scary trying to get him to go to sleep with a high fever. Finally around 9:45 he went to sleep and actually slept all night. We both checked on him a couple of times before we went to bed and the fever had broken. Thankfully he seemed a little better Saturday morning but we were still sort of nervous about our full weekend of activities.

We decided to stick with the plan for the day but to proceed with caution. He did really well on the ride down to Barnesville but you could tell he just wasn't himself. He was excited to see everyone but sort of mellow and clingy. We spent the day Saturday with Terrell's family and all had lunch together at The Barnstormer's Grill in Williamson. The airplanes were a huge hit for Garrison and Allison. They loved watching them take off and land and I think Garrison liked looking at all of the parked ones. Lunch was interesting for us because Garrison wasn't feeling good and didn't have an appetite... but we all made it through okay. Unfortunately, on the way home from the restaurant, his fever came back. He felt really warm but he had chill bumps all over and kept saying, "cold mama, cold mama". I felt so sorry for him. Once we were back at the Selph's we got him ready for an afternoon nap, and bless his heart he fell apart and just had a meltdown. He cried and cried and nothing made him better. He wanted Nana to be in the room with him so when he finally settled down she read him books and sang songs and got him down for his nap. He seemed better after his nap and that's when we gave Nana her cards and gifts.

After leaving the Selph's we got ready to go to my grandparents' house for supper. By this point Garrison didn't have a fever but he wasn't feeling good at all. He sat with Terrell almost the whole time we waited to eat and once we fed him he didn't eat very much. The little man loves to eat, so we knew he was definitely sick if he couldn't finish his bread or banana. We basically had to eat and leave so we could get him back to my parents' house and in the bed.

We finally managed to get him bathed and in bed, and then he kept waking up crying. The first time I had to go in and check on him it was like he was still asleep. He never acknowledged that I was in the room and he stayed on his pillow crying away. That was the start of our rough night. At 1:45 I ended up just going and getting in the bed with him... which is a big no no to me. I just didn't know what else to do. He was waking up crying like every 30 minutes and just feeling terrible. He tossed and turned all night but seemed to do better knowing I was there with him. Needless to say, we decided it probably wouldn't be a good idea for him to go to church on Sunday morning. We actually met my mom at church and put Garrison in the car with her so she could bring him home and we could be there for our service. I was sad that Garrison couldn't go with me on Mother's Day but grateful that he seemed to be feeling a little better and that Terrell and I could still make it. Our Mother's Day services are always special to me and I was really thankful that Granna didn't mind skipping Sunday School to be with the little man.

My sweet baby boy who first made me a mama

After church we met the extended family at Buckner's for our Mother's Day lunch. There is always a long line but I have to say the wait is worth it. Garrison was surprisingly clingy to Terrell while we waited in line. He stood right beside daddy or was held by daddy the whole time. And he drank a lot of sweet tea.

We sat at tables side by side and enjoyed a delicious lunch. Garrison ate much better than he had all weekend. After lunch we went back to my parents' house and gave my mom her gifts before getting the little man ready for a nap. He seemed to be feeling better and better because he wanted to open the cards and presents and even started throwing things around....

that's when he got in trouble and had to be consoled by Granna.

Garrison took a good, long nap Sunday afternoon and I even had one myself. It was quite refreshing after the rough night I had!

Mother's Day turned out great, especially since my little man seemed all better after his nap (and so far the fever hasn't been back!). I am so, so thankful to be a mama and this year was even more special because I felt Austin moving around and was able to celebrate being his mama and look forward to meeting my 2nd baby boy. I am also grateful that we were able to spend Mother's Day with both of our moms. They are a huge blessing to our families and we appreciate them so much. If there were anyone else who might just love Garrison as much as we do, it's got to be my mom and mother-in-law. I'm also super thankful for my mom, espcially on Mother's Day. Now that I have my own baby, I realize that through her example, she's who taught me how to be a mom. When I think back at the fact that she had 2 babies 21 months apart and worked full-time and cooked supper every night and took care of our home, plus did a million other things for us.... wow. Her plate was full, and yet she made it seem easy and provided us with so many fun, happy memories. I'm just hoping that I can provide for my children like she provided for us. Happy Mother's Day!!

Some of My Favorite Things About Being Garrison's Mom

Last year I came up with a list of my favorite things about being Garrison's mom right before Mother's Day and I was hoping it was something I'd be able to do every year. I think looking back at my lists each year will show how much my little man has grown and changed. Not every day is perfect and sunny for us around here, but on the days that are more stormy and gloomy I hope that it's the simple things I've listed here that will always remind me of the blessing of motherhood and in particular the blessing of my first baby boy Garrison Cade.

*Listening to him say prayers with us (His favorite right now is "God is Great" which we say before meals, but he likes to say before naptime and bedtime too. He also likes thanking God for family members and every single piece of food he's eaten or is about to eat)

*Hearing "Kiss it, mama" when he's hurt or has a boo-boo

*Having him sing bedtime songs with me like Jesus Loves Me and Itsy Bitsy Spider

*Reading him books in bed

*Hearing "Hold you, mama" (when he's hurt, or tired, or wants to reach something in the pantry)

*Listening to him talk to family members on the phone (sometimes for play, sometimes for real)

*Listening to him try to sing the 'clean up' song when he's picking up his toys

*Hearing "Bless you, Mama" after I sneeze

*Seeing his fascination with babies

*Watching him play with his daddy

*Hearing the sound of his laughter

*Being able to have mini-conversations with him

*Hearing him say the words "Lub You" to me and other family members

*Having him remind Terrell "Mama kiss, hug" before Terrell leaves for work (He likes for us to give bye hugs and kisses just like we do with him. )

*Watching him chase and play with Bailey

*Watching and hearing him say "night, night baby" to his baby brother in my belly

IT'S A BOY!

We had our big doctor's appointment yesterday at 11:00 and found out that Garrison will have a little brother come September! Everything went great at the appointment and baby boy is active and healthy. We even got to see him completely roll over and move around. At first his head was facing the wall to my left, then he completely rolled over until his head was facing the wall to my right. We loved watching him! It was really funny because Terrell and I both realized he was a boy as soon as she started the ultrasound. Neither one of us said anything til later but we both knew almost right away. I remember thinking, What was that? Was that it?? It's a boy? But I didn't want to blurt it out because I wasn't 100% sure what I was looking at I just thought it looked similar to Garrison's little ultrasound picture. Then the technician showed us his head, heart, arms, hands, legs, and feet before asking if we wanted to know the sex. She even asked if we knew because she wasn't paying attention to "it" and definitely wasn't going to reveal anything until she made sure we wanted to know. That's when Terrell said "It's a boy?" and she checked and confirmed that it's indeed a boy! Then I remember thinking, Wow, it's a boy. I'm going to have two boys. Awww. Another boy. Wait a minute, now we have to tell Garrison he's having a baby brother... not a baby sisser. I hope he's not disappointed. Why am I even nervous about this? Garrison will love a baby brother. Even as my mind was wandering, I couldn't take my eyes off my sweet baby boy. And we were thrilled and so thankful to hear that he looks great. He weighs 14 ounces already (which is in the normal range) and he's growing and developing wonderfully.

Terrell and I talked later about how we both had been thinking a little more "girl" throughout the pregnancy so we were a teeny bit surprised when we discovered we're having a boy. I'm not sure if surprised is a good word since going into the appointment we both had no clue... we just definitely wouldn't have been surprised if it was a girl. Maybe that's a better way to put it. But, now that we know we're having another boy we're both excited and can't wait to meet him! I think it's starting to sink in for both of us and I know I'm loving the thought of two brothers adoring each other (most of the time anyway!) and playing together and sharing memories and just being best friends growing up. Awww. It makes me happy to think about my two boys together. =)

Here's the ultrasound pics of baby boy. Our scanner isn't working right now, so unfortunately this is what I had to resort to. The first two show him facing out right towards the "photographer". If you look closely you can see that his arm is propped up over his head like he's reclining or resting it there. The technician was able to point that out to us and we thought it was adorable. The bottom two show his little bitty hiney and the proof that he most certainly is a boy.

That evening as soon as Terrell got home from work, we got in the car to meet our parents and my sister at Jim 'N Nick's in Conyers for supper and to reveal the gender. So we knew for quite a while but couldn't tell until seeing everyone in person at the restaurant. On our way we stopped and picked up one of the only cakes in Publix that looked sort of like a boy and had his name written on it. The name we chose is Austin Carson. Austin is Terrell's middle name and a name we decided a long time ago to use for one of our children girl or boy. Carson is Terrell's dad's name (actually his middle name as well, except it's the name he goes by) and it was important to Terrell that we use Carson as a middle name for one of our children too. After Terrell saw the full name written out a couple of times, he thanked me for letting him have the name this time. =) Once we all got to the restaurant and ordered our food, Terrell did the honors once again of popping the wrong balloon. The pink one!

Nana and Pops brought Garrison his own special balloon too. After seeing daddy pop a balloon, little man decided to take a shot at his baseball balloon.

We enjoyed our meal together and talked about the new baby, and even broke the news to Garrison. (We were afraid to tell him before everyone else because we thought he might spill the beans before we were ready.) I think he was so excited to have everyone there he wasn't even phased by hearing he would have a baby brother instead of "sisser". He did say the name Austin for us and sounded precious. After supper we enjoyed eating a yummy Publix cake in honor of baby Austin.

Group Shot (I can't thank everyone enough for making the drive over and celebrating with us in person. It's what made our day extra fun and sharing our news that much more special. We love ya'll and are so proud to welcome Austin into our amazing family! Thanks again!!)

The little man loved the cake, and his balloon, and the fact that he got to eat supper with Nana, Pops, Granna, Papa, and AnAn. He even wanted to thank God for eating supper with them when we prayed last night. He also told Austin night night by lifting up my shirt and bending down to my belly and saying "Night night baby.... (then I said what's the baby's name?) "Ausin". Precious.