18 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along: 18 Weeks

Size of baby: 5-6 inches long and weighs 5-7 ounces... about the size of a sweet potato

Total Weight Gained/Loss: I've gained 8 lbs as of my appointment two weeks ago. I'm guessing it will be more when I go back in another two weeks

Maternity Clothes: I have starting wearing a good bit of maternity tops and occasionally maternity jeans. In the picture above, neither the top or pants were maternity (which is the reason I look so big, I'm hoping!)

Gender: We find out May 3rd and are so excited!! I still have a slightly stronger "girl" feeling but I definitely wouldn't be surprised if we find out it's a boy. =)

Movement: This past week I felt the baby several times and absolutely loved it. It's such a sweet, special feeling.

Food Cravings: I would have to say that lately I've been cravings sweets.... ice cream, chocolate, cookies, etc. Thankfully we don't have too many in the house!

What I Miss: My allergies have improved in the past couple of days but I would still have to say Zyrtec.

Sleep: Since my allergies haven't been as severe, I've actually been able to sleep until my alarm or Garrison wakes me up for two days in a row! I am still having some crazy dreams though.

Symptons: I've starting breaking out again, sort of like I did around the beginning of the pregnancy. Not fun, but not something I want to complain about either since it's not too major. And, I just love to eat!

Best Moment this Week: Feeling Baby Selph move around or give me teeny tiny kicks

What I'm Looking Forward To: Terrell being able to feel the baby, and of course finding out boy or girl!

The Ups and Downs of a Stay At Home Mom

Lately I've been "reflecting" a lot on being a stay-at-home mom. I didn't really plan on it (until just recently when I decided to actually jot some things down) but it just sort of happened. I've had a couple of "pinch myself" moments recently and I've had some moments of not feeling worthy of the job and being disappointed in myself. I guess you could say that lately I've had some ups and downs/highs and lows... it's probably the pregnancy hormones (at least that's what I'll blame it on).

One of my "pinch myself" moments came on the ride home from school after picking Garrison up a couple of weeks ago. It just hit me that it was the middle of the day and I was on my way home from picking up my little man from preschool, and then I would have the rest of the day at home with him. It doesn't sound that special, but for me it was like I was reminded that I was living my dream and doing what I had always wanted to do (at least since getting married and thinking about a family). It was something I had prayed for and felt was my true calling, so we decided to make it happen. How I love Terrell Selph for his dedication to making it work! Sometimes you get so caught up in your routine that you start taking things for granted and forget just how blessed you are. And that is exactly what happened with me... until that ride home. It was like the Lord planted this huge gratefulness in my heart and mind and reminded me again of His goodness and faithfulness.

Another time came as we prepared for our trip to Gatlinburg. Again, it just sort of hit me one day how easy and stress-free it was for me to get ready for the trip not having to worry about a full-time job. If I had a full-time job it would change everything about trips during the school year. I felt so grateful that I could pack and be ready to go when Terrell got home on Thursday and not have to worry about something work-related hanging over me.... which is what always happens when a teacher takes a day off.

I've also had some lows recently. For one thing, this age is quite challenging and my patience is tested often throughout the day. (And whenever I lose my patience I feel so guilty and horrible afterwards.) The little man wants to do everything himself and if you do something for him that he wanted to do himself, just prepare for a meltdown. I'll try to go through a quick list of "Garrsin do it!" tasks: getting his diaper out of the drawer and opening it up (every. single. diaper change.), getting his own breakfast out of the pantry or freezer, opening up his own cereal bar, crackers, cheese, etc., "opening" his socks and pulling them apart, rinsing off his toothbrush, unloading the silverware and sippy cup lids from the dishwasher, closing his bedroom door, turning on his night light... and I'll stop there. So, throughout the day everything takes twice as long because he wants to do it himself and if for some reason I go ahead and do it because he's not listening or isn't fast enough or I just forget, etc. it still takes twice as long because he has a meltdown over it and lets me know how devastated he is that I did it. The patience a 2 year old requires is HUGE, especially when it's required round the clock.

On top of having issues with my patience, I've had some major allergies this spring. Yuck. It's been no fun and really makes me feel less than 100% which in turn means I have less patience with Garrison. Just about every morning I wake up before my alarm goes off (typically sometime between 4:00-6:00 am) and I can't breathe or start sneezing or start having to constantly wipe/blow my nose because it's running so much. Eww. So it's sort of a double blow when I'm not feeling my best and the little man has a meltdown to start the day off. One morning I took his cereal bar out of the wrapper, which caused him to have a huge meltdown, so I put it back in the wrapper and when he took it out it broke in two. Well that broke his heart and I ended up eating almost all of my breakfast while he sobbed and couldn't be consoled. Finally he got over it and ate breakfast. Gracious!

Something else I've struggled with lately is the fact that I'm pretty much spent by the time Terrell gets home, so it can be really tempting to hand everything over to him as soon as he walks in the door. Well, not everything. I'm usually cooking when he comes in and I've never expected him to take over and finish supper, but I sometimes do expect him to walk in and ask what I need and grant my every request. Ha! It's sad but true. There are lots of days when I'm not in the best mood when he gets home so I can get snappy with him and Garrison. It's also tempting to think, "well he hasn't seen Garrison all day and I clearly need a break, so he should take over from this point forward". I have to remind myself a lot that Terrell has been working hard all day and that when he comes home he might actually need a minute to wind down and that we are both 24 hour parents. Just because I'm with Garrison during the day doesn't mean that Terrell should have all the responsibility in the evenings while I prop up my feet. I'm actually loving our evening routine with Garrison (and other chores). Terrell always helps clean up the kitchen (a huge blessing!) and Garrison usually plays nearby while we finish up. Then either Terrell and Garrison will have some guy time or we'll all play together before bathtime. Then one of us takes bath/pajama duty and the other takes bedtime duty. I am really liking our system. I know it will all change once baby #2 gets here but for now it works great.

Then there's the issue of money. Premier has been a huge blessing to us and I do love the fact that I can stay at home and do Premier, but when you choose to live off of one full-time income, sacrifices have to be made. Sometimes I can get worked up about the money because I never want to be a burden to my family because I'm not working full-time... but so far, I have no regrets about our "sacrifices". We do have a strict budget with groceries and we are careful when selecting out to eat places (pizza and mexican are our first choices because they're the cheapest), and we can't be free spenders, BUT we have never had to live on a rice and beans diet or had to freeze ourselves out of the house during the winter or had to miss out on a vacation. What we have had to do is be smart with our money... which means things like no Pottery Barn Easter basket and liner for Garrison this year, no ordering the most expensive meal on the menu, trying to stock up on really good sale items, and trying to eat more at home on the weekends. I am married to a very "money-minded" man and that has been a big part of how we've been able to live comfortably with me staying home. It's just something that sort of hangs over you when you've made the decision to stay home. Which don't get me wrong, I believe both of us think is worth it.

Probably one of my favorite things about staying home is the fact that we don't have to wake up and be somewhere every morning. Garrison gets to sleep as late as he wants and we have breakfast together and then get our day started. I don't have to leave him at 6:30 in the morning for Terrell to get him ready and take to a sitter, or even worse, thankfully I've never had to worry about getting him to a sitter at that hour! I love how our mornings are typically low-key because we're not rushing out of the house... except on Tuesdays and Thursdays. =)

I am so, so grateful that I'm able to take care of Garrison when he's sick and it never interferes with a job. I can only imagine the stress it would cause if the little man woke up sick one day and I had to call the school and get a sub or even go out to the school to make sure I had enough lined up for my students that day. And I don't have to deal with the guilt I know would come if I had to ask someone else to take care of him. Doctor appointments have been so easy for us too. My biggest concern with an appointment is that it doesn't interfere with naptime. How great is that!? Sometimes I have to remind myself of how wonderful that simple fact is. (My appointments on the other hand can be a huge pain since we don't have "childcare" for Garrison established. But we've made due pretty well and now that he has school, it's been a big help.)

I love taking care of almost all of our errands during the week. It's so nice to be able to get groceries, take care of dry-cleaning, make any necessary trips to CVS or Target, etc. during the week. I love getting it over with and not having it hang over us on the weekend and possibly interrupt our plans. There are times when we do a little shopping on the weekend but I take care of 95% of all that stuff during the week. I know if I was still teaching, everything would have to be done on the weekends.

One of the first things that came to mind when thinking about how much I love being home, but I decided to save til last is how blessed and grateful I feel that I've been able to witness every milestone and have quality time with my little man every single day. Some days are really low-key and it almost feels easy to be home with him, but lots of days are far from easy and actually kick my behind. There are days I'm left feeling like I've blown it because I've lost my patience or I'm not spending good quality time with him because I'm just tired, or I've had enough, or I just need a little break to be lazy and relax. But, no matter how crazy things can get around here or how easy or hard my days might be, nothing can replace the time I have with him. This age, this point in his life, this toddler stage and childhood will never be or come around again. I could cry about it if I really let myself dwell on that fact. One day he's going to be bigger and older and more independent and I know I will miss this point in his life and smile at pictures and remember reading him books in bed and kissing his boo-boos and holding him when he's tired or hurt. And that makes being home with him day after day through all the ups and downs, SO worth it. It is my hope and prayer and probably greatest desire that I'm able to be home with all of my babies, at least until the last one starts school, and I pray that I will use my time with them to train them up in the way they should go, to serve my family faithfully, and to be a good steward of all the Lord has blessed me with. There are lots of ups and downs for this stay at home mom, but the ups outweigh them all and make everything worth it.

Family Trip to Gatlinburg

Thursday afternoon, right after lunch, we loaded up our Jeep and hit the road to Gatlinburg for a long weekend with Terrell's family. Thursday morning was spent busily packing, trying on clothes (to find out which ones fit), giving the little man a bath so we wouldn't have to that night, and preparing lunch, all while attempting to entertain Garrison Cade and waiting for Terrell to get home from a half day at work.

He discovered getting inside the laundry basket after I folded clothes and starting packing. And he entertained himself quite well... falling over while stuck in the basket and all.

Garrison did really well on the ride up. We made one stop at a Chick-Fil-A so I could have a bathroom break, we could change Garrison's diaper, and we could all take a minute to stretch our legs. We kept waiting and waiting for the little man to fall asleep in the car since we left around his nap time, but it was like he knew something was up. He was wide awake and going strong talking and playing in his seat almost the whole way. Finally we made a quick stop in Cherokee where Garrison got to see the water and throw in some rocks before he fell asleep around 5:00. Better late than never I guess. When we arrived we ended up going to Pigeon Forge in search of a fast food place to eat at for supper... that included parking. Gatlinburg was bustling with people and we knew we'd have to pay to park more than likely and then walk to our eating place so we just drove a little bit up the road and had supper in Pigeon Forge. Thursday night Garrison was able to play with Allison for a little while before they both went to bed. Thankfully Garrison did great with bedtime! It was his first time sleeping in a "big boy" bed away from home. And he had a king size bed all to himself. Once the kids were in bed we talked about our plans for the weekend and played one of our favorite card games Play Nine.

Friday morning we woke up bright and early and had breakfast at a Pancake House and then went over to Pigeon Forge for shopping at the outlets. We had such good success with all the stores we went in! We found what we needed for part of Garrison's Easter outfit, Easter Egg Hunt outfit, a couple of new bathing suits for the little man plus flip flops, and Terrell and I even bought new tennis shoes. Glad we had some money saved up for that little shopping spree. =) Garrison did really good in the stroller just about the entire time. Pops helped keep him entertained and happy and by the end of the morning once it got close to lunch time, he was able to get out and hold one of our hands.

Garrison and Pops getting ready to go down the hill beside the steps... one of the ways the little man stayed occupied.

After we finished shopping and circling almost the entire place, we talked to the rest of the crew (Terrell's mom, Kara, and Denny) since we were separated, and decided to meet up and have lunch at a slow food place right beside the outlet stores.

Allison did a quick performance for us while we waited outside. =)

At lunch it was decided that we would stay in that night and have supper at home. (And Terrell decided he'd like to have spaghetti..... and we should make it. He loves spaghetti (I think we have it every other week), but he's extremely picky and didn't want to risk eating someone else's recipe. Oh dear.) After we got back to the house, we immediately got to work on getting Garrison settled and ready for a nap. He was tired and ill and in desperate need of one. However, our track record with naps away from home are not good. We tried anyway and eventually, after much fighting of sleep and playing in the bed, he took a good nap. And so did I! After he woke up he got plenty of play time with Allison and baby Shannon while Terrell and I worked on supper. After we got the kids in bed (Garrison was not super cooperative with me but he finally settled down and I made it out of his room with him still awake but not bouncing off the pillows), we watched the home opener of the Braves game and ate ice cream.

Saturday morning we woke up and had breakfast at home before taking some family pictures and heading out for the day. I think every morning Garrison woke up asking about Nana and Pops and Allison and baby Shannon and Kara and Denny. He literally went down the list, and was excited to hear that everyone was there. He didn't care too much about us during the trip. I'm starting to get used to that though. When grandparents and other family members are around, he is way more into them than he is to us.

Our family of 4... Baby Selph is making him or herself known. I just keep growing and growing...

The best little playmates on the trip

Pops and Nana with the 3 grands

Kara, Denny, and the girls

Our first stop of the day was to an interactive museum called Wonder Works.... and this is what it looked like:

It was a really neat place. There was lots to do and all of it was very hands on, but we realized pretty quickly that the majority of the "exhibits" appealed to a little older age group than Garrison and Allison. They still had a ball taking everything in and watching what was going on though. Plus they made sure to do and touch everything they could. Garrison loved watching Nana, Kara, and Daddy climb the rock wall. Terrell amazed me. He went up so fast you would think he does it all the time. I came to the conclusion that it must be because he's long and could reach pretty much anything he needed to to keep climbing.

Terrell and Denny also rode this bicycle looking ride that went all the way around and took them upside down over and over again.

The little man and Allison playing inside a space ship

Garrison's favorite I think.... the giant piano that you played with your feet

Garrison also loved the ride inside the arcade

After running out of things to do at Wonder Works, we decided to go play "Hillbilly Golf". We had never attempted putt putt with Garrison before so it was new territory for us, but it was really fun and I think the little man just enjoyed being outside and following Allison around. We even got to ride in a little carrier thing up the mountain to get to the actual course. Garrison attempted to play a few holes but for the most part he just wanted to walk on the greens or down the steps (there were lots of steps around since we were playing on the side of a mountain), or carry his golf club and ball around.

Shannon did great the whole time, especially considering that they didn't allow strollers. I think Denny played at least 9 holes with one arm because he was holding Shannon in the other arm.

Near the end of the course Garrison got a little testy and didn't want to listen as well as we needed him to. It was tough work chasing down a 2 year old before he tumbled down concrete steps every other hole.

After our round of Hillbilly Golf we went back to house to eat lunch and get Garrison down for his nap. He requested Nana at naptime and did really good for her settling down and he ended up taking about a 2 hour nap. We actually had to wake him up so we could get ready to celebrate Pops' birthday. He was a little ill when he woke up but got over it pretty fast once he realized everyone was out in the living room and waiting on him.

Garrison and Allison loved helping open presents

Happy Day, Pops!

Afterwards we went down to eat at Calhoun's in downtown Gatlinburg. It was really good and we even ordered dessert to go to enjoy after the kids went to bed. After baths and bedtime we got to enjoy our dessert in the "media room" while we watched the movie "The A-Team" on the big screen TV. It was a fun, relaxing night. =)

Sunday morning we woke up and gathered all our belongings to get ready to leave and head home. We actually had to wake Garrison up before we could get his things packed up and ready to go. Terrell and I both talked about how proud we were of his great sleeping habits on the trip. He went to bed around his normal bedtime every night and slept until about 7:45 or so every morning. He also took 2 naps, which is very rare when we're away from home. He did great!

We all had breakfast together at a delicious pancake place before giving hugs and getting on the road. Garrison and Allison loved rocking outside the restaurant. Shannon on the other hand wasn't impressed. We had a great trip and enjoyed our time away and a break from all the hustle and bustle of regular life. Thanks a bunch to Nana and Pops for planning it and making it happen!

16 Weeks

On Saturday I was officially 16 weeks, but I didn't have my doctor's appointment until today so I wanted to wait to do my update. I actually took the little man with me to my appointment... by myself. He has Spring Break this week and I didn't want to have to ask anyone to come over and baby-sit again so I just decided to take him with me. He did really good considering the amount of time he was required to be still and quiet. He had his moments of being loud and not doing exactly what I wanted him to, but overall I was really proud of him. The nurses seemed impressed too. I think they must be used to wild and crazy two year olds. Hopefully I won't have to do that again but at least I know I can handle it if I do.

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along: 16 weeks

Size of baby: 4-5 inches long and weighs 3 ounces.... about the size of an avocado.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 8 lbs total (My midwife seemed pleased with this but I'm thinking I better slow down. I feel way bigger this time around than I did with Garrison.)

Maternity Clothes: I've just started wearing a couple of my maternity shirts because they cover me up the best.

Gender: We find out May 3rd!!

Movement: I've felt a few flutters that I'm almost positive are the baby. =)

Food Cravings: I can't think of any particular cravings, I'm just hungry all the time and I feel like that I can eat and eat.

What I Miss: Being able to take Zyrtec everyday for allergies! Spring has got to be my least favorite time of year. I know it's a shame, but I just can't enjoy it.

Sleep: I've been sleeping really good except for when allergies or weird dreams wake me up.

Symptons: I'm back to making frequent trips to the bathroom and I'm hungry a lot!

Best Moment this Week: Hearing the heartbeat today!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Finding out if Garrison will have a little brother or little sister!

Garrison wanted to be in a picture too!

Granna's Birthday Weekend

This weekend we celebrated my mom's birthday in Barnesville with the family. We actually started the weekend getting ready for a yard sale at my parents' house scheduled for bright and early Saturday morning. So Friday night was spent pricing and setting up. This was our biggest yard sale ever (at least for Terrell and I). We couldn't believe how much we had to contribute. We've just reached a point of needing more room and we've been working hard to de-clutter and clean out the things we no longer want/need/use. The yard sale went great I thought and I know the little man had the best time playing outside. He woke up just as early as we did and was right in the middle of the setting-up process Saturday morning. He went inside to eat breakfast, but was right back out as soon as he finished. He rode his car around a good bit and then my grandparents and dad started planting flowers while we manned the yard sale. Garrison loved playing in the dirt. He was constantly shoveling and pouring and digging. By lunch time he was filthy and worn out. Thankfully, after lunch and a bath he took a really good nap. While Garrison napped, we cleaned up from the yard sale and all got ready to go out for Granna's birthday dinner. We went to Macon in hopes of eating at Outback (since that was my mom's first choice), but of course there was a party of 52 taking up half the restaurant and a couple of other large parties ahead of us. So... we ended up at Long Horn. Everything was great there and I definitely enjoyed my meal. =) I'm reaching a point of being constantly hungry I think. Hopefully Granna will get to go to Outback again soon. Here are a few pictures we made outside Long Horn.

Garrison and the birthday girl =)

Garrison and the girls Papa and Granna with Garrison PawPaw and Granny with Garrison

We got home past Garrison's bedtime that night so we decided to hold off on cake and ice cream and presents until the next day so the little man could particpate. Garrison had a great night Saturday and was ready for cinnamon rolls and church on Sunday morning.

(Just a note so I don't forget: Garrison cried for the first time ever when we left him in the nursery. He's never cried when we've left him anywhere. I literally can't remember a single time. He's been clingy before, maybe whiny, maybe looked a little sad, but never cried. Well Sunday morning he cried and pitiful, terrible cry. It was heartbreaking and a shock to my system because I'm sooo not used to that. Thankfully my mom waited outside the door to make sure he was okay so we could go ahead and go into church. He didn't cry very long, but we think we know what caused it. When we dropped him off there was only one other little girl in there, who started crying as soon as we walked in. It always bothers Garrison when someone else is crying. Plus the last time we went to church in Barnesville, my mom had to stay in the nursery so we're thinking he expected that again this time. Poor baby. I'm so glad it didn't last that long and that other little "classmates" showed up soon.... and that he was completely fine and happy when we picked him up.)

After church we went to Buckner's for a big birthday lunch. Of course it was delish and we ate too much. Again, not a problem for me these days.

Me and my little man... with Emma in the background.

After we got home from lunch we got ready to celebrate with cake, ice cream, and presents. We had been trying to practice the 'Happy Birthday' song with Garrison and he had already told Granna "Happy Day" more than once, so he was ready once we lit the candles and starting singing. And of course he got to help blow them out.

He loved Granna's cookie cake and ice cream!

After finishing our cake and ice cream we gave Granna her presents and cards. Garrison is now at the age where he wants to open all of that.

He even likes reading the cards....

After all the fun and excitement of Granna's birthday celebration (plus playing outside with Papa and watching Granna and AnAn play the Wii... Granna's birthday present) we headed over to Terrell's parents to see them for a little bit and have supper before going back to Covington. It didn't take Garrison long to fall asleep in the car so we rode him around to give him a quick nap before going to Nana and Pops'. He enjoyed lots of playtime there and then we had a light supper at Big Chic. Terrell and I shared a meal (I can't remember that happening before) and Garrison wasn't too interested in eating.... I think he was still full from cake and ice cream. We had a great weekend with family and hope Granna has a very "Happy Day!" today on her actual birthday. Now, we're getting ready for a long weekend trip to Gatlinburg with Terrell's side of the family. =) Yay for fun weekends!!

Garrison's Big Boy Room

Garrison has been sleeping in his big boy bed for about 2 and a half weeks now, but we've just now gotten his big boy room basically finished. Yay! It was a work in progress for a long time and we're still using his old room to change diapers, get him dressed, etc. but I'm so thankful that we actually moved him to a new room and are keeping the nursery, the nursery. One day... probably once he's potty trained, we'll actually get him dressed and move all of his clothes, shoes, and pajamas to his new room. As for now, the main items that have been moved are his "hang-up" clothes and his spring and summer play clothes. Everything else is still in the nursery because it's what we need right after his bath, first thing in the morning, etc.

I am LOVING his new room. Everything turned out just like I wanted! I had a vision for his room the whole time we prepared for the transition and now it has all finally come together. I love it because it's really sentimental, very boy-like and masculine, and it will grow with him. It doesn't have a look of "This is a toddler room and you'll need to replace everything and upgrade around age 5". I'm really thankful that the bed, furniture, and "decorative items" will all grow with him and we won't have to spend tons of money on another room for him for many years. Now for a tour... (this is mainly so I'll always remember what his very first big boy room looked like)

This is looking in from the doorway.

Here's an up close look at the bed and bookshelf. The bed and bookshelf were made by Terrell's dad, Pops. The comforters came from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and the rug came from Target. I would have loved a big area rug in his room but they were just too expensive. It's hard to jusify spending over $100 on a rug for your 2 year old's room. Laying on the floor at the end of the bed is the ladder to the top bunk. We're not leaving it up right now because we don't want the little man to get any ideas... but we do need to find a permanent spot for it.

Here's the dresser. We got it at Target and are loving it.

Here's what's on the dresser. (I found the lamp and frames at Hobby Lobby and absolutely love them!) The 3 baseballs sitting on the dresser are Terrell's and he used to have them in his room. Two of them are autographed (Lou Brock and Brooks Robinson) and one is a foul ball he got at a Chicago White Sox game when he was little.

Sitting beside the dresser are Garrison's dirty clothes hamper and his bean bag (from Granna and Papa)

Between the bean bag/window and his bed is his bookshelf... and this is the top of the bookshelf. The pictures were given to Terrell as a child, the frames are from Hobby Lobby, and there is another autographed baseball... plus his piggy bank and cd player/radio that we moved from the nursery.

On the wall that's across from the end of his bed is his table and chairs (from Granna and Papa). He has had his Sesame Street characters sitting on it the entire time it's been in his new room and he usually keeps most of the food and utensils from his grill on the table so he can sit and pretend to eat. Eventually we're going to move his initials hanging above his crib to this bare wall. We're hoping to paint them the same color red as the chairs.

Between the end of his bed and his closet we hung another picture that Terrell used to have hanging in his room, plus baseball and football wall pegs from Target for his bookbag, jackets, hats, etc.

Like I said, I'm loving his new room and we're all really proud of it, including the little man! So many things were given to Garrison or made for Garrison by his grandparents and his daddy. It's a really special room and everything came together so well. There are only a few more things we need for it to be completely done. I need to find some kind of bin or basket for toys. Garrison's toys have been taking over our living room for quite some time and we'd like to move as much as we can into his room. I'm thinking the toy basket/bin could be put away and "hidden" right under his table. I also want to find a valance for the window by the bean bag. You can hardly see the other window, so it won't be needing anything. Two small things we'd like to get are a clock and a trashcan. We had both in the nursery and didn't realize how much we used them until we didn't have them. I need a clock big time. It's hard not knowing what time it is and how long you've been in there trying to get him ready for bed or a nap.

Speaking of getting ready for bed and naps, I need to update on how the transition is going. Overall, I would have to say that it's been a pretty smooth transition for the little man and we haven't had any major issues, at least nothing like what I've seen on Super Nanny and shows like that. He has done great with bedtime. I've been so proud of him. There have been a few times of him not wanting whoever is putting him to bed to leave, and there have been a few times of him crying and calling for us, but nothing major. He's never attempted to get out of bed and the crying always stops after a couple of minutes and he's been sleeping great and even later in the mornings than he did when he was in the crib. That's the good news.

Nap times have been a little more challenging. For some reason, he seems to be really wound up and a little wild man at nap time. He won't be still, there's times he won't listen, he crawls around all over the bed, etc. He just seems to want to play or be silly. My patience has been tested big time. Last Thursday he actually got out of the bed for the first time by himself. That wasn't a fun day. I took him straight to time out, had a good serious talk with him and took him straight back to bed. Thankfully, he hasn't gotten out of the bed again on his own since that day. Then the very next day he just would not listen to me at all. He kept playing with blinds (which he can touch if he's on his knees in bed facing the window), ignoring me, doing something wrong and smiling about it, etc. Oh my. It was a side of him I had never seen before and it caused us both to have a meltdown. I literally called Terrell crying. I was so frustrated and desperate that I put him back in his crib for his nap. He cried about it at first, then he just played, but he finally took a nap. From that point on, I've tried to change my approach just a little... nothing drastic that will completely throw him off, but subtle changes. Plus I always say a prayer before we start the routine to make sure I'm calm and that no matter what I won't let my emotions get out of control (and have another ugly meltdown). I've also decided to leave the room when I've had enough. If he won't listen, cooperate, settle down, etc. then it's time for me to leave and he'll just have to be upset. So far, that's working. I'm praying it continues. Since the two bad naptime days, things have slowly gotten better and every day he has taken a good nap. Praise the Lord!

Overall though, things really have been great and we're so thankful for how well he's handled the transition. He is very laid back and just sort of takes everything in stride. He's done that since he was a baby and we are super blessed for it. Speaking of the little man, he wanted to be in one of the pictures today in his new room. Of course he looked away as soon as I took it. I tried another one but he basically did the same thing. Then he was over it. Still a cute picture of my handsome, sweet (most of the time) little man. =)

Birthday Fish Fry

On Saturday we all went down to my parents house to spend the day in B'ville and enjoy a "birthday fish fry". There are about 5 birthdays on my mom's side of the family between February 18 and April 4, so a few years ago everyone started trying to get together sometime in March to celebrate all of them. This year a fish fry was planned at my parents' house. I think I counted a total of 26 of us there and tons and tons of fish. Terrell and I aren't big fish eaters so we had a special menu of grilled chicken. =) At that point my appetite was finally returning and I was actually able to enjoy my grilled chicken, peas, french fries, hushpuppies, and pickles.

My little man had a ball that day. My grandparents and aunt and uncle arrived while Garrison was supposed to be napping. Since he pretty much refused a nap (a definite trend away from home), we got him up early and let him play outside. He ended up staying outside the rest of the day and evening, only coming inside to have supper and later for cake and ice cream. His favorite older cousins were there as well to entertain him and he was like a little shadow to them. Whatever Meghan and Carter did, Garrison did.

Before his cousins arrived, Garrison enjoyed looking at the water and throwing in a few rocks

Looking for the rock he threw in and some fish

Hanging out with PawPaw

One of the only times I saw the 3 of them inside... right after Meghan and Carter arrived

All the kiddos playing outside

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday (I think about half the group is to my left. I tried to fit everyone in, I just couldn't figure out how to do it)

After having cake and ice cream it was still light outside so off the little man went following Meghan and Carter. We let him play a few more minutes before making him come inside and get ready for a bath. By that point he was so tired (and flithy dirty) that he just couldn't hold it together any longer. He had a huge meltdown that lasted throughout bathtime. He just cried and cried (the screaming, mad, tired, exhausted, don't know how to calm down cry). Bless his heart. I just felt sorry for him. Such a long day of playing the hardest he had ever played I think. Finally everyone started to leave and Meghan came in the bathroom to tell Garrison bye. He couldn't seem to get himself under control at first and continued with his screaming fit, but finally he managed to get out of the tub and got wrapped up in a towel so he could give Meghan and Carter bye hugs. So sweet.

After everyone left we started to gather up all of our things to get ready to head home. That's when Garrison pulled Granna back to the rocking chair and requested that she rock him and read to him. After she read a couple of books and we told him we had to go, he went over and tried to open the door to the room where his crib is so he could go night night. Poor baby. That was a first. He was SO tired.

He slept almost the whole way home and woke up as soon as we pulled in our garage. It was a late night for the little man but he slept really good Saturday night and even slept late Sunday morning. I think the birthday fish fry was Garrison's favorite thing ever!

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Big announcement.... Garrison is now sleeping in his big boy bed! We tried it out Friday night once I felt up to putting him to bed and things went great. He was so excited to be in his new bed and he did such a good job. I read 3 books to him and sang a couple of songs and said a bedtime prayer before moving to sit on the end of his bed for a few minutes before leaving. I sat there about 30 seconds before he told me to leave. I was pleasantly surprised. He told me goodnight and bye bye and slept all night. =) So far bedtime has been great. I think our challenge with the new bed will be naptime. I've mentioned before that in the past the guaranteed way for Garrison to take a nap would be for me to stay in his room in the rocking chair until he fell asleep. If he kept playing and talking to me while I was in there I would go ahead and leave and he would play sometimes for 30 minutes to an hour before laying down and falling asleep. Well, things aren't that simple with the new bed. I have to sit on the end of his bed or possibly the floor and he just can't "play" in his new bed like he could in his crib. I've got to come up with some naptime strategies soon I think. This afternoon was a test, but thankfully he never got out of bed, he only called for me once, and he eventually did fall asleep. But I know I need to be more prepared next time. I may need some advice from moms of preschoolers. Hmmm, I'll just have to think on it.

Ready to sleep in his big boy bed for the 1st time. March 18, 2011