Welcome to our world, Nolan James Garrison!

On Thursday, December 17th I began having contractions around 8 am. They started out at 10 minutes apart so I wasn't quite sure if this was the real thing or not, although these contractions felt different than the ones I've been having for the last month. Graham went on to work and I decided I should get things in order just in case today was the day. Soon the contractions were coming at 6 and 7 minutes apart. I called my midwife and she said that I needed to get to the hospital. So I called Graham to come home and Ashley to come stay with Nicholas. By the time Graham and I made it to Northside (we got into our room at noon), the contractions were coming quicker and more intense. However, when my midwife checked me, I was only dialated at a 3 and Nolan was really high up. I was told to walk the hospital in hopes that it would get things moving. Boy did it ever! Graham and I did laps and the contractions were coming at the same spot in the hall everytime. Then they started coming faster and were so painful. By the time I was done walking (2 pm), the contractions were every 2 minutes and I was dialated to a 4 and Nolan had moved further down. He was turned a different way so unfortunately I was having back labor. I received the epidural at 3:30 pm.--I was so thankful!! Now we just had to wait for things to progress. This was difficult for me as I was so anxious for Nolan to be here and for the labor to be over. At 8 pm. it was time to push! Amazingly, I only pushed for 2 minutes and then he was here! Weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches, Nolan James Garrison entered into our world. He seemed so tiny compared to our big baby Nicholas. It was so special to have our family there to share in such an amazing moment in our life. Mom, Dad, Butch, Kathy, Ashley, Holly and Matt were all there supporting us and welcoming Nolan. Of course one of my favorite moments was seeing Nicholas as he met his baby brother for the first time. It was such a special day for him and he was so happy. I know he's going to be such a wonderful big brother!

Nolan is such a sweet baby! He's been a great eater and sleeper and only cries during diaper changes or when he's hungry. He truly has such a sweet disposition. These first two weeks have been so wonderful! God's timing was perfect. Even though Nolan arrived 3 weeks early, it has been such a blessing having Graham and the family off of work and together for Christmas. God has blessed our family beyond measure and I feel that Nolan's birth has helped us to celebrate the Christmas season in its truest form. Celebrating the birth of Christ and God's amazing love and sacrifice for us. Spending time with family and being thankful for all of the love we have for each other and the incredible blessings that God has given us. This was truly a wonderful Christmas. I'll share more about our Christmas events in my next blog!

Preschool Christmas Program

Nick's preschool had their Christmas Program this morning. I'm so thankful that I was able to make it to it! Daddy, Aunt Ashley, and PopPop were able to come as well! Nicholas did so wonderful! We were all so proud of him. He looked like such a big boy up there singing along and doing the hand motions to the songs. In fact he looked so grown up it took us all a moment to recognize him in his costume. He waswearing a crown and a purple robe so he looked so different to us. When he first came out he seemed to be in a daze and didn't see us all for a minute even though we were sitting in the front row. Then once he saw us, he was so cute how he would look over during his singing and give us this shy, sly grin. The whole time I was watching I just couldn't get over how cute he was and how proud I was to be his Mommy. He is growing up so fast--I can't believe he is old enough to sing up on a stage and stay still and learn the songs! Way to go Nick! I tried all day to upload the video but it must be too big of a file so here are some pics instead.

(And for a quick update on me, I'm still very pregnant and having tons of contractions and pain but nothing regular. I think this will go on forever....)

Baby update

This morning I went to the doctor for my check up. I'm continueing to progress and am now 3 cm dialated and 70% effaced. My midwife Natalie said she believes that he'll come sometime this week. She told me to do lots of walking and eat eggplant parmasean! But if I am still pregnant next Monday, 12/21, she recommended stripping the membranes which will put me into labor within 48 hours. It doesn't sound like an enjoyable procedure but I sure am ready to get things moving so I'm willing to do it. So it seems likely that Nolan will be here before Christmas--he could even be a Christmas baby!
After the doctor's appointment, we had nothing planned for the rest of the day so I decided to take Nicholas to the mall to follow orders and walk. Plus, yesterday Nicholas told me that he liked Santa now and wanted to go meet him and sit and talk with him. So I thought we'd give it a try again. He went back and forth on this many times--scared at first, then wanting to see Santa, then scared again. So we went to play in the play area at the mall and I did not think he was going to go through with seeing Santa. But after finishing playing, as we walked by, he suddenly seemed excited about Santa. I was so proud of him! He walked right up to Santa and sat on his lap and even smiled for the camera. He told Santa that he wanted "presents" and he told him about his baby brother Nolan who was going to be coming for Christmas also. Santa was very nice and had me sit down next to him too and told me that if Nolan comes before Christmas, he wants me to come back to see him and we wouldn't have to wait in line! Nicholas and I had a great date at the mall, eating Chick-fil-a of course and walking around and playing. It made me a little sad to think that his time is ending of being our only child and he'll have to share me with his brother very soon. I pray that he does well with the adjustment. I hope to post the Santa picture later. Right now it's naptime and Baxter and I are laying on the bed while I am having some contractions. We'll see how long these last!

Ginger bread houses and a great birthday party!

On Thursday, Aunt Ashley had the day off and came over to play--what a treat! I was also getting an early delivery present of getting the house cleaned by a cleaning service! So we decided to decorate a gingerbread house before the cleaners came. This is kind of sad, but I think this might have been my first time decorating a gingerbread house. It was Nick's first time and of course all he wanted to do was eat all of the candy. My rule of only eating one piece of each kind of candy and then decorating with the rest, did not get followed very well as he kept popping them in his mouth. But in the end, he did a great job of decorating it and it came out pretty good for a two year old. He was quite upset at the end when he realized that he wasn't going to get to eat the entire thing. After we finished, the cleaners arrived and did a wonderful job of cleaning the house. It was so wonderful to have someone else come in and do all the deep cleaning--especially being this pregnant and not able to bend and work like that these days! I said goodbye to the cleaners and went to the bathroom and heard a loud crash. I went running into the kitchen to find the gingerbread house shattered on my freshly cleaned kitchen floor. Sprinkles, icing, and candy were everywhere and Baxter was frantically trying to eat what he could before I got to him. Thankfully Nicholas was asleep and did not witness the tragedy! I really think that we gave Bax the wrong name as we definitely live with Marley. How am I going to survive with him and a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old?
On Saturday we headed down to Peachtree City for Trip's 4th birthday party at Chick-fil-a. It was such a great party and Nicholas had so much fun. Chick-fil-a is his favorite place and of course he had so much fun being with his cousins and Aunt and Uncle and Grandad and Kaki. I just can't believe that Trip is 4 already. The time has really flown by. He is such a sweet, loving boy and I can't wait to see all of the great things he will do in the next few years.
As for me, I've been having lots of contractions and keep thinking that any day could be the day that Nolan decides to arrive. But at the same time, because I'm anticipating it so much, I'm sure he'll wait and have to be induced. I'll be going to the doctor tomorrow and can't wait to hear if I've progressed at all. We've basically gotten things in order and feel ready for his arrival. Of course making plans for Christmas celebrations with the family is a bit challenging not knowing if Nolan will be joining us before or after Christmas. But that's ok, we've all just had to take up a "go with the flow attitude" these days.

Dear Nolan,

How excited I was to see you today on the ultrasound! How sweet and precious your little profile is. Your Daddy said that he thought you looked like his Granddaddy Albert. We cannot wait to meet you and hold you in our arms and see your beautiful face. I do wonder who you will look like and if you will look like your big brother or not? You have grown in my belly for 36 weeks now but there is still so much to learn about you. What we do know is that you are a beautiful and wonderful creation of God. You are loved, prayed for, and wanted as a wonderful addition to our family. You are strong and wiggly and love music and storytime--you're always kicking and dancing to let me know. You give me lots of heartburn...will the old wives tale be true and will you be born with a head of hair? It seems like you're going to be a big baby, just like your older brother. Today the ultrasound showed that you are measuring at 39 weeks and 4 days and you are about 7 pounds 2 ounces already! We are planning to induce on either December 27th or 28th but my midwife thinks you will come before then. Will you be a Christmas baby? Whichever date you choose, it will be such a joyous day for us. While this pregnancy has been challenging for me at times, I would do it all again--all the morning sickness, heartburn, contractions, and backaches--for the chance to meet you, love you, hug you and kiss you. I am so honored to be your mother and carry you inside me. As your brother says as he feels my belly "Come out baby Nolan!" We love you so!

Haircuts

Today both Nicholas and I got our haircut. For me, it was a wonderful relaxing treat and I enjoyed the quiet time very much. Plus I love my short new due. While I was at the salon, Graham was taking Nicholas to get his hair cut. A few months ago, Nicholas developed a fear of getting his haircut. I have always done his haircuts and for some reason he just started freaking out and due to his hysterical tantrums, I have not been able to cut his hair for 4 months now! Graham and I could no longer stand the rattail that he had grown and thought Nicholas might do better at a kid's cut place and if Daddy took him instead of Mommy. Well he had a great time, up until it was time to get in the chair and then the hysterics started. Graham did all the right things--lollipop, bribed him with a present at the end, Finding Nemo on tv, etc--but nothing worked. He came back home with the rattail still intact! We decided that we just had to hold him down and give the boy a cut--otherwise he'd soon be looking like Kate Hudson's little boy Ryder with girlie rock star hair--Not our boy! We brought his booster seat into the bathroom and strapped him in. Graham held him down and I went to work with the trimmer. Poor Nicholas was bright red, covered in sweat and snot from all the crying, and of course covered in hair. He kept saying over and over "I all done. I fine. All done now." Over and over in between sobs. It was a good thing that none of my DFCS friends showed up at the house at that time. In the end I decided to us the clippers on his entire head (instead of just the back and sides like I normally do) so he has a very short cut so that we can wait a while before we have to go through this again. But he does look very cute, even though it's different than what we're used too.
Here are a few examples of some of the funny things Nicholas has said recently: Yesterday while playing with his Little People nativity scene, Baxter tried to pick up one of the pieces and Nick said "Daster, we don't eat Jesus!" Whenever Bax came near it, he would repeat this. Then tonight, I was in the kitchen and burped (this happens when you're 9 months pregnant!) and from across the living room without even looking up Nick yells out "Excuse me!"

Our Thanksgiving 2009

Our Thanksgiving got off to a rocky start as Nicholas got a stomach bug on Wednesday morning as we were packing up the car to head to Grandad and Kaki's house. So we stuck around and tended to him on Wednesday praying that our Thanksgiving wasn't ruined. Thankfully, God answered our prayers and amazingly Nick was better on Thursday morning and Graham and I never got sick! So we packed things up (dog and all) 24 hours behind schedule and headed up to the cabin. We had Thanksgiving dinner at the Newman's home and it was wonderful as always. The kids, Nicholas, Trip and Mady, had a great time playing with each other. They spent the majority of the time playing outside. The boys played tackle football with their daddy's and they went on walks to see the tractor and the neighbor's horses. Nicholas did not want to come inside at all. Of course the food was delicious and the company even better! Afterwards, we all came back to Grandad and Kaki's to stay the night. The kids loved joining in on some of the Garrison holiday traditions as Grandad put in the tape of Lauren and Graham's favorite Christmas songs and the whole family danced like crazy. That night, Trip and Nicholas got to have a slumber party and did really well sleeping in the same room. Baxter did not behave as well as the kids and got into the chocolate chip cookies and ran into Lauren, TJ, and Mady's room at 4 am, creating lots of chaos. On Friday, Lauren and I had a great time doing some shopping while everyone else stayed back home and played or helped out around the house.

We came home Friday night and managed to have a date night! Mimi and PopPop got some quality time with Nick while Graham and I got to go see New Moon--woohoo! It was great to get out with just my hubby. I know soon we won't get these opportunities for a long time.

On Saturday I was able to join Ashley and Mom shopping for a wedding dress! Ashley got the most beautiful dress and she will be absolutely stunning on her day! I still cannot believe we are planning her wedding :) Then of course Saturday night we watched the wonderful Georgia win over Tech. Graham is still on a high from the game! We finished everything off on Sunday with church and then a family advent service Sunday night to start the Christmas season off in a wonderful way. Nicholas loved the music and was dancing in the aisles. He wanted to badly to join the children's choir up on the stage and did not understand why he couldn't go be with the other kids. We are so excited for this wonderful season of Christmas to begin. How extra special this December will be!

My camera was having problems so I wasn't able to take any pictures, however my Flip camera was working well and I took lots of video of our Thanksgiving. I tried to upload a few and it was taking forever so I will try again tomorrow hopefully.

Just an update

Thought I'd give an update on our household before Thanksgiving begins. Recently, we've been seeing some changes in Nicholas--both good and very bad. It's almost as if he's turned up the dial on all aspects of his personality (if that makes any sense). His vocabulary and understanding seem to have skyrocketed and he is speaking in full sentences all the time now. He's so much more a part of the conversation all the time now, which is funny. And with this his humor seems to be really developing too. He also has been really showing us that he is all boy and has had times of being very hyper everyday--literally jumping off the walls and climbing on everything. With all of this "increased personality" has come major defiance and disobedience. The number of tantrums and need for discipline have increased like crazy. I can't tell you how much I do not enjoy being 8 1/2 months pregnant and chasing down a tantruming 2 year old in a parking lot and carrying him kicking, screaming, and hitting me to the car. Just this week there have been numerous public episodes like this. I've decided to never take him out in public again! And I've also decided that I won't feel so bad when he's a teenager and I become an embarrassment to him because of all these times that he's embarrassing me now with public tantrums. I am hoping to get through this phase quickly but preparing myself that it may last a while.
On Saturday we went up to Grandad and Kaki's to play and celebrate Butch being finished with his treatments in Nashville! Lauren, TJ, Trip and Mady were there too and it was wonderful having everyone together. The best part was watching the three cousins having so much fun together. Nicholas just loves everything about going up to Grandad and Kaki's house (except for the coming home part).
On Monday I had my doctor's appointment and everything looked good! I'm 34 weeks now. I have not progressed any further from 2 weeks ago and I can now stop taking the medicine to stop me from going into labor and I'm very thankful about this as it made me very ill. Nolan's heartbeat sounded great like always. I go back in 2 weeks and get to have an ultrasound!
Well today is Wednesday and we should be in Fairmount at Grandad and Kaki's to start our Thanksgiving vacation. Unfortunately as we were finishing up packing this morning to get on the road, Nicholas started with an awful stomach bug. We are hoping and praying that this will go away and we can maybe still make it up tomorrow for the big meal! I also pray that Graham and I don't get it too. That would be my worst nightmare--8 1/2 months pregnant with a stomach virus on Thanksgiving!!!! Please pray that won't happen!!

Thanksgiving Feast

On Wednesday, Nick's 2 year old class had their Thanksgiving Feast. It was so cute and such a treat to get to come visit him at school and have lunch with him. When the class first came into the room where the parents were waiting, they had a song/prayer to perform. I thought for sure Nicholas would not stay with the class but would come running to me when he saw me. He has been having serious separation issues when I drop him off at school. But I was so proud of him, he stayed right with his class and said the whole prayer! He was so proud of himself! I have no idea when he learned it because he hasn't been at school but I guess he catches on quickly. Then Aunt Ashley was even able to come and join us for the feast as her office is now up in Alpharetta. Nicholas had made a Fruit Loops necklace that he proceeded to eat in 2.5 seconds. When he finished with the necklace, he tried to eat the candle they had made out of rice and beans!! Guess he was really hungry!

Here is the video of the prayer. Sorry it is so far away, we were across the room and my Flip video doesn't have zoom. Nicholas is one of the last to enter the room, right before the teacher. He's wearing a grey shirt with his Fruit Loop necklace and is doing all of the hand motions.

(Check out my last post too as I'm adding pictures of the festival)

One sick month

It's been a while since I've posted anything and that's because Nicholas and I have been sick with various things since the end of October and I therefore haven't had time to update the blog. Also, my computer broke as well so that put a kink in things as I'm now sharing Graham's computer. Poor Nicholas has missed so much school at the end of October and all of November due to either tummy issues, the croup, or a cold. I am hoping that we are getting through all of this yuckiness before Nolan comes. As for me, I've got this cough that I can't seem to get rid of. I'll probably walk around with it until I deliver--just can't seem to kick it. Thankfully Graham has manage to avoid the germs so far and I hope that continues! With the pregnancy, I've been pretty uncomfortable these days. I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions most days for a couple weeks now. On Monday (a week ago) when I went to the doctor and told my midwife about my pain and contractions, she discovered that I was already dialated to 1 cm. She said that Nolan is also head down and very low, in position to come! She ran some tests and determined that thankfully I was not in preterm labor. But she did put me on some medication to relax my cervix and I'm supposed to be resting as much as I can. I am so ready to not be pregnant anymore and not feel all of these aches and pains all the time. I also can't wait to hold Nolan in my arms, see his precious face, and get to know this gift from God. But at the same time, I'm still so nervous about my world being turned upside down by adding a newborn to our family. And of course I want him to be healthy and fully developed. So I am just praying for God's perfect timing for Nolan's arrival and that he will prepare our hearts and our home for him as well!

We had a pretty fun weekend to share about. On Saturday, Nicholas and I met Mimi and Aunt Ashley at a Holiday Festival at Dunwoody UMC. This is our 3rd year of going to the festival and we always enjoy ourselves. Nicholas has gotten his pictures taken with Santa the past two Christmases and I was looking forward to that again. Unfortunately, Nicholas was not and he became hysterically afraid of Santa and would not go near him. So we probably won't get pictures with Santa this year--so sad! But he did enjoy the pony ride, the moon bounce, the playground, and of course all of the holiday music and decorations.
On Sunday, my family all met up down in Peachtree City at Aunt Sue and Uncle Dick's house for a Thanksgiving dinner! It was so wonderful having everyone together--Ashley, Jay, Mom, Dad, Matt, Mark, and even Papa! Nicholas had the best time playing with toys and just having everyone's attention. The food was delicious too! Thanksgiving is my favorite so I was so excited that we get to have 2 Thanksgiving dinners!

Life with boys

I just have to share 2 funny stories from the past two days of my "boys". Yesterday I was vacuuming the house. Like always, I moved the kitchen chairs into the kitchen to vacuum under the table. Nicholas spent a while "helping" me and following me around like he normally does. After a while though, I realized that I hadn't seen Nicholas or Baxter for awhile and went to investigate. As I turned the corner of the kitchen, I found Nicholas standing on one of the chairs by the counter. His arms were holding Baxter, who was standing on top of the kitchen counter finishing off a pan of brownies that were on top of the microwave!! It was straight out of one of Nick's books, "Bad Dog Marley!" While Nicholas could have been trying to get Baxter off of the counter, it looked a lot like he was holding him up there and helping him get a snack!

Then today, I was cooking myself some much needed (and craved) homemade chicken soup in order to soothe my cold. Nicholas and Baxter were playing throughout the house while I was chopping veggies. I was pouring the chopped veggies into the large soup pot when all of a sudden Baxter's ball comes flying and lands right in the pot on top of the veggies! I was stunned, and couldn't believe my eyes. Of course the one time that Nicholas has perfect aim is straight into my soup that I had worked so hard on! Thankfully there was no broth in the pot yet and I claimed the 1 second rule ;) And I have to say, the soup was delicious.

I can only imagine that these are just a few of the numerous stories I am going to be collecting over the years with my THREE boys--and for those of you that know Baxter, you know that he very much counts as a third boy!

Trunk or Treating

Before I update about other things, I am so excited and can't contain myself! I have to share the exciting news that my baby sister is ENGAGED! Jay proposed to Ashley last night and we are SO happy for them! I can't believe she's going to get married! AND, my wonderful friend Nadine also got engaged on Saturday! Congratulations to Nadine and Michael too! Very exciting times around here. I cannot wait to see these beautiful brides and share in their very special days :)

As for our family, this has been a challenging week for us. Nicholas got very sick with croup this weekend. It was very scary as he had difficulty breathing, a barking cough, and a high fever. He's been pretty pitiful. At the same time, Graham left to be with his dad in Nashville for the week as he gets his cancer treatments. And of course, I became sick on Tuesday. I've been very thankful that Nolan is still inside my belly and I didn't have to worry about taking care of him as well on top of all of this load by myself!

But yesterday Nicholas woke up from a long nap and for the first time in many days his energy level was back up and my happy boy had returned to me. So I decided we needed to get out of the house and have some fun! A local church was having a Trunk or Treating, where people decorate the trunks of their cars with different themes and the kids go trick or treating in the parking lot. Mimi was even able to join us too! It was so cute and so much fun! Our little Buzz Lightyear had so much fun and caught on quickly to the trick or treating. Last year Nicholas got a stomach virus on Halloween and didn't get to go trick or treating (notice a pattern here?) so this was all new to him. It was so fun and festive. They had a hay ride, great music, games, balloon animals, a model Halloween train, and of course tons of candy and great costumes.

Can't wait for Daddy to get home this weekend and join us for more Trick or Treating! Hopefully we will all be healthy by then too!

I've included some pictures of last night, as well as some pictures of Nick in his Big Boy room :)

Our Bouncing Big Boy and his baby brother too!

The past couple days, I've had a lot to report on our blog, however no time to do it. I overworked myself last week doing things around the house and getting Nick's room ready and I really paid for it. I found myself exhausted and aching a lot. When I went to see my midwife on Wednesday she was concerned and said that I really needed to rest and slow down. Therefore, I've been taking her advice and napping when Nick naps and going to bed early--so I've had no time to blog! Another thing my midwife discussed with me was the option to induce delivery at 39 weeks if we choose. Because Nicholas was such a large baby for my frame, they want to avoid that with Nolan. I will get an ultrasound at 36 weeks to check his weight and then we will most likely induce on Monday 12/28. While I hope inducing won't make my delivery more difficult, we feel like having Nolan the last week in December is best for both of our families and hope that both sets of grandparents may get to visit that week and meet our new addition. 10 weeks to go, I can't believe it!

Friday evening, we decided to take Nicholas to Monkey Joes (a bouncy, jumpy place). We've taken him there one other time a long time ago and I don't think he remembered it. It took him a while to warm up and he spent at least the first 20 minutes just walking around staring in amazement and would not go into the jumpers. Finally after some encouragement, he finally agreed and caught on quickly and had a great time. If there was a bigger kid in the same jumper he would copy everything they did, it was very cute. Sweet Graham got a great workout himself going through all the different jumpy things and slides to help Nick as he was too small to do a lot of them on his own. What a great Daddy!

That night, Nicholas moved into his new room for the first time! The transition has been so easy, it's incredible. He did not even make a peep that night and when I checked on him hours later he hadn't moved an inch from where I had left him. He's done fabulously with naps too! He has always been a wonderful sleeper but it seems he's doing even better in his bed! He sleeps later, until after 8 am now, and has been taking 3 and 4 hour naps!! And he tells me that he really likes his Big Boy Bed.

On Sunday my sweet friend and neighbor, Kim, through me a wonderful baby shower. It was small, with only 8 of us, but it was perfect. It was wonderful to have some time to focus on Nolan and to get some special new things for him. Everything always seems to be about Nicholas these days so I really enjoyed the chance to celebrate our sweet baby. We played a few fun baby shower games, had some yummy food, had good conversation, and opened presents. :)

Lastly, today Nicholas and I went to the library to return books, get new ones, and sit for story time. He's been very much into the library these days and loves to check out movies and books at the library! And he loved the sing along and story time! It was one of those moments where I so enjoyed watching his face light up as he sang the songs and did the hand motions. It's days like these that I am so thankful that I am so blessed to be home with him and experience him growing and learning.

The good, the bad, and the very smelly

We had a super busy weekend--both good and bad. Unfortunately it started on a very sour note (literally) as we discovered a horrendous smell coming from our master bathroom. We believe that an animal has died somewhere however it is now Monday as I write this and we still have not discovered the source of the smell. We had a full weekend planned and decided that the best way to deal with this really big problem was not to deal with it at all and to not let it ruin our weekend.

So Saturday morning we headed up to Fairmount to spend the day with Grandad and Kaki. Unfortunately, the UGA game was pitiful and definitely made the bad list for the weekend. However getting to spend the day with Grandad and Kaki before they headed up to Nashville on Sunday was special. Nicholas just Loves going up to their house and playing with all of their special toys. It was exciting to see the new sunroom and porch that they added to their home and soon the pool will be done too (weather permitting of course)!

On Sunday after church, our Sunday School class traveled up to Dawsonville to Uncle Shuck's corn maze for some Fall fun! Nicholas is very excited about pumpkins this season so he loved seeing the Pumpkin Patch. He enjoyed the hay ride and kiddie maze but was a little frightened by the sound that the corn cannon made everytime it went off. Actually, he seemed to be most interested in eating while there and we spent more time filling his endless stomach. All the festivities wore him out quicker than we expected and we actually never made it into the corn maze. Honestly, this was ok with Graham and I as we were quite tired ourselves too. Nicholas fell asleep quickly on the drive home. I've included lots of pics of our time there--I thought they were cute. The group picture of our class is hysterical. There's no way you can take a pic with all those kids and it not be chaos! And then I had to include some belly pics too (even one with me eating a pickle--furthering pregnancy stereotypes!)

We came home to tackle the house with full force. Graham got to work attacking the smell with everything he had. After cutting a hole in the wall, emptying all of the drains, inspecting the crawl space and the attic....he was even more baffled than before. Meanwhile, I got to work setting up Nick's new room. Graham painted this week so I cleaned up and pulled everything together in the room. It looks so cute and Nicholas has loved playing in there the past two days. We hope to move him in by this weekend! (I'll include a picture once the room is complete).

And finally an update on the baby and pregnancy. I'm very happy to report that I have now entered into the third trimester and am 7 months pregnant now! And I am even happier to report that my morning sickness is finally behind me!! It is so nice to start my days puke free!! We are so anxious for Nolan James to join our family! Nicholas has enjoyed feeling baby Nolan kicking in Mommy's belly and talks to him everyday. Today when I was making mac & cheese for us for lunch, Nicholas said "Come out, come out Baby Nolan and eat some mac & cheese!" So cute!

Special Delivery!

What a difficult week we have had dealing with various family health issues. We have spent this week on our knees in prayer and drawing close with our Lord. And in His perfect timing, God sent us a reminder today of his faithfulness, love, and grace. And it literally arrived on our doorstep! Graham's book, Hero's Tribute, arrived today! He received 50 copies and they are oh so beautiful :) This day has been so anticipated and dreamed about over these years. And I think that it is fitting, in light of the book's theme and message, that when this day has finally come, the Lord has shifted our mindset and priorities so that we are focused on the love we have for each other, our wonderful family members, and our precious Lord and Savior. My prayer for the book has always been that God would get the glory and that we would be focused on "success" for God's Kingdom. I am so proud of Graham and all he has accomplished. And I know this is just the beginning too! So, Graham, as you embark on this new, exciting adventure as a published author, I am so honored to be by your side for the journey, cheering you on every step of the way!

Books will be in stores very soon! Be sure to get your copy or order online on Amazon. And we are so thankful to everyone for your love and support!

Last week

Last week my "nesting" went into overdrive and I dove into a few home projects around the house that I've been dreaming about doing for months (maybe years). I took the pregnancy nesting drive to get me motivated! First I installed a silver tin metal looking backsplash in the kitchen behind the oven. Then I put up new drawers pulls and cabinet knobs throughout the kitchen cabinets. We didn't have any before so that was a lot of drilling but I'm very happy with them and the backsplash. I'm slowly trying to bring our kitchen out of the 80's. And I did it all by myself too so I'm extra proud of my work! I also hung pictures of Nicholas in our hallway ("The Wall of Nicholas" I am now calling it). After getting his 2 year pictures made, there were just so many pictures of him so I decided to organize them to one wall showing his progression from baby to now. And after the baby is here, he'll get the opposite wall. We definitely need a bigger house to display all of these pictures as the kids continue to grow! And the last project that I started was picking out the paint for Nick's big boy room. Unfortunately Graham hurt his back last week so he wasn't able to paint yet. Hopefully soon we'll be able to get that done too and soon Nick will make his transition.

On Saturday, I went out to meet some friends for some volunteer work and the boys were getting a day of Daddy/son time together. They ended up spending the entire day without me as I was in a minor car accident. I was so thankful that I didn't have Nicholas in the car with me and that myself and the baby weren't hurt. The accident turned into a hit and run as the teenage boys in the car fled the scene. I spent the afternoon and evening in the hospital being checked out by Labor and Delivery just to make sure that Baby G was ok. My sweet mom stayed with me through the whole thing so that Graham could be home with Nicholas. One little gift from all that was the opportunity to be hooked up to the monitors and hear the baby's heartbeat and all of this movements for many hours. He is one strong baby with a super strong heartbeat and he just loves to wiggle and kick and dance in there. It's amazing how much you can love someone that you've never even seen before! I am praising God for his protection and care throughout everything on Saturday. God is so good and so faithful!

Fairmount and football

We spent our Labor Day weekend visiting with Grandad and Kaki up in Fairmount. I love going to their home because it is always so relaxing being up in the country. Kaki spoils us with delicious meals and life is just a little slower when you're lounging in a rocking chair on the porch overlooking their view of the valley. And soon things will be even more relaxing up there as they are in the middle of putting in a pool as well as some remodeling and expansion on the house! It's going to be beautiful when they are through. Friday night we went out for Mexican food which was lots of fun and very yummy. On Saturday the boys started out the day with a dip in the hot tub! Then of course the day was filled with lots and lots of college football. Nicholas even fell asleep in Grandad's arms at one point while watching football. While the UGA game did not go as we had hoped, it was fun to watch the first game of the season and see Nick's craziness and excitement while watching the game. Graham has trained him well and Nicholas goes nuts for all things Bulldogs and was incredibly excited for the game. Nicholas filled the rest of his time by playing with their cars and trains that he loves and of course digging in the rocks outside (his favorite). Unfortunately, he ended things on a bad note on Sunday morning by "waking up on the wrong side of the crib" and having numerous tantrums as we were trying to eat breakfast, pack up and leave. He was having some cold symptoms and must have been worn out by all the fun of the weekend as I had to put him down for a nap as soon as we got home (2 hours early) and he slept for 4 hours.

It was a great weekend though and we can't wait to go back in just a few weeks to test out the new pool! Thanks Grandad and Kaki!!

(Somehow Kaki and I didn't make it into any pictures from the weekend! From the pictures it looks like a boys weekend.)

First day of preschool!

Today was the big day! My baby went off to school for the first time! We got off to a good start in the morning without running late and I was even able to take some pictures of the big day. (Of course since he hates his picture taken I had to bribe him with a granola bar though). Then we were off on the Garrison School Bus to make it to preschool. The teachers recommend that dropping your child off in the carpool line is the easiest and smoothest transition for the children. I was very apprehensive about not walking him to the classroom but thought that the teachers know what they are talking about and I wanted to do this the best way possible. Well as soon as the teacher opened his door, he burst out crying. I gave him a kiss and tried to reassure him and before I knew it they were walking inside. I drove next door to my gym to go work out and sat in the parking lot and cried! I suddenly had no idea why I thought it was a good idea to sign him up for school and I just kept imagining him crying all day long. It took everything in me to not turn around and peep my head in the window to check on him. After praying and crying for a bit, I composed myself and went for my workout. Ok, and I'll admit that I had to call Ashley and cry a little to her and then later when Graham called, there were some more tears. It's the pregnancy hormones, I promise! It felt like the longest 4 hours of my life, not knowing if he was loving it or hating it. But soon I got into my chores of laundry, coupons, grocery lists, and then I hit the grocery store. Before I knew it I was almost running late to pick him up! Wouldn't that have been nice to be late for carpool on the first day! When I pulled around, there he was standing on the curb, holding Ms. Sheri's hand with the biggest smile on his face. He was so excited about his day. Ms. Sheri said that he did wonderful and had a great day. She said he and one other student did the best in the class and never cried. He even ate all of his lunch! During the car ride home he was so happy and was telling me all about his day of playing with cars, singing songs, and that he liked his teachers. He said he can't wait to go back on Wednesday! And now that I've gotten my silly emotions out of the way, I'm looking forward to Wednesday too!

Athens

What a wonderful weekend we all had! Friday started by Nicholas and I going to meet his teachers. At first he was apprehensive when walking into his classroom. After a few minutes his teacher asked if he liked cars and he literally jumped out of my arms and yelled "bye-bye" to me without turning back! Then in a few minutes another little student came and he ran up to her, so excited to have a little friend. I know he will do just fine in school, of course that doesn't stop me from feeling a little nervous and emotional about tomorrow.

Next we loaded up the car and headed down to Peachtree City for Nicholas to spend the weekend with Aunt Lauren, Uncle TJ, and Trip and Mady. Nicholas was so excited and didn't get off to a great start as he wouldn't take his afternoon nap. But I think overall he did well. He had so much fun playing with his cousins and he's already asking to go back again sometime. He refused to talk to me on the phone the entire weekend and was calling Lauren "mom" by the end of the weekend. He really felt right at home. We are so thankful for Lauren and TJ for having him--I know it wasn't easy!

Graham and I had a great time with each other this weekend. We had a dinner and movie night on Friday then headed to Athens Saturday. Graham got to eat at some of his favorite places and we had a great time shopping in downtown Athens. It was so nice being back in Athens where it all began and reminiscing about our favorite places, including this picture in front of the fountain at Herty Field where Graham proposed. We were even able to meet up with Graham's freshman roommate and his wife on Saturday night which was nice catching up.

We ended the weekend with a family birthday celebration for Graham and Lauren. What a wonderful weekend it was for us all! Hopefully Nicholas will be able to stay awake for his first day of school. :)

Graham's 30th Birthday

In true "Aunt Carol style" as we joke in my family, Graham has been having a wonderful birthday celebration, multiple times over. And we're still in the middle of it! This past Saturday we had our first low key get together with my side of the family to celebrate. The funniest part is that Nicholas now really understands that birthdays=cake. He spent all Saturday demanding cake, blowing any surprise for Graham that I had gotten him a cake.

Yesterday was officially Graham's birthday. He started the day with a birthday breakfast and then off for a full day of work. While he was at work Nicholas and I made cupcakes for him (since the previous cake had been eaten). Now, unfortunately I'm not much of a baker so Nicholas has never baked with me before now and didn't understand the concept of waiting to eat the cake. I managed to avoid a meltdown by showing him how to decorate with sprinkles. He had so much fun and went through 2 1/2 bottles of sprinkles, most of which ended up on the floor! When Graham got home we did presents and cupcake (and according to Nicholas, Graham is turning 2) and then Mommy and Daddy went out for a date!

Today, Graham took the day off and we decided to have a family fun day. We went to Chickfila and met Papa for lunch and then took Nicholas to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. It took him a little bit to get a hang of things but soon he was having lots of fun. His favorite games were that ones that he and Daddy would do together like basketball and skeeball.

This week's excitement continued as Graham and I went to Parent Orientation tonight at Nick's preschool. It was an informational meeting to get us prepared for the school year and tomorrow we take Nick to meet his teacher. I've been really excited about preschool starting but after going to the meeting, it all hit me and I'm nervous now and hope he does well. I can't believe he's actually going to be going to school! It's going to be an exciting weekend as Graham and I will be going to Athens and Nicholas will be spending the weekend with Aunt Lauren, Uncle TJ, Trip and Mady. I know he will have a wonderful time and hopefully he will be still standing on Monday for school to start!

My Bulldawgs!

Here is a little peak into what has now become a nightly ritual for the boys after dinner. Nicholas begs to listen to "Go Dawgs Sic Em" as he calls it. Immediately when the 4th quarter song comes on his hand goes up and he knows exactly what to do. He loves dancing with his crazy daddy and has his own little touchdown dance. Graham has trained him well! We can't wait to see the fun he will have this football season watching the games and doing touchdown dances with his Daddy. They are quite a pair. Before we know it there will be another little guy joining in on the fun too!

Speaking of Graham, his book, Hero's Tribute, went to the printer last week! It will be on book shelves in October! We are so thrilled and just can't wait. I am so proud of him and know it will be so successful. God is using his book in a powerful way and I am so blessed to be able to stand by his side during this whole process. The publishers have already asked him to start working on the sequel and to send them the synopsis! I'd say that Graham has lots to celebrate on his 30th birthday next week! This is quite an exciting year for the Garrisons. I love you, honey :)

It's officially a boy!!

My 20 week ultrasound today confirmed that we are having another boy! He looks very healthy and is measuring a little big (big surprise there)!

Once again the ultrasound tech was talking about how "busy" and "active" our baby is! He continues to kick and move constantly. I sure hope the little guy likes to sleep too though! Here are some of the pictures from the ultrasound. One of them shows his face, looking straight at the "camera". The next shows his "boy parts" marked by a little arrow and the third shows his precious legs and feet as he's kicking his momma. My midwife said that we will most likely induce just after Christmas unless he is measuring very large earlier than that. Now, if we can only pick out a name for our sweet baby boy. Until then, we love you and can't wait to meet you Baby G!

Family Fun (and a lotta frustration)

It seems like our Saturdays are always taken up by busy plans or chores but happily yesterday we spent the day just having fun. I had heard about a new "sprayground" (a water playground) that had opened up nearby and we went on a search for it. It was such a nice new park with a great water area, 2 large playgrounds, nice fields, and even a concession stand. There was even a farmer's market going on while we were there! Nicholas had lots of fun playing in the water although he is quite timid with the water and won't run through the fountains like most of the other kids. After a while in the water we moved over to the playground and continued the fun. After we'd had a little too much sun, it was time for lunch and then we went to a nice used bookstore. Nicholas really enjoyed the bookstore too and we all three picked out a book to buy.

Saturday evening we had a neighborhood social in the cul-da-sac. We met some new neighbors that had just moved in and they have two children. The little boy and Nick share the exact same birthday. Nicholas had a great time playing with his new friends with their wagons, frisbees, and chalk. We then left to join the family for dinner out. Aunt Carol and Uncle Cliff are in town and it was good to see the whole family. However, that leads me to my frustrations as Nicholas nearly drove me crazy with his tantruming and crying...

This has been such a difficult week with him. He has been sick with tummy troubles since Wednesday morning. I thought he was doing a little better but today the problems have persisted. So not only am I going through diapers and diaper cream like crazy but I am out of ideas of things to feed Nick that won't upset his stomach, might actually be healthy for him, and he will agree to put in his mouth. On top of that, the terrible two's have come out in a big way. It's like he flicked a switch and he has now decided that he will not cooperate in any way. The "tricks" that used to work with him, no longer do. And the crying and fussing is happening more and more often and is more frequently in public. Today we had to take him home from church after numerous tantrums. Of course I've been expecting these problems to arise but he'd been doing so well that I thought maybe it wasn't going to happen just yet. The interesting thing is that we haven't been able to find a discipline tactic that motivates him. He actually almost enjoys time outs! He will scream and cry and kick about whatever the issue that he doesn't want to do and as soon as we tell him he has to go to time out, he nearly runs to his room and sits like an angel and is very happy during the entire timeout. It's very strange.

So I am bracing myself for another week of bad tummies and bad behavior, but I'm praying for a turnaround!