Ready for a Playmate

Oh ... to keep a little boy entertained. Another mom told me at MOPS this week the days with your children can seem SO LONG, but the years go by so fast! Good to remember as I collapse each night from the exhaustion of trying to keep Tanner happy and busy!

I've been working on the railroad ...

Mommy said I need to start pulling my own weight around here.

I'm being careful, I PROMISE!

Can you BELIEVE she's letting me do this? The floor is soaked!

Breakfast with Friends

"Hey, Mr. Giraffe! Leggo my Eggo!"

Stroller Suggestions

Being in the market for a double stroller now, I am finding that it's much harder to find a good one than it was with a single. Every review I seem to look at begins with the words "There is no such thing as a perfect double stroller." That being said, do any of you moms of 2+ have a suggestion for a double stroller that you are happy with? Please share if you do, and tell me why you like it!

Success!

Update on Night #2:

Tanner stayed in his bed all night until 7:30 this morning. We're celebrating with yummy waffles for breakfast! Keeping our fingers crossed for another good night! :)

* Update as of 1/24 -- Things are still going really well! Tanner still tries to beat us out of bed as soon as prayers are said, but once he realizes that the door is locked, he climbs right back in bed and goes to sleep. We actually moved all of his clothes into his big-boy room today, so it's official -- we've got a big boy!

The Big Move

As of this coming Friday, I'll be officially 30 weeks pregnant.

Which means that I've known I'm pregnant for about 26 weeks.

Which means I really haven't slept well in about 25.5 weeks because I've been so nervous about THE BIG MOVE.

I've been researching it, analyzing it, preparing for it, and talking about it with anyone who will listen nonstop since we found out that we were pregnant with Landon. And finally, the time has come. Tanner officially moved to his bigboy room/bed last night, which is a little bit sad (sniff sniff) because it truly means that he's a big boy! But what a relief that we are finally doing it! Whew ... I can breath again. And maybe in a few days, I'll even be able to relax and just enjoy these last several weeks of pregnancy. The rest of this post is just details on how we're doing so far with the transition -- more for me than for you since I know I'll have to do this again and probably won't remember WHAT I did when it's time for the next one to make the big move! (Sidenote: it's amazing how quickly you forget these things! I remember asking my mom after Tanner was born about specific details on how she parented us as newborns. She always said that she couldn't remember and I would look at her like she had a second head and think ... "what kind of mom is she?" Now, I understand. :)

Night #1
Blackout curtains hung -- check
Bedrails installed -- check
Stool ready to help him up into bed -- check
Room baby-proofed -- check
Cutesie fabric stapled to bottom side of top bunk -- check
Nightlight -- check

Everything was planned to a T and ready to go. Just before putting him in the bathtub and starting his bedtime routine, I decided to check the guard that we installed on his door handle so that he couldn't "escape." I wanted to make sure we could still open the door from the outside when the guard was on. NEGATIVE. I quickly took off the guard, dismantled the door handle and reversed it so that the lock is now on the outside of the room. Yes, we've decided to start by "locking" him in. It sounds barbaric, we know, but a fireman just came and talked to us at our last MOPS meeting and stressed the importance of sleeping with doors CLOSED and always making sure you know where your children are during the night in case of a fire. So ... that's that.

Went through our bed-time routine. Got in bed with Tanner. Read a book. Said a prayer. As soon as I got up, he shot out of bed and I practically had to race him to the door. I tried the "stand at the door and calmly walk him back to bed" SuperNanny trick a few times, but he was literally getting back to the door before I was. Then I thought I would just let him cry, but after 5 minutes I couldn't take it anymore. I went in and laid down with him. He thought it was play-time and took about 90 minutes to fall asleep. After he was asleep, I got up and went into my own bed and tossed and turned all night, checking the video monitor literally every 10 minutes. Tanner slept most of the night, but woke up around 5, so I went in and laid down with him again. It took him another hour to fall back asleep.

Nap #1
Talked to some other moms at MOPS. Our leader (who has 4 children) said I really shouldn't lay down with him while he falls asleep or else he'll expect it. The speaker actually recommended that I try the SuperNanny thing again. Another mom said she just held the door closed (it didn't have a lock) and let him cry. Sooo ...

Tanner fell asleep in the car. He usually transfers pretty easily, so I just took him upstairs and laid him in the big-boy bed. Then, I closed the door and locked it and waited outside, glued to the video monitor (I love that thing!). He came to the door and cried for about 3 minutes, then went to his bed, then got out, got his "man-purse" filled with animal figurines, took them into bed with him, got out of bed, played and read books for about 30 minutes, and finally fell asleep on the floor right next to the bed. Slept for about 2 hours.

I'm feeling encouraged ...

Night #2
Go through bedtime routine again. Tanner shoots out of bed almost before I do after I say "Amen." I close the door and let him cry for 8 minutes. Then, I start the "SuperNanny" walking him back to bed. After 15 minutes of this, I decide it's really over-rated. I close the door and lock it. After 5 minutes of crying at the door, Tanner climbs back into his bed and falls asleep. (Once again, the video monitor ROCKS). He's been asleep (in his bed) for about 30 minutes now. Hopefully tonight will go smoothly! Although, I'm definitely prepared for some middle-of-the-night tears and tantrums.

More updates soon!

Pray for us!

My Toughest Critic

So, last week, Tanner started saying "truck" out of the blue. He only says about 20 words right now, so this is a really big deal! Of course, just about any vehicle is a "truck" to him, but we'll work on that! Anyways ... he's very into the "-uck" sound now and is also saying "duck" and, my personal favorite, "yuck."
Here was the conversation last night at our dinner table:

Me: "Mmmmm ... isn't this yummy?!"

Tanner: "YUCKKKKK." (Complete with scrunched up face and shaking of the head.)

Hmmm. Has Jon just been lying to me all these years about my talents as a cook?

Enjoy the pics from this last week!

Helping Daddy Shovel.

Jon couldn't find his coat and hat, so he used last year's. A little small ... and no gloves! But Tanner didn't seem to mind!

Jon looks THRILLED to be out there, doesn't he?!

Go Tanner! Go Tanner!

Wanna see my belly?

Hmmm ... this looks WAY yummier than what Mommy fixes.

I think I might have a coupon for that.

Christmas: Part II Pics

Christmas: Part II

Wow! Has it really been almost two weeks since we got back from vacation? And I'm JUST NOW blogging about it? Time is just flying ... and in my defense, I've still been catching up on sleep after 2 weeks of sleepless nights while we were away. I mean, how do you turn away a sweet-smelling little boy in his footie pajamas when he wants in your bed and you're on vacation? I just didn't have the heart to let him cry in his crib while we were sleeping in the same room as him. And so ... I have paid the price -- sheer exhaustion. The GOOD news is I have been reminded that it is, indeed, possible to survive on very little sleep. The BAD news is I have also been reminded what a cranky person I am when I'm tired. Hmmm ... I'll have to work on that before Landon's arrival. :)

Anyways ... on to Christmas: Part II.

We returned home from Jon's parents' house the day after Christmas, opened a few more presents, unpacked, did some laundry, and re-packed. The next morning it was time to leave for a week in Orlando with my side of the family. My parents have a time share and got enough units for alllll of us to spend a week there together. We had a GREAT time. Jon, Tanner, and I stayed with my mom and dad while the other three siblings and their spouses/girlfriend shared another unit.

We spent our first day (SUNDAY) at Magic Kingdom with Lauren, Daniel, and my mom and dad. This was definitely my favorite day. There really is just something special about Disney. I can't wait to go back with more kids. Tanner LOVED the rides but was always devastated when they were over, crying and throwing a tantrum when it was time to get off. It was actually kind of hilarious. Poor guy. The great thing about Disney is that most of the rides are low key enough to take your toddler with you. That being said, I could NOT understand why anyone in their right mind would take their toddler into the haunted house. Inappropriate. Instead, we took Tanner to Pirates of the Carribean --- much better. (What was I thinking???? Skeletons?) We ended our day there watching the Christmas parade and by the time it was over, we were all ready to go home.

The next day (MONDAY), the men golfed while the rest of us went to the pool. Now, pool time has definitely changed since becoming a mother. No more laying in the sun, reading a good book, and snoozing (although that sure sounded wonderful!!!) Lucky for me, both of my sisters were willing to take turns with me playing with Tanner in the pool. And Eric's girlfriend was nice enough to take a nap in our room while Tanner was napping so that I could stay outside a little longer. Without everyone's help it would have been a LONG trip, for sure!

On Tuesday, Jon, Tanner, and I went to Sea World with Pat and Katherine. We thought Tanner would LOVE it because of all the animals, but it was SO crowded that it was hard to really see anything or even get from one place to another. The good thing was that our admission was free through their Hero Salute program. We did make reservations that morning to have Breakfast with Elmo and we all LOVED it! It really was so much fun and Tanner was just beside himself he was so excited to see the characters. (And he's not even a huge Elmo fan or Sesame Street watcher.) I would highly recommend it if you're ever there with a little one!

Wednesday: Universal Studios with the whole fam. I hadn't really considered taking Tanner here because I didn't know how toddler friendly it actually was. They had a great kid zone that he loved and we spent all of Tanner's awake time there. Now ... as a pregnant woman, you are allowed to do absolutely nothing ... but at least they had really great food options :) Since that evening was New Year's Eve, my parents graciously offered to babysit Tanner so Jon and I could go out with the rest of the crew to a Japanese Steakhouse. We had SUCH a great time and were so thankful to have a nice dinner out without having to worry about the little guy!

Thursday: Most of the guys went to the Georgia/MSU bowl game. (Lauren and Daniel are both UGA grads). My dad and Jon golfed. And us girls tried to keep Tanner busy -- it was a little too cool outside for the pool.

Friday: Boys golfed. Girls went to the pool. Tanner had been unusually cranky, and my parents suspected an ear infection, so we ended up taking him to a pediatric clinic at like 9pm and found out he had strep throat. I'm sure everyone was SO glad they'd been making it their mission to get kisses from him all week! (His little puckers are just IRRESISTABLE!) As far as I know, though, noboday else has gotten sick. Unfortunately, our last evening was spent in a waiting room, but all was well once we figured out the problem and got Tanner started on some antibiotics.

Saturday: Flight home. Hmmm ... I don't know what else to say except for this was a long day. The plane was PACKED -- both of them, since we had a connecting flight. The good news is that I was seated between my mom and Jon (my two favorite people). The bad news is that Tanner ONLY wanted on my lap, which is just a little uncomfortable when you're in your third trimester and there isn't much room there anyways. That's all I'll say.

So, all in all, our trip was FANTASTIC. Thank you, Mom and Dad for treating us to such a wonderful trip! We all agreed that what we enjoyed most was the precious time we got to spend with each other.

*I'm working on the pics!!*

Christmas: Part 1

Yes!! We survived our pre-Christmas illness and are all doing well in the Hall House! The last few weeks involved a whirlwind of activity, but lots of good times with the people we love most -- our family!


A few days before Christmas, we left to spend the holidays with Jon's side of the family. Believe it or not, this was my first time spending the night at Jon's house on Christmas Eve and I was excited to take part in all of their Christmas traditions -- I know they are all so meaningful to Jon and his brothers! We started Christmas Eve with some sledding (boys only) and a fancy brunch. Later on, we all went over to my parents' house for drinks and appetizers and our first annual White Elephant exchange. The gift exchange was a lot of fun, although Jon couldn't fathom why anybody wouldn't want HIS gift, and wound up stealing it from somebody since he liked it so much -- a pocket I.Q. Test :) Tanner was in heaven that evening with everyone giving him food from their plates and the platter of Christmas cookies just within his reach on the dining room table.


After lots of yummy food and conversation, we headed back to the Hall house to put the finishing touches on our gifts for Christmas morning and get some sleep. Jon and I weren't sure who was more excited about Santa coming -- Tanner or US!! Unfortunately for all of the other adults, Tanner was up and ready to get down to business at 7am. The girls and I headed to the top of the steps, where everyone waits to hear the train underneath the tree, signaling that Santa indeed came! Little did we know that all of the boys were going to shower, brush their teeth, do their hair, get dressed, etc, before heading downstairs. I fully support everyone brushing their teeth, but the showering was a little excessive. :) I'm just saying ...

We opened gifts for the next several hours -- it took Tanner a while. (Note to self: you don't have to wrap EVERY SINGLE ITEM for a toddler.) He LOVED his little trike on rockers (it converts to a tricycle) from Grandma and Granpa Hall, his travel magnadoodle from Aunt Kat and Uncle Pat, his Barrel of Monkeys from Uncle Steve and Aunt Kristin, and his little animal set from mommy and daddy. The animal set came with a little bag to carry all the animals around -- we've started calling it his man-purse since he carries it everywhere. Too funny. Anyways, after all that unwrapping, it was naptime for Tanner and I, followed by our annual Hall/Shirley Christmas dinner and a movie.

The next morning, it was time to head home and prepare for Part 2 of our Christmas vacation -- I'll post about that next! Enjoy the pics!

Maybe next year, Santa!

The carousel at the mall -- a preview of our Magic Kingdom fun.

Watch out! Coming through! Next year, I'm sure the boys will attempt to hook him up to the back of their car, pulling him around the cul-de-sac. This will be over my dead body, of course.

A snowman who's just my size. Thanks, Uncle Pat!

A Royal Flush. You can just give my winnings to Mommy.

Mmmm ... my 27th cookie. Christmas ROCKS.

Lovin' It.

Santa went COMPLETELY overboard and had this last present waiting for Tanner when we returned home. Thank you, Santa!!

Hangin' In There

This has been THE longest week EVER!! Thank goodness it's almost over!

Jon had two finals this week for his MBA plus a Christmas party for work, so we haven't seen much of him since he was sick on the couch on Monday. Tanner is still sick out of both ends about every other day, so we can't really go anywhere or see any other people. Yesterday, I was just going to take him to the mall to walk around a little bit, and he threw up just after I had strapped him into his carseat. Nice. He was crying. I was crying. Jon was on his way out the door for class. I had to take the carseat apart and handwash the cover AGAIN. It has just been a terrible week.

But ... today is a new day. Tanner seems to be in a good mood. We went to the doctor and she gave me a few tips to help him get better. We stopped by the library to check out a few new videos (we've watched Polar Express and Baby Einstein's Baby MacDonald EVERYDAY this week). I might just make it to the weekend after all. And the best part is ... my husband will be HOME and he won't have to STUDY!!!! YESSSS!!!!! And ... he's promised me some time out of the house by MYSELF! I. Can't. Wait.

Until then ... I'm enjoying Tanner in his good mood. He's been quite silly and is actually entertaining himself. Tomorrow he'll probably vomit again in his carseat. But today ... today is going to be good. :)

The Difference Between Us

First Tanner on Friday.

Then Mommy on Sunday .

And finally, Daddy on Monday.

The stomach flu has visited all three of us during the last few days. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. (Especially for the lucky one who gets to clean up everyone's yuckiness :) My car just smells rotten. That's all I can say. And I feel like my house is totally germ-infested. I spent the day disinfecting my kitchen, and now that Tanner's in bed, I'm off to clean toilets and bathrooms. All pacifiers have been sterilized (see below), sheets have been changed, and everyone has a new toothbrush.

Anyways ... it's amazing how differently all of us coped with our illness.

Tanner would puke and then put his pacifier right back in his mouth. (Gross). No tears, no fussing, just off to find something new to get into.

I hid out in my room all day. Jon would come in with Tanner, but I would shoo them away as quickly as possible. I just wanted to be alone in all my misery.

Jon laid on the couch in the middle of everything ... complaining. (I just have to laugh because this is so typically male.) "Can you turn the faucet off, please," he would say as I tried to clean my kitchen. "When can I have something to eat?" "Can you get me some more ice in my cup?" And on ... and on ... and on ... I kept telling him he would probably be much more comfortable upstairs in bed, but he said he wanted to hear everything that was going on down here.

Hopefully, by tomorrow we'll all be feeling better, although Tanner just puked again in my car this evening. He's having a heck of a time getting over this stomach bug! Keep us in your prayers!

p.s. Here's some pics from the last few weeks. Hope they leave you feeling a bit more cheery than this post did!

Not quite your average "Snow Angel." He hated it!

Look at that mouthful of teeth!

Somebody stole Grandma's necklace!

If only we could get a decent picture of the three of us for Christmas!

Having a BLAST at the children's museum!

It's a ...

BOY!!!

Landon Jonathan Hall

The ultrasound tech was able to tell us right away that it was a "he," and ever since then, Jon has had a HUGE grin on his face! I am honestly SUPER excited about having two little boys to love! And I just hope that they will be really good friends and love each other! If they're anything like Jon and his brothers, I know they will! It is so awesome to finally know who's living in my tummy!

And I totally think I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have THREE boys to love me!

The weather today is typical midwestern winter. Gray and blustery with flurries on and off.


But we're staying nice and cozy inside with hot chocolate and some Christmas music!


Hope you're enjoying your day!

Dear Santa ...

Dear Santa,

I know it's probably kind of early for this letter, but my mom and dad already have all of their Christmas decorations up, and they've been listening to Christmas music since Halloween was over, so I've been thinking a lot about you!

My mom tells me that you've been watching me and I believe her! I see you practically everywhere I turn nowadays! As you can probably tell, I've been a pretty good boy this year. Nevermind all that food I threw on the floor all those times ... I'm still learning about manners. And I know I give mommy a hard time sometimes when it's time for my nap. But I'll work on that, I promise!

You probably know that I'm getting ready to hand most of my toys down to my new little brother or sister. This is a good thing since I've outgrown a lot of them. Anyways, I was thinking that maybe you could bring me some new things for Christmas. I mean, if your elves get around to it and all. I have a "Little People" farm set that I love to play with, and I think I would probably like some of their other sets, too! Some big building blocks and (large) legos would be awesome to play with when I have friends over. (I'm getting lots better at sharing ... sometimes). I would really like some more pretend food and a cooking set for my kitchen. And I love love love anything to do with animals! Oh yeah ... and I've caught my mom looking online at table and chair sets, so some coloring books and crayons might be nice for that! I know that I will love anything you bring me ... but just in case you need some ideas!

Also, Santa, you should know that I'll be staying at Grandma and Grandpa Hall's house for Christmas this year, so don't bring the toys to my house, because nobody will be home. I have it on good authority that Grandma and Grandpa ALWAYS leave out a yummy treat for you, so make sure you come by!

Very Truly Yours,

Tanner

On Pins and Needles

I can't tell you how excited I am to find out the sex of our baby this Friday. I dreamt last night that they weren't able to tell us, and I was so disappointed! I just kept reminding myself all day that the purpose of the ultrasound is not determine whether we're having a boy or girl, but to check and see that our baby is HEALTHY!

I can be totally honest when I say that I don't care what it is. Last time I said I didn't care, but I really did want a girl. This time I can tell you that I'll be really really happy either way. I think Jon wants a boy, but he assured me that he won't leave the office CRYING if it's a girl. (Like I did when we found out Tanner's sex.) Ouch -- he got me!

So, if I don't care one way or the other, then why do I find out? It's not so that I can paint a nursery or buy clothes. It has nothing to do with planning. It has everything to do with BONDING with this little life inside of me. I feel like I'm going to meet my baby on Friday and for the next 4+ months I will get to know him/her. We have names picked out already, so as soon as we know what it is, we'll start calling it by name. A lot of people like to wait and be surprised, and I totally respect their decision. I just feel like it's a surprise whenever you find out. And birth is such an amazing experience in itself, it doesn't require anything extra.

I am so blessed to be having another baby! I'll be praying over the next few days that the ultrasound shows s/he is completely HEALTHY. And, God, if you could help the ultrasound tech to tell me what it is, that would be great, too!

Isn't he a big boy?

I've gotten several comments lately about how much older he's started to look in the last few weeks. It's totally the teeth. Someone commented today about how big they were. I was like, "Hello! Have you looked at MINE?!!!" Poor kid is destined for many hours spent in the orthodontist's chair!

Congratulations Carolyn, Mike, and Big Brother Brady on the arrival of their newest family member -- Gavin Timothy! We're so happy for you!

Veteran's Day

I just wanted to take a second today to honor the veterans in our lives!

First of all ... OUR DADDY!!

Jon, we are so so proud of you and your service to our country! Thank you for all of the sacrifices you have made to protect our freedoms and defend those who never had the freedoms that we enjoy here in America. You will always be our HERO!!

Arriving home from his second tour in Iraq

*Sidenote: Upon looking at this picture again, I just have to say ... isn't he a HUNK?!

Secondly ... Grandpa Fagan, a veteran of World War II, who served at Midway!

And finally, thank you to all of our dear friends who are also veterans and continue to serve ...

I'm Still Alive!!

Just busy!

... and gaining about a pound a day it feels like. With 143 days left until the little cupcake arrives, I may be in trouble!!! (Let's just hope s/he doesn't come out covered in sour-patch-kid sugar!)

p.s. We find out a week from Friday whether it's a boy or a girl! SOOOOO EXCITING!

Go Ahead ... Make My Day ...

I'm sure many of you moms out there can agree.

An afternoon cup of coffee is good for the soul.

I drove through Starbucks this afternoon and ordered my fave -- grande/half-caff/non-fat/light whip mocha -- only to discover as I drove away that they left out the chocolate. Not to be deprived of this much sought-after treat, I headed straight back through the drive-thru and politely asked if they wouldn't mind making me a new one. Not only did I get my mocha, I also got a coupon for a free drink -- any size.

It doesn't take much to make my day. Seriously.

Trick Or Treat!

Is it really November already?!!

I hope you had a Happy Halloween! Ours was SO MUCH FUN! Jon came home from work early to carve pumpkins and then take his little guy trick-or-treating. The weather was AMAZING and we were able to sit outside most of the evening and watch all of the trick-or-treaters come by. By the way ... this is the first house we've lived in where kids actually came by -- we were in heaven! And best of all -- Grammy was here to share in the festivities! Check out our "scary" little dragon!

As you can probably tell ... it took us a while to get from house to house.

It's so fun to think that next year we'll have FOUR pumpkins on our doorstep!

No, I didn't swallow a pumpkin!

Me at 17 weeks.

I was extremely comforted to hear the heartbeat at my

appointment a few days ago. This means there really

IS a baby in there ... not just french fries and ice cream!