Wednesdays with Papa and Grandma

Harrison loves having his Grandparents over every Wednesday. Since the beginning of January, they have religiously come to stay with him from 5-830p while I fulfill my Jr. League committment of teaching CPR. I also get to schedule my OB appointments on this day so I don't have a toddler tagging along - they come at 3pm on those days!!!! We all benefit from Wednesdays, but I can honestly say that I benefit the most - knowing that my babydoll is in good hands is all a Mom wants!

I noticed last week that ChickfilA was having a petting zoo and pony rides* this past Wednesday, so Harry and Audrey took Harrison for a fun outing - delicious chicken nuggets, ice cream and a petting zoo - what more could a 2 1/2 year old want?!! He had a blast and snuggled up in my arms this morning to tell me about the pony named "soldier" that he rode! He loved his evening with Grandma and "Papa" (Harrison couldn't pronounce "Grandpa" for a while, and nicknamed him "Papa").

* It's Rodeo time in Houston, so the city goes crazy - petting zoos and horse rides everywhere, a very competitive BBQ cookoff this week, then the actual Rodeo starts next week. People come from all over with their bunking broncos and horse and wagons and every night there is a huge concert. David and I were invited to the BBQ cookoff tonight - I am so excited to finally have tickets to a tent (there are over 100) and see what all the hoopla is about! Crazy Texans!

Fun in Houston and Atlanta

We enjoyed being outside during the wonderful weather last week - mid 70s and beautiful! Harrison and I made our biweekly trip to the zoo, fed the ducks, rode the carousel, the train, and then took a LONG nap! We spent the rest of our free time riding the jeep and playing at the park with friends.

I have been on the hunt for a new sitter since our beloved Reyna is nannying for 3 families and we have to book her weeks in advance. Harrison and I went to church last Sunday, when David was in bed with a horrible virus, and I hired a woman out of the nursery that Harrison absolutely loves. She is great with kids and since she works for the church, I knew an extensive background check, etc. had already been done on her. It was perfect timing that this happened because David's parents were still suffering from a preschool virus Harrison passed along to them and had to cancel their Wednesday night babysitting, in addition to all day Friday. Susanna stepped in and was able to sit Wed. while I taught CPR, then all day Friday, while I made my way to GA, and 1/2 day Saturday while Daddy studied for the extensive Series 79 Exam next month. It was a great weekend knowing that he was in good hands, but I know he missed his grandparents and is looking forward to seeing them this Wednesday!



Carousel at the zoo

hanging out at the zoo - just finished feeding the ducks

my "treat" after my glucose test! I passed, but was in the "high" normal range - hey, I can't help I'm a carbaholic!! :)

Neighborhood clan - Harrison's big brothers!

Why not? That's what boys are supposed to do!!!

My saving grace this summer. School ends the week after my due date. :0 I had parent/teacher conference this morning and got great feedback - Harrison is excelling in the colors/shapes department and has great hand/eye coordination. His teachers commented that he's very athletic, and you could see a huge grin start to form on David's face when I told him. (he's been sooo worried he got my genes!)

Erin, Tara
My trip to Atlanta was a great success. I LOVED lunching with my girls at a bridal shower for Erin. I thought the trip was ruined on the way to the airport, as I was rear-ended on the highway, but God was on my side and I made the plane! I was the last person on board!

JCT Kitchen - delicious - a fried egg, bacon hamburger! This baby is taking up a lot of room, so I couldn't eat everything I wanted for spacial reasons, but you can rest assured that the majority of the burger was GONE! :)

Grandma and me after a trip to the spa - relaxed and ready to crawl on the couch and read a good book!

Harrison loves to sing his ABCs and Old MacDonald. But, one of his favorite jingles is a song that David made up about Harrison (Harrison, oh Harrison, was playing the guitar; Harrison, oh Harrison was playing very hard....), so on the video, he's singing this song. He also loves to pretend like he's talking on the phone. He knows that his parent's names are Aubrey and David and sometimes uses those names instead of Mommy and Daddy... it's hilarious! Here, Harrison talks to "Daddy" then "David." He tells him "soon" for "see you soon" and "drive" for "drive safely." He also says "HEY!" instead of "Hello" - guess I need to start saying "Hello" more!!! :$

Playtime!

Harrison had a fun week of playdates with my good friend's sweet little girl, Mabrey, my Mom's group Valentine's party, and his playgroup buddies ("my boys"). He had a great week at school celebrating Valentines and got to exchange them with his friends. He was introduced to those really sugary, disguisting, hearts that say "be mine" on them and LOVED them. We made a whole box stretch throughout the weekend and I still have a few leftover! Harrison loves coloring, drawing, scribbling, so he made many Valentines at his parties - some for a nursing home and a few for mom and dad too!

We made a trip to Mad Potter, where he made a surprise for his grandparents and Daddy. I also let him pick out something to paint for himself - a TRUCK piggy bank ofcourse! He was completely enthralled and occupied for a good 30 minutes. As many toddlers do, he loves painting.

My good friend Amanda (and Addison!) gave Harrison Madagascar last year for his birthday. It was a huge hit, so when David and I saw that Broadway across America was coming to Houston and showing Madagascar Live, we had no hesitation buying tickets! I emailed my friend Julie who had just gotten back from the Fox for Beauty and the Beast, got tips on bringing snacks in, and dove head first with my fingers crossed all would go well! Indeed, Harrison LOVED it! He was enamored the entire time. When the lights dimmed, and the music began, he was a bit taken aback (we were in Orchestra, so it was VERY loud!), but it didn't take him long to warm up to the idea that Alex and Melman were on stage, dancing and singing! We held hands for the first 20 minutes, just my buddy and me! And by intermission, he was asking to go back to his seat!

Meanwhile, Daddy, who had traveled during the week to St. Louis then Dallas, was getting sick before our eyes. I knew he wasn't feeling well when I looked over during the wild, loud, musical and he had fallen asleep. Poor thing. By this Saturday night, he was running a fever and today it peaked at 102. :( Thankfully, our babysitter was sick and cancelled last night, so we skipped a date night at our favorite restuarant. I'm afraid he would have been worse today, had we gone. With a busy week ahead, I'm sure he'll be back at work tomorrow though.

As for my buddy and me, we're just trying to savor every last minute together before I can't breath/move. He's getting REALLY excited for his baby brother with help from several awesome books and a fabulous Franklin DVD. He LOVES to see babies and kisses and rubs my belly. Because we only have a little time left before his entire world changes, I really like to spend my time focused on being with him. However, it's getting harder to get movtivated and be creative with our time becuase I'm starting to get really tired find it hard to function without a nap.... many EASY trips to the Zoo and Children's Museum will be in our near future! (This hasn't kept me from being a bucking bronco though - just tonight I served as his horse yet again - I think of it as a good Yoga move!) I'm going in to take my glucose test this Wednesday - that pan of brownies I finished off between Wednesday and Friday of last week isn't looking like such a good decision now. Keep your fingers crossed.


Truck piggy bank and Mad Potter

Madagascar Live!

One heart in my right hand, one heart in my mouth, and one Melman that I haven't let out of my sight since the musical!

Always a big help in the kitchen - naked or not.

Snow, what happened?

All of Houston was a bit disappointed when Thursday night and Friday morning rolled around there was no snow to be found. Ice? Yes. 19 degree weather? Yes. But, NO SNOW. We were basically housebound due to the icy roads (yes, laugh, you northerners - we Texans don't go to school or work when it gets below freezing!). David forged his way through the icy roads to go to work on Friday - he's been SO busy with several big deals. Harrison and I tried to stay as occupied as we could!

Giving Bubba some water to drink

Getting bored towards the end of the day -

turned into doing gymnastics off the couch

building a fort, jumping on pillows

getting out our lantern and switching it from 1 light to 2 lights about a hundred times.

painting, finger painting, coloring, and making snowflakes out of coffee filters (i COULD not get him excited about this activity!) :)
and, ofcourse, making a MESS...

riding the carousel with daddy last weekend!

Harrison at 2.4yrs - finally talking a bit more, but still is beat by many of the little girls in his class, who will chat your ear off!

As with any vocal little tike, we laugh all the time at what comes out of Harrison's mouth... stories from school, or who he prays for at night....

David called me in last night to listen to their prayer because he said they pray for "Mommy," then Harrison repeats him "Mommy," then "Daddy" and Harrison continues to say "Mommy," then "Gran," and Harrison says "Mommy," and so on.. you get the picture - I have really be prayed upon lately!!! ;)

He's also been "fibbing" alot...

"Did you poop your pants?"
"No"

"Are you asleep?"
"Yes!"

But, he did get a surprise when he got home from school since he said "yes ma'am and no ma'am" to his teachers this week! Mama is so proud! He even says "yes ma'am" to his Daddy! :)

I laugh at his use of "I" and "my" - "My get it" is the most popular... It's funny how he understands past and present tense, but can't seem to straighten out "My" and "I!"

He also uses "See" and "Look" interchangeably - "Daddy, See!" instead of "Daddy, Look!" We are working on it!

David and I have really been talking up the "baby" the past few weeks. One of Mom's good friends gave Harrison a Franklin DVD about welcoming a new baby sister. Now when you ask what is in Mommy's belly, he will tell you it's a baby sister. He'll also rub my belly, give it hugs and even a kiss every now and then. He's only tried to punch it once. But, now we're dealing with "goo goo ga ga" chanting, as Harrison has started to really like acting like a baby again! I won't be getting out the baby toys/swings, etc. until the very last minute!

Georgia

We had so much fun in GA this week! Harrison played his little heart out - riding the tractor, feeding the horses, playing with all of his "GA toys" made it like Christmas again!

I was able to visit with my Grandma in Atlanta without a little 2 year old tugging at my coat, so that was a special treat. I also had coffee with my good friend, Erin, and caught up on all her wedding planning! (LOVE your ring, ERN!) Amanda and Noah came down from Atlanta to play, which was a special treat for Harrison. He wasn't so sure about the "baby" at first, but 2 minutes into the visit and he was LOVING being the big helper. Things are looking up for Baby Slye #2!! :)

Mom and her supper club threw a gorgeous shower for my good friend Joanna, who is due March 7th with Mary Claire! We can't wait to meet this little girl!

I'm planning one last trip to GA March 12th to throw a 90s couples shower for Erin and Taylor and am really looking forward to it. David and Harrison will both be with me, so we'll get one last good visit in as a family of 3! Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well so we can travel that weekend - travel is supposed to end at 28 weeks! :0

A favorite past time!

Joanna (34 weeks) Aubrey (24 weeks)

Jo looking FABULOUS!


Grandma: The FACE of Canterbury Court for the Jr. League of Atlanta Magazine! (Doing water aerobics in the bright blue bathingsuit at 90 years old!)

Harrison slept with me every night - what a treat for both of us (well, sort of!)! Even though Mom has the "nursery" perfectly decorated, he wanted to snuggle with Mommy. I really do cherish these last months together before we expand, but I also cherish my sleep and was glad to get him back in his crib Sunday night!

Harrison being the perfect student!




Grandaddy showing Harrison how to hear a doggie's heartbeat!

After Harrison totally ruined his khakis last trip, I bought him some appropriate play clothes for digging in the dirt!

"And I wuz RUNNIN.... "

Reclaiming my stuff

In the previous post, I talked about reclaiming my living room and purging. Today I decided to reclaim my handbag on this trip to GA and took Harrison to Target to buy a suitcase. Ofcourse, he had to pick the tackiest one there, but he's happy as a clam about rolling his own entertainment, diapers, and snacks to GA.

Harrison and his tacky race car suitcase.... maybe i'll dress him in smocking to offset the tackiness! haha! ;)

Cold Days

January has proven to be a busy month thus far! My "nesting" instinct kicked in around the 1st, after I took down my Christmas decorations. (This coincided with a new iron supplement, that has made me feel alive again!!! :) So glad to have figured out why I was so exhausted!) David and I had planned to put the house on the market, so I was geared up, ready to purge. After much deliberation we, smartly, decided to wait until after the baby is born. Selling a house, renting another, buying a lot/building, etc. is not the smartest thing to do with my history of bedrest.... sad, but true. However... this has not stopped me from purging. After a trip to the Salvation Army yesterday, David said, "Well, honey, 5 years of marriage and you've managed to get rid of every last piece of furniture/electronic equipment I owned prior to you!" (yes, i finally chucked that old xbox and dinosaur TV! I also sold his bachelor furniture that was in our guest room - was never keen on it and we needed the space!!!) ;) Success. We've turned the guest room into Harrison's big boy room, but I'm in NO hurry to get him in there. He loves his little cozy nook in his crib and cuddles up, sleeping soundly. Why would I disturb that?!!! :) In the meantime, we've made the room his new play area/guest room and I reclaimed my living room downstairs! I've gone crazy on my favorite website, onekingslane, making the room look more adult!! SO much fun!

This weekend my belly will turn 24 weeks - unbelievable. It's definitely grown and this little tike is a mover. We're still working on names. With #2, it definitely becomes a little harder.... especially when it's the same sex and you've already used both grandfather's names on the 1st baby! :)

Harrison has had a wonderful January, but I have felt bad that he's been inside so much lately. It's been either freezing or rainy, so we've been playing "animals," hungry hippo, "dinosaurs," and trucks/tractors alot. In late November, we stumbled upon a TV show on Nick JR called Dino Dan - a 10 year old boy who sees imaginary dinos - and Harrison immediately became obsessed! He LOVES dinos, loves the show, loves pretending he's a T-Rex or Stegasaurus. He tries so hard to pronounce all the names - I'll have to get it on video! So, yes - I'm officially a "BOY" mom - sans the wrestling right now - but if you come over on any given morning, you'll find us on the floor acting like dinosaurs or making truck noises!


Grandaddy sent Harrison some tractors. We couldn't find them Sunday before church and you would have thought the world came to an end. Our former nanny (who is now our go-to sitter!), Reyna, found them Sunday night, and we all had a great MLK day thanks to her!!! :) (she can find ANYTHING - once harrison hid david's keys in our basket of blankets, inside a blanket that was folded up, and she FOUND them! We would still be searching!)

Mom, you're interrupting my dino time for a picture?

On the way to school - so cold!

New African exhibit at the Zoo - so fun!

Child Labor




Still loving the Jeep on the occasional warm day!

Harrison lost a pound over Christmas when he was sick, so I've been VERY lenient on ice cream and cookies this month!





As requested by some of you, belly shot at 6 months.

My little Devil in disguise....

I've always wanted a tree with little handmade ornaments! Here's the first for next year.. picked it up at preschool today... first day back in 3 weeks! HOORAY!!!