Collin Cheering for the Dawgs

Collin has been a singing machine lately. Here he is today at lunch cheering for the Georgia Bulldogs. No clue what made him think of this song? Papa should be proud!

Collin Singing to Baby Jesus

The Best Christmas Present Ever

Since Santa knew we were going to have bad weather tomorrow, he dropped off one of Collin's presents a little early. Last night while we were sleeping Santa snuck in our gate and dropped off a new wooden swingset for Collin. He left a special bag under the Christmas tree for Collin to open this morning that contained one of the swings from the swingset. As soon as Collin starting opening the bag, he told us it was a green swing. I do not think it really registered to him what it was. I then told him to go and look out the window and see if he saw anything for the swing to hang on. As soon as he looked out the door and saw the swingset he screamed "swing" and took off running. He was so excited! He wanted to swing in the tire swing first, then test out the baby swing, and then the slide. He then came up with a new game of taking all of his outside toys up the slide one at a time, rolling them down, and sliding after them. He had so much fun! Pray we have an early spring as I predict we will be spending a lot more time outside!

Magical Night of Lights

Tonight we took Collin up to Lake Lanier Islands to the see Magical Night of Lights. We had a great time! Collin was fascinated by the lake, the bridges going over the lake, and the lights. He loved sitting up front with Mommy and giving us a commentary of everything he saw. He most especially loved Santa's Workshop, where Santa was stationed as well as tons of rides for the children to enjoy. Since it was so cold, we only let him choose two things to ride. His choices were the choo-choo train and the carosel, and he loved them both. It was definitely a fun family night and may very well become a family tradition.

27 Weeks Pregnant

I am 27 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 27 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the size of an eggplant.
Total Weight Gain: 14 pounds. Apparently I have had too many sweets!
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing mostly maternity pants and tops.
Gender: It's a boy-Parker Von Hardy.
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now. He moves all day and all night now.
Sleep: I am starting to have trouble finding a comfortable way to sleep. I have got out the Boppy pillow that I used when I was pregnant with Collin in an effort to get comfortable.
Symptoms: This week I have had an abundance of energy and am no longer needing naps. I am definitely in the nesting phase and want everything washed and organized for Parker. We are almost ready!
What I Miss: Nothing that I can think of.
What I Crave: Mexican food and any kind of dessert

We did have a very interesting week. On Wednesday I had to go back to the doctor for the three hour blood glucose test, which I was absolutely dreading! Patrick had to go with me since I passed out during the one hour test. Luckily, after three hours of sitting and three finger pricks, I passed! I could not be happier! I did not know how in the world I was going to prick my finger several times a day when I pass out at the smallest sight of blood. Thanks be to God!

Santa Claus 2010

Today we took Collin for his annual trip to see Santa. This year we decided to take Collin down to Phipps Plaza in Buckhead to see him since they offered a DVD in addition to a picture. When I was little, my parents always had a video made of my siblings and I sitting with Santa. We have so much fun watching it each year and I wanted Collin to have that same memory. This year Collin was recovering from a bout with pneumonia and was not his same perky self, but decided to see Santa anyway. While we were waiting in line, he was very excited to sit with him. He helped me make his wish list and went over everything he was going to ask Santa for with Patrick and I. However, when it was his turn, he screamed out "Mommy hold". I had to bribe him with the promise that I would take him to Target to pick out a new car if he would sit with him. The bribe worked and he let me sit him in Santa's lap. The entire time he sat with him, he would not break a smile. He sat there with a stern look on his face and even rolled his eyes a couple of times. A teenager already? He did tell Santa that he wanted a trash truck and told him bye bye and blew him a kiss when we left. As soon as we started walking away, he begged to go back and see him again. While we were leaving, he told us Santa was going to bring him a trash truck and a big rig. Despite his look in the picture, I think he really did love seeing Santa.

26 Weeks Pregnant

I am 26 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 26 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the size of an English hothouse cucumber (I have no clue what this is).
Total Weight Gain: 12.5 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing mostly maternity pants and tops.
Gender: It's a boy-Parker Von Hardy.
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now, especially at night. He is an active little boy like his brother was!
Sleep: I am sleeping good since I am always exhausted at night.
Symptoms: This week I have had an abundance of energy and am no longer needing naps. I am definitely in the nesting phase and want everything washed and organized for Parker.
What I Miss: Nothing that I can think of.
What I Crave: Mexican food and any kind of sweets

Unfortunately when I went to the doctor this week for my blood glucose test, I did not pass. I was supposed to have a level of 140 or less and mine was 163. I did not fast before the test, which could have skewed the results. On top of not passing the test, I also passed out at the news that I failed and would possibly have to prick my finger several times a day to check my levels. I am scheduled to go back next week for a three hour test to see if I actually have gestational diabetes. I am praying that I pass the test and do not have to endure finger pricks multiple times a day.

Collin's 2nd Surgery

Today Collin had his second surgery to replace the tubes in his ears that had fallen out. I do not know who was more nervous, Mommy or Collin! We woke Collin up at 5:40, loaded up the car, and headed down to the Pediatric Surgery Center of Atlanta. As soon as we walked into the office Collin was in awe of the huge fish tank in the waiting room. After a few minutes, they called him back to a hospital type room to take all of his information and vitals. Collin apparently had no clue anything bad was about to happen as he was talking the ears off of every nurse who came in to see him. He counted to fourteen for them, told them his ABC's, and then proceeded to point out that there were eight outlet covers in his room that needed an "uh-oh cover" (a.k.a. baby proofing). He then made Mommy chase him up and down the hallway while he looked at all the other children there who were noticeably more aware of what was going on than he was. Apparently he made such a scene that he got to be taken back to surgery first. Daddy got to go into the operating room with him until he fell asleep. The entire procedure lasted about ten minutes and then the doctor came and told us everything went well. He said he drained all the fluid in both ears and put in new tubes. We then had to wait about ten more minutes to see him in the recovery room. As we walked in he was being cuddled by a nurse and looked totally dazed and confused. He pointed to me to hold him and then perked up a bit. We then told him how proud we were of him and presented him with a new big rig truck, which immediately brought a smile to his face. We are so thankful everything went well and the Lord was with Collin and his doctor today. Let's just hope we do not have to undergo this procedure again!

Jesus, Mary, and Monkey Joseph

This year Momo bought Collin the Little People Nativity set. Ever since we put out all our Christmas decorations he has been playing with it. Everyday we talk about the people and animals that are part of the set and sing "Away In The Manager" along with the music. Collin is very good at identifying Jesus, Mary, the angel, and the wise men. However, whenever we show him Joseph he insists his name is Monkey Joseph. When we try to correct him he adamantly tells us his name is Monkey Joseph like Monkey Joe's,duh, one of his favorite places to go. Although it is clearly not right, how cute is that?

25 Weeks Pregnant

I am 25 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 25 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the size of a head of cauliflower.
Total Weight Gain: 12.5 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing mostly maternity pants and tops.
Gender: It's a boy-Parker Von Hardy.
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now, especially at night.
Sleep: I am sleeping good since I am always exhausted at night.
Symptoms: This week I have had an abundance of energy and am no longer needing naps. I am definitely in the nesting phase and want everything washed and organized for Parker.
What I Miss: Nothing that I can think of.
What I Crave: Mexican food and any kind of dessert

24 Weeks Pregnant

I am 24 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 24 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is as long as an ear of corn.
Total Weight Gain: 10 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing mostly maternity pants and tops.
Gender: It's a boy-Parker Von Hardy.
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now, especially at night.
Sleep: I am sleeping good since I am always exhausted at night.
Symptoms: This week I have had an abundance of energy and am no longer needing naps. I think I am beginning the nesting phase and want everything clean and organized. I have gotten all of Parker's clothes washed and ironed as well as all his baby toys.
What I Miss: Nothing that I can think of.
What I Crave: Mexican food and sweets.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today Collin celebrated his third Thanksgiving. Momo and Granddaddy came up to visit us for the holiday and this morning we headed over to Papa's house in Newnan for our annual family meal. Everyone brought their speciality dish over for us to feast on and it was delicious! We were so blessed to be able to spend this holiday with those we love and care about so much. Collin proudly sported the Native American shirt he made at school for everyone to see and looked absolutely precious.

Reflecting back over the past year, our family has so much to be thankful for. First and foremost we are thankful for God's grace. What an amazing gift! We are also thankful for our healthy and precious oldest son, Collin, and our newest bundle of joy on the way, Parker, both of whom I could not imagine my life without. We have also been blessed that Patrick has a wonderful job which he absolutely loves and enables me to live out my dream of being a stay at home mom. I am beyond thankful that God has allowed me this opportunity! God has truly blessed our family more than we could have ever imagined.

23 Weeks Pregnant

I am 23 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 23 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the size of a large mango.
Total Weight Gain: 10 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing mostly maternity pants and tops.
Gender: It's a boy-Parker Von Hardy.
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now, especially at night.
Sleep: I am sleeping good since I am always exhausted at night.
Symptoms: This week I have had an abundance of energy and am no longer needing naps. I think I am beginning the nesting phase and want everything clean and organized.
What I Miss: Nothing that I can think of.
What I Crave: Mexican food and Chick-fil-a sandwiches

22 Weeks Pregnant

I am 22 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 22 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the size of a navel orange.
Total Weight Gain: 10 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing mostly maternity pants and tops.
Gender: It's a boy-Parker Von Hardy!
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now, especially at night.
Sleep: I am sleeping good since I am always exhausted.
Symptoms: My only symptom right now is just being tired all the time which means when Collin takes a nap, so do I.
What I Miss: Having an abundance of energy.
What I Crave: Mexican food and Chick-fil-a sandwiches

Baby Hardy Update

Today we had our big ultrasound to check and make sure that everything is on track with the baby. Within minutes of starting the ultrasound, the technician was able to see that IT'S A BOY. We both had a gut instinct it was a boy since the heartbeat had been the exact same as Collin's at every appointment, but were so excited to hear the news that Parker Von Hardy will be joining us soon.

According to the ultrasound, everything appears to be developing normally and looks healthy. Baby Parker is definitely a mover and a kicker, as he was all over the place during the ultrasound. He also likes to ball his hands into fists and rub his eyes a lot, as he was doing this constantly during the ultrasound. He also had a full tummy, which is good since Mommy is getting bigger and bigger from all the eating I am doing.

The only issue the doctor noticed with the ultrasound is that Baby Parker is already very low. He said it was just the way that the egg implanted and the worst case scenario is that Parker does not move up on his own, meaning I may have to be put on bed rest as the pregnancy progresses and have a C-section. In 99% of cases the baby moves up on his own, but he gave us the worse case scenario just in case. We are praying Parker moves up soon but will have another ultrasound in eight weeks to recheck his position.

Below are some pictures from our appointment, as well as from the 3-D ultrasound we had done last week to get a closer look at Baby Parker.

It's A ....

That's right....Collin is going to have a little brother! Patrick and I are absolutely thrilled and so thankful to hear that everything looks great. We are so excited that Collin will have a little brother close in age to grow up with and hopefully they will become the best of friends. We have decided to name our newest bundle of joy Parker Von Hardy. Parker is a name Patrick and I both loved and his middle name, Von, is after my father. We cannot wait until March to welcome out newest family member to the world.

21 Weeks Pregnant

I am 21 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 21 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the length of a carrot.
Total Weight Gain: 8 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing mostly maternity pants and tops.
Gender: Our ultrasound appointment is tomorrow and we will reveal the gender then. We are so excited!
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now, especially at night.
Sleep: I am sleeping good since I am always exhausted.
Symptoms: My only symptom right now is just being tired all the time which means when Collin takes a nap, so do I.
What I Miss: Having an abundance of energy.
What I Crave: Mexican food and Chick-fil-a sandwiches

Halloween 2010

We had a busy and exciting Halloween this year. Now that Collin is older and understands more of what is going on, the holidays are starting to become a lot more fun. Since Halloween was on a Sunday this year, we had a weekend full of activities. On Friday night, we decided to let Collin paint the white pumpkin he picked out at the pumpkin patch while Daddy carved our big pumpkin. Collin LOVES to paint and had to use all ten colors that were in the box. He obviously has painted a lot at school as he was a pro at it. He did, however, find it amusing when he got a dab of paint on himself and decided to paint his body too. Such a boy! He was not so interested in Daddy carving the pumpkin, as he thought it took too long, but did love the finished product.





After Collin woke up from his nap on Saturday, we dressed him up in his Mr. Potato Head costume and took him to Publix where they were having a Halloween celebration. Since a lot of the workers seem to know him by name as we go there a lot, we thought it would be fun. He got to decorate and eat a sugar cookie and paint his own little pumpkin. Afterwards we headed over to a local church where he met up with his friend Matney and went "truck or treating" and jumped in the inflatables. He had a blast and wore himself out.








On Halloween night, we had a few of Collin's playgroup friends (Matney, Halle Kate, Mackenzie and Caleb) and their families over. We ordered pizza for everyone and then let the kids play in our inflatable in the backyard. After a little bribing with cupcakes, we were finally able to get all of the children in their costumes and out to trick or treat. We went to about fifteen or so houses before they all started to get tired. Collin definitely enjoyed the attention he got from all the neighbors and especially the candy they gave him.

20 Weeks Pregnant

I am 20 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 20 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the length of a banana.
Total Weight Gain: 6 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity pants and tops.
Gender: Our ultrasound appointment is November 8th and we will reveal the gender then.
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now.
Sleep: I am sleeping good since I am always exhausted.
Symptoms: My only symptom right now is just being tired all the time which means when Collin takes a nap, so do I.
What I Miss: Having an abundance of energy.
What I Crave: Mexican food and Chick-fil-a sandwiches

Playgroup Halloween Party

Today we had our annual playgroup Halloween party. This is the third year all of the playgroup kids have gotten dressed up to celebrate the holiday. We had Mackenzie dressed as Tinkerbell, Caleb dressed as a monkey, Collin dressed as Mr. Potatohead, Halle Kate dressed as a kitty cat, Chloe dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, Charlie dressed as a pirate, and Mikey dressed as a train conductor. They all looked so cute! As with each year, we tried our hardest to get a picture of all of the kiddos dressed up. This year they did a little better since we were able to bribe them with M&M's. Here are a few pictures from the party.

19 Weeks Pregnant

I am 19 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 19 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the size of an apple.
Total Weight Gain: 6 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity pants and tops.
Gender: We cannot wait to find out! Our ultrasound appointment is November 8th.
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now.
Sleep: I am sleeping good since I am always exhausted.
Symptoms: My only symptom right now is just being tired all the time which means when Collin takes a nap, so do I.
What I Miss: Having an abundance of energy.
What I Crave: Mexican food and Chick-fil-a sandwiches

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Today our family made our 3rd annual trip to Burt's Pumpkin Patch in Dawsonville. This year was extra special since Momo was in town and got to go with us. Collin was super excited about the trip and woke up asking when he was going to get to see the tractor and pumpkins. As soon as we got to Burt's Collin saw several tractors lining up for the hayride, so naturally we had to do that first. He absolutely loved it! He sat in the front of the wagon right behind the tractor and watched it the entire time. He could have cared less about any of the scenery but was in awe of the big orange tractor pulling us. Maybe he is going to follow in his Great-Granddaddy Dunaway's footsteps and be a farmer.

After we got off the hayride, we let Collin loose among the pumpkins. He was in heaven. He first wanted Daddy to push him around in the wheelbarrow to see all the giant pumpkins. We eventually convinced him we needed to find a pumpkin for our house and sent him on a mission. Apparently he thought we needed one of each kind of pumpkin as he was trying to put one from each group they had set out in the wheelbarrow. We finally convinced him Daddy only needed one big one to carve and he could get one to paint. Out of the thousands of pumpkins they had to choose from, he picked a small white one for himself. Not sure what drew his attention to that one! We always have a great time at Burt's Pumpkin Patch and cannot wait to visit again next year.

18 Weeks Pregnant

I am 18 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 18 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is the size of a sweet potato.
Total Weight Gain: 4.5 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity pants and tops.
Gender: We cannot wait to find out! Our ultrasound appointment is November 8th.
Movement: I am definitely feeling the baby move a lot now.
Sleep: I am sleeping pretty good.
Symptoms: My only symptom right now is just being tired all the time which means when Collin takes a nap, so do I.
What I Miss: Having an abundance of energy.
What I Crave: Mexican food and Chick-fil-a sandwiches

17 Weeks Pregnant

I am 17 weeks pregnant today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 17 weeks
Size of the baby: Baby Hardy is about the size of a head spread wide open.
Total Weight Gain: 4 pounds
Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity pants.
Gender: We cannot wait to find out! Our ultrasound appointment is November 8th.
Movement: I am starting to feel little flutters.
Sleep: I am sleeping pretty good.
Symptoms: My only symptom right now is just being tired all the time which means when Collin takes a nap, so do I.
What I Miss: Having an abundance of energy.
What I Crave: Mexican food