The Wiggles LIVE!

We took Nate to a Wiggles concert last night, as his belated birthday present from us. It was at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, and we had a great family night out celebrating our little man!!

First up was the concert. We weren't sure how Nate would react....would he be excited, overwhelmed, scared, or bored? Well, he was a little of everything!! Here he is, ready for the concert to begin & jammin' to the background music with Dad:

The show has started! Getting into the clapping mood...

Lemonade break. Gotta stay hydrated...

The Wiggles stage!! I was a little disappointed there wasn't a jumbotron or something, but I guess the auditorium wasn't big enough to warrant one (or at least that was Greg's explanation):

He is MESMORIZED!! (And yes, he looks comatose. This is what he looks like when he watches them - or anyone else - on DVD):

Still mesmorized, though Mom is trying to get some movement out of him:

The Wiggles & Friends (Dorothy the Green Dinosaur is his favorite):

Screaming "YAAAAY!" at the end of his favorite song, Hot Potato:

Waving bye-bye to the Wiggles. What a great concert!


It was quite a show, and though our little man didn't get up and shake his bon-bon like most of the other kids there, we know he had a good time. So, it was off to McDonald's for dinner! (Like I said, it was Nate's night...) He scarfed his nuggets, apples, and fries, and then headed to the indoor playground. He was lucky enough to be the only kid in there, and had a BALL! He surprised Greg & I both by climbing up really high in these connecting tunnels & slides, like 10+ ft up! And he loved waving to us in all the peek-a-boo windows. (I should have gotten a picture; it was too cute.) Greg thought he was going to have to crawl in to retrieve him, but instead, we bribed him with a hot fudge sundae :) We ate ice cream and sang Wiggles songs on the way home. It was past his bedtime, and he crashed when we got there. What a great night!!

Our little rutabaga

Yeah, I didn't know what a rutabaga was either. It's a yellow turnip, apparently. And at 25 weeks, that's how big our Abby is!! :) Well, according to www.babycenter.com at least. And she is roughly 13.5 inches long and 1.5 lbs!

My doctor's appt went fine this morning...we were in & out quickly b/c Abby looks great! Strong heartbeat and measuring right on target. Me, on the other hand... well, I gained more than the "recommended" 1 lb/wk. Oops! My doc assured me it was nothing to worry about; thought Abby was going thru a growth spurt. (That, or I ate too much of Nate's bday cake this month!)

And now that I'm in my 3rd trimester (SCARY!), I'll be going every 2 wks to see the doc (instead of every 4 wks). Can't believe we're already at that point! And next visit, I get to drink a whole lotta nasty liquid for the glucose-screening test. (It checks for gestational diabetes.) Lucky me!

Just glad things are looking good with our baby girl...15 more weeks to go....!!

An apple a day...

Nate had his 2 year check-up today, and did great! I freaked out when we first got there and I had to strip him down to his diaper to be weighed. Instead of putting him on the baby scale, he got to STAND on the adult scale!! When did he get so grown-up!? Here are his stats:

WEIGHT: 27 lbs 6 oz (50th percentile)
HEIGHT: 34 3/4 inches (55th percentile)

I was pleasantly surprised with his weight....thought for sure my skinny minny would be in the 25th percentile as usual. Guess all that sausage is helping him bulk up!

Unfortunately, he had 2 shots AND a finger prick today. Not a happy guy. I hate seeing those big tears roll off his cheeks! But thank goodness Mom had Sesame Street band-aids and a dum-dum on hand. They seemed to dry up those tears pretty fast! :) Ever since we got home though, he has told me he has 3 boo-boos. Over and over and over. Yes, the word of the day is boo-boo. Got it.

(By the way, Nate made a new girlfriend in the waiting room...an 18-month-old little girl. Guess what her name was!? Abby! He kept chasing her around saying her name over and over. Too cute!)

What a difference a day makes!

Today was Nate's 2nd day at MDO....and wow, what a difference a day makes!!

1. I was fine today (no sobbing like last week)...just slightly teary-eyed at drop-off.

2. Nate was hysterical today at drop-off. Where were those tears last week!? (Luckily the teacher said it only lasted a minute or two after I left.)

3. Nate had a MUCH better day!! His info sheet - gosh how I love the info sheet - said he ate a bigger lunch, and napped almost a full 2 hrs! (He barely did that yesterday at home. I am still in shock he is doing this well with his napping!)

4. One of his teachers, Mrs. Andrea, decided to try a different tactic with Nate today when he started being "tearful on & off" again. She just talked to him real straight, told him he was fine and that his mommy would be back soon. It worked like a charm and stopped his crying on multiple occasions. I guess he is more used to tough love from me, than by being babied -- which is what his other teacher was doing. Hey, whatever works! :) Anyways, he still cried some today but they said it was for much shorter intervals. Yay for progress!!

5. When I picked him up, he wanted me to sit at the table with him and do playdoh. When I asked if he wanted to leave, he said "NO!" What the!? I even asked him again to make sure he understood what I was asking. He really loves his "teachies" and wanted to stay and play with them. My big boy!! When I told him I had his sippy in the van with milk, he darted out of the room. Nothing like a good bribe to get what you want...

So, I'm happy to see that Nate is already adjusting well to MDO. I had NO idea it would happen this fast. I guess I underestimated him! :) Glad I did though. I am just so proud of him!!
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Two other tidbits not related to MDO:

1. Nate has always loved his baths at night, but lately, we can barely tear him away from them. He has started laying on his BELLY, putting his face in the water, and blowing bubbles, then hysterically laughing. Or, he lays on his back, puts his head all the way back in the water, and pretends he's rinsing his hair in the water. He is such a goof!

2. Today, he locked himself in the house. (Yes, you read that right.) We were coming inside from playing with some neighbors, and he ran ahead, up the 2 stairs in the garage, and into the house. AND LOCKED THE DOOR. Luckily we have a spare key outside. So, note to all moms --- have a spare key hidden somewhere outside!!!!!!!!!

I will be blogging a lot these next few days so bear with me...Nate has a dr's appt Tues & I have one for Abby on Wed. Busy busy!

Pfunky Griddle

Our friends, Ted & Erica, had planned to fly in this weekend from NYC for a visit. But due to weather, their flight got cancelled and basically delayed till Sunday. We were SUPER bummed, but decided to go ahead with the plans we already had made. Which included a family breakfast at this place in Nashville called Pfunky Griddle (recommended by a friend...thanks Ashley)!

It was a really cute, small restaurant, where each table had your own griddle and you got to cook your own pancakes! They brought you 2 types of batter, and then picked which toppings you wanted to add. (I wanted chocolate chips - big surprise - and Greg had strawberries). Nate loved watching the action, and of course, wanted to get in on it... Here he is trying to give Dad some pointers:

We ordered stuff a la carte for him....his favorites - eggs & sausage. Look at this huge bite!! He was a hungry boy...

He definitely has a sweet tooth like his Mom, and was eyeing my chocolate chips pancakes. Don't worry, I gave him a few bites!

Nate's favorite breakfast food always has and always will be sausage. Look at him grubbin' on this huge patty. Didn't even want/need us to cut it up!

Here's a shot of the restaurant. Super cute, kinda hippie, very kid-friendly, and totally worth the 30 minute drive!!

Nate is TWO!!

In honor of Nate's 2nd birthday today, I had mac-n-cheese for lunch. B/c that's what I had 2 years ago, as I was waiting to go into the doctor. I had pretty much been in labor all weekend, but had called my doc at lunch so I could in and "be checked." (Yes, I wanted his confirmation that I was in labor. Crazy, I know!) My appt was at 2 pm - and I was a whopping 5 cm! - so it was off to the hospital we went! Our little man arrived at 9:41 pm and our life has never been the same since....

(Slight pause here as tears are rolling down my face...wow, this has been an emotional week for me!)

We are so blessed to have such a healthy, loving, silly, and OCD son :) We can only hope that little Miss Abby is as perfect as Nate is! It's hard to believe that he's already turning two... b/c it seems as though the past 2 years have flown by. (Even though there have been a handful of days that I wanted to speed up!) He is at such a fun age right now though, and I wouldn't have traded any of the "hard" days for anything in this world. He is my little munchkin man, and I will always love him!

Happy 2nd birthday, "Nate the Great!!"

Here's a few pics to stroll down memory lane....

1 MONTH OLD

6 MONTHS OLD

12 MONTHS OLD

18 MONTHS OLD

2 YEARS OLD!

Nate's first day at MDO

Nate & I survived his first day at MDO!! (Just barely!) I cried a few times before we left - yes, I am a sap and had dreaded this day. We sang "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to school we go" the whole way there, and Nate had a tight grip on his Thomas the Train lunchbox. I was expecting lots of tears at drop-off, but didn't get ANY from him! (Is it wrong that I wanted my son to cry, at least a little!?) The teacher got him involved in coloring right away, so after I hugged & kissed him, I left. Even though it was a short & sweet goodbye, but my waterworks were already starting before I left the building!! I called Greg in tears, and then met Casey at Starbucks for breakfast after I was cried out. I will admit, it was nice to have a few hours to run errands kid-free, but wow when I was at home eating lunch, I was LONELY!! I was super excited to see him at 2:30 pm, and as I walked down the hall, I heard him crying :( Mrs Jennifer told me he was upset that 2 parents had picked their kids up before me. Guess I'll be early from now on!!

I love his 2 teachers and talked to them a good 10 minutes about Nate's day. In their words: "He was tearful on & off thru the day, but did willingly participate in all activities." And, the big news....he napped on his mat!!! Not for very long, but he fell asleep right at 12:30 with all the other kids. And darn it, the only reason he woke up is b/c another kid started crying & it upset him. So, he couldn't go back to sleep after that. But it sounds promising and I was pleased!! I had VERY low expectations for his naps, at least right away, and 1 hr on the first day is great!! (A friend in book club made him a super cute mat cover with his name embroidered on top. And gave me a matching pillow. Love it!)

So, all in all, it was a successful day. I have faith that it will get easier (for both of us) as time goes on. I was VERY happy to have my little man with me this afternoon, and even treated him to a celebratory cookie for snack. Oh, and he kept screaming "MILK!!!" on the way home, so I guess I know now to bring a sippy full of milk when I pick him up :)

24 Weeks & Counting!!

Thought it was time for a post about our sweet, little, neglected Abby....I mean, enough about Nate and MDO lately!! (But I will post probably tomorrow with his first day of MDO pics & stories :)

So.... I am finally 24 wks along with Abby! See to the right for a new belly pic. Not much of a change from 20 wks, in my opinion. (And if you have a different opinion, keep your mouth shut...)

She is moving around a lot more these days, and finally about 2 wks ago Greg got to feel her kick for the first time! When we had a date night last week seeing "Harry Potter 6" at the IMAX theater, she kicked for almost 2.5 hrs straight. That is big for her b/c she usually just kicks a few times a day....mostly when I lay down to rest, or after my first bites of a meal. Or when I eat something with sugar :) (Which is ... um, every day.) My girl's got a sweet tooth already!

A good friend, Ashley, looked up the meaning of Abby's name in her baby book...and it's so fitting b/c Greg is the one that came up with the name!

ABIGAIL = Father's joy

A Daddy's girl already!!! (Wait, Nate is a Daddy's boy....so I wanted Abby to be a Momma's girl....)

Oh well. Anyways, I go in next Wednesday the 26th for my 24 week check-up, so hopefully everything will be good as usual. Until then...

RELIEF!!!

Nate is starting a two-day-a-week Mother's Day Out program on Wednesday. Tonight was his Open House, where we got to go see his "cool" (how he says "School") and meet his "teachie" (Teacher). I have been anxious about open house, and about him starting MDO, for weeks. But tonight, all I feel is RELIEF!!!!

He has 2 teachers and they are super nice and young and have young kids of their own. And the class only has 6 kids so Nate will get plenty of attention! Miss Jennifer bonded with Nate right away and already seems to understand his language pretty well (which was one of my big concerns). He happily played with toys (they had a play-house with a MAILBOX!, and an Elmo truck!) while Greg & I got to sit down with the teachers and get our 900 questions answered. I was happiest to hear that I get an "information sheet" when I pick Nate up at the end of each day... So I will know what he ate, how he napped, if he pooped, etc. You know, all the details only a Mom wants to know!! :)

We drove by the playground on our way out, and Nate was happy to see that there are 4 slides and tons of swings, among other things. I think he is genuinely excited about school! All I can say is, he better shed a FEW tears when I drop him off on Wednesday!!! (B/c Lord knows I will)

Nate's bday party weekend

Nate had a fun-filled few days....Nana & Pops arrived last Thursday and he enjoyed keeping them entertained! He loved watching Pops play the harmonica, getting a popsicle from the ice cream truck, taking walks with Nana, getting treats at DQ, showing off his talking skills, horseplaying with Dad, and blowing bubbles. Aunt Lora ("Worwa") arrived Friday night and he was happy to show off & be a ham for her as well.

Saturday was the big day....the bday party at the Greenway. We reserved a picnic shelter (complete with a playground) for Nate's Sesame Street-themed pizza party. It was a big hit!! Lots of his friends came, and despite the heat, all managed to have a good - but sweaty - time. Nate had a few favorite parts of the party:

1. Staring at his Elmo cake before we cut it, and trying to lick off the icing when no one was looking.

2. Taking all the Sesame Street stickers off of the tablecloths and putting them on his shirt (I think he had collected 10+ by the end of the party - see the pictures).

3. Having everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to him. I have never seen him smile so big. What a cheese!

4. Slurping down 3 juice boxes (it was HOT)!

He didn't seem very hungry at the party - hardly touched his fruit or pizza, or cake for that matter. In fact, when he sat down with his Dad to eat cake, he had one bite and then left everyone to go play at the playground. My child, the anti-social one. We were glad everyone came to celebrate with us, but Nate was pooped and ready for a bath & nap when we got home.

That night, Mum-Mum and Granddad came over and we all watched Nate open presents. He got lots of great Sesame Street stuff, a guitar, a Handy Manny dvd, and.....a Harley big wheel!! He can officially be a part of the "big wheel gang" in our neighborhood now, so he thinks he's big stuff.

Sunday, Nate had to say goodbye to Aunt Worwa and Mum-Mum & Granddad, but we all had a family breakfast at Mimi's Cafe first. Nana & I spent most of Sunday (& Monday) furniture shopping - for Nate's big boy bed! - and finally found a set we liked. (We will set it up sometime in mid-September.) Nana & Pops had "Nate Night" Sunday -playing at the mall, the "CHOO CHOO" at the bookstore, and Steak N Shake for dinner. While Greg and I got to have a date night! We shopped at Opry Mills (my skinny hubbie was in desperate need of some pants), had a quick dinner, and then saw Harry Potter 6 in 3D at the IMAX theatre!! It was awesome!! And nice to have some alone time, as always.

Nate really enjoyed having all his visitors in town, and especially bonded with Pops this time. They are BFF!! We said goodbye to Nana & Pops on Tuesday morning, and I am still in the process of despoiling him :)

Enjoy all the pics and make sure to check out the last one....it is a picture of Abby's closet, which had 5 things in it before Nana came. And now, well, you will see... Tax-free weekend was good to us!!

Not just an insect anymore....

So, for those of you (read: FAMILY!!) that have grown tired of calling our little baby girl an insect, you are in luck! First, the baby's nickname was "Bug" (coined by my lovely husband) and then it changed to "Ladybug" recently, when we found out she was a girl.

Well, people, we finally have a real name!!!

Coming soon....in December 2009......Abigail Reece Givens!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will call her Abby and Nate has already perfected saying her name. In fact, when asked what his baby sister's name is, he replies "Abby Abby." Yes, always twice. It is about the cutest thing I've ever seen (well, heard).

Anyways, so that's it people! We have a name!
(Now leave me alone :)

Oh, and btw, according to www.babycenter.com, Abby weighs a whopping POUND now! And is 11 inches long!!

I am NOT ready for this....

Nate is starting MDO (Mother's Day Out) on August 19th. The program is two days a week, from 9-2. I am excited about it for many reasons.... I think it will be good for him, help him to be more sociable, and he will love all the new activities. And it will be nice for me to run errands kid-free (for 4 months at least). Not to mention it will be a good time for me to be alone with our little Ladybug when she arrives.

With that being said though....I am also terrified, sad, and completely anxious about N starting MDO. I won't bore you with the 100+ concerns that I have, but let me just say, they've been keeping me up at night!! (Right, Greg!?)

We got a letter a few weeks ago, stating that N needed a nap mat, lunch box, and BOOKBAG for school. Greg was there when I opened the letter and read this, and I burst into tears. My little boy....needing a BOOKBAG!? I just couldn't believe it. (Once it sunk in though, I realized it's just a glorified diaper bag....holding a blanket, stuffed animal, diaper, and change of clothes.)

And so began my first search for "school supplies" :) .....

We hit the jackpot at Toys R'Us, and N picked out a "Thomas the Train" bookbag & lunch box. We got it last week and he has been OBSESSED with it ever since. I got the kind of bookbag that has a pull-out handle as well, so he has been rolling it around the house like it's a suitcase....says "bye bye" and leaves the room like he's going on a trip. It is about the cutest thing I've ever seen!!

So, while I'm still dreading August 19th for the most part, in the meantime, he is really entertaining me with this bookbag obsession. He is such a big boy!! Enjoy the pics!