amazing grace

I absolutely love Wednesday nights with Garrison.  Will has practice for church, so I get to spend some Mommy/Garrison time with him.  Last night we were laying on the "big bed," and I was lying on my side facing him.  I had my hands curled underneath my chin, and he was laying the same way!  He just smiled and talked to me.  It was one of those precious moments I hope to never forget.

Will and I sing "Amazing Grace" to G at night.  Last night he started singing with me.  But as soon as I picked up my phone to record him, he quit!  So this morning on the way to school I got him to sing it for me.  (He got a bit distracted by the windshield wipers).

sick day 2012

Yesterday morning, Ms. Anita text me a couple of pictures of Garrison playing on the playground.  I thought it was so sweet that she took the time to send them to me (she knows I worry about G while he's at school). 

 Well, about 2 I had a very frantic voicemail on my phone from Ms. Susie.  She said she'd been trying to get in touch with both me and Will, that G was sick.  So I immediately went to school to find out he'd thrown up twice.  Sweet boy NEVER throws up.  On the way home, he threw up again (spaghetti....yuck).  So we gave him a bath, and he acted like he felt much better.

 We gave him some blue Gatorade.  One thing my parents always instilled in me is that when you're sick, make sure you have plenty of fluids so you don't dehydrate.  We even let him drink his Gatorade in the bathtub.  We got him out, put clothes on him, and he threw up blue Gatorade everywhere!

Will had called the doctor, and she finally called back.  She said it was definitely the stomach bug and called him in some phenergan.  I went to pick it up, and by the time I got home, he'd thrown up again.  Sweet boy.  Throwing up is hard for adults, but it was awful to see his little body try to throw up when nothing was left in him.  He was pitiful.  He just wanted to sit in our laps on the couch.

He started to feel a little better, so we gave him some pedialite and crackers......aaaaaaannnnnd he threw it all up.  FINALLY the phenergan started to kick in and sweet boy fell asleep.

I'm titling this post "sick day 2012" because I'm hoping this is the only sick day we have.  Emily sent me a link to a blog where the lady suggests drinking a glass of 100% grape juice every day to prevent the stomach bug.  I might be forcing everyone to drink grape juice!

nosey

Yesterday Will and I both went to pick G up from school.  When we walked into his classroom, he was sitting in his teacher's lap crying.  She said he'd had a rough afternoon.  When they went onto the playground, he stood at the fence and cried.  She said he was crying for me mostly, but would also say, "Mommy Daddy."  I love that he associates us together!

Mrs. Wilda also told us that Garrison didn't have a nap yesterday, and she thought part of the reason he cried was he was just tired.

So needless to say, it broke my heart, and I DREADED taking him this morning. 

But, drop off was a little easier.  While we were getting him ready for school, he said, "See Nina" (which is how he says Anita).  We prayed for all his friends on the way to school, and he was excited when we pulled into the parking lot.  He was still a little apprehensive walking in, but he sat at his place at the table and started eating some toast. 

I asked Ms. Anita if he cried yesterday morning while she was there.  She said the only time he cries is when someone else is crying.  Such a sweet and tender heart!  She said he didn't take a nap.  That he kept talking to her, asking what she was doing.  She said she told him, "you're too nosey to go to sleep."  Hmm.....wonder where he gets that from???

Birmingham

This past Friday, I took the dogs to the kennel, packed all our bags, loaded Garrison in the Land Rover and picked up Will for a surprise overnight trip to Birmingham.  It was the first weekend in 16 weeks that we haven't had something scheduled, and we needed to get out of town as a family!  Once Will got over the shock of not going to Anthony's for dinner (that's what he thought the surprise was), we headed out of town.  We took our time getting to Birmingham.  We ate dinner in Tuscaloosa, and of course got Starbucks.  So by the time we got to Birmingham, it was G's bed time.  Sweet boy slept in the big bed with Mommy and Daddy! 

I made hotel reservations at Ross Bridge, and the pool was awesome.  Garrison loved the "splash pad" part of it, but not the rest of it!  He didn't go in the water past his ankles.  And for as much as he loves the slide at the park, he refused to go down the slide into the pool!  Maybe one day he will! 

We played in the pool Saturday morning, and then ran a few errands.  We ate pizza for lunch, went to a super cool toy store in Homewood, and went to a couple of running stores.  It was wonderful!

Garrison....at Tim's wedding

Tim and Stephanie

I posted this on my work blog yesterday....

My brother got married June 30.  I didn't know I'd cry.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I knew I'd cry....just not THAT much.  I lost it when Stephanie walked down the aisle.  Her dad escorted her, and then her two sons met them half way down the aisle to escort her the rest of the way to Tim.  It was emotional, and sweet, and such a celebration of their love for each other.  I was a blabbering mess at the rehearsal dinner.  All I remember saying was how happy Tim has been while he's been dating her.

There was so much else I wanted to say - like how compassionate and caring and giving he is.  I wanted to tell the story about how Tim prayed for Garrison while he was in the NICU.  No matter what time of night it was, when we would visit with G in the NICU, Tim always wanted me to send him a picture.  He said he couldn't be there to pray over Garrison in person, but he could touch the computer screen and pray for him.  But I couldn't get any of that out that night.

So, Tim and Steph, I'll say it now.  I love you guys.  And I love your three sons.  You are both strong in your faith and beliefs, and that is contagious.  Tim, I know you love Jon and Micah just as much as you love Hayden.  And Stephanie, I know you love Hayden just as much as you love Micah and Jon.  Will and I were honored and blessed to be a part of your wedding day, and more importantly your lives.  We love you.

I love this picture because Tim is thinking, "Come on, Will....how many more pages do you have to go?  I wanted the ceremony to be short!!"