White, Party of 3 is now a "Party of 4!"

Please visit our new blog at whitepartyof4.blogspot.com as we have added one more member to our crazy crew!

Thanks!
Brian, Beth, Garrett...and Lucy Lynn

stacking boxes

 

(click on the photo above to enlarge)

today started off a little hectic @ the white house...i had a regularly scheduled OB appt, but had some complications that made my visit a little longer than i expected - did get to see the baby via u/s, so that's always a treat. thankfully, all is well. i'm dilated about 1.5 & the baby looks great...but barring going into natural labor, we're going to be induced on the morning of july 29th - hard to believe we're only 9 days away from meeting the little girl who will turn our *party of 3* into a *family of 4*!

but driving home from the dr & once i knew all was ok, all i could think about were the boys waiting @ home...my B & little G. garrett's completely in love with brian right now...probably 15 (no exaggeration) times a day garrett says, "ma!" (& he waits, totally pauses until i acknowlege him); i say, "yes, garrett" or "what, buddy?"; & G says, "where da?" it's so sweet...he's always asking about his daddy! :-) so when i got home i could tell he was in a particularly good mood b/c he'd had all that alone time w/ brian during the AM.

then my own morning with garrett was sweet too...complete with reading books & stacking boxes. just stacking boxes. it thrilled me to watch him figure out how to do it in order so that he could get all the boxes on there. it cracked me up to watch him *crash* them all down. that's right...no conference calls, no important meetings to go to, no fun new outfit to oogle over w/ the girls @ the office, just watching my 19-month-old be proud of himself for stacking boxes & knocking them over.

i wonder how life will change with two little ones desiring my love & attention each day. i value the experience & advice of many other moms who have been so reassuring as i approach this time. but i am cherishing, relishing every day i have left with just the little man.

& i can't let this post go w/o thanking one of my favorite people - susan b! - for making my life much simpler today...thank you for taking little man with you & the kids to the pool, for feeding him dinner & giving him a bath! you spoil him (& us!)!!! thank you, thank you, thank you for loving on him & treating him to such a special afternoon. love you, girl!

grandparents

 

brian's parents were here a few weeks ago. they spent all their time playing with our little man, making life easier for me :-), & allowing brian & i yet another night in town to have a good time with some friends! these photos were shot one evening prior to dinner. & yes, garrett is fully clothed & wet! we turned on the sprinkler & he just ran in what he was wearing! :-)

we're so grateful for the four incredibly loving grandparents (& 2 great-grandmas!) God's given our children. the memories garrett (& our other kids) will make with them will be a blessing & part of the incredible legacy that grandparents get to pass onto their granchildren. thank you - to all 4 of you - grandmom, papa, grammy (mimi!!!) & pop pop for all your loving kindness to us & our little ones.

boots

 

one afternoon, waiting on daddy to get home. it was hot outside & G napped in his diaper that day. somehow, the clothes never made it back on but the boots did. i love when he puts these on & just tramps around the house! love this little guy!

happy father's day!

it's amazing to journey into parenthood. it's amazing to watch your spouse grow into a parent alongside you...for me, my love for brian has increased exponentially since having garrett (& becoming pregnant w/ baby girl).

brian, you're a wonderful in father in so many ways. you give so much of yourself in being a dad by caring for garrett in any way he needs & in the fun ways that will make your relationship with him unique. i know you will be the same with our little girl, in fact we'll see a new side of you as a dad to a daughter, i would think. :-) thank you for giving to our family as a father. we are blessed that you are ours! happy father's day! love, your biggest fans (beth & garrett) :-)

my seasonal color reminds me of my grandfather. the only one i ever knew. as long as i can remember, his yard each summer had marigolds. they make me happy & remind me of the countless days & nights i spent enjoying his laughter (which was endless) & love...being his *jewel*. there's something so incredibly special in the grandparent relationship.

it's amazing to watch your own father become a grandfather to your child (even though I'd watched him with my nephew & niece for years; same with brian's dad & our nephew). but seeing them love your child is a beautiful experience. my dad's very quiet...his play is intentional & patient with garrett...since dad usually finishes a meal first, he's the first to get up & walk w/ the kids in a restaurant, to spend hours upon hours pushing a wagon around or going on long (slow, in garrett's case) walks around their yard. happy father's day, dad - i love you! (garrett 9 months old)

garrett said, "don't even think about moving me from this man's lap!" (garrett 3.5 months old). brian's dad is quite gregarious...he has a special song for garrett ("hurrah for garrett!") & is constantly teaching garrett a new sound or showing him how to ride a broom like a horsey. we love you, gary - garrett can't wait to see you later this week!

after pictures with daddy this afternoon, garrett went on a stroll through our front bed.

dirty, dirty boy!

 

with summer temps in full oppression, being outside & getting wet is a fun end of the day activity for our little man. the sun burns bright on the back of our house until close to 5 PM these days, so it's usually a great diversion as we wait for brian to get home as well.

today garrett & i popped out for a while & filled the pool, water table, squirt bottle, etc. but his biggest point of interest was the potted tree on the patio. our sweet friends dustin & kelly jo gave it to garrett for his birthday (six months ago) & for whatever reason, he picked today to go & plow through all the dirt in the pot! this kid just makes me laugh...he had a bath afterwards, but i still had to swab (with safety swabs!) the dirt out of the outer part of his right ear. (click on the picture above for a closer view.)

up tomorrow?...18 month dr visit - boo! - but brian's taking the day off so we hope to have a fun day regardless of the shots & 96 degree temps that are predicted.

my baby love

my baby love...no, not the little girl in my belly. though, i do love her & am becoming more & more anxious to see her! my first baby love...brian. this september we'll have been an official couple for 15 years...married for 10 in november. & while the road hasn't always been smooth, & while we've had to work (@ some times harder than others) @ our marriage, brian's STILL my favorite person. :-)

before garrett was born, we went away to grand bahama island for several days...a "babymoon". since we were just away with garrett @ the beach last month, we decided simply to spend a weekend in atlanta, just the two of us, b/f baby girl comes on the scene. we realize that the more children we add to our little brew, the more of a challenge our alone time will become. & b/w all the demands currently in our life, we both were dying to get into this weekend - we both needed this time away & with just one another.

i'm so grateful for those couples we have watched be married & parent who are long ahead of us & just ahead of us, walking beside us even. those couples who have been consistent in creating space for themselves - sometimes before creating space to be parents. ultimately, our children arrive b/c of our love for one another...and in the end, they will leave us - with just one another. our goal is to still like each other @ the end of all the *parenting*. :-) i appreciate that brian & i share that vision within our marriage & it's NEVER a struggle to steal us away from garrett for a night, a weekend, a vacation, whatever...to be alone, to be with each other or with our friends.

we had a great time...stayed in Buckhead, ate out every meal, slept in both mornings, sunned by the pool, read, saw a movie, ate junk food (hello, i'm pregnant AND it's vacation), talked about how we missed garrett (of course, come on, we're not heartless!), talked about life with baby girl joining us, napped, etc. the only picture i managed to shoot of us is above...if you know my husband @ all, you'll know where we ended up for dessert on friday night (even though you can't see much of the background).

meanwhile, my mom was a godsend this past week...she arrived wednesday & then stayed w/ G all weekend (all by herself!). on wed, she gave me the gift of a 3 hour nap (am i really that exhuasted?) & on thursday, i snuck away for a mani/pedi that made me feel like a new woman. while she was in, she bathed & changed G every time he needed it, let him play with all the gadgets in her minivan (while it was parked in the driveway, of course), made him a sweet little jon jon for the summer & fed him every meal, made every snack, played outside letting him soak himself in his pool or via a water bottle every trip out! after brunch this morning, i'm not sure who was more sad to see her leave...us or garrett!
after brunch, we stopped for a few pictures...garrett (as you can tell) wasn't really into it. note how GIANT my babydome is! can't believe that little girl has more weeks of growing to do. she's a pushy one, i can already tell ya! kickboxing me 24-7! :-)

garrett & grandmom on the swing at kimball hall.

garrett's 18 months!

garrett's little personality has just exploded in the last month or two...we hear a new *word* out of him every other day. we find new things that he wants to explore or attempt just about every single day! he laughs @ himself, he loves making us laugh & mocking us.

one of the cutest things he's done lately is grabbing his belly & saying 'ow, ow'! he's doing this b/c baby girl really really really hurts me when she kicks me. truly, painful. garrett didn't act like that when he was in there! so...he scowls (but often smiles while scowling), presses both hands on his belly (or mine) & says, "owwww! owwww!" CRACKS us up!

he loves to play outside! & is such an active, sweaty little guy when we're out there. he's reached the point that he'll cry when we bring him inside. he loves to push light switches up & down, turn anything on & off basically.

happy 18 month birthday (yesterday, sorry we're a little late), little monkey!

(top photo: just playing in our bedroom one afternoon, G was totally laughing @ himself b/c he was playing w/ an old alarm clock & plugging & unplugging it...thought that was hysterical!)

check it out...not the first skinned knee, but the first one that bled all the way down his shin. poor baby!

still checking out that knee!

alright, mowing on...

@ our neighborhood cookout the kids were in a little parade...we didn't actually get around to decorating G's stroller, but he did manage to blow kisses all along the way to his adoring public.

G loves, loves, loves our sunglasses. this is his first *real* pair...last year's *baby* pair have the strap & he gets hung up taking them on & off - so needless to say, these are a hit - when they're on...or off, actually.

too bad that bubble mower doesn't really cut the grass!

so excited to be on the mow!

no joke...every day when B comes home from work, G is certain to make sure that B's bops (aka, socks) must come off. he takes off the shoes, pulls the *bops* off & then wants to shove brian's shoes back on. here he's pointing @ the shoes, ready to start the process. :-)

mom's $28 mistake

the temps have been cooler here. i didn't pack garrett a single long-sleeved item! no jacket, no shirt, no pants! lesson learned...it DOES still get cool @ the beach on occassion. of course, brian didn't pack one for himself, either, so...garrett & brian both scored new t-shirts this week. how is that garrett's only costs $2 less than brian's??? they get away with crazy prices around here, for sure.

but...our day was still lovely...this AM, garrett slept in until 8:30 (which is 9:30 eastern!). the nicest part? brian & i did too (do you sense the recurring sleep theme in my blog posts about this vacation?)!!! we hit the beach after breakfast & little guy was like a maniac trying to dive into the cool water. we were out on a sandbar where he could walk around w/ minimal waves & he wanted to just go face forward into the water. we were fighting to keep our hands on him!

after lunch the dude slept for a 3.5 hour nap...meanwhile, brian biked up to the local gas station for a can of *fix a flat*!!! when we returned from the beach, we realized that the truck has a flat tire. argh! real life - even on vacation. so it goes, right? just a little reminder that tomorrow we'll be heading out of here & back to reality.

btw, top shot...@ dinner tonight, garrett kept mashing banana into his hair. brian wiped it off w/ a warm rag & then shaped it into a faux-hawk. hahahaha! garrett thought it was pretty funny too.

@ the beach today, this was garrett's favorite thing to do! we were sitting in our seats & he snagged the set next to us.

family shot for today...garrett doesn't quite grasp the concept of smiling @ the camera when no one's behind it!

little man is seriously YELLING down @ the people on the balcony below. the funniest part? they just started talking back to him. i think he's talked to, waved @ or blown kisses to everyone staying in RB this week!

hhhmmm...daddy looks pretty cool sitting up there...

...so i have to climb into the chair & be like daddy.

a slow, quiet day

the day started out with cool temps...so we went for a walk after breakfast. after the AM nap (once again family nap!) we headed to the indoor pool...garrett played IN the pool for an hour & a half! he mostly loved watching the bigger kids being thrown into the water/around the pool by their dads, blowing kisses to older women (ages 6ish-40ish) & squirting a little plastic frog!

after lunch, garrett hit the hay (we managed not to go to sleep once again, though) & brian went for a bike ride around rosemary & i spent some time relaxing with a book (it's 'twilight' & i've started it for the third time...despite the hype, i'm still not totally convinced it's a *good* book...we'll see).

the weather finally cleared & we made it onto the beach & to one of the other pools in the community. they were both short lived little trips as it was getting late in the day. but we had so much fun today...seeing all sorts of fun things about garrett's personality; listening to the little man jabber on to everyone he sees, talking to them just like he does to us...enjoying a leisurely dinner of takeout, just me & brian...it's so nice to be in such a beautiful place...enjoying my boys...

garrett's ALWAYS on patrol...checking out everyone & everything...from other kid's sand castles to their moms laying on the beach to the giant poodles on the boardwalk.

garrett & mommy in the pool @ day's end...can you tell? mommy's tired...once again, baby girl is on the MOVE in my belly...tiring me out.

this is one tired & hungry little baby! but still...so freakin' sweet!

on the move...always...all boy

our morning started around 6:45...which is about 45 minutes past G's usual start time if we were on EST. after breakfast, we walked around rosemary & down to the beach - garrett's first view of the ocean.

after his AM nap, we went to play on the beach...and play we did - for 2.5 solid hours! brian & i were playing zone defense b/w garrett & the ocean...that kid ran around, wanted to dive into the water, no fear, splashed in waves - either in our arms or running into them himself, ate some sand, played in a little tidal pool, made a friend...he was exhausted by the time we left & headed back for a nap.

this afternoon after nap (yes, we ALL napped! so freakin' wonderful!), we took garrett down to the fountain...it shoots water up out of the ground. little man's favorite part was that he could press the button himself to start the fountain! he LOVED it & was sooooo proud of himself that he would press it & magically the water would shoot up.

i can't tell you how much time we spent chasing this kid today, though. he is so, so, so on the move. such a boy...that's what you'll see in so many of our pics...he will just not sit still. :-) every time he gets up & we get ready, he starts getting so excited & ready to go out the door (in addition, being outside is his favorite thing in the world right now).

checking out the water with daddy...see how even then he was so ready to jump in that water?

playing in the tidal pool with his new friend, parker.

those are my boys! we had taken a break for lunch & garrett showered daddy w/ some love. i can't tell you how many times today we've said, "i love him so much!" in reference to something garrett's done or just in talking about him in general...that boy has our hearts!

family photo...check out the BELLY (on mommy!). this baby girl is being WILD in my belly - not just when i'm resting; ALL the time!

pressing the button to start the fountain up! when you're 17 months old, this is some serious fun.

our baby sweetness running through the fountain.

running through the fountain & again, away from us!

we were intending to play in the grass park in front of our condo...garrett intended to run away from us. again. :-)

we're on our way

headed off on our first family vacation this morning...we've made *trips* before with garrett, but not a fun vaca, just the three of us. wanted to make it happen for us b/f baby girl arrives. the photo of garrett in his car seat is so sweet...he loves when we count 1, 2, 3 & then raise our arms & yell "wheeeee"!!! we were on our way!!!

little man only slept about 45 minutes today...but was an amazing trooper on our 7 hour drive! plus, he was a little angel until his bedtime tonight...an hour past the usual time. sweet boy! love him!

"momma, let's go to the pool!!! get a move on...wait, can you get this banana off my face first?"

"this elevator's holding up my pool time. let's get this show on the road, people!"

i'm the lucky one

i feel so lucky. to be garrett's mom, mom to Baby Girl growing in my belly. i'm also lucky because i'm sharing the incredible journey of parenthood with brian. he & garrett made today so special for me...it's been a wonderful mother's day! i am so thankful for my mom, becky, & brian's mom, martha. we're blessed to have them be such an active part of our lives & garrett's. we love you, mommas! :-)

below are some pictures of garrett late this afternoon. recently @ my friend christy's house, garrett found the water bottle that she uses to flatten her boy's *bedhair* every morning - he loved it & had sufficiently sprayed himself & her carpet pretty well by the time we left. i picked up a bottle for garrett @ the dollar store this week & let him take it outside today...as you can see, he can't quite grasp the concept of doing anything beyond spraying it directly in his face!