Growing

This Hartman family is growing. We are so excited to announce (a little late here) that our family of 3 is becoming a family of 4. Now, I'm not leaving Riley out, I just don't want to confuse anyone by saying we are becoming a family of 5- that is how rumors are spread- and no I'm not pregnant with twins. I may look like I'm carrying twins, but I have been assured that there is just one little bean sprout growing. The new addition to our family will be arriving on or around May 11th. I'm just about 15 weeks along and probably already look 25 weeks pregnant. Okay...not really, but I am in awe of how much faster the second baby bump grows. I had to bust out the maternity clothes like 3 weeks ago! This pregnancy has been much different than the first in several other ways too. I remember being sick with Grayden...but I don't remember being this sick. My designated sick times are somewhere between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. This is also the time I am usually driving home from work. Throwing up in the car while driving is a task that I never thought I would have to master...but I must say I've become a pro. I apologize if I just made anyone sick. Other things have been different too- however, some are just too personal to share on a blog post, so I will reserve those to myself.

In other things growing- Grayden is becoming such a big boy. I can't begin to tell you how much joy he brings Rob and I (and everyone else who comes in contact with him). He is such a good little boy....tantrums are fewer than before and his language is exploding. It amazes me how quickly his little brain learns things. He's doing great in his Tuesday/Thursday school and has learned so much!

He's not 100% sure what Mommy and Daddy mean when we say he is going to be a big brother, but he seems to get excited. When I show him my belly and tell him baby, he lifts his shirt, point to his belly, and says baby! Now, I assure you that my son does know that his belly is a belly, he just thinks he has a baby in his belly too. The first time we told Grayden he would be a big brother, we asked him if he wanted a baby brother or sister, he responded with "baby cookie!". He called the baby "baby cookie" for awhile and now when we ask him if he wants a brother or a sister, he changes his mind about 3-4 times, such as "brother!, no, sister!, no, brother!, no BABY!". We are sure that he will be a great big brother to either, a brother or a sister. However, I will say that I have resolved myself to the fact that we are having another boy. As Rob says, "Hartman's only make boys"...and this has been proven to me when I found out that my sister in law who is due in March is infact- having another boy. So, the world need be prepared for 4 little boy cousins and grandboys in the Hartman family. Now, I must say, that I have not actually had "the" ultrasound (probably in a few weeks), but you can just know, that we will be having another boy.

I have lots of pictures to update with- but haven't gotten around to uploading off my camera, so Halloween and pictures of late will be coming. Until then, enjoy this one of our little Grayden sharing his exciting news.

And enjoy this one- of our little bean sprout who at the time of this ultrasound was about

1 1/2 inches long (10 weeks) Now baby is about the size of an apple!

Way Over Due: Summarizing Summer

Wow..surprise, surprise- guess who is behind in their blogging?

I have to admit, it's not that I'm ignorant to my lack of blog postings. I check my blog roll everyday, which requires me to see my own lack of postings. However, whenever I start to write, I become very overwhelmed with everything I have failed to post! Our summer has been a whirlwind of busyness. I am not sure I even know where to begin, so instead I will just tell you what these past weeks have entailed.

Our hilarious 2 year old man continues to bring happiness to our lives. He's blossomed into a true toddler. His language has exploded and if I had to predict what he would be when he grows up at this point, I would suggest an OCD singing football player. Grayden LOVES football....I don't think I can fully explain how MUCH he loves football. He lives, eats, and breathes all things football. As soon as he wakes up he asks "football tv!" which means, "turn on football please".  When we change him, he asks "football shirt please!", which means he would like to wear his OSU football jersery- in which he has worn for 4 days in a row this week....(we have to pry it off at night and wash it for the next day. he was devastated that I said no this morning. It's Sunday!), and he continually is acting out football- hiking the ball, tackling himself, and fumbling the ball-he even kicks off after he scores a touchdown. It's insanity- really it is. His other love is that of singing. And I can't leave out the dancing- he enjoys that too. About the OCD behaviors- we are hoping that this is just a stage.

Grayden has recently started Tuesday/Thursday school which he adores. He's only had 2 weeks so far- but he loves his teacher, Miss Karen and asks every time we get in the car if we are "class? go class? alright, class!" - which means "are we going to school? Yes? Alright! Class!".  He gets very upset if we are driving to the store or dinner instead...obviously class is much more fun.

Recently he has found himself a new friend and sleep mate, One of our sweet ladies we used to be in small group with from church brought Grayden a Curious George and Grayden has been attached ever since. He also insists on sleeping with his ABC blanket that his Nana made him. We also (FINALLY) converted Grayden to his big boy toddler bed. He's done great! He hasn't once got up during the night or nap time. In fact I think he prefers to get in his bed himself.

To summarize our summer so far, we've mostly stayed in - it's been beyond hot here! We've made a trip to Cincinnati to see the Reds - and will probably making another trip come playoff time! We went to Gatlinburg for the annual family reunion, took a day trip to Chattanooga, been to the zoo, and had various other small adventures. I apologize if I've left anything or anyone out- my memory is suffering! I do have a bit of bittersweet news....Our roomate and good friend, Andy has gotten engaged!! We are more than excited and happy for him, but I will admit that I'm a bit sad to see our "second child" and friend leave the nest in the next few months. We love Lauren though- and we are so happy that they've found each other.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of the little man and I promise that I will TRY to do better about updating.

Grayden with his Papa

Graydenand his teacher Miss Karen

Going to school

At the zoo

Playing football

Grayden's New Favorite Song (as promised!)

Recap: Busy, Busy Hartmans

It's been so long since I posted last, I'm not even sure where to begin! Grayden has grown so much since his 2nd birthday and it seems he is getting smarter every day. He amazes me with the things he says. And sentences! How does that happen? It seems like we were just working on words. Now it's "I need help" or "Momma, cracker please." And our favorite saying? "IT FELL DOWN!", which is what we hear probably 50 times a day. And let me assure you, things are not actually falling down 50 times a day....it's just that if something is on the ground, then "it fell down". And when the tv is turned off, "it fell down". So you can see how things fall down often around here. Grayden still loves music, singing and dancing. His most current favorite song is Rain, by Breaking Benjamin. I have a video of him singing along, I''ll be sure to post that soon. And one thing that I haven't caught on video yet is Grayden's most favorite thing of all- playing football. Rob introduced Grayden to video games which I initially thought was a terrible idea, but Grayden doesn't like to really play video games- he likes to MIMIC video games. Let me explain: Rob will turn on our football video game and put it on demo (which means it plays without anyone actually having to play). Grayden will then proceed to take his football and mimic every play and player on the game. Hilarious? Yes.


To catch you up on what we've been up to since I posted: Rob and I went to Hawaii for almost 2 weeks, Grayden stayed with his Nana and Papa in Ohio (while we were in Hawaii), we made  a trip to Michigan to meet our niece Brynn and celebrate our other niece Blair's 2nd birthday, we made a pit stop in Dayton to see Mamaw, a pit stop in Louisville to see nephew Luke (and his parents too), trips to the zoo, Jen had strep throat, Jen had jury duty, Grayden fell in love with Curious George, and we fell more in love with our little boy. Whew....it's been a busy couple weeks to say the least.

I'll spare all the details- but I will say we had the best time in Hawaii although deeply missed our chinchilla (Gray) and I think Grayden had a great time with his Nana and Papa. We loved getting to see our families (even if it was only for just a little while) and loved watching Grayden play with his cousins. A few pictures below to summarize our end of April/May/early June....

This "DoughGirl" is RUNNING!

So, after much thought and delibration, I have dedicated myself to getting back in shape. And I'm going big. I've have always wanted to run a 1/2 marathon, but to put it bluntly- have been too lazy to work towards it! But the fire has been lit behind me and I'm ready to make the commitment. One of the exercise physiologists I work with (Andrea is her name)- runs marathons quite frequently and has been begging me to let her train me when I was ready to make the commitment. So, 2 weeks ago, I came to her on my hands and knees, with my brain yelling at my body saying "DON'T DO IT" -and told her I was ready to submit to the training! The plan? Start training for the Middle Tennessee Half Marathon (which is in October of this year). How? Well, we've signed up for a 5K (The Doughboy Challenge) for June 12th. Then, we'll see if we can find a 10K locally, and then we'll be set for the Half.  Of course, there will be multiple training in between. I'm freaking out nervous. But, super excited. Andrea and I have only begun our training. But yesterday I ran a whole mile straight! No stopping and it was only my second training session! My knees hurt, my hip flexors hurt, and my lungs thought they were going to jump out of my chest, BUT I love it. Who knows...maybe a new running hobby in my future? Haha... doubt that. :)

Prayers that I don't die, PLEASE!

A Near Picture Perfect Day

Spring is finally here! (well, it was and then yesterday happened and rainy and cold weather struck). But Saturday was BEAUTIFUL. So beautiful, that we spent over 4 hours at the Long Hunter Park. And yes, 4 WHOLE HOURS. And for those of you asking how we could spend an entire 4 hours at the park...it went something like this:- lying in the grass, a picnic lunch, good friends, chasing my sweet puppy, a nice walk around the lake, stopping to look at each leaf and acorn, picking up the biggest sticks we could find, throwing rocks into the lake, sliding down the slide, and swings. All in all, I couldn't ask for a better day, except I could ask that our dog hadn't been stricken with ticks and tick babies. And I could ask that the tick I found on MYSELF hadn't been there... Okay- so I guess it was a NEAR perfect day. A perfect day minus ticks.  Pictures to share... (and don't worry, we didn't take any pictures of the ticks)

Our little man turned 2! (And this post is a little overdue)

This post is a little overdue, as I have had a hard time bringing myself to actually blog about this. Because, blogging about Grayden turning 2 means that I have to accept that my sweet little baby boy is now a big, growing, hilarious toddler. REALLY!?! TWO!?! You mean that it has actually been 2 years since this tiny little boy entered my world??

I can't believe how fast the past 2 years have gone by. Grayden has gone from a tiny little baby to a chubby little baby, a balding old man look alike to a head full of hair young man, and from a baby to a TODDLER!? This can't be happening. This is what has came from my little 7 lb 7oz, 20 inches long sweet baby boy?

It's amazing how much this little guy has changed our lives. And I've loved (and still love) every second of it!! Grayden, we are so blessed to have you in our lives!! You bring us so much joy! Happy Birthday my sweet baby boy!!

Quickly, to fill you in on how we spent Grayden's 2nd birthday- I took off work Friday so that Rob and I could spoil him just the two of us. The morning started off with sleeping in, having Birthday Pancakes (as seen above), off to have Birthday 2 year old pictures made- (which almost resulted in a terrible, miserable, depressed mother thanks to Portrait Innovations who refused to do his pictures because they don't take walkins like they advertise they do... THANK YOU SEARS for letting us get pictures made), and a trip to the Nashville Zoo. After the Nashville Zoo playplace and a quick look at the meerkats, Grayden passed out. After naptime- we went to Grayden's favorite place to eat with all the grandparents (and Uncle Brian too)- BLUECOAST BURRITO, came home so Mommy could finish the cake. It was a near perfect day- followed with a pretty perfect Birthday Party where I want to thank everyone who came and made it such a special day for Grayden (and Rob and I too). We love everyone of you! Below, a picture of Grayden from his party and my 2nd attempt at a homemade birthday cake...(the character on top is SuperWHY- Grayden's favorite show, it's on PBSKids)

A $3.37 dinner

For those of you who may not know, today is National Pancake Day. Now, this may not mean much to you, but for those of us who are on a super tight and it's the end of the month budget- it's GOLD. Because, on this day, IHOP (that would be the International House of Pancakes for those of you who don't know what the acronym IHOP stands for) honors this day and shows it's customers their love with a free stack of pancakes to every customer. And the best part? There are no stipulations. You come in- wait 10 minutes for you table, order a water with lemon, and ask for a stack of pancakes. Then you eat them. With delicious yummy warm syrup. And you sit back and take in the yumminess. Then you take your full belly, tip the water $3 bucks, and allow your adorable little boy (whose about to turn 2!!!!!!!!!!) to donate 37 cents to the Children's Miracle Network.


So...for those of you who missed this extremely important day- be sure to mark it on your calendar for next year-Feb 22, 2011. Your life will be changed forever.

The Lion Sleeps TONIGHT!

The Perfect Day.

I've been meaning to post this post for a while. You see, a few weeks back, we had a Saturday that was truly the perfect day. 2 weeks ago, a blizzard came through Tennessee and while most people may think a blizzard would completely ruin a weekend, those living in the Hartman household that weekend had the best Saturday anyone could ask for. The snow started on a Friday mid-morning, which led to mass chaos as everyone scrambled to get home before it got to bad. The wellness center, where my office is located, closed while I as at lunch, so I decided that I too would go home (rather than stay in the scary locked up building by myself). A drive that usually takes me 20 minutes took about an hour and a half. Rob and I were out of food (because it was the end of the month and our budget had run out)- so we were discussing whether we wanted to walk to the Chinese place that is less than 1 mile away from the house. Andy (for those of you who don't know him, he is our friend that lives in our basement...practically family at this point) was home too, waiting for his girlfriend Lauren to get in from work. After her 3 1/2 hour drive (not usually that long of a drive...but Tennessee civilians don't know how to drive in snow, no offense to those of you who may be reading this), Andy and her battled the blizzard, drove to Little Caesars and Kroger- for dinner and groceries. The evening concluded with a good movie. We had no idea what the next day would entail.... The Perfect Day.

Now what is the Perfect Day, you may ask. Well let me give you the run down of the days activities:

8:30am: Wake Up.

9:30 am: Biscuits with Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, Turkey Bacon, Sausage, and Orange Juice.

10:30 am- Sledding down the driveway (Everyone included, Rob, Grayden, Andy, Lauren, Jen, and pups.)

11:30- Grayden takes a nap/ Sledding continues

12:00: Hot chocolate, scattegories, sequence, and leftover turkey bacon.

1:00: Showers.

2:00 pack up in Lauren's SUV- drive to Plato's Closet

2:30: Plato's Closet- $1 deals!

4:00: Sams Club Shopping Spree (and disappointment to find that the free samples we expected were not available.)

5:30- drive to Mexican restaurant to feast on some delicious Mexican food.

6:30- Baskin Robbins- ICE CREAM!

7:00: Walmart pitstop and lottery ticket for Andy and Lauren

7:30- Target pitstop.

9:00: Arrive home.

10:00...exhausted. bedtime

Now- some of you may be thinking that that seems like a long list of activities for one day, but let me tell you- it was in fact a perfectly wonderful day. Good food, sledding, good friends, shopping, and more good food? Yep- most definitely THE PERFECT DAY!

More updates to come...hopefully not so delayed next time.

New Videos

We've got 2 new videos...
First, Grayden singing his ABC's with his favorite You Tube Video- SuperWhy's Alphabet Song





Second, Our good friends, Tim and Sara Randolph came in town for a visit and we played a good share of Wii Resort. This video is just a clip of how that night went...

A Dietitian Mom's Worst Nightmare

My child is a picky eater. No, scratch that. My child doesn't eat vegetables. Nor does he eat fruit. Dietitian's worst nightmare? Yes. I don't know how to fully explain to you what this does to my self moral. I mean I teach kids and adults the importance of healthy foods on a DAILY basis. I teach the food guide pyramid and my child sits at home with his father eating graham crackers, cereal, oatmeal, cheese, and of course the all time favorite food-black beans (which technically is a starch, protein and VEGETABLE!!). I'm probably exaggerating a little bit here... he does eat applesauce, raisins, and craisins and drink 100% juice- which are all technically fruits (in higher sugar form). He also eats salsa, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, and beans of all types...and please don't ask me if a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. In my house, beans and tomatoes are considered vegetables. I have learned a trick or two in how to trick my child into eating veggies... 1. Homemade vegetable soup. He loves it...and eats it without picking out tooooo many veggies.  2. Fried Rice with mixed veggies....he ate a few peas and carrots too.

BUT I need everyone to celebrate with me....because my child, my sweet little boy, ate some canned (rinsed and drained, of course) PEACHES on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!! He ate almost the whole can, and to make the day even better, he actually put a banana in his mouth. Of course, the banana lasted about 3 seconds, but he attempted to eat it, and that my friends, is progress!!

We won't go into the tiny little detail about how if I was a stay at home mom that my child would be offered fruit and veggies with every meal consistently. No, we won't spend any time discussing how my stay at home husband could better please his Natzi Dietitian Wife.  Instead, we will celebrate that a breakthough has been made. Grayden ate peaches. And LOVED them.

Now Performing!

Grayden singing God is So Good...with a few minor distractions.

Christmas Recap...

Suprise! Guess who's behind on blogging? Not me...check out my sister-in-law's blog- She hasn't blogged since July... haha! Okay, no I am a bit behind, so I'll try to recap our Christmas Vacation as brief as I can be.

This year Rob and I decided that we would stay home for Christmas Eve and morning just as a family. I'm glad we did, but I have to admit I found myself extremely depressed Christmas Eve day. Christmas Eve is supposed to be a big deal, cookies should be in the oven and being decorated, presents getting wrapped, lots of family bustling around and chatting it up getting ready for the Big Christmas Day. But this year...Rob and I spent Christmas Eve day alone (well Grayden and Riley were with us...but you know what I mean) and what did we do on our first Christmas Eve day in Tennessee?? We cleaned the garage. It was close to 60 degrees which is just a sin for someone who grew up off of Lake Erie where lake effect snow is absolutly gorgeous and perfect for Christmas eve and day!- but no....it was 60 degrees here in warm, sunny Tennessee, so instead of cozing up near a fireplace watching Christmas movies, drinking hot chocolate and cookies in the oven- we cleaned out our garage. Yay for us! We can finally park in the garage. But BOO for non-Christmasy like Christmas eve. I guess it's official....I'm officially an adult. Does the Christmas spirit really leave after you have a child and turn 26? It appears so. Anyway- the real joy was Christmas morning- watching Grayden's excitement as he stumbled into the living room that morning and saw that for some reason unknown to him, that there was huge John Deer Tractor and an awesome retro Kitchen set next to the tree. He loved opening gifts- I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Fast Forward: We drove to Louisville Christmas day for the Hartman Christmas at Danny and Jenna's. Glad to get to spend a little time with them- although time with the sisters and brothers is NEVER long enough. We've got to plan more sister/brother trips. Grayden got spoiled by his Nana and Papa with presents, kisses, hugs and attention. (And I got a sweet new camera! Thanks Phyllis!!)Drove to Dayton Saturday- 26th, for Mamaw's 80th birthday- so we could spoil the mess out of her...which we did and she deserved all of it. Drove back to Louisville to spend more sister/brother and nephew time with Danny and Jenna, and then returned home late Sunday night.  (Ps. I got a nasty GI bug Friday that continues to last until oh....Wednesday Dec 30th- GROSS).

Fast Forward: Wed Dec 30th--- GI bug forces me to MD where I get prescription. We are supposed to leave for Dayton, OH- but have to cancel because I'm on the toilet. Too much info? Yes. Thursday, New Year's Eve... Pack up car at 7:30-8:00...Start Road trip. Pit stop in Dayton 2-3:30 to see Rob's Grandpa and Grandma- (Pap and Great Nana), eat some snacks, change a few diapers and let Grayden run his legs. 6:15 arrive at Toledo Zoo for Lights "before" (actually it would be after) Christmas where we met my mom, her new husband...Bill, brothers and sister and neice- including the newbie stepbrothers and sister and nephew. Enjoyed the freezing cold and the lights... Highlight? Grayden dancing to the musical lights and his face when he saw the gianormous train set display. 11:30 pm- arrive in Grand Blanc, MI (mom's new digs)- just in time for the ball to drop. New Year's Day was actually our second Christmas day- complete with Christmas dinner, football, and presents. Sorry Mom and Bill for leaving the basement trashed with our boxes and torn up wrapping paper! Oopps! Mom was sick most of New Years Day (flu, strept throat= confinement) and the day following, so unfortunatly we didn't get to spend much time with her... But I did get lots of brother/sister niece time which was well needed. And I got to feel my sister's belly kick!! Yippee! Yep, Mandy's having another baby girl- due end of March (sorry I forgot the acutal due date). Jan 2nd: 5:00 pm- depart Grand Blanc 9:30 pm arrive in Dayton, OH, Mamaw's house. We spent Sunday morning with Mamaw and aunts, uncles, cousins; time well spent. :) And departed for home at 3:30 (eastern). Arrived at home 8:00 (central) after stopped traffic and detours north of Nasvhille. All in all- It was totally worth the exhaustation we are now suffering to see all our family. Now if you all would just move a little more south...I think we'd be all set!! Christmas pictures below... But I'll warn those who stalk my facebook- they are the same photos (it's just convenient that way...)

Oh and I'll also post some post-Christmas photos, since they are snow pictures and look like Christmas photos~(and I couldn't get these pictures in correct, sequential order, so here they are in random order!!)