What a morning!

I spent some time with the camera yesterday getting some cute shots of Gavin that I could post this morning, but our morning was quite eventful. Let's go back a few weeks -

Gavin had his 2 year check up 3 weeks ago. When they checked his iron levels, they were low. Not dangerously low, but lower than Dr. Harvey wanted. (Whom, by the way, I really like....we've been pretty lucky with doctors for Gavin with all this moving.) He said he'd like to see a 35 and Gavin's reading was 30. So, he sent us home with the instructions of taking a vitamin with iron and to come back in 3 weeks for a new reading.

Gavin didn't like the vitamins. The first day or so went well - half of a Flinstone vitamin...no problem! Then he started refusing them. I even tried crushing it and mixing it with his yogurt, but he immediately spit the yogurt back out. He knew it was in there! (Have I posted about this before???? I'm getting a deja vu feeling.) Anyway, we resorted to a liquid vitamin that I mix in orange juice and he drinks that every morning.

We went today for his recheck. First, they weighed him, checked his temperature and his ears. He usually would scream and cry through all these things, but he did so well this time! I was impressed....then, the nurse came in and pricked his toe. The tears started immediately! While we were waiting for the results, he had to get two vaccines that he's due for since our shot record didn't get sent from NY on time. So, of course now he's even more mad. Well, the iron test came back at a 30.5 - not enough of an improvement to make the doctor happy. Basically he explained to me that the test they run there actually tests the red blood count, which is indicative of his iron levels. He wanted Gavin to have an actual blood draw to get his exact iron level so we could know if he is in fact anemic.

So, we headed to Daddy's work (since I promised we'd see him after the doctor) and told him the news and then headed to the hospital for blood work. We had to do this last summer because of his weight gain issues, and that was awful for both him and I. Of course, it was still awful, but we both did much better! I didn't cry :) and Gavin didn't get to that "can't catch my breath" cry like last time. He was actually done crying by the time we left the office. So, hopefully we'll know something on Monday.

Now to the pictures - I realized I hadn't been taking many so we were being silly and I thought I'd snap a few cute shots to post for all the family that's been asking! :) Before I could get him to look at the camera though, he wanted to show you all how he puts his hands up to jump in the pool at swim lessons. This is a new obsession - he jumps off the couch, off the ottomans, off the bed....all with his hands up like Miss Jo taught him in swim lessons.

Now for the cuteness - such a sweet and innocent little smile!

I asked him if I could take a picture of his feet and this is what I got...

Then I requested a picture of his hand. :)

It's hard to imagine the Terrible Twos existing with a cute picture like this....but believe me, they exist!

Some things to check out

I haven't been taking many new pictures lately - it's been pretty rainy here and we really haven't been doing much! So instead of Gavin pictures, I'm just going to write about something I think you should check out. :)

I found a new blog that I like to read and decided to try a recipe that I saw rave reviews for. Go to http://shaversfamily.blogspot.com/2009/12/recipe-crockpot-shredded-bbq-chicken.html and try these sandwiches! They were so easy to make and so delicious! We used 4 chicken breasts and had enough for dinner and lunch on two different days. Gavin even ate this....it was yummy!

I've been introduced to Money Saving Mom and Hip2Save blogs and the joys of couponing. I've always used coupons, but never saved a ton of money. These ladies are wonderful and do all the ad searching for you; they tell you where to buy things on sale and which coupon to use. It's been fun (for me...remember, I'm a dork) to check the site each day or two, make my list, and head off to get deals. You can't pass up paying $0.42 for BBQ sauce or $0.60 for dish soap! :)

And lastly, if you have a picky eater and want some inspiration, check out www.babyjustinwhite.blogspot.com. She just started this part of her blog, but Melanie has great ideas for sneaking healthy foods into your toddler's diet. Things we probably could all think of but don't.... :)

Wordless Wednesday

25 Things You May Not Know About Me

I've seen several magazines lately with this feature, and I thought it would be fun to do here on my blog. Have a blog? Do one for yourself and post it! :)

1. My middle name is Nicole.

2. I'm an aquarius.

3. I constantly worry about disappointing people. (Partly the reason for the knots in my back, huh Meg?)

4. I wake up every morning and make Jarrod coffee before he goes to work. (But, I must admit, this only started once we got here....I think it was the time change, and now it's just my normal wake-up time.) And I drink more coffee now than ever before.

5. I swore I'd never live anywhere but Ohio.

6. I was Tastefully Simple's top seller for my team last year. :)

7. I always wanted to have my kids close together....until I had Gavin!

8. I always wanted to be a teacher. Dreamt about it since I was a little girl. Got both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in education. Taught 1st grade for 5 years and loved every bit of it. And now.....I spend my days with my bug and can't bring myself to think about the day I'll have to go back to being a teacher.

9. I'm so much like my mom it's scary. (Isn't that right, dad?)

10. Going to Bingo with my grandma was one of my favorite things to do. (And I won a lot, too!)

11. When I get worried or nervous, my stomach hurts! I get a "nervous belly." It's been that way since I was in elementary school.


12. I love to find ways to save money. I get a high from it. :) (Like today - I called the cable company to see if they had anything that could lower our bill, and we got $23 knocked off monthly!) I've become slightly obsessed with some new blogs I found, too. Hip2Save and Money Saving Mom are my new best friends!

13. I'm semi-addicted to the show 'Intervention.' Kinda ironic, huh?

14. I enjoy filling out paperwork and making spreadsheets and lists - I'm a dork!

15. I've slept in the following states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, Arkansas, Alaska, Washington....I think that's all, but more may come to me.


16. I'm going to start watching a little girl part-time and thinking about maybe looking for one more. We'll see how I handle two toddlers first! :)

17. I love "hosting." Having company over, preparing foods, etc. We don't do it nearly enough though.

18. The first time I was ever on an airplane was for a trip to Florida that was our high school graduation gift from Jackie.


19. I have a tiny scar on my lip from when I had chicken pox as a kid.


20. I still remember all my teacher's names and room numbers from elementary school. (Mrs. Burroughs/24, Mrs. DuPree/5, Mrs. Pasterick/8, Mrs. Kavanaugh/13, Mrs. Neblett/11, Mrs. Bruening/21, Mrs. Freeman/23).


21. I recently started seeing a chiropractor. I was so nervous about going, and still cringe every time I hear my neck and back cracking, but my back is feeling so much better!

22. When I was in high school, I taught a sex education class to middle schoolers.

23. I've had terrible seasonal allergies since I was 14 and I hate them!

24. I lived in an all-girls dorm during my freshman and sophomore years of college. When I found out I was placed there, I cried. In the end, I loved it there and probably wouldn't have ever met Angie or Heidi had I not been placed there. (I know Lauren and I would have met thanks to the College of Education!)

25. Before getting my Highlander in 2008, I drove a 14 year old Honda that ran great! But....the doors didn't lock, my driver's side window constantly got off track, and the CD player/radio didn't work. It was nice to get a new car! :)

Dino-mite!

We finished up Dinosaur week here at our house. The green stegosaurus I posted the beginning picture of turned out cute, but it looks more like a porcupine to me. :) We worked on another stegosaurus the next day. I traced Gavin's hand and made 3 handprints on one paper and drew the outline of a dinosaur on the next. Then, I let Gavin paint it using a dishwashing brush. I thought it was creative....giving him another tool to use to paint.

He disagreed - he cried and kept saying, 'No brush!' so I eventually gave in and let him have regular paintbrushes. (Apparently he just didn't like that brush because he painted over the weekend with q-tips just fine!)

This is what the two pages looked like....then I cut out the dinosaur and the handprints and glued them to make the stegosaurus! I love how it turned out. :)

Again, I can't take credit for these ideas....I got them from Little Learners Lounge and No Time for Flashcards. I also found a small pack of dinosaurs at the dollar store that we used. He made footprints in playdough with them and we sorted them by color. After the week, he now knows the following dinosaurs: Stegosaurus (he says "saurus spikes"), T-Rex, Triceratops (he calls it "tops") and Teranadon (which he learned from Dinosaur Train on PBS. He's so smart! :)