Nashville, TN

We did a quick trip down to Nashville the other weekend.  It’s a little over 4 hours down, so we left Friday morning (Chris had Good Friday off) and got in around lunch time.  We looked up some fun places to eat and Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack was our first stop.  It was and absolute hole in the wall in a terrible neighborhood.  If it hadn’t been featured on the food network, you’d never know about it.  It was crowded and obvious that finding a table wasn’t going to happen.  Getting it To Go wasn’t any faster though; we still waited a half hour walking up and down the dirty strip mall with our 1 and 2-year-old with the smell of pot in the air.  When we got our chicken, we drove to a nicer area and settled into a McDonalds, purchasing a drink and an ice cream for the use of their facility.  The chicken was awesome.  Chris got the hot and I got the medium.  I could feel the edges of my lips burning, but Chris was sweating and periodically wiping his brow as he ate his spicy chicken.  I can’t imagine what the 3X Hot is like. We headed downtown and spotted a pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River.  We spent some time up on the bridge and then walked into the fun down town area.  It threatened to rain a few times, but we only got sprinkled on a tiny bit.  We got some dinner drove around Vanderbilt University and headed to the hotel where Peter gave us the worst night of sleep in a long time.  Peter is not good at sleeping when he can see us in the room.  We were up all night with him trying to keep him quiet so Jane and whoever wasn’t with Peter could sleep.  It was a pretty miserable night.

This little bridge light fixture cage was the highlight of the day for these two kids.  They loved being closed in it and Peter found his own special little spot.  We had to tear them away when we finally decided we needed to move on.

After breakfast, we planned out our day and decided to do the Easter egg hunt at the Hermitage (Andrew Jacksons old home).  I figured we’d have to pay extra to go inside, but the House and gardens looked beautiful and we thought it would be fun to see it from the outside.  When we got there, we discovered the Easter egg hunt was on another part of the property and the home itself we not visible at all except to those who buy the tour.  We were pretty disappointed.  The Easter egg hunt was fun, but it’s not something we would have paid for if we’d known.  Jane loved collecting the eggs though.  She’s not a very aggressive hunter, but she got enough to keep her happy.  Peter passed out in the car on the way over and slept a little in Chris’ arms before the hunt.  He was a little too groggy to participate, but he enjoyed walking around holding an egg that Jane had given him.  They had little games and treats afterward and the Easter bunny was there too.  Jane liked him, but Peter was a little more wary.  

We got Jane a cookie, but she’s so funny about sweets.  She’s picky about her treats.  She did NOT like the cookie, and couldn’t even handle washing it down with lemonade until she got a napkin she could spit it back out into.  (I was pretty glad she wanted a napkin.)  We got her another cookie with frosting and sprinkles, but it was still a disappointment to her.  Peter was more than happy to eat all of Jane’s leftovers. 

We went over to the Parthenon next to marvel at why they would build a Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. We didn’t go inside, but it was fun to walk around it and take some pictures.  We spent a little while at the playground, so Jane could go on the swings and Peter could go on the slides.  They definitely have their own preferences. 

We did a late lunch at the famed Loveless Café.  It was a two-hour wait, but only about 20 minutes to get your food TO GO and sit outside on the picnic tables.  The weather was gorgeous, so we were happy to do that.  They have a big property with a cute country store and some outdoor games and things to keep you busy while you wait.  It is really fun place to stop.  When our food was ready, I picked it up and hand my hands full with our lunch.  Chris was carrying a sleeping Jane, and Peter was trying not to be picked up.  He’s learned this little spin move so I can’t grab him.  Chris tried to lift him for me by holding his hand and we both heard his little arm pop.  We weren’t entirely sure there was anything wrong at first.  He had been crying before we picked him up, but soon we noticed he wasn’t using his right arm and he kept up a very sad cry as we tried to eat lunch.  We called up Dr. Johnson (everyone should have a Dr Brother-in-Law in their lives) and explained the situation.  He told us it was “Nursemaid’s arm” and told me how to pop Peter’s elbow back in place.  As soon as I did, he started using his arm again and was picking dandelions in no time.  It was one of my first real Doctor Mom moments (Thanks to Dr. Johnson). 

There was a popular park nearby that we decided to go see while we were in the area.  When we got there we discovered it was an Equestrian track.  We sat up on the stone stairs of the bleachers and ate our desserts from Loveless Café.  The view was gorgeous.  The kids were playing around us and while we were there, Peter took a tumble down a few stone stairs and then rolled right out of it with a few scratches on his knuckles.  I was surprised he hardly cried, especially after the day he had.  The neighborhoods near this park were full of incredible homes on huge lots.  It was so fun to drive around and look at these picturesque mansions.  It was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.  And with that, we drove home.   

Jane these days… (nearing 2 and a half)

Jane is getting a little chattier, but mostly just with us.  When strangers try to engage her in conversation, she gets shy and defaults to animal noises or simply pretends to fall asleep.  Around us though, she says things like “actually…” or “What the heck?” or “Hey guys” when trying to get our attention in the car.  She asks for a banana and then asks us to “open the door” to it for her.  She usually eats her bananas diced with a fork, though.

Jane has cereal almost every morning. After inquiring after daddy’s where-abouts, Cheerios is the first thing on her mind when I get her in the morning.  She usually has two or three bowls and then insists that she wants another, waits until I pour the milk and changes her mind.  I hate that part.

She has always loved books, but it’s reach a new level lately.  She really listens to the stories now and can fill in a lot of the blanks in her favorite books.  Right now those favorite books include: Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site (every night), Little Blue Truck, and her “Princess Book”.

Jane finally got tall enough and learned how to open doors. Now she is obsessed with opening and closing doors, which often leaves Peter trapped or excluded. 

Jane loves trucks.  Love pointing them out on the road, love books about trucks, loves playing with toy trucks… anything to do with trucks.  We took her the other night to the Monster Truck Rally.  It was fun.  The noise concerned her a little at the start, but she warmed up to it after a little while and liked pointing out the trucks and cheering for the pink one or the doggie truck (Monster Mutt).

Jane said her first bedtime prayer all by herself about a month ago.  It went like this:

"Heavenly Father, thank you this day.  Thank you Zoey.  Thank you Mason.  Thank you Quinn.  Thank you Dave..." then came daddy, mommy, Peter, Jesus, Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies, and Dinosaur Train.  It's fun to hear what's important to her. 

Jane loves her cousins and asks me all the time if we can go see them.  I told her we would seeing all of them in just two months.  She was so excited.  Then I said, "Ok, get your coat on we're going to the grocery store," to which she replied, "No grocery store.  We're going to go see the cousins."  I explained that they all lived really far away and it would be a long time before we got to see them again.  She broke down into the saddest cry ever.  She misses her cousins (and prays for them all the time too.)

For a while, every time Peter would lie down with a sippy cup or bottle, Jane requested a drink of her own to lie down beside him.  They like to be close to each other, but it doesn't often line up that they feel that way at the same time.

Louisville

 Louisville is less than two hours from Indy, so when we saw 50 degree weather in January, we decided to head down for the day.  50 degrees is a heavenly break from the single digits we've been having.  It was fun to do a little sight-seeing again and now I can add Kentucky to my list of visited states.  We stopped for lunch at El  Taco Luchador.  I would go back.  Those tacos were tasty.
There are really two main things to see in Louisville: The Slugger Factory and Churchill Downs. We stopped at the Slugger museum first.  Chris loved it, of course, but even I (not a big baseball fan) thought it was pretty fun to see the factory processes.  Afterward, we walked down the charming downtown area and enjoyed the not freezing weather.

 Daddy is trying to teach Jane a good batting stance.  (She's a lefty)

We stopped by Churchill Downs, but by that time, both kids were zonked out in the back, so we headed home.  Another time, Louisville.

Birthday Boy

We had an intimate little family birthday party for Peter.  We took him to the Children's Museum for his actual birthday and then the next day we opened presents and ate cake.  We were waiting for Peter to wake up from his nap to start the festivities and it was just killing Jane.  She couldn't stop touching the presents and getting as close as possible to the cupcakes.  I had to pull her away several times and then came back once to find her eating a cupcake.  She froze mid-bite when I found her but the look on her face said, "I couldn't help it".  I get it, Jane.  

Peter got a couple of "bump & go" trucks and two books, and Jane has been obsessed with them since.  Peter likes them too, but not as much as he like his cake.  He devoured his cupcake, smiling and laughing the whole time.

Peter at 1 year.

We keep thinking he's close to walking.  He's actually taken a step, bridging the gap between the ottoman and the couch, but then he goes days without wanting to try anything at all.  He LOVES to walk Jane's tricycle around and even does it one-handed sometimes.  He has gotten more use out of it so far than Jane has.  That's ok, she uses the trucks he got for Christmas more than he does too.

He's picked up pointing and it's become his primary form of communication these days.   The other day he pointed to his blanket, indicated to me he wanted to be picked up, pointed to the stairs, then his room, then his bed.  Message received.  He did that for 2 of his naps that day.

Peter love bath time.  He crawls around happily and tries to drink the water whenever I'm not watching.  He is completely unfazed by water splashing, spraying, or pouring on his head.  (That's quite a bit different than our little Jane.)

He has four teeth and a fifth one just cutting through now.

Peter is learning to handle disappointment and frustration.  He has more emotion than he knows what to do with and it spills out in little tantrums here and there.  It's pretty funny actually.  He's happily playing with something and then the next minute he's throwing himself on the floor pounding fists (classic) or crawling really fast right into a wall (he's done this a number of times and of course it only makes him angrier).

He makes a lot of noises and sounds, but nothing I would qualify as a first word yet.  I like it when he says "da" and I respond in kind and we each take turns getting louder and louder.  It usually ends in giggles.

Clementines are still a staple in Peter's diet, but he's finally expanded to a lot more foods. He's a pretty good eater now, especially since he can handle dairy now.  That helped a lot.

Peter is constantly climbing.  He particularly likes to climb up on the kid's picnic table and then back down again.  He hasn't fallen yet, but I suppose it's only a matter of time.