Our Little Trooper

Harrison had a little procedure this morning at the hospital where he had to have his nose cauterized. it really isn't a big deal except that he had to be put under because he is so young. We've been telling him he is going to get his nose fixed since he has so many nose bleeds. We prepped him for it yesterday while we were at the hospital doing pre-op stuff. We told him that we would be coming back to the hospital before the sun was up and that we would wait in the waiting room until they called his name. I then told him that the nice nurse would take him to the back and he would go to sleep, wake-up, and his nose would be fixed. This morning, at 5:30 am, when Adam went to get Harrison, he was so excited about being up while it was dark outside (mom and dad were not as excited about this fact). On the 45 minute drive to the hospital, he repeated everything I told him the day before. He even said, "wait until doctor call my name," and I replied, "what will they say?" He said, "Doctor call me Harrison, not H." We obviously got a good laugh about that this morning. But he was so great. When the nurse administering the anesthesia took him back, Harrison didn't even look back at us. He was so excited. I got a little teary-eyed. I don't know why...maybe because I'm pregnant. And literally, 30 minutes later, he was done. He woke up, wanted apple juice, and we were on our way back home. The nurses told me that when he got home, he would want to sleep, and probably not eat all day. I actually thought that I might get some stuff done around the house since he would be wimpy and sitting on the couch. Not so much. He has been going full speed. And he has eaten more than he has eaten in a week. Maybe now that his nose is fixed, he can taste food again!

What's In A Name

I had my 20 week ultrasound last Thursday and we found out that our little boy looks healthy, though very active. I can already tell that he is more active than Harrison was in utero. And I'm a little nervous about what that means for baby boy number 2. I love the new ultrasound pictures. Considering the number of ultrasounds that I have had until this point, it is so nice to just see a baby growing instead of trying to verify that it is actually going to grow. What a huge blessing! So, we have a name. I know that everyone is probably thinking that it is ridiculous for me to reveal this on my blog, however, I don't really care what people think (I know...big shocker). I'm also not into keeping it a secret. Don't get me wrong. I understand why people do keep it a secret. I'm just not that way. Most likely because I'm not great at keeping secrets that I don't deem necessary (or if someone else deems necessary). The same theory applies to finding out what you are growing in your belly. I love that people wait; I just can't. Anyway, we have been pretty sure about our name for a while. I will say, that if this little boy was going to be a girl, we were certainly going to name her Hope. But, this is definitely not a girl (as everyone who has seen our ultrasound pics have said). Especially since during the last two ultrasounds, he has been flaunting his stuff as soon as we start looking. Such a boy! We reserve the right to change the name, though I don't think we will. Drum roll... y'all are looking at pictures of Baby Fisher. Fisher is a name that Adam tossed around with Harrison, that I vetoed pretty early on, however, this time, we just feel like it is appropriate. Adam and I both have heard the verse numerous times for our boys, especially more with this one, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." We won't be denying what the Lord has put on our heart. And, Harrison already calls him Baby Fisher, so I think there may be an identity crisis when the baby comes out if we decide to change it. The full name has been the hard part. We wanted to use the name Adam, but we were unsure where to put it. We finally came to a consensus that he will be Adam "Fisher" Brantley. So, there you have it. I know for my mom, it is going to take some time to get used to it (she already told me that). But she has a son named, Tree. I think she'll figure it out.

Backyard Fun

This past weekend, we visited Lexington, SC to help celebrate my grandma's 85th birthday. My grandma is a force to be reckoned with, and could possibly be my hero. My new favorite aspect about her: she can hardly hear. It makes for the greatest conversations, especially when she tells you what she thinks you said. She has always had a hard time understanding me as I have been told that I am a mumbler. Either way, it has set me up for success in this part of her life as I'm used to her asking me to repeat what I've said. Anyway, so I stayed with my Aunt Lorri (who is 19 years younger than my mom) and has a son that is about five months older than Harrison. I guess that makes them second cousins. They played outside really hard (notice the abundance of sweat on Harrison). Not mentioning their pool and cabana, they have an awesome trampoline and playhouse in their back yard. I think I need both. I grew up with a trampoline that provided hours of entertainment for me (and freedom from whoever was inside). I love them. In fact, I'd love to jump right now except for the knowledge that I would pee my pants every time I bounced (because of baby two in my belly). And something tells me you aren't supposed to jump on a trampoline when you are pregnant. The trampoline I jumped on was rectangular, with no sides, and usually, exposed springs. Harrison looked like he was in prison behind the netting of this trampoline (that happened to be spring-less too). He didn't care. He kept on tackling Jonathan, and couldn't understand why he wasn't getting tackled back. He is already in big brother mode. Now that I know that I am going to have two boys around, a trampoline and an outside fortress are a must. So, grandmas and grandpas, that is what Harrison wants for Christmas. Actually, we've already talked about getting him a swing set thingy, but Adam wants to build it. I tried to have Adam pay attention when I asked Lorri where they got their set and she responded "they even put it together for us while we were out of town." What a dream, I thought. I don't think Adam even heard it.

Lake Jocassee

Harrison and Adam "tubing" together.

The family minus Nana and Papa...we need some more kiddos in this picture!

Pure Joy. This kid loved the water.

On another hike. This was a more mild than our Aspen hike...or maybe it was the presence of oxygen that I appreciated. Harrison loved it...again. He kept on telling us that he was climbing big roots. And he repeated "big roots" about 100 thousand times.

Catching a fish...sort of hard to see. Adam taught Harrison that it was okay to stretch the the truth when someone asks you how big the fish you caught was.

We just returned from the Brantley (Adam's immediate family) Family vacation a couple of days ago. The trip took us to Lake Jocassee; a gem of a lake. I highly recommend everyone visiting this lake during a vacation at some point in their lives (preferably August). It is absolutely beautiful with clear water and lots of hidden waterfalls. We spent the majority of our time just hanging around the dock, floating in the water, which could possibly be heaven on earth for me. Harrison absolutely loved swimming in the water. In fact, he got more exhausted than I have ever seen him. He also got more beat-up. This poor kid came back with so many bumps and bruises that I'm sure we are getting some funny looks as parents. But I guess all of that is part of being a boy.

Maroon Bells Pictures

This was my second time hiking to Crater Lake in the Maroon Bells in Aspen. It is an absolutely breathtaking place. In fact, many of the postcards that you see for Colorado have are pictures of the Maroon Bells. Last time I went, I was 8 weeks pregnant with Harrison. We got caught in a hail storm at the top of the mountain and I was sure that I was never going to meet the baby in my belly. I told Adam that I would never let him take me hiking again. Well, that didn't last very long. I made another trip with Harrison in tow, as well as 17 weeks pregnant with another baby boy. We didn't get stuck at the top in the storm, but I also got us moving back down the mountain pretty quickly once we arrived. We did get rained on, but it seemed like nothing compared to my previous near-death experience. And Harrison loved it. He loved climbing on the rocks. He thought it was the greatest. I am so glad that we are going to have another little boy to take on fun adventures like this.

Colorado Family Vacation

On top of Aspen. I may have been a little nervous during this picture.

On the way into the Rockies game

Harrison holding up a "red rock" at Red Rocks


Our little family after my meeting at Red Rocks

On the ride back down the gondola from Glenwood Springs Adventure Park

Soaring "high in the sky" as H reminded us over and over again

On the ride up the gondola...Harrison's first ride. He loved it.

We made another trip to Colorado this past weekend (and week), and had a grand time. Just as we expected, Harrison loved the plane...and all of the other modes of transportation for that matter which include, gondolas, trains, elevators, escalators, rental cars, you name it. Harrison is at such a fun age because we can actually see him enjoying activities that we take him on as well as talking about them later. We spent the weekend in Aspen where we did a good bit of hiking and exploring. We visited with friends from Denver that we miss dearly. Harrison even got to go to a Rockies game his last night there. Sorry about the overwhelming number of pictures.