Toes in the water

We survived our first trip to the beach as a family of four!  It was touch and go to start with...neither girl slept on the way there and then a horrible night with both girls up for huge chunks.  But once we got past that hurdle, we actually had a lot of fun.

We were at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which I highly recommend.  The weather was perfect - albeit stinking hot - and the crowds are minimal.  We brought my 17 year old niece along with us to help with the girls, which was a GREAT idea.  Adding an extra pair of arms was beyond helpful.  Plus, we got adjoining hotel rooms, and put the girls in with my niece at night.  Hahaha!

Emma loved playing in the water, but wasn't overly fond of the huge wave that knocked both of us under at one point.  But I wasn't a big fan either.  Kate was pretty indifferent.  In fact, we tried to plan the time at the beach around when Kate would be napping (of course one of us would stay in the room with her), because it is pretty hard entertaining a baby that can't walk and won't sit still while you are surrounded by sand.

We did a few fun things while there, other than the pool and beach.  One morning we rented a 4 door jeep and drove on the beach to see the wild horses.  Pretty crazy driving in a car with no doors and 2 carseats strapped in the back.  Maybe not the safest thing but still fun.

I carried Emma to the top of one of the lighthouses - all 217 steps (up and down!).  And we ate a lot of bad-for-you food (shout out to Duck Donuts). 

I have to say, going in my expectations were pretty low, thinking we were crazy for going on a trip with 2 little ones, but we really did have a great time.  And probably one of the smartest things is that we arrived back home on a Friday, which gave us the whole weekend to recover. 

But tomorrow is Monday.  Boo!  Back to reality!

Here are a few of our sweet memories to tide us over until the next vacation.

 First time with toes in the ocean!

One of Emma's favorite things was looking for crabs on the beach...and trust me, they are everywhere!

Three Quarters of a Year

Sweet Kate is 9 months old!

She had her 9 month check-up this week, the first since 6 months, and, boy, has she grown.  She was barely on the charts at 6 months...BUT has gained almost 4 pounds since then, putting her in the 25th percentile (an even 17lbs).  And, while Emma at 6 months weighed over 2 pounds more than Kate did at the same age, Kate now weighs 1 ounce more than Emma did at 9 months. 

This girl can eat. It is unbelievable.  I'm still breastfeeding 3-4 times a day.  And she's eating 3 solid meals a day as well.  She'll finish whatever I've given her and then finish off whatever Emma left on her plate.  Blueberries have definitely emerged as her favorite.

Everything else checked out a-ok.  They did a finger prick to check lead and iron, and, of course, had to do it on one of the two fingers that is in her mouth 80% of the day.  She kept trying to shake off the band-aid, but finally decided to accept her fate and stuck the bandaged finger into her mouth. 

I think 9 months starts to be a really fun age.  She interacts with us, trying to copy sounds that we make and playing with us.  She'll hold out her hand, I'll pretend to eat it, and then she pulls it away with a full belly laugh.

So, that's the update on Kate.  We head to the beach on Monday.  Not sure if we are crazy to think going to the beach with two little ones will even remotely resemble a vacation, but we'll give it the old college try.  We are taking along my 17 year old niece to help with the girls, which I think will help immensely. 

I'll do a full beach update when we return.  Hope everyone is enjoying their summers.  My heart is heavy for a few of my blogger friends who have experienced failed cycles recently.  And a personal friend of mine who announced a week or so ago that her IVF cycle worked, only to lose the baby shortly after.  Infertility is so stinking unfair.  Love to you all.

Poop

We had our first bathtub poop today.

That's all I'll say about that.

Blink of an eye

In what, literally, feels like a blink of an eye, Emma has gone from a baby to an independent, thinking, doing, saying, acting, and yes, strong-willed, rebelling, little girl.  I don't even think the description "toddler" seems appropriate any more. 



Concepts we started trying to drill into her head months ago - letters, numbers, colors, etc - have all of a sudden just stuck.  She knows how to make jokes.  She can complete large chunks of books that we frequently read (she got her first "Madeline" book, which is a big hit)  And she certainly knows how to express her will - loudly!

Some days she's an absolute perfect angel.  Other days...well, quite the opposite.  But each day, without fail, she gives us something new to laugh about and of which to be proud. 

Kate goes to the doctors this coming week for her 9 month check-up.  Yep, my baby girl is 3/4 of a year old.  I'll provide an update on sweet Kate-Kate, as we call her, after that appointment.


And the following Monday...WE HEAD TO THE BEACH!  Woo hoo!!!!

So stay tuned...I hope to do TWO posts in the coming week.  It's always good to set goals, right???