Vacation 2010

We are home! Vacation was a whirlwind, and exhausting, and stressful, and fun, and much needed, and now over-booooooo! I really could use about 3 weeks at the beach every year. One to acclimate, one to relax and enjoy myself under the umbrella, and one more to make me homesick. Oh well. I would need to win the lottery for that, and seeing as how we didn't buy A SINGLE TICKET the whole time we were there, I guess we won't win the $28 MILLION lottery. Also, there's that pesky little oil problem...

Our trip started not so great. The plan was to leave Saturday morning at 4:30 in hopes that Lucy would sleep until we got to B'ham. There we'd stay for a few hours, visiting the old college campus and letting Lucy run and play on the quad where Bryan and I spent so many of our days.

Instead, Lucy was awake ALL 10 HOURS (with the exception of two 30 minute naps spread out along the way). Bryan puked before we even got to Chattanooga, and Lucy seemed to be a bit grumpy and feverish and oh my! PULLING AT HER EAR!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!! TUBES! WE HAVE TUBES!

So...we arrived at my in-laws house near Pensacola about 2 that afternoon. We unpacked and began preparing for the wedding rehearsal dinner we were going to that night. (We spent the first part of vacation there in P'cola area for Bryan's best friend Travis' wedding. I will say he married a lovely girl and we are thrilled for them!). Lucy began running about a 101 fever. I was torn. Do I go and support my hubby and his pal? Do I stay home with my sick baby? There are actually 3 capable adults in the house... I decided to get dolled up and go.

Lucy took some motrin, I gave her grandparents her schedule, and we were off.

So, a bit nervous about sweet Lucy, we drove to the rehearsal and dinner. It began to POUR rain. We were on a bridge. It was over the OCEAN. It was a long bridge. Here is a dialogue of what came next...

Me: (From inside the car ON THE BRIDGE OVER THE OCEAN!) "What is that noise?"

Leah: (From the backseat) "Yeah, I hear it to. It is a whistle"

Bryan: (Looking around from the driver's seat) "Maybe it is that car."

Car passes, its occupants flailing their arms at us pointing to the back of the car.

Me: "What in the world?"

Car: Boom, flap, grind

Bryan: "Oh crap, we have a flat."

Leah: "Yep, it's a flat, is it two flats?"

Me: (I won't actually write all that was said, but let's just say I panicked.)

Leah: "You have to get off the bridge"

Bryan: "I will, I am.

Me: "OH MY GOSH!"

Leah: "There is some HUGE fine if you stop on the bridge."

Me: (I'll just say there was more panic)

After that, we pulled off the bridge IN THE POURING RAIN, called AAA, and inspected our tire. It was a rear left blowout on the side. Thank goodness only one! AAA said it might be 2 hours, so we called Bryan's dad. He was there in no time, had it changed pretty much instantly, and we were only about 20 minutes late for the rehearsal. It was so nice of the two highway patrol cars that were LESS THAN 100 YARDS AWAY to come over and ask if we needed help...oh wait, they did NOT. Thanks FHP. Good think my father in law must secretly work for Nascar. He was my hero that day.

The rehearsal was great! We were able to see a lot of good friends and hear great stories about Travis and Amanda. These two are a perfect match! The food was good, the wine was good and the fellowship was good. We were also in a HUGE house on the bay, and were able to have an up close and personal view of a major thunderstorm that blew in. It was pretty amazing.

Sunday morning we woke as zombies. Bryan had stayed out a little late, and I'd been up with Lucy several times that night. Her fever had gotten up to 103 in the middle of the night, so of course I was frantic. We took her to the doctor that day to find she had AN EAR INFECTION! Can you believe it people?! I thought those things were a thing of the past! The doctor, who I had never laid eyes on before (you can imagine how worked up I was), said that it was mild, and he gave her some antibiotics. We got them filled and she was as good as new by time for the wedding.

The wedding was beautiful. It was right on the water in P'cola, and there was a breeze blowing. The rain held off and Travis and Amanda had the perfect wedding. The ceremony was great, although I spend most of it holding Lucy and telling her that she could NOT get down and run around.

The reception was in a beautiful room that was all windows overlooking the water. There was great food and a LIVE band.

It was during this time that Lucy decided that she was a dancer. That kid danced to almost every song. She had a BLAST! She danced with her daddy, her Poppa, random kids, Aunt Leah, more random kids, Steve and Debbie Hall (Travis' parents), and even got to go on stage and sing with the groomsmen!

She stayed up 3 and a half hours past her bedtime and was going crazy wild dancing. When we FINALLY called it quits, she crashed in her car in about 3 minutes. It has to be the best night of her life to date.

On Monday morning, we drove to Destin (about an hour drive from P'cola). We met up with my parents and chilled in the condo. We sat on the balcony that day and taught Lucy to say "Beach". She did it, and seemed to really be interested in going to see it. We didn't go Monday, but had a great dinner at The Back Porch, my favorite place in Destin!

Lucy crashed that night and did pretty well sleeping, but I can't say for sure because my saint of a mother took care of any wake up incidents there were. Bryan and I were exhausted!

Tuesday we ventured down to the beach.

We knew Lucy loved the pool and water last summer, but were not sure how she'd react to the beach and pool this year. SHE LOVED IT.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that she ran around like a crazy person for almost 2 hours at the beach.

She was not bothered in the least by the sand. Rolled in it, dug in it, ate it, no problem. As for the water, same deal. Ran towards it. No fear. Wanted to get in the water immediately. In fact, she kept saying "WATER!"

She loved the waves getting her feet, and loved that they got buried after a few minutes. Her Grandy and Daddy helped her dig in the sand, and after a few hours of this back and forth between the water, the sand, and the other people on the beach, she crashed. She took a great nap, ate lunch, the went for the pool! Although she didn't like her little floaty device this year, she sure loved to be pulled around the pool. She even learned to kick her feet. We didn't dunk her, as we have not yet had her follow up appt. with the ENT, PLUS that pesky ear infection was still around. But...if the doc says we can, I might look for some swimming lessons this summer.

The next few days were more of the same.

The poor kid was so worn out that she had to take TWO naps each day instead of her usual one.

On Friday Bryan's parents came to Destin to join us for a day (the boys golfed and we shopped) and a good dinner. We took a few pics on the beach, but Lucy was SOOOO tired that it didn't last long!

We have some great memories from this trip and are so glad that it was such fun for Lucy. However, we are exhausted. I seriously underestimated how difficult and tiring it is to have a kid at the beach. I think all my meals were eaten cold, and I am sure I LOST weight after lugging Lucy and her stuff around all week. Also, my days of lounging under the umbrella with a good book are OVER!

All in all, the trip started not so great, but was WILDLY successful! With the oil (that we did manage to avoid) set to be there soon, I don't know where we'll be next year :(

Memorial Day Weekend

Phew! I'm tired. As I type, Lucy is at baby school. I'm trying to not feel so guilty I cry. She absolutely needs to be there. She loves it, and needs to stay in the habit of going. Plus, I got grocery shopping, laundry, and some cleaning done already today, but I can't help but feel bad that she's there and I'm here. I miss the little wild child! She is only going 2 days a week. I'm not a bad mom, right?

Why in the world have I done so much on a random Tuesday? Well, Bryan's family was here this weekend for the Memorial Day holiday and we were BUSY! We went to the zoo on Saturday which was a total blast. Lucy REALLY liked the trip this time. I think her being a little older AND not having a RAGING ear infection made this trip better too. She LOVED the baby chimp, and he gave her a high five against the glass as we stood and watched him swing and play.

She was totally thrilled, and we got a kick out of watching her react to all the animals. Do I see zoo passes in our future????

Her grandparents were amazed at all that she could do, and were quite entertained by all her antics. I am so glad they got to come and see her live and in person! She's learned to sing "BINGO" this weekend. However, her lyrics go something like this..."B-I-OOOOOO". Utter disregard for the N and G. Oh well. It is terribly cute anyway. She also started the TODDLER 2 class today. She got moved up AGAIN. She's brilliant. I just hope her day is going well. I now know what all my students' parents feel like on the first day of school. It is a weird feeling handing your child's total care over to a stranger. EEK!

Vacation is coming up soon. Lots of sand and pool and seafood. She's sleeping in the pack and play, however, she's almost too long for it. Should be interesting. Also, a 9 hour drive to get us where we are going. Not super excited about that. Wish us luck!!!

Terrible Twos at 15 Months

Well, the terrible twos have officially begun at our house. Yep, it's early, but they have arrived.

I REALLY enjoyed months 12-14, but man, something happened last weekend and my child has a new attitude. For instance...yesterday when she grabbed the phone off the end table I said, "Lucy no. Give mommy the phone." Lucy proceeded to throw the phone on the ground, scream at the top of her lungs, then hurl herself towards the ground and kick and scream. It only lasted a few seconds, but holy crap! I cannot imagine another year of this.

On a lighter note, she continues to amaze me. I am pretty sure Mensa will be contacting Bryan and I shortly. Now, I know that most parents believe their children are quite gifted, but I think she truly IS! She knows most of her body parts, has an unbelievable vocabulary, knows A, B and C, knows red, yellow, and blue, and can dance like nobody's business. Yep, she's got rhythm. She eats like a pig (which doesn't make her a genius, but it makes me happy!), and sleeps pretty well now that she has the tubes. She also makes about 1010 animal noises if you ask her what a named animal says. She LOVES trains and says "CHOO CHOO" if you say the word. She also says it whenever we cross the railroad tracks by our house-completely on her own. She's getting better at running, and I'm pretty sure that she's going to get "Friendliest" in her senior yearbook. She waves and says "HI" to EVERYONE (including those next to us at stoplights). When you walk her into baby school, she says "Hi" to everyone she passes, just like an adult would. It is so cute! She is moving to the toddler 2 class next week with babies who are 18-24 months old (she is the baby, but I'm sure she's the smartest).

So yes, she's got a SHORT fuse, and pitches fits way more than I'd like, but she still has a lot of endearing qualities too. Did I mention that she already knows what time out is? Oh yeah. It is going to be some year!

Mother's Day #2

I cannot believe my little baby is 14 months old. I am about to have my SECOND Mother's Day. It is amazing the difference a year makes. She is so much fun now! (Not that she wasn't last year, but really, she wasn't.) She had Bryan and I laughing so hard we were crying last night in the car. Her little personality is just hilarious. Plus, she's sleeping through the night now, which makes me even more fond of her.

This kid is funny.

We went out to eat last night. We ate at tables outside the restaurant. She LOVED it. There were birds everywhere, people coming and going, and a delectable grilled cheese sandwich for her. She insisted on saying "hi" to all who were coming, and shouted "bye" to all who were leaving. Ahhh, our little socialite. I should interject here that she waves like Ms. America, not the typical backwards baby wave. She is in fact, a genius.

What else can she do? Well, let me list my top 10 most favorite...

1. Every time we pass a field of cows near our house, she "MOOS". She also quacks when you ask her what a duck says, makes monkey sounds (her favorite), barks, neighs (that's a new one), meows, clucks like a chicken, and we're working on the rooster.

2. When the car is stopped in traffic, she yells "GO!". NO clue where she got that one ;)

3. She sings constantly. Nothing really decipher-able, but lots of la las and da das. She loves to sing about da da!

4. She now can RUN. It's not great, and it usually results in a wobble and then crash, but she NEVER cries when she falls. This kid is tough!

5. Obviously if she's starting to run, she walks, but wow! After the tubes, almost overnight, her walking improved. Yay for ear tubes!

6. She laughs at a lot. Lucy is very ticklish. We use this against her a lot. I LOVE the sound of her cracking up. Sometimes if adults around her are laughing, she does this little fake laugh to join in. HILARIOUS.

7. Her vocabulary has increased ten-fold since the tubes as well. We think she's saying "I love you," and we know she says mama, dada, gandy (grandy-my dad), mum-mum (my mom), papa, mimi, car, birdie, sadie (the family dog), juice, abby (the kadabie variety from Sesame St), elmo, boo!, that, glasses, more, bow, yes, diaper, poo poo, duck, WOW! (just like that), go, hi, bye, and I know there is more I'm forgetting!

8. She shakes her head yes and no. If you put something in front of her she doesn't want, that little head shakes NO very rapidly. If she DOES want it, she shakes yes and either says "YES" or "MMMHMM". Too cute-and also helpful!

9. She LOVES to give hugs and kisses. She gives wonderful hugs around the neck, but also great leg hugs too. And those kisses! Mmmm, sloppy wet kisses. I LOVE EM!

10. She now throws her pacifier in the bed when you pick her up in the morning. She KNOWS she's not to have it any other time. You just say, "Lucy, where does paci go?" She HURLS it into the bed. Cracks me up!

There are obviously so many more reasons why we love this kid, but those are just some of my recent favorites. I can't imagine loving her more than I do today, but it seems that my love for her grows every day. I love 3:30 each day when I open her classroom door and watch her face light up. Being a mom is the best! Happy Mother's Day!!!!!

Ear Tubes Were NOT Bad

Well, we finally bit the bullet. Lucy got ear tubes on the 15th. She'd had 9, yes NINE, ear infections since September. Actually, the ENT thought it was probably the same infection-it just never cleared up. So anyway, after much debate, we decided it would be best for Lucy to go ahead with the tubes. Why do this again next year? Yes, she might grow out of it, but she might not! How could we put this cutie patootie through another crappy winter?!

The night before the surgery, I barely slept. I was N E R V O U S. When we got to the surgery center, they took us back into the pre-op room. It was there we met several nurses and the anesthesiologist. All were sooooooo nice! They told us that they usually give the kids a little "coctail" of versed (sp?) and valium before they go back. This is to help ease breaking away from the parents and going with the nurses. Lucy however, went straight to the nurses and was totally chilled out. NO COCKTAIL NEEDED (which is fine because if you know me, you know I am NOT a medicine person).

We were warned before we went to the waiting room that although the surgery itself usually only took about 5-10 minutes, the never know how long it will take the child to wake, so be patient. We were also told that the majority of the children wake up very combative and unable to be consoled, even by MOMMY! EEEEK! They said sometimes is takes a good 30 minutes for the child to calm down, and in some cases, the child doesn't calm until they get out the front doors. GREAT.

Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, Dr. Little came out and said all went well. She did have fluid on one ear, but it should be fine now. He gave us some ear drops to do for the next week, and said for her to take it easy for a few days. Also, she might have a low grade fever. Ok, we can handle that, right? Only about 10 more minutes passed before the nurse came to get us. When we approached Lucy's room, she was lying calmly on a nurse. We said hello and she lifted her little head and smiled. She came right to us and was PERFECT! Everyone kept stopping in and telling us how lucky we were and how rare this reaction was. We were elated! We went home and she was great...until about 4:00.

We knew to expect a slight fever, but that afternoon, her fever shot up to 103. Um, that is so not low grade. We called the hospital and they told us to just give her some tylenol. Well, the fever never went away. We were up all night. It was BAD. My parents stayed home with her on Friday so B and I could work. Her fever kept up (HIGH) all day. B called the doc and they told us to take her to the pediatrician. 103 was NOT NORMAL. DUH. The pediatrician took blood. Not fun. They couldn't find anything abnormal in her bloodwork, but said that it could be a fever virus. Hmmm, I always like a more clear diagnosis, but that is what we got. So, we got some motrin AND tylenol, staggered them all night and all day Saturday. Poor Lucy's fever was still 102-103. I should also mention here that the pediatrician put Lu on antibiotics (oral, not more for her ears) due to the BITE she received earlier that week at Baby School. Nice!

Saturday morning Lucy woke up GREAT! She had a slight fever, but seemed totally herself. We did a few errands and she played at home in the afternoon. However, about 4:00, she started to get pretty grumpy. Her fever went way up, then she couldn't walk or stand. It was like her equilibrium was totally off. This was VERY alarming. We called the pediatrician, they said to go immediately to the hospital. You can imagine how calm we were now.

When we got to children's they took her back almost immediately. We told the doc what was happening, and he said he'd seen A LOT of this virus going around, but just to be safe, he wanted her tested for a few things. They took more blood, but this time with a NEEDLE IN HER VEIN!!!!! They tested for flu, but not with a little qtip swipe of the nose. THERE WAS A SYRINGE AND TUBE SUCKING MUCUS FROM HER NOSE!!!!!! EEEEEK! You can imagine what kind of state she was in...not to mention me (although I kept it together pretty well I think). Then she got strapped down to a table for xrays. This night was NOT one of my top 10 most favorite. All test results came back GREAT, so the doc said it must be the virus. He also said to expect several more days of the fever.

After SEVERAL more days of fever, cold baths, rubbing down skin with alcohol, LOTS of DRUGS, and VERY LITTLE SLEEP, things got back to normal. Bryan had to leave town, my mom went to CA for business, so dad and I tag-teamed taking off from work and caring for sweet Lucy. It was some week!

I will say that since she's been better, her walking AND speech have really improved. She now runs (not far, but she gives a great try!). She is saying words much more clearly, and talking a LOT more (if you can imagine that!). We are glad we did the tubes, but really could have done without the whole fever virus thingy. Oh well, I guess you have to take the good with the bad!

Happy Easter

Well, I finally got around to having Lucy's first BIRTHDAY pictures taken today. Only 5 weeks late. Mom of the year, right here. Actually, she was so sick at her birthday, we were NOT going to attempt pictures then. After that, I'm not sure what I did on the weekends, but genius me decided to get them done EASTER weekend. Can I just say that the people who schedule BABY portrait sessions 10 minutes apart are total idiots?! We went to JCP (I should not have strayed from my usual Portrait Innovations), and they were an hour behind. We STARTED her pictures at 11 (which is her naptime). The photographer was not a kid person, so you can imagine what that was like. Also, quite possibly the two WORST KIDS IN AMERICA were in the studio waiting for their session right after ours. It was not a super fun time. Lucy only took a few pics that were good, but the ones that were good, were GOOD. See below.

Tomorrow is her SECOND Easter. I can't believe she's now on her SECOND round of holidays. We're taking her to church with mom and dad. I think they want to show her off. Mom has filled a ton of eggs with puffs, goldfish, granola, etc. Pretty cute idea, huh? It will be fun this year, to watch her break into those things. Last year she was just a little blob-a cute one, but just sort of blobby. I guess we have Mother's Day #2 coming next. Wow! I still have moments that I have to stop and take in that I am someone's MOMMY. Then, Lucy wakes up 157 times at night, and I am quickly reminded that motherhood isn't always beautiful and glamorous. Worth it, totally, but don't get between me and the coffee pot in the morning.

We Survived!

Well, we had to leave Lucy for the first time this week. We had to leave her to go to paradise. It didn't suck. My college roomie-Deborah-got married on St. John, the most beautiful of all islands in the U.S.V.I. (or all islands around for that matter!).

We each got a bit of tan, had many adult beverages, and were able to completely relax.

Bryan did some AWESOME snorkeling, and we got great pictures. We got to see some good friends, Jen and Kyle, and the wedding was PERFECT. Deb looked so beautiful, and for their reception, we all went out on a huge sailboat and sailed around the islands.

It could not have been more amazing. We left on Saturday and returned Tuesday night. It was too short, but the money was running out rapidly, and we missed our girl.

Lucy stayed with my mom and dad and was happy the whole time. We talked each morning and always got a good report. She was eating like a pig, walking more (and farther), and had become quite obsessed with her pink sand shovel. Apparently she didn't put it down for 3 days. We were able to relax and enjoy ourselves knowing that Lu was happy. Perhaps if another friend out there decides to get married in paradise, we know we can make it a few days without our baby girl. When we snuck into her room late Tuesday night, we discovered she had grown 7 1/2 inches. Not really, but man! She looked so big! She is more chatty and seems more grown up now. It is WILD how much these babies can change in just a few days. I can't believe she is already 13 months old! Hopefully we'll get to the photographer soon for her "official" first year pictures. I'll post those when we get 'em. For now, here are a few cute ones I took today.