Vacation 2010!

We are back! We had an excellent time at the beach this year! We stayed a little North of where we have stayed in the past and it was a great choice- we had an oceanfront condo with a lazy river, kiddie pool, and regular pool...Emily was in Heaven! She greatly enjoyed getting to choose where to swim every day.

Our trip started off on Saturday the 19th. Except for 2 potty breaks/ pit stop which took an UNBEARABLY long time (there are very few stops along the route to the beach, despite the HUNDREDS of people heading that way and back every weekend in the summer), our trip was uneventful. Emily was an ANGEL in the car- played with her toys, watched her DVD player, sang songs to us. It was wonderful! We finally arrived, checked in, and were down at the pool within an hour of parking the car!

Emily LOVED the ocean and the pool both this year, which was great because they were both so close. The puddle jumper ($15 at Walmart) was FANTASTIC- she looooved the water and the fact that she could swim "alone". She also quickly learned that in the Lazy River, it was super cozy to curl up next to Daddy and ride, ride, ride. I think it made him feel like a million bucks!

We had some delicious meals out. Paul and I were fortunate enough to have the in-laws there to stay with Emily in the evenings so we took advantage and had lots of dates. We had delicious she-crab soup (my fave!) and one night we went to a Brazilian churrascaria called Rioz. It was incredible- they came around with meats on huge swords and would cut it tableside for you. Very cool!

We did a tiny bit of shopping, but not much. Audrey got an outfit from my mother in law from Carter's and Emily got everything else. :) Oh, well actually Paul bought himself a couple pairs of shoes and I bought a $10 sweater from the Nautica outlet. It is super difficult to take Emily out shopping anywhere so we mostly avoided that like the plague.

The only major complaint I have about our trip is the lack of sleep....sweet Emily was so excited about being on "baycation" that she woke up EVERY morning before 6, and 2 mornings before 5. One day started at 4am! To say I was exhausted would be a HUGE understatement...being 26 weeks pregnant and starting the days so early was really, really trying! Luckily, now that we're home she's back on her regular schedule- a 2-2.5 hour nap each day and sleeping 11 hours straight at night. Now THAT is something I can get used to again! :)

There are tons of pictures on Picasa web albums page (see link on the upper right side of the blog) under the Month 32 album. Enjoy!

Pictures, FINALLY!

Folks, it's been a SUPER long road, but I have FINALLY discovered how to link our Picasa Web Albums (where the vast majority of our photos are stored online), to our blog! If you look over to the upper right side of our blog you will see a heading that says, "Want More Pictures?" and beneath it, it says, "Click here to see our Picasa Web Albums"....well, click it! After over 15 hours of downloading photos (I told you, this was an adventure!) you are now able to see all of Emily's monthly albums, plus Christmas, some vacation albums, pregnancy and ultrasound albums, etc. On the Picasa page you will even find a tag on the right side to show you over 60 videos never before posted on the blog.

YOU. ARE. WELCOME!!! :)

Also- yes, we are back from vacation but no, I have not written about it yet. I am hoping to have a post up today. Be patient! :)

32 Months Old!

It's time for the monthly update! Emily is loving her "Monthday" this month because we are on vacation in North Myrtle Beach! She has enjoyed our time at the ocean so much but I will save all that for my big post-vacation update when we get back.

Here's what our girl is doing this month:

- She is developing her sense of humor! Right now, she thinks nothing is funnier than changing the words in a song (Baa Baa Black Sheep, Have You Any Mommy is a favorite), as well as the comedic relief that comes when the unexpected occurs-- like when she pretends that she is "missing" and hides under a blanket. It's still the same game of Peek-a-Boo that we've been playing since she was an infant, but she thinks it's hilarious now and will ask us "Mommy, where'd she go?!" which is our cue to start "looking" for her. Too cute!

- She is beginning to rhyme EVERYTHING. Daddy is now Gaggy, Bathing Suit is now Nathing Nute, etc. This ties into the humor thing as well- she cracks herself up everytime!

- She is a water lover. We bought her the Stearn's Puddle Jumper from Walmart and she wears it whenever she's in a big pool. She LOVES jumping off the side and also just playing in her little pool in the back of our house. On the sad days when we have a thunderstorm and she can't swim, she begs me to fill up 'Mommy's Ocean' (my big bathtub) and she "swims" in there.
Also, at her school on Fridays they do Water Play, which she LOVES. She takes special time getting ready on Friday since she has to pick out her suit (she has 8 this year- some still work from last year), water shoes, her towel, etc. Her teachers comment on how at the end of Water Play she is one of only a few kids who are totally drenched.....and I just smile, because I wouldn't expect anything different!

- She is practicing being a big sister a lot now. She has renamed ALL 5 of her babies "Baby Audrey" and she takes care of one in particular on a daily basis. However...we might have to work on her sistering techniques a little bit...for instance, it's not customary to place one's sister on a boogie board and drag it through the house to give her a "boat ride". It also isn't customary to pile many pillows on top of one's sister and then sit on top of the pile of pillows and ask, "Where'd Baby Audrey go?" We've got some work to do!
I do have to say though, that she is being completely sweet about the idea of having a sister AND she works really hard to be a good sister- she holds the baby carefully, gives her her bottle (the baby makes sucking noises), and burps her. She also loves to say sweet things to her, like, "Hello sweet princess girl" and other things that I have said to her (Emmy). So I am sooooo hopeful that these things will help in a smooth transition!

- She loves to help me cook. She drags a chair over to the stove and loves to pour, stir, use the mixer, etc. I bought the Funfetti Stars N Stripes cake mix so we're all ready to make a 4th of July cake! I know she'll be thrilled.

Before we end the update, we have to wish sweet Derrick S. a happy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Derrick/DD is Miss Jamey's son and one of Emily's closest friends. He turned 3 on Emily's Monthday and we will go see him next week to celebrate. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Special Friend!! We love you!

Birthday Party for.....No One!

Today Paul was on call and when Emily woke up from her nap she was sad and missing him. I asked her what she wanted to do and she said she wanted to have a birthday party. For herself. And make a birthday cake. So what did we do? We made a birthday cake and had a party for her in the kitchen! She must have asked me to sing Happy Birthday to her 15 times tonight. It was so precious. Our girl sure is funny!

24 Weeks!

We have made it Viability Week with Audrey Grace! Basically this means that, even if she were born now (heaven forbid), she would, with expert care from a great NICU, still have a good chance at surviving. Of course, no part of us wants to meet her yet, but it is so reassuring to know that our sweet girl would eventually be OK if something like that were to happen.

My belly is kind of at a stand still right now- it hasn't really grown in a few weeks, by my estimation (I mean, I'm not using a tape measure or anything, lol!) My uterus is definitely moving up- it is past my belly button now- but I don't appear to be getting any bigger. In fact, this morning Emily and I hit up Motherhood Maternity to buy a couple new shirts for me. I have plenty o' maternity clothes from my pregnancy with Emily but I am finding that the flowy-type ones just look ricidulous right now. I have one shirt that seriously has a foot of extra fabric! So I needed some more form-fitting ones (well, as form-fitting as it gets when your body changes every day!) I found 2 cute tops that are nice and versatile.

My next appointment is on Wednesday at 8am (side note...this is also my first full day of summer vacation. So how awesome is it that I have an appointment at 8am?! Hahaha!) According to my scale I have gained 6lbs total this pregnancy and Audrey currently counts for about 1.25lbs of that. I am going to discuss with the doctor the migraines I've been having (3 in the last month, one of which was bad enough to make me take a sick day in the middle of the day....that has NEVER happened before!) and also about my sudden new symptom-- incurable dry lips. I thought I had it under control with Vaseline but this week they are cracked again. I am so confused- I've used Chapstick for YEARS and never had a problem, but now it seems like whenever I use that it almost like, burns my lips. I don't get it, unless they've changed the formula? So those are my concerns. :) Hard to believe that in 3.5 short months we'll be meeting this little girl!

Teacher's Kid

This is where I found Emily this morning- I was at my computer paying a couple bills and turned around when I heard her saying, "Did you have a nice weekend? Please stay in your spot. We are going to sing now. Baa Baa Black Sheep..."

She is doing Circle Time with her toys!! Wonder where she picked that up? :)

Saturday Fun at the Ranch!

Yesterday we took Emily to a super cool ranch near here. The beginning part of the property is a petting zoo and then there's a safari-type road you can drive through where you can feed the animals right from your car! At one point a baby zebra and it's mother came up to my window and I fed them...I was too scared to touch them (I was afraid the mama might get protective and hurt my car!) but it was incredible to see them so close. We also saw a baby giraffe, which, if you know me, you know that made my day! I love giraffes so a baby giraffe was just icing on the cake. We had a great day!

It was SO much fun and she loved every second of it. Especially the part where she got to walk in public, and not have to ride in her stroller! She is so so big. Enjoy the pictures!