Beach baby! (pics below)

“You’ve literally been waiting your WHOLE LIFE for this beach trip!” This was Trav’s comment to Tyler just before we left for the beach. How true, how true. Ever since he was a little cluster of cells inside of me last summer, we have been talking about this “first beach trip with a baby”. And now it has come and gone. Man, that was fast. (I put the pics in separate posts below, because I didn't know when I would get around to writing this. Sorry!!!)

We headed to Emerald Isle with Grandpa Ed, Uncle Eddie, and a bunch of family friends (to include Jim & Angela, and Mark, Dina, & Erin). Let me add here that packing for a week-long beach trip with an infant is a full-time job. Tyler did really well in the car on the way there and on the way back. According to AAA, it should have been a 5 hour 15 minute trip. We were planning for a 7 hour trip, as we weren’t sure how things would go with Tyler. Well, we made it there in 6 hours and made it home in a little less than that. We only stopped to eat and to let me nurse him, and he pretty much slept the rest of the trip. He had a few fussy moments, but all in all it wasn’t bad. (Though for the record, I will say that the 13-minute screamfest that he had on the way home was pretty rough. OK, it was REALLY rough.)

But we got there in one piece and got settled. Tyler got gobs of attention from everyone, which he ate up. Mark & Dina’s 11-year-old daughter, Erin was with us as well, and she was a huge help throughout the week. And Tyler just loved playing with her. When she would come over to say good morning to him or start to play with him, his whole face would just light up. He particularly liked having her in the car with us. He’s not used to having company in the backseat with him, so this was pretty cool as far as he was concerned.

The afternoon that we got there, we lathered the Little One up with sunscreen, got his swim diaper on, swim trunks, hat, the whole nine yards. Got him down to the beach, put his feet in the water, and he screamed bloody murder. No sir, don't like the ocean. But he was a bit intrigued with the sand.

We headed to the NC Aquarium on Tuesday and were greeted with a sign that said that the AC in the building was broken. But even though it was a bit muggy in there, we had a great time and I think that Tyler really enjoyed it. I had him in the Baby Bjorn and carried him around that way for most of the visit. It was so fun to watch him follow the fish or turtles with his eyes and to watch his brain try to figure out just what in the world was going on around him. I can’t wait to take him back next year, and the year after that, and the year after that.

Other than the initial trek down to the beach on Day One, we loaded ourselves up and made it to the beach one day. Yep, one day. We had Tyler's beach tent, his bouncy seat, cooler for us, beach chairs, umbrellas, beach bags, and baby. Tyler wasn't digging the beach. I think it may have been too hot for him. We were there just over an hour and headed back up to the house. We found that Tyler enjoyed sitting on the lower-level deck in his bouncy seat, or sitting on the swing more than anything. He liked the breeze, the sound, and just being outside. So we spent a lot of time there just watching the ocean. It was very relaxing. We did take Tyler on some early morning walks on the beach, which he seemed to enjoy. I'm sure that next year he will be more receptive to the beach. And we'll be picking sand out of all sorts of crevices!!!! Fun fun!

Oh, and a milestone was reached at the beach - he rolled over on his own!!! He was napping on his tummy in his pack-n-play while I was laying on the bed reading. Well, I heard him start to wake up. Travis came in and we looked in on him and there he was, staring up at us. He looked pretty confused, especially when we both started cheering and clapping. But it was the first time that he did this on his own. He's rolled with assistance before, but we just didn't think that he's real interested in rolling over. Having said that, he hasn't rolled over since. Guess he was just testing us. He'll roll when he's ready, though we think he'll walk first! Haha!

We did hit one major snag while we were there - Tyler got yet another cold. And this one is a doozy. All that crap I read in the pregnancy and baby books that said that "breastfeeding babies get sick less, blah blah blah".....yeah, apparently it's not foolproof. We originally thought that he was getting congested due to the humidity in the beach house and what not, but once we got home and the coughing and congestion didn't clear up immediately, we knew he was sick. Travis took him to the pediatrician this past Monday and was told that it just needed to run its course. (Sidenote: Tyler now weighs 16 lbs. 5 oz. meaning that the little chunker gained 11 oz. in 3 short weeks!!!) Now I have a cold, and Travis got a little touch of it too. Ah, germs. But back to the cold at the beach, he handled it really well. He stopped sleeping through the night, but it was OK because he was a happy, fun baby during the day. He wasn't in pain, didn't have a fever, so I knew that he was fine.

We had a wonderful week overall and enjoyed spending so much time with Grandpa Ed & Eddie. Travis & I even got a little bit of a "vacation" here and there. Travis went and played golf with the guys one day, and I escaped with Dina & Erin to go shopping another day. I even found some time to re-read the 6th Harry Potter book, in anticipation of the final book being on my doorstep when we got home. (Note: If you are a Potter fan and haven't read #7 yet, GET TO IT! It's fantastic!!!!)

So we're back home, and trying to recover from our colds. I think that we're almost in the clear. We have a pretty free weekend coming up, but are busy next weekend with Aunt Jenn's wedding. After that though, we are smooth sailing for the rest of the summer! Our plans include joining the neighborhood pool and spending time there with Tyler. Don't worry.....we'll have pics.

More beach

Beach pics!

Oops, I'm a delinquent

Sorry all!!!! This week completely got away from us! We leave for the beach tomorrow, so we have been busy packing stuff up. You know, it's amazing how much you need to pack for a 16 pound child. Unreal. But anyway, we are headed to Emerald Isle, NC with Dad, Eddie, the Radicks, the Hamrics (Mark, Dina, & Erin), and more. It should be a great time. We're really looking forward to taking Tyler to the beach that Mom loved so much. We'll introduce him to the aquarium, the ocean, the sand, the shops, everything. As much as he loves the outdoors, this should be a big treat for him. And Travis keeps telling him that since he loves bathtime so much, that he's gonna love it - it's the biggest "tubby" in the world!!!!

On the 4th of July, we dressed Little Man up in his festive romper and headed over to our friends', the Furrs, house. Tyler did really well, considering he was tired and it was very hot and humid. He did take a little nap, but awoke and loved feeling the grass on his feet!

Other than that, we haven't been up to much. Getting ready for this beach trip has turned into a part-time job! So, be prepared. Once we get back, I'm sure we'll have lots of good stories and pictures for you!!!!

Wow, has it really been 4 months????

Tyler had his 4 month appointment on Friday. He tipped the scales at 15 lbs. 10 oz.!!!! And he measured 25 1/2 inches long. What a big boy we have! He's in the 50 - 75th percentile in weight, the 75th percentile in height, and the 50 - 75th percentile in head circumference. So he's growing right on track! His pediatrician was very happy with his growth and said that he is doing all of the things that she would expect him to be doing - i.e. smiling, cooing, grabbing for toys, turning towards Travis & I when he hears our voices (boy does he ever!!! More on that in a minute.). She was happy to hear about his sleeping habits and gave a good overall report of the exam, except for his cold, which I will also get into in a minute. He got his 2nd round of shots and boy, am I glad that Travis was there again. I had hoped that since he did so well with the 2 month shots, that he would do well this time too. It must be different as they get older and can register pain better and are more active and alert. He most certainly did NOT like his shots. I cowered in the corner of the exam room, with my fingers plugging my ears, as Travis bravely held Tyler as Dr. Phillips administered the shots. He seemed to react much worse this time. However, that may have also been because we were at the doctor's during nap time and he had a cold and didn't really feel 100% to begin with. But he got home and slept from about 5:30 that night until 7:00 the next morning, only waking twice. He was kapooped. But he seems to have recovered well!!! That's our boy!!

OK, now more about the cold......ugh, the cold. What a freakin' nightmare the first cold was. I brought him home from daycare on Thursday and noticed that his little nose was a bit runny, but nothing too bad. He didn't seem like he was feeling bad either. So off to bed he goes at his normal 7:00 time, when we hear strange noises coming from the baby monitor around 8:30. Poor baby's nose was all stuffed up, snot was everywhere, and he couldn't get comfortable and couldn't breathe. Travis & I sprung into action, not 100% sure what we should be doing. We started up the cool mist vaporizer, elevated his mattress, put saline drops in his nose, and tried to gently suction his nose. Despite our best efforts, Travis still ended up sleeping sitting up on the couch with Tyler draped over his shoulder. It was really the only way that Tyler could breathe. It was a long night. As a parent, you feel so exteremely helpless when your little one is sick. He can't tell you what's wrong, you just have to wing it. All I wanted to do was tell him to blow his nose, but you obviously can't tell that to a 4 month old. So you do what you can to help make him comfortable, but in the end, you just have to wait it out. And that is no fun at all. But the pediatrician reassured us that we had done all that we could, and that it would eventually run its course. And it seems to be on its way out now, thank goodness. So the first illness is out of the way, and I'm glad it came now and not while we were headed to the beach. I guess this is one of those things about daycare that you hate and love. You hate that your baby has caught some nasty cold from some other kid, but at the same time, you're glad that he's been exposed to the germs and his body is learning how to fight.

One of the neat things that Tyler has really gotten into is following the sound of mine & Trav's voices. When he hears us, that little head whips around looking for us. Once he lays eyes on us, his face just lights up with this huge, toothless smile. It's the most amazing feeling in the world when it happens. He knows us now, and expects us to be there. It's an awesome responsibility as a parent.

We also had a visitor Friday night - Grandpa Ed. He spent the night with us as he was in town on business. Since we had just had the doctor's appointment, Tyler wasn't in the best of moods, but did flash a few smiles on Saturday before Grandpa left. He was our first overnight visitor since Tyler came into our lives. It went pretty well!

And one last note: Happy (early) birthday to my brother, Eddie (aka Uncle Woody). He'll be 27 on the 3rd so wish him a great one!!! We love you, Uncle Eddie!!!!!