Myrtle Beach - Days 1 & 2

Although our ultimate destination was Myrtle Beach, it would not be right for us not to pay homage to our favorite place - Ocean Isle. Thus, we planned our drive down so that we would wind up in Ocean Isle around lunchtime. 

After a nice long lunch (a dozen steamed oysters on the half shell for me and grouper for Mike!) in our favorite restaurant, The Giggling Mackerel....

...we finally made our way to Myrtle Beach for the remainder of our mini-vacation.

We spent some time hanging with Grandmommy (Grandaddy wasn't able to join us until dinnertime on Saturday) around the pool and walking the beach a bit that evening, but headed to bed early, anticipating being up with the sunrise with excited kiddos.

We were not disappointed! Lauren wound up in our bed for the night....

...joined by Ella and Aidan shortly after 6:00 AM....

.....and so the day began with a little celebratory fun on the beach....

....while Grandmommy enjoyed her beach chair and a good book, we got down to the serious business of play, shell finding, sandcastle building, sand digging, crying about having to wear a hat (Lauren), fighting over who gets to wear the hat (twins), modeling for the camera (Ella), hiding from the camera (Aidan), discovering a game the twins named "sticky ball", and long naps on Mommy in the Ergo while she walked for hours on the beach (that is the wind blowing my cover up..not my actual backside!)....

.....the day would not be complete without conversations with Opa and Grandma Shushi about all of our adventures (it needs to be noted that I am not ignoring taking pictures of Aidan....he literally hides from the camera)....

It was a fantastic day spent with the kiddos on the beach and the pool! Day # 3 is up next!

Sickies

Poor little Lauren has been sick since our last beach trip (still have to blog about that one - post coming soon!).

While at the beach, she consistently would develop a fever each night (and only at night), typically in the range of 100-101. We arrived home Sunday evening and took her to the pediatrician on Monday morning.

No ear infections, no hand/foot/mouth, no fifths disease, no fever, no new teeth - nothing! A finger prick check of her white blood cell count also revealed that all was normal.

Sigh.

Tuesday we noticed a strange rash develop on her midsection, and it was still present on Wednesday, along with a decrease in appetite and extreme fussiness.

A repeat visit to the pediatrician that afternoon revealed a raging ear infection in her left ear and a diagnosis of viral exanthem (i.e. the mysterious rash).

Last night was r.o.u.g.h. And today has also been t.o.u.g.h. for our littlest lady.

She does manage to flash a few semi- smiles between the tears here and there though....

Bless her heart, I hope this passes quickly!

Wordless Wednesday

11

Happy 11 Months old Lauren!

All of the sudden, your amazing little personality is really staring to bloom! Deep belly laughs, huge grins (complete with a slight hint of a dimple), mobility, clapping, and singing - you are really coming into your own!


On May 4, just three days after turning 10 months old, you officially crawled for the first time, and now there is no stopping you....

and on May 5, you officially clapped for the first time ....

....you learned to wave and give high-fives....

....you tried, and loved, your first taste of pizza....

....you thoroughly enjoyed your first boat ride....

....and although you had been to the beach at just five months old, you didn't get to put your feet in the sand and water. This time, you loved every last minute....

....you pull up to stand any chance you get, and definitely prefer standing to sitting....

You currently have eight teeth - four across the top and four on the bottom. An excellent eater, you still will not eat any type of baby food, so we gave that up a long time ago. Some of your favorite foods include blueberries, bananas, watermelon, any type of pasta, bread, cheese, chicken, fish, black beans and green beans (and beach sand!).

One of your recent developments is the ability to pinch....and you also like to bite as well. When told "No", you either look up at us and laugh, or your sweet smile turns upside down and you begin to cry.


With your newfound mobility you discovered the bathroom and are drawn to it like a magnet!

You are by far the funniest little one, always making us laugh with your funny little babble phrases and "songs".

I cannot believe that I just sent out the invitations to your first birthday party. What an incredible journey the past 11 months have brought about! My little photo shoot partner will soon be walking and talking and before I know it, off to preschool. I vow to treasure each and every moment of your fleeting babyhood and infancy and fully embrace the wonders of toddlerhood!


We all love you sweet baby girl!