Sunday, April 7
It was another beautiful day on Oak Island, but it was still a little chilly to actually lay out on the beach. Instead we walked along the beach, went out to the pier and walked around the beautiful, quiet neighborhood. Lilly loves taking walks in her carrier and also in her stroller. She just loves to be on the go!
I don't have pictures of it, but it was great to see Lilly playing in the house while we were at John and Marcy's. One of the things she loved the most was playing with the ottoman blocks that they had. Lilly was able to pull up on them because they were the perfect height and they were also padded, so we weren't nervous about her hurting herself. I am actually looking into getting one for our house to help encourage her to stand and walk :-)
I think I say this every week, but I cannot believe my tiny little baby is 43 weeks old! These have been, by far, the best 43 weeks of my life. Every day, Lilly does something else that makes me smile or laugh, she is learning so much and she is constantly changing. I love her so much!
Monday, April 8
Today was Lilly's first day actually experiencing the beach out of our arms! It was very exciting and...well, a lot of hoopla! Haha! Maybe it's not the "right" thing to say, but holy cow! It is a lot of work to take a baby on the beach. We brought chairs, a blanket, a pop up tent and toys, had her all slathered in sunscreen, in her splashers diaper and topped with her hat and then we sat her down on the blanket. It was funny because we really didn't know what to after that! We played, watched the seagulls, walked on the beach and it was really fun, don't get me wrong, but the beach is a VERY different experience with an infant. We definitely took a LOT of pictures though so we could remember all of the great moments from Lilly's first beach experience.
Tuesday, April 9
Since it was a little windy and since we had already had a great time on the beach the day before, we decided to take in a few of Myrtle Beach's other attractions, starting with Ripley's Aquarium. I have been to a lot of aquariums and this one was awesome! Lilly loved all of the tanks of fish, especially the tropical fish that were bright colors, and the jelly fish.
Apparently the giant shark behind her is making Lilly smile and laugh :-)
They had this amazing tank that was all around you. You walked through it like a tunnel, so the fish (and saw-nose sharks) swam right over your head). It was really cool.
We were lucky because it wasn't really busy, so Lilly was able to get close to everything and take her time.
We saw two different dicing shows where scuba divers went into the tanks to feed the fish. Lilly loved seeing people in there and waved to them. I love how much she waves now. It is so cute.
Lilly loves the jellyfish tank. She was able to just stand in front of it and slap at the glass for a while because no one else was waiting. I loved seeing her so interested and attentive.
We had a great time at the aquarium!
After walking around Barefoot Landing and having a great lunch at the Flying Fish Cafe, we decided to take a final walk on the beach. It was so nice to be by the ocean for a few days. It is so calming and relaxing, even with a 10 month old strapped to you :o)
Lilly also played her first round of mini golf with me. I managed to play a full 18 holes with Lilly strapped to me and Darren didn't beat me too badly ;o)
Wednesday, April 10
Lilly woke up at about 4:30 this morning and she was crying, not just mumbling to herself like she normally does if she wakes up, so I wanted to get her. We were in the hotel still, so I lay down with her on the other bed in the room and nursed her. She wasn't as sleepy as I hoped after nursing, but she was being very quiet and calm. The room was dark and Darren was still trying to sleep and it was almost like Lilly knew that. She was on her belly and laying down kind of cooing to herself and then every few minutes, she would pick her head up and look right at me. Then she did something that would make me get up at 4:30 every morning if I knew this would happen: she leaned down and gave me a kiss. She did this every time she picked her little head up. She just leaned forward and planted her lips straight on my lips. My heart melted every time and I felt like I was swelling up with the amazing love I have for my baby girl and the love she has for me too. Lilly and I fell back asleep together on the bed for another hour or so and I was tired when we got up, but it was absolutely worth it.
When we went to breakfast in the morning at the hotel, Lilly and I were sitting at the table while Darren went up to the buffet. A really tall, burly guy walked by with his friend and Lilly waved to him (he wasn't really even paying attention to her), but he noticed her wave and waved back. As he walked away he was saying how cute she was to his friend. Then a few minutes later, he and a few guys walked over to say Hi and the guy said, "Hey watch!" and he waved to Lilly and she waved back to him. He was so proud of himself and so excited. His buddies were all laughing and cooing at Lilly. It was so adorable. Here is this group of big, burly guys all ooing and ahhing over Lilly and she just charmed them with her beautiful smile and waved to them over and over again. It was really, really cute!
Lilly slept for a while on our way home, but she woke up about an hour away from home. I couldn't sit with her in the backseat since we had packed the car pretty tight, so I was trying to play with her from the front seat. I started playing peek-a-boo with her by covering my face with my hands (she could see me in the mirror), and then she started doing it herself! She held up her little pink blanket in front of her face and then I would say "Where's Lilly??" and then she was drop the blanket and I would say, "Peek-a-boo!" and she would get a huge smile on her face. I love that she is learning new things and how much she can do on her own now.
Kristi's daughters bought Lilly a sippy cup and Lilly LOVES it! It is probably her favorite thing right now. We fill it with ice water for her and she tips it back and gnaws on the rubber nipple. She gets some water, but mostly I think she likes the way it feels on her gums. She holds it herself now after some practice. It's so cute!
Kristi's daughters bought Lilly a sippy cup and Lilly LOVES it! It is probably her favorite thing right now. We fill it with ice water for her and she tips it back and gnaws on the rubber nipple. She gets some water, but mostly I think she likes the way it feels on her gums. She holds it herself now after some practice. It's so cute!
This is Lilly kissing her own foot. I wish I was this flexible!
Getting ready to take our daily walk :o)
I will never tire of hearing Lilly's laugh. She laughs so much now, but I don't want to take it for granted, so I wanted to make sure to capture it on video to share.
Thursday, April 11
Lilly's schedule is a little off still since coming home from vacation, so she was little more fussy than usual. Plus, she either has a cold or she inherited Darren's allergies, because she had a pretty stuffy nose today. So the combination of being tired from vacation, teething and the stuffy nose made for a very clingy baby. She just wanted to be in our arms all day. Granted, we love having Lilly in our arms, but it can be tricky when we try to put her in her carseat and she arches her back and kicks her feet because she doesn't want to be put down. Luckily Lilly calms down very easily when I sing to her. She still loves "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and calms down almost immediately when I sing it.
Lilly was very interested in the "snot sucker" until I tried to actually use it. Then, not so much!
After taking a nice walk around the neighborhood and seeing a lot of friends, we decided to go and get ice cream from Sunni Skys. When we got home, Maggie was very excited that we were back and was pacing around Darren who was holding Lilly. Darren said, "Hi Maggie Moo" and Lilly said, "Hi!" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He said it again and she said "Hi!" again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then he said it a third time and she said "Hi!" again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I grabbed the camera and started taking video, but of course, she didn't say it again after that. We are marking this as Lilly's first word. Her first word was "Hi!" and she said it to the dog :o) Love it!
Friday, April 12
When we went to get Lilly in the morning, she was sitting straight up in her crib playing with the lights and sounds aquarium that we have in there for her. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but normally she is on her belly, "swimming" with her arms, or on her back cuddling with her lovey when we go in to get her. This was a first for us. It also made me realize that we need to lower her crib so she doesn't try to stand up and fall out or climb out. My baby girl is growing up!
We spent a lot of time outside yesterday enjoying the beautiful weather as our track out comes to a close. I am so thankful that Lilly likes being outside because Darren and I do as well. We went tot he Art After Dark event in Downtown Fuquay, which was really nice. I felt bad because there was some crazy wind so a lot of the artists and craftsman were battling the wind to keep their tents and wares safe, but it was a great event anyway. I carried Lilly around in her carrier and she waved to everyone she could.
Saturday, April 13
We decided to spoil our dinner and go to Sweet Creations for some frozen yogurt. Lilly sat in her seat while we had our treat and I thought I would let her try some. I got the pomegranate raspberry sorbet and gave her a tiny taste. She crinkled up her little nose and stuck out her tongue like I had poisoned her. I guess it was a little tart. She tried some of Darren's whipped cream and wasn't impressed by that either. Apparently our daughter doesn't have a sweet tooth because she gulps down green beans, squash and Cheerios like a champ!
Here are some more Lilly giggles!
I think Lilly looks so grown up in this picture. It breaks my heart a little, but it makes me so happy to see what a beautiful little girl (ouch! did I just say little girl instead of baby???) she is becoming!
Lilly played a lot tonight before bed. She was just scooting around on the floor, trying to pull up on things, climbing Darren and I like we were a jungle gym and just genuinely being happy. I love how playful she is and how she isn't as fragile anymore so I can grab her in my arms and roll onto the floor with her, or tickle her until she is laughing so hard she can't even make noise.
She also decided to sit back and enjoy a good book before bedtime!
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