Chasing down seagulls on the beach in Corolla, NC. (July)
As in years past, we’ve just returned from family beach week in Corolla, North Carolina. It was another great time, and although Lily only really enjoyed the water on the first day, she was completely content playing in the sand for hours at a time. Luckily, she was also okay with being hosed down afterwards. Check out Lily’s latest album for other beach shots.
Besides beach time, we didn’t do a whole lot. We’ve done most of the touristy things already, so this trip was all about relaxation, family time, and a bit of beach shopping for mom and Lily. We did get a chance to sneak out for an incredible date night, though, at a great place called the Fin and Claw. The menu was way more pricey than we would typically go for, but the opportunity was there and the food was delicious. Not to mention, we don’t really get a lot of occasions to fill Stephanie with over-priced cocktails these days.
Back in April of 2003, Stephanie and I were one month away from getting married. We found a great little townhouse in Alexandria and were able to buy it amid the chaos of wedding plans. That settlement was fun and exciting: first-time home-buyers, about to get married, the quintessential “first day of the rest of our lives.” “Ha ha – look at all the papers we’re signing! Derp be doo be doo!”
Just over seven years later we were back at it, and everything was a tad more “real.” It’s not to say it wasn’t exciting – we are truly and absolutely ecstatic about our new house! We’re just older, wiser, and not as quick to giggle about signatures and dollar signs. Regardless, settlement(s) day went off better than we could have hoped. Sure there were little hiccups here and there, but our agent smiled about how nice it is when things go so smoothly. It was a big day, though, and one we’ll certainly never forget.
And we must give a very heart-felt thanks to both sets of parents! While Lily is a load of fun every minute of the day, her antics weren’t going to pack boxes. Having her out of the house and well-cared-for for those three days was essential to us getting through closing and completing the move. We are truly grateful.
So now the slow and steady process of unpacking and settling in begins. Lost and broken items, putting everything away, hooking up televisions, computers, and stereos. It’s fun and annoying, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
It what seems to be the blink of an eye, Lily has gone from crawling, to taking assisted and very clumsy steps, to walking independently. She walks everywhere now, and it’s honestly weird for us to see a little person casually strolling around the house. She’s still got the little T-Rex/Frankenstein arms, but her balance and coordination are getting better every day.
And speaking of moving, this is it. In two days we go to settlement, then will move over the weekend. The stress of the entire process, plus a baby, plus both of us working long hours lately has really worn us down. But many thanks to our family and friends who have helped out in so many ways over the recent weeks! We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a smooth weekend, and should be enjoying our new house before we know it!
Lily had some follow-up blood work done recently (just the RAST test – not that awful scratch procedure down her back) and we were elated to see some encouraging results. Of her formidable list of allergies a few months ago, it appears that she’s down to only three now: eggs, wheat, and peanuts. While this will still require us to stay on our toes about what she eats, it opens up all kinds of great new food possibilities for her – things like oats, rice, dairy, soy, and corn. We’ll just need to keep a close eye on her as we slowly introduce those previous allergens into her diet.
And this comes at a good time – Little Miss Opinions is starting to get very bored with her limited menu. Perhaps now more food will go into the mouth than thrown onto the floor.
Over the past few weeks, Lily has been teasing us with her slow and steady progress in learning to walk. She’s been able to stumble around for a while, but she’s always needed to hold our hands. Well after tons of practice, she finally took a few steps on her own last night! It was probably due to mommy and I cheering at her, but she thought the whole milestone was just hilarious.
We couldn’t believe how much more carefully we needed to watch her once she started recklessly crawling, so I’m not sure we can fully appreciate how crazy it will be once she really starts running around. Yikes.
Walking has also coincided with another fun milestone this week. She’s been babbling like crazy for months, but has only recently been articulating genuine words (with real meaning). Well rather than waking up each morning with her usual nonsensical discussions, we’ve heard a loud and sing-song “DAAAD! DAAAD!” for the past few days. Ug. Why not mommy? Daddy’s not ready to wake up yet.
Lily entered her teens the other day, but thankfully it’s the good kind (as measured in months). I don’t even want to think about the chaos that will be my baby girl at thirteen years. She’s just so much dang fun to be around these days, so I suppose I should savor it now!
Photo updates today: I renamed her original album to “0-12 months,” and created a new one to cover the coming year. These are always available via the “Photos” link along the top of the website. Enjoy!
