Last Hurrah of the Summer

Call us lucky ducks or call us spoiled rotten- any way you look at it we were extremely fortunate to have been taken on three incredible beach vacations in one short summer.

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Wrightsville Beach with Brian's family and realized we are officially landlocked for awhile. Not a happy thought, but we made plenty of fun beach memories to last us till next year.

There was one worry going into this trip- how loads of sand and sun would affect Collins's healing leg. That's why we got her this...

...a full body, 50+ UV protectant body suit that added a good 5 lbs of weight when wet. That's why Brian took some scissors to it halfway through the week, and a ruffle died. But thankfully the suit did its job and protected her leg, and Collins didn't let it slow her down at all...

 

When we weren't on the beach, we were hanging out at the beach house watching the Olympics, eating an excess of yummy foods, playing with Collins, and relaxing.

Our last morning at the beach was a rainy one so we headed towards Carolina Beach and the Fort Fisher aquarium. Collins was cool with the two huge thrashing alligators....

and being caught in the jaws of life with Grandpa...

but not with sitting still at the restaurant afterwards. So she and Gigi checked out the Kure Beach pier.

Many thanks to Donna and Marty for a special vacation. Thanks also to Aunt Connie for joining us and making the long trek from Colorado!

Boo Boo Update

"Boo boo" and "hot" have been the two most common words to come out of Collins' mouth this past week. Obviously, the slide accident has traumatized my baby (and me). But the good news is that we got cleared by the doctor today- no more office visits are necessary and the bandages can come off!

It is amazing how quickly the wounds have healed in a week's time. We're told it will be months before the skin looks normal again, but we are so grateful that we've made this much progress already.

Many thanks go to my dear friend Rach who gave us so much helpful advice through this process. The knowlege she shared (gained from working in the burn unit at Baptist Hospital) was invaluable and gave us peace of mind. Thanks also to everyone for the prayers and words of support this past week- it meant a lot.

Another update- Pullen Park is putting up signs around the slide where the accident happened so this hopefully won't happen again!

Here are some pictures from our week indoors- as you can see we still managed to have some fun!

Our Happy Place

I find that transitioning back to normal life after a week at the beach is never particularly easy or pleasant. This year was especially rough due to Collins' accident and the hassle that is not having a phone (mine died at the beach). 

It has been a week of stress and worry, multiple doctor visits, fighting boredom being quarantined inside, and dealing with all kinds of communication headaches. But we've made it to the weekend and I'm happy to say that things are looking up- the doctor said yesterday that Collins' leg is healing "beautifully" and my new phone is finally up and running!

It seems like more than a week ago that we were in our happy place- Kiawah Island. A place where our biggest stress was trying to decide what to have for lunch or what to do after a bike ride. After a trying week it was fun to look back over the pictures and remember what a fabulous vacation we had!

Even though we've been going to this beach for about 20 years, we're always struck by how beautiful it is...(amazing scenery photos courtesy of my sister, the photographer).

Weary from a long drive down, we finally arrive and head towards the beach. I always love that moment when you spot the ocean for the first time. This year, we got an added treat.

Collins didn't even wait for a bathing suit and headed straight for the water.

Our transformation to beach bum doesn't take long...

 When not on the beach, Collins wanted to don her "hat" and take a bike ride. It was really fun having her tag along this way.

Mimi and Baba taught Collins some very important lessons during the week. First was the art of microwave cooking...

then how to put the babies "night night"...

how to share your food with your friends....

how to rock...

how to "bump bump" down the stairs...

and how fun it is to get treated to a new "ee ee" every once in a while.

The weather was beautiful, but one morning we had clouds and decided to go visit the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston. Collins just learned how to say "fish" so it was appropriate timing. They had some really cool animals like an albino alligator and a bald eagle, but her favorite part was an exhibit on Madagascar Island that featured a fun safari jeep and some lemurs that were very monkey-like.

Whether it was playing "Apples to Apples" or drinking wine and listening to tunes while prepping for dinner or taking a bike ride to Terrapin Island, every moment we had together was a fun one. Also very cool- Kiawah is hosting the PGA Championship in a few weeks so we got to see them setting up the Ocean Course for the world's best golfers. We are so thankful for such a wonderful vacation and the time spent together in our happy place!

A Word of Warning

A really scary thing happened to us Monday at Pullen Park. Collins was going down a slide and started screaming- turns out it was really hot and she got burnt pretty badly. Unfortunately, she was wearing shorts and it burned her calf and her upper thigh. After lots of doctors visits, we think she is going to be fine and there will be no permanent damage, but she was in a lot of pain and I have never felt worse in my life.

I should have thought about the slide being hot because it was sitting directly in the sun on a really hot morning. But it was a plastic not a metal slide, and the thought didn't even cross my mind. Others I have talked to have said the same- how could you have known?

So just a word of warning to anyone taking their kids to a playground. Watch out for hot slides- I don't want this happening to anybody else.

Big Girl Ways

It's amazing to watch your baby transform into a big girl (in what feels like) overnight. A couple of things have surprised me lately and made me realize that she really is growing up fast!

1. Lots more hair- her hair has finally gotten long enough to cover her eyes and warrant a bow or clip at all times. We could probably use our first hair cut, but I tried our first ponytail instead.

2. Her climbing skills- we are back to the point where she is no longer safe in a room by herself. In two different instances recently I was in a different room and go to find her and she had climbed onto the sofa by herself and then an ottoman and was just standing there on the furniture smiling at me. Not scary at all!

3. Her language development- she understands so much of what we say. The other day I asked her to go get her "Pout Pout Fish" book in the other room and bring it to me so we could read it. She did exactly that. She's also trying to say a lot more words now- we're just waiting for that word explosion that the doctor says will happen soon.

4. Her utensil usage- this one is a game-changer! I love that she now takes the spoon out of my hand so she can feed herself.

4. Her need to move- she can't even sit still for a grocery store run anymore. After I put her in the grocery cart, she tries to climb out and jump into my arms. So now I am left carrying her in one arm, pushing the cart in the other, searching for what we need, and stopping her from pulling off all the food from the shelves all at the same time.  All fun has officially been sucked out of this errand!

This little person is really on the move now so that's why I'm concerned about the 4 1/2 hour drive ahead of us tomorrow to Kiawah Island. My plan is to take lots of new toys to distract her with and to remember that what awaits us beyond the screams and wiggles is a week in paradise!

Tears in my Ribs

Brian has a passion for grilling and smoking large meat items. Baking meat items? Not so much. That's why on July 4th when we got a 3-hour drenching rain storm and his plans to grill ribs on his new charcoal grill got ruined, he said there would be tears in our ribs. Because he had to throw them in the oven!

I wasn't sure how we would entertain Collins inside all afternoon until I realized that Brian's grill came in a large box.

As soon as her house was built, she went into the playroom and came back with her ladybug chair. Typical female- she wasted no time in furnishing her new digs!

Monkey Love

Collins has a monkey obsession. It all started when she noticed a monkey in a book and we explained to her that a monkey says "ee ee". Well it has been non-stop "ee ee" ever since. She now owns a monkey pouf, a monkey shirt, and always turns specifically to the monkey pages in books. Yesterday, she caught a glance of a monkey on TV and couldn't get it out of her mind making monkey sounds all afternoon.

Her first sentence was also monkey-related. Donna was holding her and her favorite monkey friend when monkey fell to the ground and Collins exclaimed, "ee ee ut oh!".

I think I see a visit to the zoo in our future.

Here what's a classic "monkey plop" looks like.

Getting a running start from down the hall...

Plop!

Hang out for awhile...

Finish up with your best monkey impression...

If this monkey love continues, we've got ourselves a theme for her 2-year-old birthday party!