Evie watches Barney. Intently. I don't plop her in front of the TV often, but when I need to get things done, this "babysitter" will work!
Evie plays.
Evie "swims".
Evie looks cute. Ha!
Evie cruises.
It's September and we're looking very forward to it finally cooling off. So far it's in the low 90s and that feels pretty darn good. When it's consistently in the low 80s I'll be a really happy camper!
Today was Evie's first day of Mother's Day Out. It's like daycare, but only for certain hours. Evie goes Mondays only from 9am to 2:30pm. It's held in a church with 6 other babies (6mo-18mo.) and 2 teachers. So, like I said, today was day 1. When I made it to the church I was anxious about how the drop off was going to go since Evie can be quite vocal about not wanting someone else to hold her if I'm there. However, the anticipation was much worse than the reality. In reality, I wish she cared just a little more! Hahahaha! I'm actually kidding. For real. She did great. I just handed her over to the teacher while we were talking and she was looking at everything else going on, I said "I love you" and walked away. No tears. It was actually kind of amazing. I needed to fill out some paperwork so I walked back to her room to peek in on her and she was playing with a toy, the teacher and another kid was sitting right by her. Still no tears. And, just a few from me. Until I got in the car and was driving away and realized I was home free for 5 hours! Then they were tears of joy! I'm only partially kidding. I didn't cry tears of joy, but I did look like a complete moron driving down the road with a huge smile on my face. It was so big I felt like I should take out my cell phone so people would think I got some happy news or something instead of just smiling alone in the car!
One thing I've learned about being a mom is that it is, by far, the greatest "job" on earth. I have never woken up and said, "Ugh...I have to hang out with Evie all day today. That sucks," or "Damn...I have to get that smiling baby up in the morning." I have found that I don't miss being at work like I thought I would; I feel like I actually do something meaningful with my day instead of spending it wishing I was anywhere else but at work. I have also found that it is the hardest job on earth. Seriously. It's not the "tasks"-- those are pretty simple. More than anything, they require patience. But the thing that's hard is they never end. Nope. Never. Vacation? Baby still needs a diaper change. Weekend? Baby still gets up way too early. Middle of the night? Baby may be scared, hungry or not tired--they don't care that it's a Tuesday or a Friday and Mom and Dad thought they'd live on the edge and go to bed at 11pm instead of 9pm! So, in light of these "mom" requirements--I needed a little bit of a break. Five hours every Monday should about do it!
Evie did great at her first Mother's Day Out and I did pretty darn good too!
The second week of August was spent in the Outer Banks, NC with Darin's mom and Beth and Granny. It was our first "real" vacation with Evie (even though she's been on planes plenty of times prior to this, it was always to stay at one of our family's houses). Needless to say, Darin and I were looking very forward to getting away to bask on the beach and play in the water with Evie. And, let's face it, to have someone to watch her a night or two so we could go and do something.
Well, things didn't turn out quite as planned. And this is our story:
We made it to North Carolina just fine. Evie did pretty good on the plane except for a few screams she just had to get out!
We got back to Roxboro and made our first stop at Mrs. Gillis' house. Initially, Evie wasn't excited about being held, but eventually she came around. All it took was a couple stuffed animals that made noise and she was a happy little camper!
We then headed to Danna, Beth and Granny's house where Evie got to hang out with not only the Grandmas and Great Granny, but also Molly (dog), Sunny, Magic, Baby Grace and Shadow (cats). The cats made themselves scarce. I think word traveled fast from Mrs. Gillis' that Evie has quite a strong grip and likes to pull ears; she got a hold of a kitten's ear over there and didn't really want to let go. Smart cats. Molly, on the other hand, got a few licks in. I was scared for Molly, honestly, so I didn't let Evie get too close for too long. Since Evie shows no fear with Josie and Boomer, I can only imagine the hair she would have loved to pull out of poor little Molly!!
Evie also met Philip, Beth, Darby and Jack. Only Jack is shown in this picture. I think Evie might have been jealous of all his hair.
Pa Pa Coble came out to the house also.
Uncle Neil was also there, but by the time he got to hold her (or, at least when I got a picture of it) she was ready for a nap.
After a nap, it was time to play!
And eat! And eventually...ride! Grandmas B & C took her over the river and through the woods to...Urel and Wilma's?!?
It was a scenic little jaunt.
Fast forward to the next day when we leave for the Outer Banks with the million mile Jeep in the lead.
We have arrived! Well, close enough. Thank you, Instagram, for the cool effects!
First stop: Awful Arthur's. This would be where Grandma B taught Evie to do this. She hasn't stopped since and occasionally I catch her doing it alone in her crib, which really cracks me up!
After Awful Arthur's it was time for unpacking, setting up Evie's room (in the closet!!), beach toys and bubbles!
A gorgeous sunset capped off the first day with a promise for a great vacation.
The next day we hit the beach. Evie was only there for a short time because I really wanted to keep her on a schedule. After all, I figured she'd be at the beach every day that week, what did it matter if she was only there for an hour on the first day? I was so wrong.
Granny came out for a short time also, but headed back with Evie and Darin. Danna, Beth and I stayed out for a few more hours and enjoyed the sun, sand and a good book!
Dinner at Sam and Omi's let Evie have her first taste of crab and corn chowder. From the looks of it, she approved.
After dinner was a bath and a book read by Grandma C!
And yet another gorgeous sunset.
Jake and Jamie arrived late that night to spend Monday with us.
The next day started out quite nice! Jake, Jamie, Darin & I went out to lunch while the Grandmas watched Evie. After we got home, Jake, Darin & I headed to the beach. And then it started to rain. Great.
After it started pouring, Darin checked the forecast for the rest of the week. Hmm...that's depressing.
So, here's Tuesday & Wednesday in a nutshell for ya: read, read, read, look outside and get excited because it stopped raining, put on swimsuit, look outside and want to cry because it's raining again, read, read and repeat. We did do a little shopping, along with the rest of the vacationers in the Outer Banks and that's about it. Here are yet more pictures to capture those exciting moments.
Evie LOVED Jamie. LOVED her.
A little shopping and trying on a bonnet.
Of course, it's sunny AFTER the day is drawing to a close.
As Danna said, "Someone is going to ask me, 'What did you do on vacation?'
and I'm going to have to tell them, 'Oh, sat on the carport and smelled
Kentucky Fried Chicken.'" And that's about right!!!!
After Evie was put down for the night on Wednesday, Darin & I walked over to Jennette's Pier to take some pictures and see what it was all about.
Thursday started at 5am with Evie crying in her pack 'n' play. Darin got up to get her and said, "Um, she feels really hot." And she was. Her temp was 102.8. We gave her Tylenol and took her temp a while later and it was down to 100. Then it was back up to 103.3 and I called the pediatrician. The nurse I spoke with wasn't too concerned, told me what to do and when to bring her to the ER, etc. We kept giving her Tylenol and the fever was almost gone. So, being the good parents we are...we went to the beach and took advantage of a sunny day! I know, that's horrible, isn't it? But we left our sweet baby not only with her grandmas, but also with her grandma who was a nurse for 30+ years. She was in good hands.
The next day the fever was back, but much lower and she seemed to feel slightly better. The day started out rainy (I know, this is shocking), so there was time for books, puzzles and general laziness.
Eventually, it cleared up so Grandmas B & C took Evie over to Jennette's Pier to have a look around!
"Look! A sea otter!"
No. Upon further inspection, it's a log! Hahahahaha!
After Jennette's Pier, Darin & I took Evie to Urgent Care. The physician's assistant who saw her did his examination and everything was negative. He said, "There's just one more thing," got out a tongue depressor and looked in her mouth. "Yep! Looks like she might have hand, foot and mouth disease." For those of you who don't know what that is, it's where you get blisters on your hands, feet and in your mouth. "Adults don't get it," we were told. Well, Darin & I both felt better knowing what we were dealing with and that there was nothing to really do about it except give her Tylenol, which we were already doing. She got more and more blisters on her hands and feet for a few more days, but they never seemed to really bother her.
As a side note, after we got home from our vacation, I did, in fact, end up with hand, foot and mouth myself. And that was by far the worst sore throat I have ever had. Ever. I felt so much worse for Evie after I had it. I know two other adults who have gotten it also--another mom and Evie's pediatrician's husband. So, the whole, "Adults don't get it" thing...not true! Also, as a result of me having it, I had a sore throat, not a bad one, for a full week before it really started to hurt. I also had flu-like symptoms before my throat started on fire also. This could explain why Evie was abnormally clingy to me the entire time we were there. I don't think she was ever really feeling very good. By the end of the trip, I just tried to make myself scarce or else nobody else could hold her. Poor baby girl. I know what that's like to just want your mom when you're sick. I still do and I'm 31! ...I can't believe I'm that person for someone else now!...
The next day was Saturday and it was time to hit the road. We got a few pictures in before we left.
4 Generations
Pit stop to fuel up and eat!
Darin, Evie & I stayed in a hotel since we had to leave for the airport at 5am and if we stayed in Roxboro, we would have had to leave at 4am. No thanks! Saying good-bye!
"This girl follows me everywhere! She is so nice to have around!"
Almost home....
The next day... A little help with unpacking!
Well, even though it rained 5 of 7 days and even though Evie wasn't her normal sunny self (although, she was really good) and ended up with hand, foot and mouth disease, it was still nice to spend some quality time with family. This will not be a vacation we will soon be forgetting. And, after looking at the pictures, guess we did a little more than just sit on the carport smelling Kentucky Fried Chicken.
**A special thanks to Beth Gillis for taking 90% of these pictures!!**
