Beach Trip!

It's been a fun couple of weeks! Eric finished up his final year of medical school (yay!) and we've had some time to just hang out, get things done, and then spend a nice long weekend at the beach. 

Ahhh... :-)

We decided a few weeks ago that, since we weren't moving to another city and having to spend this "residency prep" period in a hotel looking for a home, we would spend time in a hotel at the beach instead!

 We ended up going to Isle of Palms, SC, just outside of Charleston. We were able to get a 2 bedroom condo at a resort for cheaper than most of the hotels in downtown Charleston. Samuel got his own room, we got a kitchen to cook in (and cable!), we were right by the ocean, we had access to all the resort stuff (not that we used half of it!) and we were just 20 minutes from Charleston. The only downside was that we couldn't afford to stay longer!!

 

Samuel in his beach swag. Eric insisted he keep his polo shirt on for fear of sunburn. 

Samuel did pretty well on the trip all things considered. 300 miles is a long trip for 2 month old, but he only fussed toward the end of the trip (while we were in traffic and it was raining - of course!).

He wasn't really sure what to think of the beach. He primarily slept in his stroller while we laid out and read. It was pretty funny to watch him when we got him out in the sand, though (and to see his reaction to his hat and sunglasses, both of which were waaaay too big)! We also put his feet in the ocean for a bit. He didn't hate it, but he definitely was confused about what was going on!

Unfortunately, the weather was only really nice on Saturday. Sunday and Monday were colder and  pretty dreary, so we hung out in the condo and went for a walk on the beach when it wasn't raining. We also found some fun chess and checkers sets at the main part of the resort - a perfect rainy day activity. (Eric kicked my hinie, btw. He played a lot of checkers as a kid).

Sunday night we braved the rain and went into Charleston for some seafood. Samuel enjoyed taking in rainy downtown Charleston while we waited to be seated.

And we enjoyed trying a random seafood platter (seabass, cobia, monkfish and scallops in a spicy lobster broth). We also got some fried oysters. Considering I've pretty much only had 3 types of fish ever (and shrimp) and basically never eat seafood, I think that was a pretty brave meal!!

Other than growing like crazy, Samuel's been doing a lot of the same stuff the last couple of weeks. He is talking a TON, loves playing on his playmat or the floor, is actually enjoying tummy time, and sticks EVERYTHING in his mouth!

See what I mean?? He thinks his hands are the best. He also has been caught chewing on burp cloths, wipes, the bear behind him in this picture.. basically anything he can find. He doesn't seem to be teething. He just has a bit of an oral fixation right now! 

Oh, did I mention that he actually started sleeping the whole night?!? Just to clarify, to me the whole night means from when we put him down (8:30ish) until at least 7. He hasn't done it every night, but he has done it four times in the last week or so. Hopefully in another week he will have it down! :-)

He's also seriously getting on the verge of rolling over. I kept expecting him to do it all weekend. He can get on his side, but hasn't quite figured out how to get over his arm yet. It's going to be really exciting when he finally does it, but I can't say I'm quite ready for a mobile child! I love having my teeny non-mobile boy!

I know I've said it before, but I am seriously amazed at how much I love this kid and how much more I love Eric as we figure this parenting thing out together. I keep thinking my heart can't grow anymore, but then it does. I'm so grateful we are getting to have this time together as a family right now! 

My heart just grows and grows.

9 Weeks + Samuel's First Easter

 Okay, I know I say this every time, but little man is getting SO BIG. I weighed him on the Wii this morning. It said he weighed 13 pounds. Not that that's a shocker since he was 12 1/2 last week at the doctor, but STILL. He's turning into such a little chunker!

This week was fairly uneventful. The weather has been toying with us, but it's been in the high 50s several days and even almost 70 one day last week, allowing us to go out for some walks/runs in the stroller (and some nice visits to the Y when it's not. Like today. It's snowing today). Samuel's staying awake a lot more during our walks, but he doesn't seem to mind them at all.

Eric had Good Friday off, so we were able to take a little family outing to Chick Fil A where everyone stopped to talk to our sweet boy. Can you blame them? Let's face it, he's stinkin' adorable. We also got a lot accomplished around the house -- cleaning, cooking, paying bills, and working on Eric's contract and license application (so he can be a doctor. How crazy is that??)

Baby boy has been continuing to sleep well (usually 7-9 hours, then back down for 3-4 more), but has managed to figure out how to break out of every swaddle blanket we have, including the "Miracle Blanket" that guarantees to keep them swaddled until 14 weeks. He got both arms out before 9. Can I have my money back?

We had a nice little gathering of med school couples over Saturday morning for brunch. Unfortunately, I woke up Saturday morning with my throat on fire. I get a cold every spring, and this time it came on strong. Luckily, I was able to power through and visit for a few hours and then sleep all afternoon.

I was tempted to not go to church Sunday morning. Truth be told, I felt pretty miserable. But I have missed enough church this year and I was not about to miss Easter and especially not Samuel's first Easter (not that he knew what was going on). So I toughed it up and went and, even though I could barely croak out one of my favorite songs ever (In Christ Alone), it didn't matter, because I was SO grateful to be able to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior with fellow believers. How blessed we are!

I thought I would just go home after service, but I decided to tough it up some more and go out to Easter brunch with friends. I felt pretty crunchy by the time we got home, but it didn't matter. It was worth it to share lovely Easter memories with family and friends. :-)

Taking care of baby when you are sick is not very fun. I'm just glad he hasn't been sick at the same time. There has been one good part about it: we have been home for him to take naps in his crib. He's still had a few fussy periods throughout the day, but I think having established nap times is really helping with his overall mood. We spend a lot more time playing and laughing in the interim.

I know there probably aren't too many ages I'm not going to like, but I reallly am liking two months right now! Samuel's really starting to interact a LOT. We have little "conversations." He gets excited when I sing to him. He likes anything colorful and smiles and laughs at, well, everything (including me blowing my nose. Apparently that's HILARIOUS).

He seems to learn to do something new almost every day. It's so crazy to see how much he has changed! Even though I occasionally get a little bored, I am soooo thankful to have this time with him right now!

Seriously, how blessed I am. :-)