Pookie

Emilia has fallen in love with the book – “What’s Wrong Little Pookie?” I checked it out from the library and have had to renew it 3 times! I’ll need to look for it in stores and buy it, because Emilia is not going to be happy if she requests "Pookie" and I have to explain that we had to bring it back...

Last night, this was the book she requested before bed. We laid down in her bed and began reading like we always do...but MUCH to my surprise, she started reciting the book!! I was absolutely shocked and so, so proud of my little “reader”! I laid there and took in the moment for a while before jumping up to grab my camera so I could capture it forever!

No turning back...

Emilia has officially made the transition to a twin bed. She just loves it. She can climb up onto it using a little step stool on the end and has even been sleeping longer, probably because of how cozy and warm it is. It is such a bittersweet feeling - I'm happy to see her excited about her new independence and sad, wondering where my baby girl has gone?

So, to soften the blow and cheer myself up, I set off on a shopping mission...one of my favorite things in life :) I scoured the Internet for the perfect bedding to compliment the accessories already in her room and a headboard that would fit right in as well. It didn't take long and the mission was accomplished! Here's a sneak peek of the bedding and headboard (in white) that I'm anxiously awaiting!!! I hope she loves it as much as her mama!

Charleston & Folly Beach

Our trip to Charleston, SC was a great, relaxing, fun getaway. We started out the trip pretty rough with a sick Emilia who had a 104.4 fever, croup and intermittent episodes of vomiting... It wasn't looking good - but after a trip to urgent care the night before we left, we were assured it was nothing time wouldn't heal. So off we went at 4:30am in the cab to the airport...

The flight went great. Emilia was just perfectly content and never complained. She loved watching out the window as we took off and exclaimed, "Target!" when she saw the big Target logo on the roof of the store we flew over. During the rest of the flight - she shuffled among out laps, held onto her baby and blanket, looked through the airline magazine and watched a little Elmo on the DVD player.

We got to Charleston, squeezed everything into the rental car (I'm still not sure how that was accomplished) picked up the booster seat I found on Craigslist, headed for lunch at a Southern gem - Chick-fil-A and picked up some necessities at Target including a hot pink sand pail. From here - it was off to our final destination - Folly Beach - "The Edge of America." Folly Beach was the perfect vacation spot for us...super laid back, everything in walking distance and the beach just blocks away.

We got into the townhouse, rearranged Emilia's room to set up a make-shift toddler bed and checked out the rest of the pad before we got Emilia down for a nap. We stayed in for dinner that night since we didn't want to push our sick little baby anymore than the day had already. She was getting to the end of her rope and we couldn't blame her. That night was more croupy cough and more vomit...this time it had me gagging too. Poor girl.

Home for the week :)

Tuesday was another low key day. The guys headed out to their Truxton Tour and Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum...boy stuff. The girls stayed back and walked out on the pier and attempted the park but Emilia was just not up for it. She napped while my mom and I soaked up some sun (me a little too much) up on the top deck. Wow...my skin didn't know what to do with the UV rays - I'll never learn. When the guys got back - we drove up the island to get out feet in the sand, pick up some shells and see the Morris Island Lighthouse. For dinner - we enjoyed buckets of crab, shrimp, corn and potatoes at the Crab Shack along with some local beers. I LOVE vacation :)

Morris Island Lighthouse

My beach babe - all smiles!

Ready for dinner!

These little crab legs are gonna get you...

Wednesday, my Mom and Dad told Jeff and I to get out and enjoy ourselves a little while they stayed back with the miss. So we headed to Charleston, walked around downtown, checked out the market and candy shop and went to lunch at the Southend Brewery. We enjoyed a yummy lunch - me: fried green tomato BLT and Jeff: BBQ pork sandwich accompanied by a beer flight of their micro brews. Fun times :) We got back to a well rested little girl who was FINALLY turning around! She enjoyed some corn dog and applesauce before we headed out to check out the pier. After walking the pier and seeing some fish swimming in buckets, we headed to Woody's to pick up some pizza for dinner. Emilia even enjoyed it with us! Getting her appetite back is always a good sign :)

A quick photo opp by a palm tree just her size :)
Up, up and away - on the pier.

So many shells to collect for her pail!

Thursday was my birthday! My Mom and I had hot stone massages scheduled at the Stella Nova Spa in downtown Charleston. The place was great and the hot stones felt amazing - they didn't come in contact with my burn from Tuesday, thankfully! Afterwards, we picked up some decadent cupcakes at a cute little bakery nearby, appropriately named, Cupcake. The cupcakes were fun and my Mom "treated" Emilia to a sweet little shirt with "Miss Cupcake" on the front. Perfect. We got back to the townhouse and my Mom, Dad and I headed to Snapper Jack's for a cold drink and a great view on the rooftop. Jeff volunteered to stay back and wait for Emilia to wake up.

When she woke up, he loaded her into the wagon and we met up at Taco Boy's for a light lunch before heading to the beach!! We were so excited to finally get Emilia in her cute little swimsuit! Unfortunately, she was NOT excited about the sand or ocean water on her feet! Her legs were spring loaded...when we tried to get her to walk in the sand - she curled her legs up and whimpered - begging to be picked up. She was happy once we stopped trying and just set her on the nice clean towel and handed her shells for her pail. What a girl!

Taco Boy! Ole'!

Safely planted on the towel...no dirty toes for this girl...

A hot pink pail...does it get any better?

Family pic on the beach :)

For dinner, we had planned to head back into downtown Charleston for a fancier dinner at Hank's Seafood Restaurant, but the laid back Folly Beach lifestyle had worn off on us. We decided to skip the fancy stuff and stick to another great restaurant on Folly - the Center Street Kitchen. It was the perfect birthday dinner! We sat outside and listened to a blue grass band and ordered up as much "Southern Grub" as possible to really get a taste for what it was! It was totally revealed that I was "not from the south" when I asked the waitress what a hush puppy was... Ha!

My birthday, my guy :)

Friday was my Mom's birthday and on the schedule was a delicious southern breakfast at the Lost Dog Cafe and a walking tour of downtown Charleston - pirate style! We decided on a "treasure hunt" type tour through the Brass Pirate. I was a little skeptical at first but once we started to understand the "pirate lingo" we were flying through the clues, learning a ton and really exploring the history of Charleston! We scored near perfect on our answers and received the grand prize...a Jolly Roger Flag! How fitting! Emilia was the best little "Pirate in Training" never complaining while being pushed around in her stroller during the 2 hour walk. She was rewarded with the cutest little t-shirt in the shop that says "Pirate in Training" on the front with a little skull that changes colors in the sun! It's going to be a HIT this summer!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Just looking cute, as always :)

Entertaining herself by finding her belly button during the walking tour!

The most perfect weather and a GREAT tour of Charleston!

The Brass Pirate - "arrrr!"

That night - there was even more excitement in store - a wild adventure on a Dolphin Boat Ride that started out at the Cherry Point Seafood dock. I have to say - I was NOT excited about the HUGE fish heads I saw cut off and in a bucket on our walk down the dock to the boat...but, once on the boat, we poured ourselves some wine and it was smooth sailing from there. We headed out with just the captain and the 5 of us to explore the area and see the dolphins in their natural habitat. Spotting that first dolphin family was so exciting and hearing Emilia say, "there it is!" was just the icing on the cake! Also on the trip - we saw a HUGE eagles nest (4 feet tall, 2 feet thick) and a Cormorant, drying its wings. After our ride, we got back in the car and headed to the Angel Oak Tree - estimated to be 1500 years old! The park was closed but we were still able to see the magnificence through the fence surrounding it. WOW! It was amazing!

Cheers!

The boat crew!

Since the day had been so filled with activities - we skipped Emilia's nap. We didn't know how much more we could push her, but wanted to have a fun dinner for my Mom's birthday. So we headed back to Folly and walked down to Rita's for our last vacation dinner :) The food was good - more shrimp for me and my Mom...but Emilia was DONE. We tried to enjoy ourselves as much as possible before heading back to get Emilia down and pack up for our departure the next day. It always seems that right when you have it all figured out on vacation - it's time to go. Oh how I wish there was more time for the good stuff in life!

This is what DONE looks like...

Saturday morning, we hodge-podged our way through breakfast with whatever was left in the fridge...my Dad and Jeff we happy to finally get a corn dog! Ha! We loaded up the car again and headed out for one more tour...the Hunley - the Confederate submarine sunk in 1864 and recovered in 2000 - 136 years later! Pretty cool stuff, especially for a couple scuba divers.




After our last little adventure, we headed to the airport and flew home. The flight was easy, breezy. Emilia was asleep as soon as the plane left the ground. We were in the back of the plane on this flight and the two open seats behind us were the perfect place for her to rest her pretty little head for 2 hours.

Thank you Mom and Dad for the PERFECT vacation! It's so much fun to share in all these experiences with the ones you love!

For more vacation pics - click here :)

Big Girl Bed!

Emilia spent her first time in a BIG GIRL BED tonight!! We thought we'd give it a try before our trip to South Carolina next week since the plan is to have her on a twin bed while we're there. So when I got home from work - we headed out to get a mattress pad and sheets. We got home and washed everything to make it just right for the big night! Emilia did great! I think that sleeping on a mat at daycare has helped her with the concept - because last night was a breeze!

We laid down and did our normal nighttime routine...read some books, turned off the light, sang some songs, tickled her back, gave goodnight kisses and that was it! I shut the door and fully expected her to stand up and come over to the door and try her best to twist the handle open - but instead - it was silent. And it remained silent all night long. There were no middle of the night adventures, no emptying out of drawers, no lamps knocked off the nightstand...not a peep! This is just the first of many big changes as she turns into a big girl...but I already asked Jeff last night after putting her down..."What happened to our BABY?" Sad and happy all in one...

Just trying out the new bed before bedtime.

Out like a light...

The next morning - up to her old crib tricks...butt in the air - arms and legs tucked away...

Special thanks to our great neighbors, the Bickett's, for letting your bed find a new home in ours!

Easter Weekend

On Friday afternoon, we headed to Marshfield for a relaxing Easter weekend at Emilia's "Gam-ma and Gam-pa's" house. We hoped Emilia would sleep in the car on the way there, since it was her naptime, but she had other plans - looking for airplanes and "balls", burping her baby, talking to Grandma on the phone...the usual.

We got into town and went straight to my Dad's office so he could "show off his granddaughter", check my eyes and I could look for a new pair of frames.

Emilia helped Grandpa make sure I was seeing as clearly as possible!

On Friday night, I was able to get together with girlfriends that I don't get to see nearly enough! It was fun to chat and laugh and just pick up right where we left off...except, now we're talking about travels and weddings and planning families and not where we're going to go out that night and who is going to drive :)

Jess, me, Sommer (holding a picture of Ang), Becky and Kira

While all this girl talk was going on around the table - Jeff and Kipp went on their own little ranger adventure...

Saturday and Sunday were family days. Saturday, we went to the zoo right as the big city Easter Egg Hunt was wrapping up so it was a BUZZ with kids everywhere! We muscled our way around the playground, checked out the animals and headed to lunch at the Kitchen Table before getting home for Emilia's nap. After lunch - we made cut out sugar cookies and colored eggs. I decided the egg dye was a little more mess than I was comfortable with for Emilia so, I decided to give her a bowl of water and some plastic eggs to color and later decorate with stickers. MUCH cleaner and she was JUST as happy!

Sunday, we woke up and jumped right into Emilia hunting for her Easter basket and eggs. The minute we got downstairs, Emilia spotted her first egg. She was, of course, thrilled, and continued to scope out all the potential hiding spots for more eggs to collect. We kept her from digging into the eggs immediately - but once she did - it was hard to keep her from wanting more "yummy's." I could barely get a cup of coffee and she was halfway done with the eggs that were hiding for her :)

After the hunt and a yummy breakfast, we went to church where Emilia kept herself entertained and very well-behaved for 1 1/2 hours. We hope the plane trip goes this smoothly! I'm still wrapping up the "goodies" that I'll be taking along on the trip to keep her happy. Once the plane lands - the real fun will begin...testing her in a "big girl bed"! Stay tuned!

Eggs...

It wasn't to long ago that when we talked about "Eggs" it was in reference to this little guy. Emilia's BFF. This little friend was her favorite thing for a LONG time after Easter was over.

A year has passed since last Easter and SO much has changed... We brought out "Eggs" a couple weeks ago and asked Emilia, "Who is this?" She replied, "Bear." Sad.

Now - when we talk about eggs - it's in reference to the colorful goodie-filled kind that Emilia just cannot get enough of! Check out this video of her after daycare on the Easter Egg Hunt day. She was just thrilled with, what she kept referring to as, her "presents" and "yummies". She was helping herself to as many as she could dig out! Candies and trinkets just perfectly delightful.

Emilia's ability to understand the world around her is just amazing. As we were reading her "What is Easter" book last night she pointed out and said, "Jesus". Yes - this is what Easter is all about! So smart - I just love this girl.

Easter Egg Hunt

Tonight, Emilia got to take part in her FIRST Easter Egg Hunt! We met up with some friends over by Lake Harriet, spread out the fun filled eggs and set the kids loose to find them all. We weren't sure if Emilia would understand the concept of searching for Easter Eggs - but she caught on right away! Once she spotted her first colorful little egg, she kept busy filling her bag until there were no more in sight :)

Mila, Evalie & Emilia

The girls have birthdays within DAYS of each other! So fun!

Emilia had so much fun at the Egg Hunt, that throughout the weekend, we set up mini egg hunts at home. The first hunt was in the living room, then the dining room, then the kitchen and finally her bedroom. It just never lost it's fun! She had a hard time handing over her little bag so we could hide them for her, but once she realized they were all out waiting for her to find again - she was thrilled. "I wanna find one" she would say right before she would spot one and sprint to it. She should be all set to keep up with the big kids at daycare this week for the Easter Egg Hunt there and again this weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's! You better start thinking, Dad! This girl is so onto the egg in the shoe trick!