My not-so-whirlwind trip to Miami

So, I am STILL in Miami! I left last Wednesday for a meeting for work (the same day Andy left for LA and San Francisco), and I am still here. Due to the winter storm that hit the east coast, my flight home for last night (Saturday) was cancelled and replaced with a flight tomorrow morning (Monday)...and even that is not to Raleigh, it is to Greensboro, so we are going to have to rent a car and drive the rest of the way home! My colleague Pinal is stuck too, so we have been alternating between feeling sorry for ourselves (she has babies at home too...18 month old twin boys) and trying to make the best of the situation. We hit up South Beach last night, eating dinner at Osteria del Teatro and then had drinks at the Clevelander. We are relaxing this morning (I can see the Miami Beach Marathon runners out my hotel window, so I am sitting on the window seat watching right now as I type), and heading to the Pro Bowl tonight. Our client paid for our tickets (not cheap) and it this is probably the only chance I will ever have to go to the Pro Bowl without making special arrangements, so I am hoping it will be fun. The only problem is this: We are taking a hotel shuttle to and from...it leaves at 3pm this afternoon and comes back after the game. The game does not start until 7:30. I don't think we will get back to the hotel until well after midnight, and guess what time we have to leave for the airport in the morning. 4:15 AM! It is looking like we might be pulling an all-nighter...it's been a while, hopefully I can make it. HA! It is going to be a long drive from Greensboro to Raleigh tomorrow when we finally get home!

I can't wait to get back and see Camryn. Andy is going to beat me home (he is getting home tonight), and she has been in great hands with Nana and Papa. Rumor has it that Nana took her shoe shopping, and maybe even to the grocery store. I am sure Camryn behaved because she loves shopping, especially sitting in the carts. I will post some pictures this week when I finally get to see that little munchkin again...can't believe it is has been 4 days since I left. Poor me! :-P

SOLD to the highest bidder!

House will officially be under contract this afternoon! The buyer accepted our second counter offer.

And away we go!!!!!!!!!

Unbelievable!

Well, last night our realtor called us and told us that we got an offer from the third showing of the house! Sending a counter offer back today...so we'll let you know how it pans out! YEAH!!!!!!! (and it's a pretty good offer)

Trying to be better with updates...

Our big news this weekend is that we had 3 SHOWINGS for our house!! Yeah!! The last one was this morning, with only 15 minutes notice, so that was interesting. We are happy to run around like headless chickens for the chance to let a potential buyer see our house though, so no complaints! Maybe we will get an offer this week...we are really hoping!

Camryn got to spend some time with Nana and Papa this afternoon, and she put on a pretty good show with all of her dancing, crawling, smiling, laughing, etc. Nana will be taking care of her this coming weekend (actually, Wednesday night to Saturday night) while Andy and I are out of town for work. I am dreading it, but know that she will be in the very best of hands. Just gonna miss my baby girl!!

Don't hate me!

Obviously we have been busy around here! SO busy that it has been hard to find time to update the blog. I was inspired today by reading my friend Mel's blog...she always puts such good pictures up of her son Raine, so here I am doing the same. Thanks Mel! (and congrats on your news!)

I might as well just list out all of the new developments since there have been so many in the past month:

1.) We decided to put our house on the market. Only one person has come to see it so far :-(
2.) We have, however, found several houses we would like to make an offer on IF our house ever sells.
3.) Camryn has two teeth on the bottom now...no signs of the top ones coming in though.
4.) Camryn can crawl all over the place, and pull up to stand, and walk around holding on to the furniture. Getting so big!!

Ok, I guess that is all. I thought there was more...I guess it just feels that way because we have been so busy. Getting your house ready to sell, looking for a new house, and chasing around a crawling infant that puts everything in her mouth really doesn't leave much down time. On top of that, I have been pretty busy at work, and Andy has been traveling a ton. Grammy and Gramps came to visit a few weeks ago, so that was a nice break in the action. We pretty much just hung around while they watched Camryn "do her thing". It was nice.

I can't believe Camryn is going to be 9 months old next week. Can you?!?! My good friends Lauren and Bobby just welcomed their little boy Dylan on the 19th (Congrats you two!)...looking at their pictures brings back memories of when Camryn was born. Seems like yesterday! I look at their tiny little boy, and I can't believe how much our baby girl has changed since then. She now crawls, stands, babbles, eats cheerios, drinks juice, plays with toys, and throws a fit when I lay her down for a diaper change. Her hair is growing out. She has teeth! The more Camryn grows, the more excited I am for my friends with younger children to get to the stage we're at. It just seems like every new development is more exciting and fun than the last. I suppose it happens that way for a reason, the parental instincts that come out when you have a child are truly amazing!

I am going to be better about making blog updates. I have a couple of entries I have been meaning to write (an update on the cloth diapering is one of them), so I am going to work on that. It's all about routine for me...so I am going to try to get back in one!

Until then, here are some of our latest pictures:

Camryn's First Christmas

Santa Claus visited Camryn last night, and boy was she excited!











Have a wonderful day! XOXOXO

Making his list, checking it twice...

As you can see, we visited Santa today! The line was loooooong at the mall, but Camryn waited very patiently in line for her chance to tell Santa that she had been a good girl all year. Well, since April! We were pretty surprised that she smiled while on Santa's lap...she just kept looking at him as though she was thinking, "Who is THIS guy?!?!".

A big week!

Camryn finally started crawling [forward] earlier this week!! Then today, I discovered that she has the smallest piece of a tooth poking through her bottom gums, AND she may witness her first snowfall today or tomorrow. Big week for her.

Since learning to crawl, the little lady has managed to find every thread, crumb, piece of dirt, etc on our living room floor. The pine needles from the Christmas tree seem to be especially entertaining (and tasty)! Now that she can get to anything she wants, we are finding that we need to be constantly aware of what is on her level. I guess we will be spending the weekend baby-proofing the house!

I am done with work for the year, and after today, so is Andy. We are looking forward to a trip to CT where we will visit with family and visit friends. Hopefully we will get to see some snow while we're there. Then, we are heading back home for Christmas, and then to the lake to celebrate with the Sheltons on the 26th. It is going to be a good week!

Having trouble uploading pictures, but I will keep trying...

Dear Grammy, Gramps, and Auntie Maggie,

I had so much fun this morning in the swing that you gave me that my mom just had to take some pictures and post them on the blog. I especially like to swing HIGH now...I laugh and kick my feet the whole time. Here I am:







Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Love,
Camryn

Back at it...

I know, I know, it has been WAY too long since I last updated the blog!! Time has a way of slipping by these days, especially with Andy's hectic travel schedule and hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Anyway, here we are again. I will try to be a better blogger, I promise <3

Thanksgiving was so much fun, and we have so much to be thankful for, family and friends being on the top of the list. It really is refreshing to get together for a big meal and enjoy the company of people who care about each other and care about you. Everyone came in to town on Wednesday, and we grabbed pizza for dinner at our local pizza joint. Nicole and I woke up early on Thursday morning and started the day by baking an apple pie and a pumpkin pie. Then I prepared the rest of the side dishes while Andy prepared the turkey. Everyone was here by 12 or so, and we ate around 3. Only 30 minutes behind schedule...not bad! Andy's fried turkey was divine as always.

Cutest outfit EVER (Thanks Great Aunt Cacky!!!)


Loves her cousin:


We spent Saturday and today at the lake enjoying a feast of shrimp and oysters with the Sheltons, which was equally as fun. It was perfect fall weather, and we had the added entertainment of Sally's 8 puppies. (Sally is a dog that showed up and had puppies under the front porch of the lake house...she is very sweet and we are currently looking for a home for her and her babies). Here they are:







Now, we are back at home and trying not to think about going to work tomorrow. On the positive side, we will be decorating for Christmas this week. Yay!

Camryn is as cute as ever these days. She STILL is not crawling, but she will take one or two "steps" forward in crawl-mode, so we are thinking she might become mobile this week. We shall see.

Here are some of the little munchkin:

TROUBLE!!!





Playing guitar with Dad:



Time to lower the pack n play mattress:


Silly Goose:

At least they have cute band-aids!

Camryn had her 6 month check up yesterday, and all I have been able to think about in the past week or so is whether or not she should get the flu vaccines! We have discussed it, fretted over it, and ultimately we decided that we need to trust the people who we depend on for her medical care...her pediatricians. That being said, I had a page of questions I was ready to ask during our appointment. My love for Camryn's doctor was confirmed when he spent 30 minutes with me discussing the flu vaccines (and another 30 minutes discussing the normal 6 month check-up "stuff"). One of the things I was most concerned about was the risk of getting the vaccines vs. the risk of getting the flu. One minute I hear on the news that H1N1 is taking the lives of children every day, and the next minute I hear that it is actually a mild flu virus. What?! Which is it?! Is it really worth getting the vaccine? According to Dr. Dupuy, it is the secondary complications from the flu that are dangerous for young children like Camryn, not the virus itself. H1N1 causes significant upper-respiratory illness, which puts infected people at risk of developing pneumonia. Pneumonia in babies quickly becomes life threatening. You can see where this is going... I also brought up the fact that we are quite prudent when it comes to seeking medical attention for Camryn...would it really be possible for her to develop pneumonia if we brought her in as soon as she got sick? Tamiflu can, in fact, be used in infants, however, it stops the body's normal development of antibodies. So, although it will speed up one's recovery from a virus the first time they get it, the next time that person is exposed to the same virus, they do not have the same immunity as they would have if they had not taken the Tamiflu. To further complicate matters, H1N1 is already becoming resistant to Tamiflu. So, if Camryn were to get the flu, she could take Tamiflu, but if she were to get it again, there would be little that we could do to shorten the duration of her illness and limit her risk of developing secondary complications. Dr. Dupuy also feels as though the risk of complications from the vaccines themselves is extremely low, and that the benefits far outweigh the risks. Ultimately, I did go with his recommendation and get the seasonal flu vaccine. H1N1 is not currently available in our area, but as soon as it is, Camryn will be getting that one as well. The decision making process was a long one for this issue, but Andy and I both feel great about our final decision.

In the end, Camryn had to get 4 shots...two in each thigh. This time around it was especially sad for me, because in addition to crying because the shots hurt, she also appeared to have her feelings hurt :-(((. She cried so hard that no sound came out, then pouted and cried, and was still sniffling at the check out counter. Poor baby!! At least they have cute band-aids:

She is 75%ile for height and weight now (almost 17 lbs and 26.5 inches) and is meeting all of the developmental milestones for her age. Dr. Dupuy said that she is beautiful, and that we are doing a great job. <3.>

I will leave you with a couple more cute ones from this week:

Have a great week!

Visiting Myrtle Beach and Halloween

Camryn and I spent Thursday and Friday in SC with the fam...we all had a blast, and I wish we could have stayed longer. Zack played his final high school football game (and won...go Braves!), and the cousins were getting ready for trick-or-treating on Halloween. It is so nice when we can all be together in once place, I really cherish those times.

Here is Camryn with the some of her "Greats" (GG Hines, and her crazy great Aunties and Uncle:)


Cousins getting ready for the big game:
The Littlest Brave, at the game:

Dressed up for Halloween:And a couple from our Halloween celebration at home:

Other news on our front: Camryn had formula for the first time this weekend! I am happy and sad about it...you moms who have breastfed can relate, I'm sure. I had really hoped that we could continue to breastfeeding for at least a year, but she became unhappy with nursing (I am pretty sure my milk supply was starting to dwindle) and much prefers the bottle now (kind of funny, since we had such a hard time getting her to TAKE a bottle at first). I do have some milk stored in the freezer and I am still pumping some (in addition to her nursing in the mornings), but knowing that it all will eventually run out, I decided that we should try some formula to be sure that she will drink it. She did not even blink an eye! I could hardly believe it...what a relief! So, we are doing some formula and some breastmilk now. Using formula is nice in SO many ways! You can mix it on the spot, so no worrying about keeping bottles cold or warming them up. No worrying about where to breastfeed when she gets hungry. However, breastfeeding is an unbelievably special relationship that moms share with their children, and I am definitely sad about that coming to an end. :-) / :-(

Thought I had already posted this...

We spent the weekend before last at Lake Gaston. The fall colors were beautiful, and we used the boat for the last time season :-( Here are some pictures from our weekend:

Saving the tree from the birds:
Perfect fall morning in Shelton's Cove:

Baby girl playing in the lake house:

Loungin' on the dock:

And one from home...trying so hard to crawl: