::fam beach trip::2013

This past week was spent at Oak Island with my family. This is our 3rd year doing a family beach trip and it is so much fun. (well mostly) I love being able to have vacation with everyone and the kids love playing together on the beach. Let me start this post off by saying that in NO way am I complaining and I DO feel blessed that we are able to go to the beach and be on vacation. However, I am going to tell you like it is. I want to be able to look back on this trip and see how vacation has changed for us as the kids get older. A few days before we left Grayson had his 6 month check up and Dr. Lowe told me that he was only a few days from his bottom teeth breaking through. He has been teething for a couple of months and in the couple of weeks leading up to the beach he went from sleeping  12 hours a night  to waking up 2 or 3 times. I was hopeful that the beach trip would still go ok and that Grayson would do well. Well, it didin't exactly happen that way. Grayson did really well on the ride down there, but once we were there he just wasn't that happy. He had his times were he was ok but for the most part he was just miserable. I could tell how swollen and red his gums were and I was thinking any day that they would break through. He woke up multiple times a night every night we were there and was usually awake for the day between 5am and 6am. It was exhasting. He HATED the beach. I took a pool for him to sit in and play with toys but he just wasn't having it. He wanted to be able to crawl around. He lasted for maybe an hour and then he was done. Josh had to work a few days while we were there so I was on my own. Let me tell you, getting all 3 kids ready and carrying everything to the beach will wear you out!! Then taking care of Grayson, hauling everything back home, getting everyone cleaned up, etc. It just isn't as much fun as I thought it was going to be. Grayson just wasn't his usual happy self and I was usually the only person who could make him happy. It's hard having two little girls who wanted to play on the beach all day and then a baby who just wanted to fuss. I had envisioned beautiful beach pictures with the girls in their new dresses and Grayson in a cute little outfit but every evening he was fussy and the girls were whiney because they were so tired. One day. Grayson woke up Saturday morning with two teeth poking through! I am so relieved that he finally cut those teeth and I'm hoping the others don't give him that much trouble. We came home yesterday and Grayson slept 12 hours last night and took a two hour nap this morning. Go figure. I am so thankful to my family who were so sweet to help watch my girls on the beach and try to help with Grayson. It was definintely an exhausting trip and I'm thankful to be home. But the main thing was that the girls had a blast and Grayson came home with two new teeth!!

Emma

Emma & her sand castle making buddy Autumn

Grayson's 1st time feeling the ocean!

Grayson's 1st time at Provision's!

Katie & G

pictures!

1. bath time

2. grocery shopping with me and the girls

3. G

4. kicked back drinking his juice

5. Emma sharing some goldfish with Millie

6. practicing sitting up

7. G

8. sweet baby foot

9. all smiles

1. sticking his tounge out

2. Emma sliding

3. Ryleigh swining

4. G

5. hanging out in the kitchen while mommy cooks

6. she loves her little brother

7. sassy girl

8. apples and PB

9. Ryleigh and Papa

1. Em

2. G

3. eating some pears

4. lunch time!

5. napping in his new carseat

6. leg rolls

7. he LOVES his jumper

8 & 9 SNOWCONES!

1. got a new swing for the playset and he LOVES it

2. playing outside

3. daddy helping Ryleigh hit a ball

4. family walk

5. Katie's bridal shower that I put together

6. swimming 

7 & 8 daddy and G at a cookout

9. Grayson and his great grandmother

1. silly boy

2. Emma

3. sitting up!

4. hangin out on daddys truck

5. one of the few times he will take his paci during the day....wasn't feeling too good.

6. my princess

7. taking a little catnap

8. sidewalk chalk!

9. cruisin around

::6 Months::

How on the world has 6 months go by?!  He is halfway to a year old already! (Insert tears)  I can't believe how quickly he is growing and how many new things he is learning. He wasn't very cooperative for his pictures this time. He was too busy rolling around and eating his hand. But here is what G has been up to this past month.

-he will get weighed at his checkup in a week or so but I'm guessing he's about 15 pounds or so

-G wears 3-6 month clothes and 6 month pj's

-he wears size 3 diapers and size 4 overnites to bed

-he is eating 5 oz bottles still and has 6 a day.

-he also eats about 4 oz of baby food a day

-G is sleeping at night from 7:15- anywhere from 6:15-7:15. I prefer the 7:15 but he didnt ask my opinion. I'm just thankful he sleeps through the night.

-he takes 3 naps a day. Two 1 1/2 hrs and a 30 minute catnap.

-he got a new carseat this month! He was starting to get too heavy for me to carry in his infant carseat so we went ahead and moved him into a convertible seat and he loves it! It sits higher and he is a le to look out the window.

-he is still taking Zantac twice per day.

-STILL teething

-starting to sit up. He can sit for a few minutes without toppling over. Once he gets some stronger back muscles he will be able to sit all the time.

-He loves to jump in his jumperoo.

-Grayson also loves going for walks in his stroller

-he has started eating little yogurt melts and he will munch on some apples in his mesh feeder.

-HATES bananas

-he smiles all the time!

-still uses a paci at bedtime and nap time but doesn't really want anything to do with it otherwise.

-still loves bath time! He has entered the "soak mommy and everything around him" phase. I'll be so glad when he's sitting up good and can take baths in the bath tub.

-this month will be a lot of fun for him because he will be going to the beach for the first time. I am very nervous about taking all 3 kids, especially because I don't know how he will do but I'm hopeful that we will have a great time.