I don't have my pictures uploaded yet but while I have a few extra minutes, I thought I should update a little.
We just returned from a week at the beach. We traveled to Ocean Isle Beach with my Mom's family. I needed this week's vacation more than any other vacation I have taken in my entire life. My job is not going that great (it is not at all what I expected) and with the new schedule of me working full time, our life is more than stressful...as if we needed any additional stress added to the past 10 months! So, this week was exactly what I needed to escape for a few days.
The week went by way to quickly. There were moments when I was able to completely escape and just spend time relaxing and thinking about all the various things going on in our life. Sitting on the beach, toes in the sand, watching the kids play, listening to the waves crashing, surrounded by family, I was reminded that everything is going to be okay.
We enjoyed an early professional firework show on Sunday night. This was the first time that OIB has had professional fireworks and they were perfect! The boys loved them and the entire family was able to watch from our ocean front walkway.
We are spoiled to stay ocean front....and it is pretty amazing. The boys are old enough to get back and forth to the house and beach as needed. We wander in for lunch as needed. It was easy for me to go in to feed Sawyer. We did basically nothing all week long. We spent the entire day, almost every day, on the beach ending the days with frozen drinks, music and sitting around with the family chatting and laughing. We had wonderful food (as always!). We played games on the beach and built a big sand boat. The boys were spoiled with unlimited adults to play in the water or on the sand...and they took full advantage!
We survived Hurricane Arthur which passed by on Thursday. We had a full day of rain, wind and huge waves! I am so happy it only took away one day of vacation and so thankful the storm did not cause much damage along the NC coast...it was pretty amazing to watch the waters and the skies as it moved up the coast.
The boys had a wonderful time at the beach and watching them play was a bit of a painful reminder that we used to live 10 minutes from the beach and we used to spend Sunday afternoons watching them do the same. This time, I guess it was more of a treat to them....which I guess is a good thing too. Owen would have lived in the water if we would have let him. Payton loved spending time in the water as well but he was willing to take breaks. Owen really never wanted to leave. They jumped waves, they body surfed, the used boogie boards...they laughed and played and loved it, every single second. I loved watching them and their laughter as they played was music to my ears!
Sawyer spent most of the week on a lap, in his stroller, strolling with Grandma, and playing on the beach mat. The first few days he avoided the sand. As the week went on, the got a little more brave and ended up with his hands and feet in the sand by the end of the week. He wasn't a huge fan of the water but he spent some time with me one afternoon sitting in the edge and letting small waves come in over him. His favorite beach activity may have been watching the birds....he loved it and would squeal and kick when they would get in his line of sight. He also seemed to love his afternoon naps in the his stroller...the ocean breeze and sound of the waves were perfect for long naps!
I am more and more convinced that Sawyer is the best baby in the world. In a week with a lot of changes and the chaos of many new faces, he did great. His schedule was changed around. He had to sleep in the room with Mom and Dad. He was a champ and barely even cried...only when hungry!
Sawyer turned 10 months old while we were on vacation. He is starting to get into everything. He crawls at lightening speed and pulls up on everything. He is starting to open drawers and cabinet doors.
We recently had Sawyer tested for food allergies - he had a reaction to strawberry yogurt bites about two months ago. Unfortunately, the testing was positive for an allergy to milk. Sawyer is allergic to all dairy products - milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream (....gasp!!). This will be a huge adjustment for us. There is milk in so many things and the older he gets the more of a problem this will become. My biggest stress is making sure that everyone knows about his allergy. The toddler years will be especially tricky as he will be exposed to new environments and new people who may offer him foods that he can't have. We will take him back every year to have him re-tested. The good news is that a dairy allergy is one that he might outgrow. I'll be saying lots of prayers that Sawyer is in the % of kids who do outgrow milk allergies! For now, I'll be praying that he is always safe and that his Epi pen is always close by in case we have an emergency.
Vacation ended way too quickly and it is back to the real world tomorrow. I have been at my job for two months and it is truly not what I expected. I'm hoping my time away has adjusted my mindset and I'll be heading in tomorrow with big hopes for big changes. I hope I can figure out a way to make the job work....both personally and for my family...prayers appreciated as we head back to reality in the morning!
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