Seagrove Beach 2016

I feel like it's been a LIFETIME since our last vacation. We were supposed to travel to Boston in April to visit our friends (that we left behind ONE year ago today), but with the timing of our first house purchase, it just didn't work out. Now that we're getting settled into our first home, we can finally start participating in family vacations again! So far for the remainder of the year we have trips to Miami (just Peyton and me) for Memorial Day, Boston in June, Indiana in July, and Boston again in Sept/Oct. 

Now, backing up a little bit... 

This past Friday after work, Ryan, Peyton, and I loaded up the car and made the 6 hour drive down to Seagrove Beach, FL for a few days of fun in the sun with the Smith/Owens clan! Peyton went to the beach for the first time back in October, but she has clearly changed SO much since then, so it was super exciting to watch her take in the ocean and the sand for pretty much the first time all over again! 

How P spent her first beach trip. 

The weather was perfect the entire time we were there. On our first full day, we spent a couple hours on the beach before showering up and heading to Grayton Beer Brewery to celebrate Brad's birthday! Brandon and Rachel had a covered inflatable baby pool that Peyton enjoyed immensely! So much so that I actually bought one to take to Miami in a few weeks! That girl beaches in style! 

Peyton wishing Pop a happy birthday!!

After the brewery, we went to dinner down the street then back to our condo to put the girls to bed and play Cards Against Humanity. This game has yet to disappoint and we spent most of the night trying to stifle our laughter as much as possible so as not to wake the babes. I won't go into detail as to the reason for our laughter though. You're welcome.

Day two at the beach was Mother's Day and I feel totally spoiled getting to spend my first Mother's Day at the beach with my little family! Peyton spoiled me with a new pair of Rainbow's and a framed picture of her and her dada! Thanks, little girl!

Peyton loved the sand. I was shocked because my only experience with babies and sand is from my niece Leah, who's hell is the beach pretty much. P took her sand burial like a champ though, and I'm pretty sure tried to eat her way out of the hole. Sand is not for eating, sweetheart!

For Mother's Day dinner, the group made a reservation at the 30A cafe, where we got BOGO entrees! After dinner, we drove down to Seaside for some family pictures on the beach. Before coming on this trip, Rachel and I researched photographers in the area to see if we could book one for a night on the beach. However, we couldn't find a single photographer that seemed to be reasonably priced, so we took it upon ourselves to get some good family pictures. I'm so glad we didn't pay anyone, because I think our pictures turned out just as good!

Before this next picture, there were about 50 pictures of Leah screaming and crying that I chose to omit. I'm telling you...sand is not her friend, ya'll! Eventually we were able to coax a smile out of her though (chocolate is a powerful tool) and got a couple sweet mom and daughter pictures!

On our last full day, we spent the whole day on the beach all the way through dinner time and a beautiful sunset! Susan got steamed shrimp from Goatfeathers and we feasted, hanging out on the beach until it was dark outside.

Monday night, the old folks left as we were putting the girls to bed since everyone was getting up early for a fishing excursion the next morning. Brandon, Rachel, Ryan, and I stayed up a little bit later playing Rummy 500 and Spades before calling it a night.

We had a truly wonderful, yet way too short, time at the beach this spring! Thank you Smith family for making it happen and including the three of us!

Peyton Eve: Eight Months

Our sweet Peyton is eight months old today. Eight! She continues to grow like a weed and learn new things pretty much daily. It's been so much fun watching her master new skills and try things for the very first time. She has such a sweet personality and we are constantly getting asked if she is always "this good" or "this easy" when we're out and about with her. Our answer is usually, "Yes, she's pretty great most of the time, but she definitely has her moments." But then again, what baby doesn't. For the most part, she is a smiley, energetic, excitable little girl that lights up when her mom comes to get her out of her crib and when her dad walks through the door at the end of the day. 

Ryan and I were talking the other day about how quickly she is growing up and just how fast these months seem to fly by. While I can't believe she has been here for 8 months, I am even more baffled at the fact that she grew inside me for even longer. We can't remember what our lives were like before she came along. This is our new normal, and we are loving every moment of it.

Peek-a-boo through the play structure in Bridgemill

Peyton at 8 Months: 

Weight: 16 lbs. 9 oz. (22nd Percentile) 

Birth: 6 lbs. 10 oz.

P doesn't have her next pediatrician appointment until her nine-month visit, so I had to use my semi-reliable scale for her measurement this month. She is still in her 6-9 month clothes comfortably and size 2 diapers. She eats like a champ though, and we have started to notice more baby rolls, which are just adorable. Why, oh why, can't rolls look as cute on me as they do on babies?! If only...

Peyton Loves: 

Standing up (with assistance)
 ALL vegetables
Tofu and Chicken
Watermelon
Playing with her toys
Talking
Clapping
Being outside
Drinking water out of a straw
Puffs

Peyton Hates:
Being hungry

Beechnut Mango Apple Carrot Puree... like with a passion

Being in her car seat for a long period of time
When I take my water bottle away from her
Trying to crawl forward for a toy, but scooting backwards instead
Not being able to pull herself up to standing
...Basically not being able to do anything she wants to do. She is a very strong-willed baby and definitely knows what she wants and gets frustrated when she doesn't get it.

What's New This Month:

1. Peyton has officially begun to crawl. It's not your typical hand, knee, hand, knee, but she gets stronger and figures it out further each day so it's definitely only a matter of time. She is also now able to go from hands and knees to sitting, which helps her not get quite as frustrated and stuck flailing like a fish out of water on her belly. 

2. In the same category of movement, Peyton really figured out how to roll all around this month. She has been able to roll from back to front and from front to back, but never did so with any sort of consistency until this month. All of a sudden, something clicked for her though and she has not stopped rolling around since. If we place her on her back, she almost immediately rolls to her tummy and alternates between looking like a fish out of water and trying to crawl.

3. The Magic Merlin went bye-bye this month and it was difficult for all of us. One morning, I checked the monitor and she had flipped herself over in the merlin. No ma'am. I didn't want to quit cold turkey, but it wasn't worth risking her flipping over in the middle of the night in her merlin, so we put it away for good. There were a few rough transitional days where Peyton would NOT fall asleep during naps at all and would take forever to fall asleep at night, but we stuck to our guns, and eventually she figured out how to get herself to sleep. We give her her bedtime bottle and put her in her crib on her back, but before we can even close the door, she flips herself over to her tummy and rolls around a bit before putting herself to sleep. It is adorable watching her sleep on her stomach with her little butt up in the air or on her side snuggling her lovey. 

4. This next one requires its very own blog post. This month, Peyton tried a bunch of new foods. Feeding a baby anything other than breast milk is super stressful. Up until two months ago, all she could eat was milk. Now, all of a sudden, I am responsible for introducing her to a wide variety of foods to expand her palate and help her learn textures and eating techniques. Along with that responsibility comes SO. MANY. Questions. What exactly can they eat? Does everything need to be pureed? Is she eating enough? Is she eating too much? Am I providing a good variety of foods? Am I cutting the food too big? And so on... Needless to say, google has quickly become my best friend. What did people do before they could consult the internet for every question? This month, Peyton tasted for the first time: mango, chicken, tofu, watermelon, strawberries, peas, cheese, eggs, and many combinations of foods. For the first half of the month, everything she ate was pureed. Then I read that it is important to start teaching your baby how to feed themselves and chew their food once they get teeth and to give babies chunked foods over purees for the most part. So, now Peyton eats two meals a day on top of her regular bottles and nursing sessions. I place a variety of chopped up foods on the tray and let her have at it.

5. Peyton likes to talk. A lot. She has a super loud voice and I swear she tests it out any chance she gets. She rarely yells at me angrily, but rather, talks to me at the top of her lungs! It was cute at first, but I'm definitely read to teach her "indoor voices." Mama always has a headache by the end of the day!

6. Peyton LOVES drinking from a straw. This month, she really figured out how to actually get the water up the straw and into her mouth. Sometimes, she still spits the water out of her mouth, but for the most part, she gulps it down. And cries when you take the water away from her. Homegirl loves to stay hydrated! 

Peyton, thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives these past eight months. You are such a fun, sweet baby and we love you so much. We can't wait to see how much you grow and learn this next month! 

Eight Month Photo Dump: