Beach Vacation
A couple of years back,we (along with some other friends) enjoyed some cocktails at a tennis event and ended up "winning" a silent auction for a week at a condo in Hilton Head. Our growing families meant we had to wait a while to take advantage of our purchase, but we finally did so back in June. The experience took me back to when my family used to vacation there in the '70s. In fact, I think this condo had not been updated since the '70s, so it really felt like the olden days.
Carter-era accommodations notwithstanding, we had a great time. Our beach time was a little limited, but we made up for it by spending loads of time at the pool. We also rented a bike with a little trailer for the kids, and they loved it! The most memorable part of the trip, however, has to be Amanda's on stage performance with the guitar player in Harbour Town.
A little background . . . back when my family used to vacation in Hilton Head in the '80s, I remember seeing a guy playing kids songs and conducting a singalong under a big tree in Harbour Town. Well, it turns out the same guy (Gregg Russell) is still there, doing a great job entertaining dozens of kids every night during the summer. When we first stopped by on Tuesday, Amanda was absolutely entranced by his performance. Ordinarily, she is very shy and clingy in crowds, but she quickly left me and sat in the midst of the other children. When I pointed to an empty spot closer to Gregg, she got up, moved right past the spot I was talking about, and plopped down right in the front row. After that first night, she kept talking about wanting to see "Gwegg Wussell" again, so we resolved to get back there one more time before we left.
That Friday, we went back to Harbour Town, and Amanda went right up to the front row. The rest of us hung back and watched and tried to tolerate the kids music. When Gregg asked for volunteers to come up and sing, Amanda raised her hand. We assumed she did so because so many (much older) kids around her were raising their hands. A couple of other kids got picked and sang their songs, and he asked for volunteers again. Again Amanda raised her hand, and this time she got picked. I got ready to go and retrieve her as soon as she cried and/or froze up, but I didn't have to. Instead, she sat on Gregg's lap, talked to him, told him her name and where she lived (she gave the name of our neighborhood, which left Gregg confused), and said she wanted to sing the ABC song. Then, she actually did it! It was amazing! She was so happy, and we were so proud of her! It felt like she took a big step toward being more independent and more willing to try new things. Naturally, though, I forgot to film the performance even though I had our camera in my hand. I was too worried trying to get a good photo that I completely forgot to try to film it. As you can see, my quest for a good photo ended in failure; this was the best I could do:
We'll be going back to Hilton Head for Thanksgiving, and we're going back to Harbour Town to see if she will perform an encore. Should be interesting.
Reagan's First Birthday
And now back to the nominal subject of this blog, Reagan! She turned one on July 27th, and we had some friends (our friends, not hers . . . she's too young for friends!) over to the house for a water-themed party with baby pools and a slip-n-slide-n-bust-your-ass. She didn't cry, so . . . success! She enjoyed her smash cake, too.
Amanda's Fourth Birthday
A month or so later, it was time for Amanda to have her own birthday party. We had it at a little studio where she has been taking a dance/gymnastics class. The staff there took the kids through a bunch of tumbling, balancing, etc. Everyone had fun, and I think "kids gymnastics party coordinator" is possibly the hardest job in the world. Sorry, "Bering Sea crab fisherman;" you're now in second.
Current Update
As mentioned above, both girls are sick right now. Amanda got her cold first, probably because she went back to preschool about a month ago. Fortunately, she feels fine most of the time except for the sneezing and the runny nose, which she has had for about a week or so. It's annoying (to her and to us), but at least she knows how to blow her nose.
Reagan's started with the sneezing and runny nose a few days ago, but her cold has been more troublesome. Since she can't blow her nose, it just runs and runs. After wiping it a few times (which she hates), the area gets all irritated, making additional wipings even more unpleasant. To combat the irritation, we have to apply lotion which, guess what, she hates.
To top it all off, Reagan is also cutting her fourth molar, so there's a lot of drool to go with the snot. Awesome.
And all of these problems have meant that her nap/sleep schedule has been thrown into disarray for a few days. Some days, she hasn't wanted to nap at all and cries at the top of her lungs if we try to make her. Other days, she naps with no problems. Susan and I agree that we can't wait for her to get better so we can be reminded of what she is really like.
Milestones
You're probably all assuming that Reagan is walking by now, but you'd all be wrong. Just like with crawling, she is taking her sweet time with the next method of movement. A couple of weeks ago, she took her first steps, and we try to practice with her every day. Usually, though, she just stands there for a second before dropping to the ground and crawling to us. It's just so much faster for her to just crawl, and I for one commend her on her preference for efficiency. That said, just within the past few days, Reagan has taken more steps at once (maybe 7 or 8?) and has also turned around while standing. She also loves pushing around one of her little walking toys. so we are sure she'll be bipedal full time in short order.
Here's a snippet of her (almost) first steps:
Upcoming Events
We will be taking our first family trip to Disney World in a couple of weeks, which should be a lot of fun. Please don't rob our house while we're gone.
Also, I'm working on another photo album and I plan to post that within the next week. And maybe I'll post from Disney World, too.
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