Surprises

When I was pregnant with Carly I regularly heard about how our life would now be full of surprises. Today Carly granted us with two very fun surprises:

David was very busy this morning trying to get work stuff up and running thanks to a power outage on Thursday morning. So, Carly and I were off to Sunday School and Church without him. I always get nervous about dropping her off for such an extended period of time. When I went to pick her up after the service she was happily standing at the half door ready to greet me. One of the ladies in the nursery began her report by using Carly's name (this is typically only done by this particular girl if something didn't go well, otherwise she starts her statement with "she"). I thought oh no, Carly whimpered longer than usual and they had tried to page me by the pager didn't work. Thankfully that was not why she started her sentence with Carly's name, instead it was to tell me that Carly had used the potty. Either Carly motioned that she needed to potty or responded when another kid was asked (about 1/2 of the kids in this room are potty trained), so she was placed on the potty and WENT!!

Carly was not finished with her surprises today. Tonight for dinner we had a delicious grilled meal - bratwurst with onions, green peppers, & asparagus (and garlic mashed potatoes... obviously not from the grill). Carly was not thrilled with a similar meal the last time we had it. So, I did not have high expectations about her enjoying this dinner. I was pleasantly surprised. She ate as much bratwurst and bell pepper as I did, unfortunately she was not thrilled with the onions, asparagus, or potatoes... but there is always next time.

Teeth Brushing

Prior to going to the dentist on Thursday morning we were still using a finger toothbrush in our home. Carly understood the rules, mommy or daddy went first and she went second. Since Thursday's dentist trip she has become obsessed with her new "big girl" toothbrush. Her new yellow and pink toothbrush is the highlight of her morning and bedtime routines. She loves to let us brush her teeth (with her little bit of fluoride - free toothpaste) while we sing her the alphabet (very, very slowly). Then once we are finished brushing her teeth, she gets a turn to brush while we sing the alphabet again. Then at some point she finally agrees to put her "big girl" toothbrush back in the holder by her sink and continues on with her routine.

Dentist

Carly had her second trip to the dentist office today. I am particularly fond of the pediatric dentist we were referred to, and thankfully Carly seems to be too. During our visit, Carly had her six teeth cleaned with the new big girl toothbrush she was given (and watermelon flavored toothpaste). She sat beautifully for this quick cleaning, but I was thankful she only had 6 teeth to be cleaned - I'm not sure she would have been patient enough for anymore. She was very interested in everything going on within the office and enjoyed walking over to watch other children have their teeth cleaned. When her dentist came over to inspect her new 6 little teeth we learned that there was actually a 7th tooth. Her top left molar has broken through. The gums are still very tender and actually began to bleed just a little when touched by her finger. Carly and I also confirmed that she has already chipped a tooth (her top left front tooth), making me very thankful that it will be a while before there are any permanent teeth. She got a good report on the spacing between her teeth (not that we are in control of that). She is to start brushing with a smudge of non-floride toothpaste twice a day. There is a little concern about the pattern in which her teeth appear to be coming in - she has cut the molar; however, there is no sign of the canine between her current incisor and the molar. For precautionary reasons we will be heading back in 3 months to see how her teeth have progressed, especially since she has made so much progress since she cut her first tooth on April 10.

Compassion

Carly is a sweet and kind little girl most of the time. (She will have moments where she pushes, hits, throws, etc - but what 21 month old does not have those moments.) Tonight she was super compassionate. We had gotten home, unloaded the car, and eaten dinner. I was walking over to the phone to call my parents when I clipped my baby toe on one of the high chair legs. Having no threshold for pain, I immediately keeled over in pain. This concerned Carly, so I quickly toughened up my face and explained that I was okay but I had a boo-boo. This explanation was all she needed. The next thing I knew she was walking over to me and giving me a big hug. Then she bent down and kissed my boo-boo (or where she thought it was - she may have been off by a few toes) and gave me another hug. I thanked her for her sweetness. She must have been feeling quite proud of herself, because she then kissed a bruise I had on my leg (I'm clumsy).

Bermuda

A little over a month ago David and I were invited to join some family for a week in Bermuda. We were not able to join everyone for a full week due to David's work and school schedule, but we were fortunate enough to join them for a fun long weekend.

Our family departed for Atlanta on Wednesday evening. Carly and I spent Thursday playing at the park, running a few errands, and exploring her grandparents' house. Then early Friday morning David and I were off for the airport, while Carly slept soundly in her crib.

on the plane

filling out my entry form

After David and I touched down in Bermuda we headed off to the hotel. We met up with Jamie and Sharon and then headed down to meet up with Patrick and Julia on beach. After a celebratory Happy Hour on the beach everyone cleaned up for dinner at the Swizzle Inn, Bermuda's oldest pub.

happy hour in the ocean

group photo after dinner

Saturday morning started with a beautiful view of the ocean and sound from our hotel room (thank you random upgrade). David and I took advantage of our view by eating breakfast at the table on the room's wrap around balcony.

Breakfast

We then ferried over to Hamilton and enjoyed a brief self guided walking tour of the city.

police birdcage

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Hamilton

After an ice cream snack (someone had been informed that Bermuda had REALLY good ice cream) we headed back to get Julia's belongings and to catch the ferry over to the Naval Dockyard and where Julia would be residing for the following 3 weeks.

The view from about 100 yards from Julia's building.

Saturday evening involved drinks and an Italian dinner. Jamie ordered a Pop Rock Martini - which we all ended up trying.

Our night ended in the hotel's nightclub, where they played a variety of music ranging from our college years' music to todays music to music with a more local flair.

Saturday's late night led to a more relaxed Sunday. David and I walked to Gibbs Lighthouse. It was not a long walk, but it was quite warm. Thankfully, not only was there an amazing view from atop the lighthouse there was also an amazing ocean/sound breeze.

The Sound

The remainder of our day was spent relaxing on the beach, although we did rent a kayak for just under an hour of paddling in the ocean. And our final dinner in Bermuda was a seafood dinner at a restaurant on the ocean.

By Monday morning David and I were not necessarily ready to leave Bermuda or our vacation, but we were very eager to see Carly. David is used to traveling and going 3 nights without seeing her. Although he is not used to leaving her in someone else's care. I have never gone a day without seeing her, so not seeing her on Saturday and Sunday was a huge change for me. (Especially since on Friday I only saw her sleeping.) Thankfully Carly was a doll for her grandparents (and if she wasn't they probably wouldn't have told us).

Going on 21 Months

Carly will be 21 months tomorrow. She decided to show off her climbing abilities at the park this morning by climbing up a high curved ladder for the first time. (By the third time she completed this task I was brave enough to back way enough to capture it on video.)

I Scream, You Scream,...

...We all scream for Ice Cream! And that is exactly what we did today. Carly had a lot of her friends over from our playgroup today for an Ice Cream Social. The kids made a craft together - gluing down pieces of construction paper to make an ice cream cone, and then adding stickers to their paper creations for sprinkles. After some indoor playtime, we made yummy ice cream sundaes to eat outside while we played (on the hottest day of the year, thus far).

It was quite wild at moments of the afternoon, but it was a lot more fun and a lot calmer than I had anticipated.

Daily Sing Alongs

Carly has gotten quite fond of singing in the afternoon. She started with "Open, Shut Them," a song we sing each week at the library. We then added "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "I'm a Little Tea Pot." While out on the boat a few of the older girls taught her "Ring Around the Rosey," which she absolutely adores. Originally she would only want to play it with those girls; however, due to differing schedules and the weather we haven't been able to see those girls. So now she feels that I am good enough to play with. We go around, and around, and around, and she sings the "ashes, ashes, ashes" part. To the point where typically once of us gets dizzy and has to stop, much to her disappointment.

Carly has also added "If You're Happy and You Know It," to her collection of songs to sing each afternoon. We go through all of the motions, clapping, stomping, turning around, and shouting "Hooray!" All of this music has made our afternoons quite entertaining.

*Dave has video to post shortly of her dancing to "If You're Happy and You Know It."

Shirtless Thursday

During lunch today Carly began trying to take her shirt off. She successfully got her head out of the shirt, but not her arms. She ate her entire lunch with her shirt behind her neck. She willingly put her shirt back on for nap time; however, she quickly took the shirt off when she awoke from her nap. After an hour of shirtless playing she willingly put it back on with the condition of being able to go outside and play. She went out back to play and I went out back to weed and pick up loose stones. We worked/played until the thunder began.

Carly kept her shirt on until dinner time, but then again put it behind her neck. After dinner the shirt came off, and she continued to play shirtless.

A "Temporary" Replacement

Our mailbox was hit by a car many, many weeks ago. Last week our postal carrier was on vacation and the substitute carrier was a rule follower, which led to our mail being held until a mailbox was rehung. Unfortunately, replacing our mailbox has not been a simple process. We decided to leave the mail as "held" until we returned from Seabrook. Now that we are home, this is David's temporary mailbox design:

Thankfully, our mail delivery can resume!! (No more daily trips to the post office!)

Cooking with Daddy

Carly and David made a snack together once we got home from Seabrook, while I headed off to the grocery store to restock the fridge. They were too cute!!

Beach Weekend

Our family ventured to Seabrook Island this weekend to visit with Carly's G.G.s, Grandparents, and Aunt Julia. During our time there Carly went to the pool four times and the ocean once. Monday was the only day that Carly didn't get to go in the water prior to her nap, instead we watched the Island's parade before joining in the parade with our bikes- during which Carly fell asleep in her bicycle seat.