We are Back!

Our family is back on the water!!  This morning Dave went for a 33 mile group ride while the kids and I hung out, made pancakes, and cleaned the kitchen.  Dave returned home shortly after David went down for what I thought was his morning nap.  It turned into a 2.5 hour nap and allowed our family to have a FABULOUS afternoon.  During the nap we made lunch, gathered our items for the boat, and got as ready as we could.  As soon as David (finally) woke up, we all sun screened up and made our way down to the water.

Carly and David both seemed a lot more comfortable on the boat today.  David was very interested in standing on the seat, holding a grab bar/rail, and looking out at everything going by (both when we were in the no wake zones and cruising.  Carly wasn't quite as clingy during our ride and even sat up in the co-captain's seat for our ride home.

After our first anchoring we caught sight of some friends and decided to try and join them.  So up came the anchor and we motored towards them.  This turned out wonderfully!  They had planned to meet up with more of our friends and built in babysitters.  There were 4 rising high school freshman girls on the boats we met up within about 10 minutes of Carly first getting into the water.  It was GREAT!  We kept a very close eye on Carly (we didn't expect them to watch her), but she had constant entertainment and company.  She was very interested in showing off for these girls (and the other "kids" that continued to join our raft up) and spend majority of the time jumping off of the boats or swimming.

David did not spend quite as much time in the water, but he did have two extended lengths of time floating around in his life jacket and holding onto a noodle.  He was also very happy standing on the back bench jumping around and watching everything.  Which was great with me - it meant he was out of the sun and under our canopy for most of the day.

Dave and I decided it was time for us to pull out when another boat did since our kids were still happy and not in full melt down mode - we knew we were on borrowed time and our luck would soon run out.  We called Carly back to our boat and explained we were about to leave, to which she responded with, "No thank you!"  This got a loud laugh from the other parents and she thankfully did leave without any fuss or tantrum!!

Our 4+ hours out on the boat were GLORIOUS today!

Welcome Summer

While summer hasn't officially started - our family had its first real taste of summer on the lake today.  During the kids' afternoon naps Dave ran out to ready the boat.  By 4pm we were making our way down to the water.  After a short ride we were anchored and ready to swim.  Carly and Dave jumped in first and made 2 laps around the boat.  She then turned into a jumping machine.  She would jump off the boat to a noodle, swim to the ladder, and repeat (of course with her life jacket on).  David was loaded up into his float and floated through the water until he became more interested in drinking the lake water.  My favorite part however was the boat ride home.   I was able to sit up in the bow holding David in my arms and Carly sitting across from me holding on to the bars.  She even did a "woo-hoo" at a wave.  I am very, very excited for what the rest of the summer has to offer.

"We're going to...

... Raleigh to see my daddy compete in a half Ironman this weekend!" ~ Carly

This sentence has been coming out of Carly's mouth ALL week.  She has told everyone we have come in contact with this week.  She has played "Ironman" all week.  Saturday was filled with her registering  for her race and then running around the house.  She was able to show off her biking and swimming in the evening to her Grandma, who traveled into town for Dave's race.

Sunday morning, we woke up and set off to Raleigh to see Dave complete his half Ironman.  (Which Carly informed me was not a triathlon, but an Ironman.)  We were fortunate enough to have timed things just right and watched him run around mile 4 at Meredith College and then saw him at the finish line.  Carly was on cloud nine for the entire event.  Her daddy kissed her at mile 4 and everyone commented on her signs.  We had 3 with us - 1) Left, Right, Repeat  2) Run, Daddy, Run  3) Pain is Temporary, Internet Results Last Forever

After the race we got both cars loaded up and Carly asked repetitively if Dave could ride in the car with us.  After dinner she finally got her wish and he told us all about his day during our ride home.  We have all enjoyed hearing all about his race and seeing all the fun things he got from the event.

Tooth Alert

Around May 4th we went on full tooth alert.  We could see David's top two teeth through his gums, but they hadn't broken through.  I mentioned this to the kids' dentist during Carly's visit, and she felt like the bottom left tooth would be the first to debut.  Well our first tooth debuted today and it was the top left tooth!  Just one day shy of being 13 months!!

**Update - the right upper tooth popped through the very next day (May 26th)

David and I ventured over to his allergist today while Dave and Carly had a daddy - daughter date to breakfast before preschool.  David's appointment was almost 2 hours, but we have answers!  David is officially allergic to dairy, egg whites and yolks, peanuts, and crab.  Due to his allergy to peanuts and crab he has an 85% chance of also being allergic to nuts and shellfish, so we will be avoiding those items too.  This definitely isn't the news we wanted to hear, but we are thankful to have answers.  And those answers came very quickly.  The nurse pricked his back with the allergiens and began to clean up her materials.  David was very squirmy and I was having difficulty holding him without touching the spots on his back.  Within about 90 seconds she checked his back to make sure everything was working and quickly commented that she was going to get the doctor.  The two ladies walked back in and the doctor immediately said, "Get them off of him, he's reacting to all 5 foods."  He was quickly wiped down and coated with a lot of antihistamine.  We currently have a "plan" about what comes next - begin a transition from breast milk to soy milk, avoid egg, dairy, shellfish, and nuts, and return to the allergist when David is three!

Let's Celebrate!

It has been a BIG weekend in the Orr household!  On Friday David turned one.  We celebrated his birthday with a Duplo themed small play date with friends and a yummy grilled dinner with his Grandma, Papa, and GG Papa.  Our celebrations continued on Saturday with another grilled dinner and more company - his Grammie, Grandpa, and Uncle Robert joined us for the food and celebrations.  Dave designed and made a fabulous bright blue Duplo cake for Saturday night's celebration.  On Sunday we changed gears slightly and celebrated David's Baptism.  Carly was able to stand up at the front of the church in a dress matching David's outfit (thanks to their Grandma's wonderful sewing ability) and was the very proud.  She even held the skirt of her dress out while standing up front with David and our preacher.

Happy Birthday David Jr!

Dear David Jr,

It is hard to believe that a year ago from right now you had just finished getting your first bath while your Daddy and I packed up to move to a different room within the hospital.  Your birthday was quite the exciting day but it doesn't even seem to compare in the excitement you have brought our family during your first year with us.

Carly loves you to the moon and back (and then some more).  She loves to play with you, give you hugs and kisses regularly, and protect you from the world.  Everywhere we go she announces your allergies and will ask if you can eat any new food she encounters.

Your Dad and I just look at you in complete awe (especially when we see a newborn) and can't believe how much you have grown during your first 365 days.  You have gone from a happy, sleepy baby to a boy who can feed himself, speed crawls, recognizes the sounds of the dishwasher, baby gate, and laundry room door opening, asks to be picked up, and says "dada" as soon as your daddy comes home from work.  You no longer seem to be interested in baby food and have actually not consumed even 6 ounces total of pureed food in the past 7 days.  Unfortunately we are still working through your food allergies/intolerances, but hope to have more answers for you (and ourselves) on Thursday.

This past year has been a wonderful adventure, and I can't wait to see how you will continue to grow and develop during this next year!

Love,
Mommy