Okay, okay....

I know I've been MIA for awhile and I'm sorry! It's just been so darn hot here that we really don't do too much that's exciting enough to post on the blog! Tomorrow, I'll try and just take some pictures of us bumming around the house but I can't promise they'll be too thrilling.

So what's new around here? Well, I'm as big as a house but the end is in sight. Less than 4 weeks until my due date and my mom gets here in just over 3 weeks. We have several neighbors as back-ups in case Baby decides to show up early. I've been doing some hard-core nesting lately--all the newborn clothes and blankets are washed and put away, the furniture is rearranged to make room for the bassinet in our room, even the plantation shutters are dusted! No, I'm not available for off-site nesting. (:

Dan is a talking machine these days. I can't even begin to catalog all the words he knows. It's hard to believe that I was ever once worried about his verbal skills. He knows every kind of construction equipment (his favorite is the 'ment truck (cement mixer)) and he can even tell a jet from a helicopter in the sky. Whenever we see a helicopter near our house, he gets very excited and says, "Dada fly heckopter, dada fly heckopter." He's also very into puzzles and reading. I think Dan could sit and listen to books (especially Curious George and the Little Critter series) all day long.

Dan also really likes playing with the feathers that sometimes escape from our pillows and comforter. He calls them "bugs" which is pretty cute. The other day, he discovered that he can peek into the spice drawer if he stands on his tiptoes, so now he moves all the spices (which he calls "sauces") to the lid of the trash can and back. Which I had no problem with until he spilled the entire jar of peppercorns. Little sharp pepper BBs all over the floor feel really good when you step on them, if you were wondering. And even though I've swept many times since that day, I still keep finding them. Life with an almost-2-year-old!

Fun with Aunt Layne

Layne was here for a week and we certainly put her to work! In fact, Zach and I abandoned her for an entire weekend while we jetted off to Maryland. My sponsor brother from the Naval Academy got married in St. Michael's on Saturday so we took the opportunity for a Dan-free babymoon. Layne survived three whole days with the little dude and even taught him how to double-fist his sippy cups. Ha! We had a great time in Maryland and I know Dan had a great time with his old buddy.





34 weeks and still smiling:

Beach (belatedly)

When the Buffalo clan was here, we headed to the beach! I like to get there nice and early to get a good parking spot, so we arrived at about 8:30. After lugging our "homeless person cart" (what Zach calls our awesome beach gear holder) up and over the ramp, we set up shop near the pier in Surf City. Dan had a fantastic time digging in the sand, splashing in the water, throwing shells and rocks into the surf, and chasing around Joshua. With two other adults to help watch the little dude, I actually got to sit under the umbrella and relax for a little bit. Heaven! (I was totally validated in my decision to get in and out early because when we headed home around 11:30, the traffic to the beach was backed up almost to our house--5 miles away!)

Happy Fourth of July!

Granny Rash sent an adorable outfit down from Buffalo so Dan has been sporting it all day for the Fourth. We stayed home from the beach today while the rest of the crew headed out because Dan has been having so much fun with everyone here that he decided he doesn't need sleep anymore. No nap yesterday (after 3 hours at the beach) followed by a 5:15 wakeup this morning makes for a tired momma and Dan. Deirdre, John, and Joshua headed to the water this morning while Dan and I got back into our regular routine of walk, followed by play, followed by lunch and nap. That seemed to do the trick because he took a nap of just under 4 hours today! Here's hoping for a good night's sleep tonight (for both of us).

The two of us in our most patriotic outfits:

Best Buds

While Zach is off gallivanting in MIchigan at a friend's wedding, some of his family drove down from Buffalo to keep Dan and me company. Aunt Deirdre, Uncle John, and cousin Joshua arrived on Thursday for the long holiday weekend and we have been having a great time! Dan is fascinated by Joshua, following him around and keeping a close eye on him, especially when he's riding his Rip Stick (a crazy kind of skateboard) through the neighborhood. Here are a few pictures of the two of them, goofing around this morning:

His father's son

Sorry I've been MIA lately! It's so darn hot and sticky here in North Carolina that we pretty much stay inside and try to not melt. Dan and I go for our morning walk around 8:00 but even that is pushing it with this weather! We have been to the beach a few times, but it's hard for me to go by myself with Dan, lugging him and all of our gear. We're hoping to have some house guests this weekend while Zach is in Michigan for a wedding, so that should help with beach excursions!

In this video, Dan is leafing through an Athleta catalog. Athleta has womens' swimsuits and clothes, but everything is activewear, so it's pretty tame, at least compared to Victoria's Secret. For some reason, Dan wanted to look at every page and he kept making funny noises and pointing to the women in their bikinis. Yep, he's 100% boy!

Gymnastics

I had a few helpers at gymnastics today so I was free to take pictures and video. Zach flew to Savannah for the weekend, so he didn't have to be at work until 11:00, freeing him up to join us at the gym. And Lauren came along for the ride too! Dan had plenty of people watching out for him (ironic, since he managed to roll his ankle a little bit toward the end--he's fine now, but it was pretty sad to see him hobbling around right afterward). We had a great time, watching him work out all of his energy by ignoring everything the instructors said. I'll let the pictures and video speak for themselves....