Savannah

I know, I KNOW!  We went to Savannah over a month ago and I'm barely posting photos!  Caring for two little ones in New York City is no walk in the park (although we do frequently walk in the park), and down time is very minimal. 

Riding on Phil & Paula's boat through the intercoastal waterways.  The girls, both named Isabella and 6 mos apart, are too much alike: so sweet and so very stubborn.  

 SCAD was having a fun festival while we were hanging out in downtown Savannah.  And it was Isabella's chance to finally sit on a double-decker bus. (Before this she kept asking to ride those tour buses around NYC.)

Relaxing: Southern Style

Tasting freshly pulled salt water taffy at the candy shop.  Delicious!

Sweaty, sweety

The fountain at Forsyth Park at night.  Isn't it perfect?!

Lunch at the Crab Shack

The boys at the beach

Biking with Daddy

Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island

Another on Driftwood Beach

We took a very long walk along Driftwood Beach.  It was stunningly beautiful.

Sunset on Jekyll Island.

  It was a beautiful, fun, exhausting day.  We tried oysters for the first time (raw and cooked...I prefer cooked).

Savannah was amazing, beautiful, fabulous, etc.  We loved it!  And we are so grateful for Brian's cousin, Paula, for allowing us to hang out at her home the whole week.

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Chillin'

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Loving our jaunt through the Flower District.

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Enjoying a beautiful evening cruise on the Staten Island Ferry.

Those Eyes

Last week I had a few moments of self-pity (okay, more than a few, but let's just focus on the few).  It was midweek, the house was a disaster, dinners had consisted of rice and peas or peanut butter sandwiches and I was completely exhausted.  I almost broke down, my thoughts raced, "What is wrong with me?!  Why can I barely function?!  I can't even keep this tiny apartment clean lately!"  We were just living our average day-to-day, but I couldn't even keep up.

Fortunately my pity party quickly ended as I realized what our "average" week had really become.  ALLERGIES!!!  While in Savannah Isabella was obviously quite allergic to the pollen (or something in the air), but some children's Claritin helped ease the symptoms.  Once back in New York the Claritin did very little.  She was coughing all night long and frequently woke up crying because her eyes were swollen shut.  The doctor prescribed some eye drops over the phone, which worked about two days.  The coughing got worse and the eyes were painfully red, swollen, and oozing.  Most nights she would fall asleep as I held her in my arms and gently rubbed her eyes with a cold, wet washcloth.

On Friday I finally got her in to see the doctor.  He walked into the examining room, glanced at her and exclaimed, "Whoa, that's the worst I've seen this season!"  (I thought, "I know!  Hello?!  I only call the doctor when it is really bad!  I only bring my kid in when it is really, really bad!!")

After some examination and discussion the doctor sent us on our way with two different eye drops, nose spray, allergy medicine, and instructions to wipe her down frequently when we are outside.   Not only are her eyes highly allergic to what is in the air but they had become infected because she would frequently rub them.  (If you have ever experienced seasonal allergies in your eyes you know how horribly painful it is!)

Yesterday her eyes looked fabulous!  It was the first time in two weeks they looked almost normal.  Today is even better.  She's doing 97% better.  I'm finally sleeping and feel like I am almost back into the swing of things (the house is clean, laundry done, and dinner is in the oven!)

I never thought I would be grateful for the horrible allergies I experienced as a child, but last week I was.  Empathy was a necessary requirement for survival. 

Below you can see her swollen eyes.

Oliver: 10 Months

How can my baby be 10 months old?!

 This was a bit of a self-portrat...he was strapped onto me...like usual.

Oliver is THE sweetest boy in the universe!

Brian's cousin put it well when she said, "It will be a sad day when he throws a tantrum!"

He finally sprouted his second top tooth; the first top tooth is almost all the way in, which has made for some super cute smiles.

Favorite Photo

I'm hoping to post loads of fun, beautiful pictures from our trip down south.  But for now here's a favorite of my two most adorable little ones on the beach.  Oh, how I love them!

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Digging Oliver's post-nap hair. Riding Amtrak home from Savannah.

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Watching a rousing game of croquet on Jekyll Island.

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Spotting dolphins while boating through Georgia's intercoastal
waterways. Beautiful. (And atempting to keep Oliver distracted from
his puffy, uncomfortable lifevest.)

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Getting ready for bed with cousin, Roman.

Oliver: 9 Months

Eeek!  Oliver is on-the-move!  No, he's not crawling.  No, he's not scooting.  He just moves, ever so slyly.  It's freaky and funny at the same time.  He likes to sit on the floor and play with toys.  Whenever I glance over at him, he's still sitting, just in a different spot.  I try and watch him--catch him in the act--buy he just reaches for toys, twists around, stretches and reaches some more.  I look away for 2 minutes and all of a sudden he's right by me!  I jump, "Whoa, where did you come from?!"  He just smiles, his huge, gummy smile.  I'm totally excited for him.  At the moment he's discovering how much easier it is to get around on the hardwood floor rather than the carpets I normally plunk him down on.

Now I'm thinking I should really be cleaning.  He's gotten much farther today than ever before!

Yes, this is terribly late, and not a great photo, but I have my excuses.  I'll spare you...this time!

Besides his super stealth moves he's also:

using his hands to communicate: waves "bye" and "all-done"
gets quite upset if you take something from him
loves to drink water, and spit it out
prefers watching his food fall to the floor instead of putting it in his mouth
laughs hysterically at his sister
often prefers sitting on the floor, playing with toys than being held
become more of a picky eater, but has fallen in love with cheese and crackers

Okay, he just got into the dirty laundry...

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Oliver is completely giddy over his first time in the swing. He has
been laughing the whole time (about 10 minutes). Although, when is
this kid NOT laughing?!

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Enjoying Jazz and sunshine.

Home!

We loved spending the last four weeks with family in California, but
it feels great to be home. The kids are absolutely gleeful when Daddy
is around! (Me too!) Brian had to work a little late tonight so we
met him for dinner and Isabella "worked" at his office. In her
leotard and tutu, of course.