Amelia Island!

Whew! We've just returned from Amelia Island and it was AMAZING!

Rusty's company sent him to the island for a programming conference for several days. Originally, he was to go with coworkers, but because of a series of events, they didn't come and Adam and I got to go instead!

To anyone considering visiting Florida, I definitely recommend going there more than any of the other beaches. Being in Georgia, I've been to several Florida beaches since it's the closest (and most popular) vacation spots. Most of them have been crowded and made for an average vacation - rooms and pools were clean, staff was friendly.

Check out how traveling with a toddler went in this post. It definitely had its ups and downs.

This resort (Omni) on the other hand made sure to go above and beyond in EVERYTHING they did - and I assure you, I'm not getting paid to say any of this. From the moment we arrived, they ensured that all of our needs were taken care of, from offering water at check-in to helping maneuver a stroller around stairs.

We checked in and Adam and I hung out by a fire pit while Rusty checked into the actual conference.

Because Rusty booked his room a little late, we got a villa instead of just a hotel room (no complaints here)! We were right on the beach with a fantastic view. This also meant that we got to use a private villa pool instead of the hotel pool - there was at most four other people in the pool. That was great for me because I'm not confident in a bathing suit at all.

Adam had never been in a pool or in the ocean before. Turns out - he's a little merbaby! He loved being in the water and playing in the sand. I'll be excited and more confident going to our neighborhood pool now!

Sleeping and nap time was quite an issue. Adam hasn't slept in the same room as us since he grew out of his bassinet (over seven months ago) and we were only in a one room villa. Also, he was in a pack-n-play, not a crib. Rusty was at the conference during nap time, but I had to go through the same thing for both nap time and sleep time - I closed the curtains, turned out all the lights, laid him down, and laid flat on the bed so he couldn't see us. Once he was asleep, we could turn on the tv very low or move around a little, but it took a long time for him to actually fall asleep the first couple of days. Adam also needed to be VERY tired for this to work, so he went to bed all week way past his normal bedtime. If any of you have a better way to handle this - PLEASE let me know! We'll be trying to get through it again for our actual vacation.

Other than the sleeping issues, the week went great. Adam and I ate, swam, played, and explored the resort. This resort had a very large campus with several different restaurants, a nature center (where we could talk to a parrot and feed turtles), playgrounds, novelty stores, trails, etc.

All while poor Rusty had to work (ha ha - this is a joke because he loves what he does and on one day, he got to build a robot that worked with JavaScript. He had an incredible time).

I will look forward to our vacation because we'll be sharing the parenting duties - which will give me a little more time to relax. Overall though, it was fantastic and a success of a trip, and Rusty said it was the BEST conference he's every been to!

Any suggestions for our next beach trip - especially with a toddler? I'd love to hear them!

Travelling With A Toddler

I have now traveled with my toddler... and we definitely had our ups and downs.

We traveled about six and a half hours each way to the beach and back, and I definitely had to do some prep work for it.

One of the biggest assets to the road trip was the travel basket. The day before we traveled, I picked up a couple of new books and cheap toys. I also pulled out a couple of toys that Adam hadn't played with in a while because I rotate his toys every so often. Here is a list of the items in his basket:

• Three plush balls
• Musical toy (his favorite toy)
• A bucket with a shovel and rake (which we also used at the actual beach)
• Two small flags (he likes to wave them around - only $1)
• Large handheld mirror (only $1)
• Four board books (so he couldn't rip the pages)
• Giraffe squeaky toy
• Maraca (only $1)
• Tractor with four animals that sit in it

I kept all of these in a basket right next to his car seat so he was able to reach in and grab his toys without them flying all over the car. He did toss the toy on the other side when he was done with it and grabbed a new one, but he never emptied out his basket before we made a stop, so we were able to refill the basket with everything and he never went without.

I also bought a "SippiGrip", which worked great! Like I said, Adam has a habit of tossing his items into the opposite corner when he is finished with them, so this allowed him to be able to continue to have access to it even when he thought he was finished.

We made sure to leave right when Adam woke up (and was changed and dressed of course). I put his Cheerios and blueberries in a shallow plastic cup so he could self-feed on the road. He did end up with several Cheerios and one blueberry squished in his seat, but they were no issue.

Then he started exploring the basket. Most items he had never seen before, so he took them in hand and played with them and tried to figure them out. He fell asleep right before it was time to stop for gas and lunch, so he wasn't happy about that at all, but was okay once the food came. Unfortunately, I didn't let him stretch his legs as much as I should've during this stop because he was very upset when we got back in the car. We could tell that he was tired because it was nap time, but also because he was tired of being in the car.

Note - on the return trip, we allowed him to walk around the parking lot before and after we ate lunch to stretch his legs. He took getting back in the car MUCH better.

Unfortunately, you can't always be prepared for everything or you can't really help a baby who's only issue is that he's tired. So Adam had a meltdown for about 15-20 min before his nap on the way down. I gave his paci (which he only gets when he sleeps now) and eventually he fell asleep and stayed asleep until we arrived at our resort.

On the way home, he had a meltdown during the last 20 min of the trip. He had just woken up from his nap and was not happy to still be in the car. We did our best to get home in a hurry. Once we pulled in and got him out, he was a happy baby again!

Finally, I always made sure to have a cup of blueberries on hand. These are his favorite foods and, luckily, are not messy at all. When I felt his was getting restless, I would hand him a blueberry, one by one. It took time for him to get them from my hand to his mouth and even more time for him to eat it, taking his mind off of being in the car or being unhappy.

I definitely suggest getting your toddler a couple of cheap, new toys at the very minimum as well as some snacks to get him/her through - even if you normally don't let them snack all day like us. Hopefully, my successes (and failures) help you on your travels.

Now it's your turn to share with me! How did you get through your road trip with a toddler? What did you use to keep him happy? What would you do differently?

Vacation Planning

Have you ever gone on vacation (that requires several hours on driving) with a one-year-old? If so, I need your help! Planning is what I've been doing in all of my spare time because I am super nervous for travelling with a baby who already doesn't like the car.

We didn't do much for the rest of the week last week, but Saturday was a busy day. Some how, I managed to dress Adam exactly like Rusty (unintentionally). They sure were cute!

We went to the mall that morning because both Rusty and I needed bathing suits with the neighborhood pool opening up. I can't take Adam clothes shopping by myself because he doesn't want to sit still in a dressing room for long. Rusty trekked with me and was really patient with how long it took. I finally found two and a cover-up (at Macy's no less) and we had lunch.

As soon as we got home, Adam went down for a nap and... so did Rusty and I. We almost never nap, but Rusty wasn't feeling very well.

We woke up and had to start getting ready!! We attended Rusty's step-sister's wedding. It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've seen. It was held at a farm in front of a farmhouse and the reception was next to a barn with the food inside the barn. It was a definite country wedding and so great. The DJ also impressed me because he chose great songs that were perfect for each part of the wedding - that doesn't happen that often. Adam stayed awake and mostly happen until we left (and then he was asleep as soon as we put him in his car seat).

I'm patting myself on the back a bit on how cute Adam looked at church on Sunday. it's been a while since we've been because of being out of town, homecomings, and graduations.

Adam is super into books right now (which makes me and Rusty super excited). He can't read obviously, but he will sit down with a book and pretend to read, pointing at everything on the page. It is precious. I'm hoping he keeps his love of books throughout his entire life.

Today, Adam and I had lunch with my mom and had some delicious PIE (free pies at O'Charley's on Wednesdays). We're back home now and just laying low as we prepare for Florida next week. I've got some shopping to do!

Mother's Day and Graduation

*Whew*

May just has so much stuff going on. We have no quiet weekends! Before we get into that, have you ever seen a baby hold his best friend's hand?

Thursday and Friday, Rusty went to Athens with his dad to Julie's graduation from UGA. His comments - he was in the car too much. I'm so excited for Julie as she enters a new stage in her life. It's on to sending out resumes and no more summer breaks. However, both Rusty and Julie are Bulldogs for life now!

During that time, I was cleaning and decorating for her party on Sunday! I wasn't going to have much (if any)  time on Saturday, so I really needed to get stuff done. I'm proud to say that I succeeded! By the end of Friday, our house was full on UGA party mode with streamers, tables, and cupcakes! The food was being done by my mother-in-law and stepmother-in-law (Memaw and Grammy) since they both wanted to be a part of throwing the party.

Saturday, we celebrated Mother's Day with my family! We went to my parents' house to hang out and give my mom her present. Then we headed to Wallace's BBQ (a family favorite) and ate our hearts out in ribs, BBQ, fries, and onion rings!

My sister finished editing First Birthday photos! They are so incredible! Check out more of the photos in THIS blog post! Because she finished them, I was able to give some of the prints to Rusty's mom to go with her Mother's Day present.

Sunday was fantastic and tiring! I woke up and got the food I needed to finish started right away. I had to pick up balloons and lunch around noon. Then, we got ready to party! Almost all of Rusty's family from Alabama got to come, so it was great to see them! Both Rusty's mom's side and his dad's side came along with Rusty's stepmom's dad! My parent's got to come too! That means that apart from my grandmother, all of the mother figures in my and Rusty's lives were able to enjoy the day with us on Mother's Day! Unfortunately, that did make me feel like Mother's Day was put on the back burner of the party and Rusty, myself and Adam didn't get to celebrate by ourselves - however, it was the only day the party could be and it went well. Julie seemed to have a great time and enjoyed a party for her.

Monday, I left the car seat in Rusty's car, so I couldn't do my grocery shopping like I do on Mondays. I instead figured a would clean the entire house to remove all evidence of a party. I am glad to say that I succeeded. By the time Rusty got home, all streamers, balloons, and other decorations were gone. All tables and chairs were put back in their place and the trash was taken out. All that is left is a couple of leftover cupcakes.

Tuesday, we are back on schedule with grocery shopping and cleaning out the fridge. Adam and I got to play outside with the make-shift water park again! Adam happened to fall into the mud...

Also, my May ipsy bag arrived! I'm much more pleased this week then I was last month - although I know I'll never use bronzer (with this pale skin) and probably not the bold lip gloss (it's just not my thing). The dry shampoo and relaxing pads are intriguing though.

First Birthday Photo Shoot

I'm a SO excited to reveal Adam's Easter and First Birthday photoshoot pictures! Because these two events happened a week apart, Katie Cooper Photography was able to give me both at the same time!

Tips for getting the most out of your photoshoot:

• Choose a photographer who has the style you're looking for
• Schedule it with nap time in mind
• Have bright or noisy toys available
• Keep all props close to switch out quickly
• Offer treats, like a blueberry or puff
• Let the child lead
• Just roll with it and have fun

We were able to start shooting almost as soon as breakfast was over. Adam was well rested, full, and ready to look good. While he ate breakfast, the photographer and I were setting up the backyard with props. She was also choosing the best angles and areas for lighting. 

The photographer brought a train whistle as well as a singing card to get Adam's attention. I also had ready his Mario stuffed toy and Kirby, our dog, to keep his attention.

All the props I wanted to use were within arms reach. The props included:

• Picnic blanket
• Red wagon
• Letters with his name
• Birthday hat
• Smash cake
• Rusty (we were going to get some family photos in)
• Bubble gun with bubbles

This photo shoot is a little different from those in the past (or future) because a smash cake was involved. Because of that, I cleaned our bathtub beforehand so that the photographer could continue shooting as we got Adam clean.

I got somewhat frustrated throughout the photo shoot because I felt like Adam wasn't smiling and he is typically a very smiley baby. I wanted his personality captured and I felt like that included smiling. It turns out, she was able to capture all of his little personality, even without his smiling much. All of the non-smiling pictures are so cute that it doesn't even matter. She was able to capture the moments he DID smile, so I was concerned for nothing.

Let me know if you have any other tips for photographing a toddler or if any of these tips helped you out!