Eli's First Vacation - Hilton Head Island!

Last week, we took Eli on his first vacation to Hilton Head Island. Actually, the trip was his first out of Kentucky and he traveled to four new states on the way there: West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. His first vacation companions were his dad, my mom and me. We stayed in Forest Beach where Ryan and I stayed many times before Eli. Boy was this vacation different than those!

Our first stop on the way down was Cracker Barrel in North Carolina, because that's what you do on road trips in the south. You go to Cracker Barrel for lunch!

We got to our villa at about 6 pm so it was basically a mad dash to unpack and get things set up for his dinner and bedtime so that my mom and I could go get groceries. The next day was Ryan's 33rd birthday! He got to spend it by taking his son to meet the ocean for the very first time!

Unfortunately, his favorite Hilton Head restaurant, Amigos, is closed on Sunday so we had to delay eating there (for the first of 3 times) until Monday! Instead, we went to Captain Woody's and it was delicious!

We spent the rest of the week doing a lot of the same things each day: hanging out by the pool, going to the beach, going out for dinner, going shopping, and so on. The three of us rotated sitting in the villa while Eli napped so that we could each get some relaxation time at the pool. Several nights, Ryan and I would head back to Coligny Plaza after Eli went to bed so we could have some mini dates while we were there! Here is a massive picture dump from the week:

Some of Eli's favorite things about his first vacation were: chasing birds at the beach, digging in (and eating) sand, watching the ocean (we could stay at the beach or pool for about an hour before he got bored), his pool float (once his idiot parents figured out how to work it correctly), exploring his new living space and spending lots of time with his dad and grandma - since he doesn't spend as much time with them as he does with his mommy! He was also GREAT in the car - which was about a 10 hour drive on the way down, and a 12 hour drive on the way back since we came all the way back to Lexington. It's safe to say that our baby is a happy traveler and LOVES the beach. Guess it's time to move a little further South!

Failure!

Soooo... about that whole monthly updating thing? Looks like I failed at that. I am pretty sad about it to be honest. I have tons of things written on my phone, on his Instagram page and in his baby book but I am already forgetting lots of the little details that I kept track of for the first 3 months. But now that we are in a better rhythm day to day, I have decided to really start devoting time to this blog again so that I don't have to regret missing out on more details in the future! And we have so much fun stuff coming up... like his FIRST birthday!!

As of today, I have a happy, funny, loving and WILD 11 month old who is into everything. He's on the verge of walking, gets into absolutely everything and has never met a stranger. He LOVES to make people smile and laugh and is the most joyful human being I have ever met. I tell him every day that I hope he never loses his happiness and joy. I could not imagine my life without him!

A Quarter of a Year

I can't believe Eli is already THREE months old! It's funny how it seems like his birth was just yesterday but at the same time I can't remember my life before him. My best friend always says she would have a million kids if they came out already 3 months old because that's when things get easier and more fun. I have to say, I think I agree with her. We definitely still have our stressful days but he is so much fun now and we just love interacting with him and seeing him learn new things everyday!

Three Month Stats:

Height & Weight: He is 11 lbs, 13 ounces and 25" long... which means he grew 3.5 inches this month. Looks like someone is going to be tall and skinny just like Mommy Daddy!

Likes: It should really say loves because he LOVES his toys. He loves his play gym and he is a pro at hitting all the toys and making them move. He loves the flashing light on top, too. He also loves his new souped up mobile that he got for Christmas, his bouncer, and a lot of his little handheld toys. He still likes to lay near the TV. He loves watching sports because of all the bright colors and movement. He also still loves his changing table. As soon as you put him up there, he starts smiling and laughing more than he will anywhere else.

Dislikes: There really aren't too many things that he doesn't like. He doesn't really like when the car stops while we are driving, he likes to keep moving! Other than that, he pretty much likes everything.

Milestones: He has started reaching for things, holding things and occasionally putting things in his mouth. He got some little keys from Santa and the first time I gave them to him he put them in his mouth and started licking them. He also reaches for the toys on his play gym and bouncer and can hit them and also stop them from moving. He also started locking eyes with us and smiling this month. He has smiled so much all along but this month was the first time we could really tell he was smiling because he was looking at us.

Favorite gear: His mobile, play gym, bouncer, and he's even getting better in his swing. He has been known to take 2-3 hour naps in there occasionally and he will sit there and look at the swing mobile sometimes without throwing a fit like he used to.

Clothes: He wears mostly 3-6 months and even a couple of 6 months outfits. We have major issues with pants because NB and 0-3 Months are too short but fit in the waist, and 3-6 months are too big and baggy but fit his long legs. So he usually just looks like he's wearing capri pants.

Other memories: He had his first Christmas this month! We went to church on Christmas Eve and since we couldn't go to Ashland for my family party, we Skyped with them during the party. On Christmas day, my mom and brother came to our house and we had dinner and presents here. He also got to meet his Nani, Ryan's mom this month. She stayed with us for a week and even watched him for a night so we could have a date! Woohoo!