Beach 2012

I almost titled this post 'Romar 2012' because I can't remember a summer when we didn't stay at Romar Place.  Suffice it to say, Capri was a definite upgrade from Romar, and we had the best beach vacation there.

George had the best time!  He definitely had a love-hate relationship with the actual beach, but I think that had more to do with the sun than anything else.  He slept great, and napped even better, which makes for much happier days for everyone involved.

From this point forward, there will be a LOT of pictures with short captions.  Just know if you're not a grandparent, the pictures might get a little boring.  It was hard to narrow down my 250 pictures to the few I'll put on here!

This picture will always crack me up.

#1- the trash bag on the chair.  We did take it off because it was a little overkill.

#2- George's face.

#3- The fact that this picture proves who Saty's favorite grandchild is! (just kidding...)

Ready to go to the beach!

Story time with Saty

 Racing cars on the porch

Fun times in the tunnel!

 Saty and Rogers have a special relationship

George, Rogers and Frannie ready to go to the beach!

 George and Lucy were thick as thieves on this beach trip.  Based on the picture above, I'd say Georgie liked his new friend.

 Playing in the baby pool on the beach.

Best friends.

 Clay got to the beach on Wednesday, and then the fun really started!

'Jump jump' time was usually during 'rest period' (as Clay called it) just before afternoon naps.

 Look at those little legs!

Even George got in on the fun.

 George really loved playing with Clay 

 Papa T- the Ultimate Bocce player

 Saty and Frannie

 Love this picture.

 Best friends forever.

This is the 'hate' side of the love-hate relationship George had with the beach.

This is the 'love' side.

 Mama Shay and Lucy

 Saty and Rogers flying a kite.

 I'm not sure if there is a picture of these two that doesn't melt my heart.

Do you see George's hair BLOWING in the wind?  

I love that kid.

By the end of the week, George had really embraced the sand and ocean.

 Our condo had a double-edged sword: the indoor pool and hot tub combo.

While an indoor pool always provided fun despite the weather, it was also really stuffy and the smell of chlorine just about knocked you over when you walked in.

It was renamed 'the sweaty pool' on Monday.

 We still managed to have fun inside.

 Rogers REALLY loved the hot tub.  Actually, most of the kids really loved it.

No one seemed to mind that it was 90 degrees outside- those kids were getting in the hot tub at some point every day.  I was secretly glad that George was too young for the hot tub.

 We got to have lots of early morning snuggles, and George was the most cuddly on this trip!

 George and Rogers in their chairs.

 Unc and the boys on our last night.  

 While we were packing up, Rogers found 'George's room' (the closet in mine and Clay's room) and was fascinated with the pack & play.

George did everything he could to slow down our packing- he didn't want to leave!

If you're still reading this post- you must be immediately related to us, so I hoped you enjoyed the George pics!  If you're Saty (or if you're Pop and have found your way on the interweb to my blog) thank y'all so much for an unforgettable week at the beach.  I have a newfound respect for all of those years you took me to the beach, played with me all day long, went shopping, took me crabbing, and everything in between.  Thank you for making this trip so special for me, and even more so for George.  I'll make sure he knows he got to sleep in the master bedroom one year (even if it was in the closet).

End of Summer

We just got home from our beach trip today, and it was honestly the best trip we've taken as a family.  But the beach week will have to be a separate post another day.  

George is starting Mother's Day Out tomorrow, and I really am so sad to not get to spend every day with him.  But after being at the beach surrounded by people, kids, and pretty much constant activity, I know that he is going to love his little class this year.  

So, technically, summer is over for Mommy and Georgie, but goodness, it's been the sweetest summer I can remember.  And could there be a more exciting way to end the summer other than George turning ELEVEN months?!  I seriously cannot believe our first year is almost under our belt.  

George has at least three more teeth (all molars), giving us a total of 12 teeth.  It's really hard to tell, because Clay or me looking in his mouth is quite possibly his least favorite activity hands-down.  He eats just about anything we put in front of him (except pineapple), and really loves feeding himself.  He can walk around holding my hands, and sometimes can walk holding just one hand.  I know it sounds silly, but the thought of walking around holding George's hand one day makes me so excited.

George, becoming a mom has always really intimidated me- even this time last year.  I didn't know if I could love you enough, or have enough patience for you, or even know how to meet your needs.  And the truth is, I know I can't, and haven't, been able to do any of these things for you in completion this year.  The Lord has used you to teach me more about claiming His strength in my weakness every single day.  

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

 

We used to worry about being the perfect parents for you, but we have realized that is not what you need.    The only thing you need in this life is to know Christ's love, and goodness gracious, do we see the love of our Lord in you, George.  So, thanks for making this 'transition' into parenthood for us full of grace and forgiveness.  We love you so much!

  

Vacation

We've had to replace the word 'vacation' in our vocabularies if Georgie is going to be present on the trip.  Every year, since before I was born, my parents have been going to the beach with our good friends, the Cordell family.  For the last five years, the number of Generation 3 has grown, and this year there will be seven kids under the age of 5.  For the last 28 years, my beach trip looked something like this:

My biggest concern was where we were going to go to dinner, and how long I could possibly stay out on the beach before I had to go up to take a shower.  While 'trips' with George are so much fun, they are filled with non-stop action, too.  George's love for people, new experiences, new places, etc. always takes precedence over his desire (or need) to take a nap.  But at least he's happy, right?!

Usually by this point in the summer, I also have a pretty good base tan.  A few weeks ago, Clay pointed out that I was not tan, which if you know me, almost broke my heart.  It's a good thing that Clay charms me so easily...

While this year is going to look pretty different from beach trips in the past, I know we will have so much fun.  George absolutely loves being around people, and seeing as how there will be 22 people ranging from 3 weeks to 60+ years old with us in Perdido, I know he will be in absolute Heaven.  

...and just because I know I won't be posting any George pics for the next week or so, here's a few from the last few days!

 George uses his toys in the strangest ways.

 Getting used to the Pack & Play for our trip.  Fingers crossed he'll sleep in it!

Post-work snuggles.

Uncle Scott and Aunt KK were so sweet to let George use this little walker since Rogers is running all over the place, and well, Frannie won't need it anytime soon.  George has really been disinterested in it, even though we've really tried to get him to use it.  All of a sudden the other night, he just got behind the handle bars and took off!  You can just see how proud he is of himself all over his face.

Hope y'all have a great week!

Tears

There have been a lot of tears shed here in the Cochran house over the last week.

George has really been the ring-leader in the crying arena.

He cut his first molar (is that normal for a 10-month old?!) and literally has four teeth trying to break through at the same time.  Here is how we know when George is cutting a tooth:

* eczema patch on the face: this is a bizarre side effect from teething, but every-single-time a tooth shows up, he has a red rash on one of his cheeks.

* FUSSINESS- that one doesn't really need an explanation

* biting- George will bite on anything.  The other morning I was cooking breakfast, and George was playing in the den.  The next thing I know I feel these teeny tiny teeth gnawing on my feet.

* there are other symptoms, but Clay said they weren't blog-appropriate to mention on here.

We have found a few things that successfully distract him from his misery:

Going to the pool.

PraiseBaby DVD.

Riding the train at the zoo.

He really has been such a trooper to pretty much constantly have a tooth coming in for the last 6 months.  He has a lot of happy moments, and keeps me laughing most of the day.  He comes up with new tricks all the time, and is truly so proud of himself when he figures out how to do something new.  His newest trick is standing up by himself, which he does for about 2 seconds and then sits down.  Clay thinks that George is scared of heights, but hopefully he'll overcome that one day.

I've been shedding my fair share of tears watching the Olympics.  I'm going to go ahead and admit that I even get a little weepy at the P&G commercials.  I just don't know what came over me every time I saw Missy Franklin in an interview or watched her swim.  

Or when the Fab Five won the gold.

Or even when they replay old Olympic events from previous games.  I have just found that I am somehow so emotionally invested in these Olympic Games.  Clay says that I am NBC's target audience for all of the coverage, interviews, and background stories.  Maybe if I get emotionally attached to a story or an athlete, then I don't really care that they never showed the men's gymnastic rings event whatsoever.  And I don't.  All I want to see are the tense moments with the hilarious commentators, who say exactly what is going on in my head such as:

"Woops!  That was a huge mistake. Huge."

"Oh man!  Did you see that?"

"He's going to have to swim a lot faster if he wants to catch up with him."

Clay's favorite commentating so far has been in the trampoline event.  It is classic.

Now that swimming is over, maybe I'll be able to hold it together.  Unless Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh can win beach volleyball.  Then I'll be right back where I started.

Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Sick Days

When I was teaching, I used to dream of the days when I could stay home in case George got sick.  It would send me into a panic attack thinking about getting sub plans together, trying to find a sub in April/May (which, for an 8th grade Math Teacher is next to impossible), and coordinating pick-up/drop-offs, etc.  Here is one thought that never crossed my mind: who stays home with George when I get sick?  Well, we found out on Tuesday of this week: Dad comes home.

I have no idea what I had caught, but it knocked me out for almost a full 72 hours.  Here are a few conclusions I was able to draw from my time under the weather:

* There are few things more heart-breaking than physically not being able to pick up a pitiful baby.

* I used to fantasize about taking a sick day to stay in bed and watch movies all day.  It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be.

* On the flip side, I really was able to quench my thirst for chick flicks.  Here was my line-up:
He's Just Not That Into You, Father of the Bride, My Best Friend's Wedding, and, my personal all-time favorite:
When Harry Met Sally (I actually watched this one twice, back-to-back).

* Clay is the all-time best husband and dad.  Ever.  He came home early on Tuesday and worked from home on Wednesday.  George was, how should I say this, needy yesterday.  I'll also throw in the fact that Clay had the busiest work day since he's been at this job yesterday.  He had a meeting at church during his lunch hour, and took George with him.  He took care of George, took care of me, and took care of his work yesterday.  And I'll admit it, I might have been the most needy of everyone in the house.

* I'm afraid we forgot that Harper was in the house yesterday.


This is a total side-note:
Clay and I have gotten totally sucked into Downton Abbey, and we had just finished Seasons 1 & 2 on Sunday night.  If you haven't seen it, it is worth the $7.99 for a Hulu subscription for a month to see all 18 episodes.

So without a Downton Abbey episode to watch, Clay wanted to watch a movie from On-Demand, and he chose the movie, Contagion.  You may have seen the 1995 rendition called 'Outbreak'.  Anyways- the movie is about a disease that spreads like wildfire because of simple contact among humans.  Needless to say, my random sickness has caused us to Lysol our entire house and constantly sterilize everything.  I'm sure I'll go back to my '5-Second-Rule' ways soon, but for now, I'm just using Lysol wipes instead of paper towels.

Big Times!

I need to start with the most important event of this week, which would be Frannie's arrival!  My sister-in-law and brother welcomed their daughter on Wednesday, July 18.  I italicize daughter, because we are so excited to have a girl in the mix!

Saty & Pop with their grandkiddos:

George, Rogers, and Frannie!

While we love boys and the energy and excitement they bring, we are so excited you are here, Frannie!

Pop will love putting your hair in pigtails.

Saty will love doing all things that pertain to a little girl (tea parties, lunches, shopping...just to name a few).

I will love going to your dance recitals (fingers crossed!).

But for now, since you're only 2 days old, we will just celebrate you for the teeny little newborn you are.  

In other news, Pops Cochran retired from his job!  We are all so excited for him, and know that he will enjoy this new phase of life.  Pops brought his 'Tractor' over and let George drive it around (or pretend to, at least...)

Sorry for the missing pants in this picture.

We were in half of our jammies because it makes for easier crawling.

Lastly, George turned 10 months yesterday!  We have hit several milestones, all of which are exciting.  To me, selfishly, I am most excited for George's most recent accomplishment.  He sleeps until at least 7am every morning.  For the previous nine months, George was a 6am-er.  I am greatly appreciating the extra hour of sleep.

We have two more teeth on their way in, and these have been some doozies.  But they will definitely help his efforts of eating, which is his favorite part of the day!  Clay and I will have the kitchen cleaned up, have finished our own dinners, and George is still going.  It is definitely showing, as we consistently get the comment, "You can tell he never misses a meal!"from complete strangers.  

Oh my goodness, George!  I absolutely love my days with you.  You have become more careful lately, which has helped with my anxiety levels.  You love playing with any door you can get your hands on, and get even more excited when you can close it.  I love your fascination with new things, new experiences, and new people.  

George, I pray that you will hold tightly to this love and excitement for life, and the people who surround you.  Your dad and I love to watch you get excited, because you can see it in your face, all the way down to your toes.  Thank you for the excitement you bring us, Georgie!  

Happy Ten Months!      

When Mom and Dad Are Away...

George will play!
I know for the vast majority of the people who read this blog (mainly grandparents and great-grandparents), you may feel deprived of George pictures.   You may be wondering what George did while we were in Seattle/Portland.  Well...he spent lots of time with Saty and Pop!  My mom did such a great job of sending 'Daily Pics' and Clay and I would race to see who could download them first.  Here's a glimpse of the fun George had:

George got his first glimpse of stairs...and he liked them.

Still intrigued by the stairs:

He got to go to Publix for no other reason than to ride in the cart.

Do you see the excitement?!

He was introduced to The Walker (separate post to come later) and wondered how 

The Walker would do with the stairs.

Luckily Saty saved him right before he went down the stairs.

George loves his Pop.  They are both old souls that just seem to prefer the simpler side of life.

If this is not Clay Cochran reincarnate as a baby, I don't know what is!

And then he was introduced to the baby pool...and bubbles.

 There was no doubt that George got the full 'Grandparent Experience' while we were away.

He had undivided attention, got to eat a cinnamon roll for an entire meal, and had fun on-demand all day long.  It absolutely blesses Clay and me so much that George's grandparents are chomping at the bit to get to do all of these things for him.

Then George came home to boring-old-home, with just Mom and Dad. In 24 hours he developed a mild case of the flu/stomach bug.  I'm wondering if he was just homesick for Satyville?!

Anyways, in other news.  George has started eating people food and drinking from a sippy cup.  This may not seem like big news, but to Clay and me, it means hands-free meals!!

Oh...sweet water!!

 Bathtime has shown George's agility.  

For some reason he loves to stack his toys on the faucet.

Last weekend we had an early dinner and took George to a playground nearby.  This seemed to remind him of his dear Saty & Pop's house, so he perked right up.

George is generally a happy baby.

He often uses his walker for other purposes.

I've had a few emails with things like, "George is the happiest baby!", or people at church will say that "he never cries".  While I do think that George is a silly and happy baby, he definitely has his moments.  For those that may need proof that George can be fussy, here are a few that I captured on camera:

I think the only thing to take away his blues is some Mama Zo 'shuga shuga!!!"

Lastly, here are two pictures that just melt my heart.  This summer has been restful, relaxing, and soaked up in sweet family time.  On Wednesday of this week, our family is getting bigger with a new niece for Clay and me, and a new cousin for George.  Okay Frannie- we are ready to meet you!!

  

Happy Monday, y'all!