visit to the Smokies

At some point at the beginning of summer, my mom and I planned a 2 night trip to Gatlinburg so that my Texas end of the family could meet Myles for the first time.  I had also not met their youngest addition; having not seen them since their oldest was 1 year old; the last time we went to the Smokies.  He is now 5.  We made sure to take them to all of our favorite spots from the dozen+ times we went there growing up, and a few new ones!

First we fed some ducks while we waited to be seated at a Mexican restaurant.

Then we threw some pennies in the fountain at The Village.  And did some shopping...

We picnicked at The Chimneys and let the kids climb down to the freezing mountain stream to throw lots and lots of rocks.

Myles started getting a little too brave while we were there so we had to keep a tight hold on him at all times!  Because this mom-of-the-year forgot his swim trunks so we couldn't get as all-in as originally planned.

We went to the Ripley's Aquarium as well!  Super fun with tired little kiddos.  It did have its great moments though.

Myles was super excited to get the opportunity to splash in some water.  I'm not sure if he really ever did touch the stingrays or horseshoe crabs.



We took them to Fannie Farkles to win some tickets.  Myles still loves his mardi gras beads that he bought with them.

That happened...  I now wish I had also gotten a picture of Myles by himself, but by the time they posed for this, he was just done.  I was rather amazed they sat still and serious for so long!

We enjoyed our little balcony overlooking the stream and mountain view.  Although the road noise was a bit much when motorcycles went through around middle-of-the-night o'clock, the Baymont Inn on the Parkway was really really great.  The rooms have been renovated, the view is awesome for being downtown, and we were greeted with a goody bag for each adult (snacks, water bottles, coupons) and for each kid (coloring books, crayons, snacks).

And I enjoyed the scenic drive back home.  Getting there was not scenic at all.  I'm pretty sure I was scared for my life on some of the backroads my GPS took me through.  

So so grateful mom went with us.  Not sure if I could have handled a hotel stay alone with Myles!  He really did great but 2 nights was enough time away from his normal sleep habits!  This trip also solidified his major obsession with having ice to crunch at all times.  

While I may not be thrilled with much of downtown Gatlinburg anymore, this place is still one of my favorite places to visit time and time again.  I am really glad we got to let Myles experience it, whether he remembers the trip or not.  That's what the camera is for.

Mom followed us back to SC, and after spending the weekend with Kyle, drove us back to KY for a weeklong trip where we got to SURPRISE my grandmother who had just had hip replacement surgery.  So that was our little adventure this summer!  Now we are looking ahead to our quickly approaching no-toddler-allowed cruise!  I intend to be a little faster with sharing that trip!

2 years down.

...3 more to go.  July 1st is the big Medical New Year for all of us, so I wanted to follow up with how PGY2 went and what we have to look forward to in PGY3.

The first year of residency was really momentous because there were a lot of lessons learned. This year... well I'm not entirely sure what to write.  Do I add to the list of lessons... if so... what?  Those 6 lessons/words of wisdom certainly held their ground.

I could list off some of my favorite wives' nights; our wine tasting at Cork & Tap, painting class, dinner at newly opened Dive n Boar, brunch at Roost... that one night a month is hands down what I look forward to the most... you know... besides Kyle's weekends off.  

Although I always look forward to his working weekends because we love to try to visit him at the hospital (sometimes a flop... but mostly we have been pretty successful).  It is really fun getting to see Myles figure out where we are (he now points and says "Dada!!" when he sees the hospital entrance) and he feels like big stuff getting to visit with the other residents.  

The rest of the year was filled with: a trip to Hilton Head, visits from KY, visits to KY, using our zoo membership, lots of Dunkin runs, some unsuccessful landscaping, some very successful home interior updates (some not documented here... yet!), branching out from our normal haunts and finding a few new spots in our city, consistently being a part of our small group, welcoming new babies into the various circles of our friends (with more on the way...), lots of use of our library card for Myles and I (especially their eBook section!) and an increased interest in trying out (and sharing!) new recipes as frequently as I can.

The past year for Kyle held a lot more autonomy than first year, we survived his away rotation to Charleston (it was surprisingly easier with Myles here than when we did them during med school), his favorite rotation was acute care but mostly because that is where he was able to be in on the most cases.  Upcoming for him is added responsibility, better selection on cases, and a month of being the Chief resident on Peds (not a fun month).  

Upcoming for us this year, Myles and I are meeting our TX family in the Smokies next week for a couple of nights, then Kyle requested vacation during my mom's fall break... since he got it, we booked a cruise to the Bahamas in October, minus the Myles.  Thanksgiving in KY, and then hopefully visiting my brother after he relocates to Vegas in the winter, and more and more adventuring in our area, hopefully with some new residency friends!  

last vacation of the 'year'

Kyle's final week of vacation for this fiscal year (ends with June) was at the beginning of the month.  So of course it is taking me this long to get to posting photos from it.  This time we made our first trek as a family up to our hometowns to visit for the week.

Myles handled traveling really well except for a stint on the trip back where we just had to find the next exit because he could not calm down after waking up from a nap.  But mostly it was thanks to Amazon Prime (not a sponsored post (ha!), I swear!) letting me download a few kids shows on the Kindle for the moments where he was about to start losing it.

photo cred: Mal Nowles

We started our stay at my parent's for the first couple of nights because a dear friend from my childhood was going to be getting married out of state, but the KY shindig was going to be happening our first evening up there.  In a barn no less.  On the one night of bad weather we would endure.  We will just count this as my class reunion moment since that is in the fall and will not be making that solo (+1) trip.  It was awesome/weird/awkward/amazing to see people I haven't seen in about 10 years and to be showing off my kiddo to boot.  Flashbacks abound.

The next few nights we stayed with Kyle's parents with a mid-stay trip to TN to see Discovery Park of America.  Totally awesome and worth the trip.  Myles had a major blast and I'm pretty sure Kyle read every museum plaque thing he passed.  Lots more family squeezed in, with a little bit of shopping on top.  My MIL managed to take 3 days off work to hang out with us which was a really big treat.  Our first day there, she took us to a deli for sandwiches.  I so would love to have that special BLT again.  Glazed pepper bacon, avocado and roasted peppers were the special part.

We finished up the week back with my family with a date night to The Avengers in my hometown's little theater.  Lots of good food and fun finally put a little meat on my bones.  It was hard to leave the easy life of visiting relatives, but there are always things to look forward to with getting back to your own house.  For me: my memory foam mattress, a toddler's routine, and strong coffee.

currently

designing  I have already talked about how I have started making bibs for our friends that have babies down here; I have not mentioned that I have made a few more mobiles for a couple of them to put in their nurseries.  I loved how Myles' airplane themed mobile turned out, so did a similar one with only clouds for Lane's room, and turned those clouds into sheep for Charlotte's.  Lyndsey's baby boy will be here before we know it so I am starting to think about how I will make his for the vintage train theme Lyndsey is planning.

enjoying  Time with my little family.  We are trying to get some of the "technology creep" under control around here, and the results have been awesome.  Dinner on the deck, Kyle chasing Myles around the yard, card games with Kyle after Myles is in bed; it has been a pretty nice change.

ordering  I just ordered my first set of Jamberry nails.  I got the Urban Lights design and can't wait to get them on!  I have a Facebook party scheduled to begin the week of May 31st so let me know if you want to participate!  

celebrating  I feel like we are constantly celebrating all of the new things Myles is learning right now.  He has added more words to his vocabulary since our trip to KY, has learned how to blow a dandelion (and hot food), truly helps Kyle with chores, cheers/laughs every time he gives kisses, plus much much more.

tasting  We have tried out 2 new recipes this week, and this Friday my foodie friday section will return with some amazing stuffed zucchini, so remember to stop back by!

As always, I am linking up with Anne at In Residence and Jenna at the newly rebranded Gold&Bloom (formerly Dearest Love).

winter staycation 2015 recap

paint the kitchen.  explore the area.  go to IKEA.  switch television providers.  organize/rearrange kitchen cabinets.  go to the zoo as a family.  get time alone.  bake some cookies.  eat Henry's BBQ.  eat somewhere new.  get Kyle's car serviced.  get my car serviced.  go to the dentist.  get haircuts.  hang the newly framed painting.  repaint the chalkboard coffee table.  soak up family time.  

We managed to do most of what I had planned!  We ended up with 2 snow days in different parts of the week that I had never planned for, so things had to be shuffled around a bit.  Day one of our Staycation was spent with me climbing around the kitchen FINALLY getting paint on the walls.  It really makes such a huge difference and feels like such a big update.  For about $25 you really can't beat the power of paint.

Myles was able to experience real snow and he thought it was pretty cool.  He followed his dad around and picked up sticks for him.  It was all pretty awesome to him until we took his wet mittens off.  He didn't really like touching it for real.  We managed an afternoon at the zoo on day 3.  It was sunny up at our house and felt awesome so we packed light, and then when we got downtown, the clouds rolled in and it was rather frigid.  So we went fast; Myles didn't mind at all, he really thought the animals were awesome and had tons of fun getting to walk around the zoo on his own.  

Day 5 we tried a new-to-us restaurant, one that has been recommended several times and we pass it every Sunday on our way to church : Southern Culture.  Well-done southern food.  We had a difficult time ordering, everything sounded amazing.  We both want to go back to try out other things.  Kyle got the sweet-tea Salmon, and I ordered the shrimp and grits for Myles and I.  It was much spicier than I planned, but Myles LOVED it.  I can't wait to give this place another try!  

On Day 6 (the day we were supposed to get up to 10" of snow but only ended up with 2") we "explored the area" by making the 1.5 hr drive over to Charlotte, NC to hit up IKEA.  Myles had a blast!  I shopped while Kyle watched Myles explore and get into everything.  I liked that the store was split up well into breakable areas followed by more kid safe areas... Dining stuff followed up with rugs followed by lighting followed by bedding... so he had areas he could have a reprieve from the stroller and "explore" without us having to worry he would break something.

Day 7 was extra short haircuts for me and my mini-man with our favorite Miss Charla.  Day 8 was car repair for Kyle and a first birthday party for a residency friend, and Day 9 was chill at home worrying Myles might have another virus, with some last moment alone time for me.  Yay Target/Starbucks!

Sometimes a Staycation is what you really need, and man did we need it.  It really would have been a bad idea to try to go back to Kentucky with the weather being so unpredictable, and the ability to be productive and relax was something I really needed in my life at this moment.  Some things are just easier when you have your partner there to lend a hand.  

Christmas 2014

Taking a break from my December hiatus (Kyle is on a relaxed rotation so free time is all family time) to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas this year!  Just wanted to share our yearly pajama bed pile up photo like last year.  What a year of differences in this photo!  Weight lost (me), weight gained (mini man), new glasses, new bedding, smiles all around!  My family for years and years have given each other pajamas and piled into the bed for the yearly family photo.  I have been so excited to carry this on in our little family down here in SC.  I picked out Kyle's and Myles', and Kyle picks out mine.  Kyle has some pretty hilarious Star Wars boxers from Target because I thought this year he needed functional PJs.  Every year, he gets sleep pants, and every year, I end up being the only one that wears them (He prefers shorts)!  He saw his gift bag last night and said his PJs looked small this year... he was a good sport about it.  He hiked up those white socks just for me.  One lucky lady right here.  So now Myles and I will enjoy a country ham breakfast with my parents and wait for daddy to get home from work before we open presents.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Charleston

Kyle and I have had 3 quick trips to Charleston in the past 2 years.  Now, granted, they have all been in the winterish time.  But I have to say, it just is not my favorite place.  Bad weather aside... it just isn't the place to go with Kyle.  I wouldn't mind going to the historical places, touring a plantation or something; Kyle not so much.  It definitely isn't the greatest place to take a baby.  Maybe a girl's trip with my mom.  

But when your husband's residency program doesn't have a transplant team, he has to go to the nearest in-state teaching hospital for the experience.  For Kyle, that is Charleston.  So off we went.  Myles did pretty darn great in the car.  It was a 4 hour drive including stops.  He took a couple of naps and I had snacks and toys at the ready to pass back to him.  When all else failed, the kiddy music got turned on.  Works every time.

Our first afternoon there, we met a friend for lunch while Kyle was sleeping (he was coming off of a night shift).  That night we headed to a brewery I had wanted to go see.  The second trip that we made to Charleston was for an interview.  This was the only interview where spouses were NOT invited to the resident dinner (first of many things that put them towards the bottom of our list).  Thats ok.  I bought a beer in the hotel lobby and read a book.  That beer was from a local brewery called Westbrook.  It was very very interesting.  White Thai.  Try it.  So since it was so close, I really wanted to check it out since we had nothing else to do.  Kyle tried their Dry Irish Stout (very much like Guinness) and I got the Gose (a salty sour wheat beer- extremely interesting).

Sleeping arrangements were a little weird.  The hotel had Kyle in a tiny corner room which left us putting the pack-n-play right next to the door so that Myles couldn't see us when we turned off the lights.  If he could have seen us, he never would have gone to sleep.  

Kyle had Saturday off, and thanks to a recommendation, we decided to do the South Carolina Aquarium.  It didn't disappoint.  Myles really did look at some of the exhibits.  We managed to get some pretty good pictures out of it.  

Afterward we drove around forever trying to find somewhere to eat.  This is a frustrating part about Charleston and a baby.  Everyone is hungry and a lot of the restaurants that aren't in a sketchy part of town are on a one way street with parking only allowed on one side of the street.  And everyone is trying to go where you want to go.  We eventually found a brunch place a little further away that had one parking spot left.  It was amazing.  Thank you Hominy Grill.

We spent a good amount of time in the hotel room trying to get Myles to nap.  It didn't really happen much, but it was good to just have some family time alone.  Kyle had to head back to work early Sunday morning so Myles and I got on the road shortly after.  It was a good trip even if it was when the Polar Vortex decided to pay its visit.

survivor story : night float with a kid

A year and a half-ish into residency and we officially have 5 months of nights under our belt. The more we have had, the easier and less ominous those months have become.  I, like anyone in this, have had to figure out what works and what doesn't and my new "rules" will probably work as Myles gets older.  I thought I would share in case others out there haven't figured out a routine that works for them yet.

First, let me sort of map out a typical day when my resident works a day shift.

Myles and I are awake sometime after Kyle leaves for work (6-7am).  Myles currently takes a morning and afternoon nap so we hang out until the first nap (9-10am), at which time I shower and get a chore done before he wakes up.  Then I get us ready to go out for the day, whether to run an errand, meet friends somewhere, or just go out in the yard.  We make it home in time for lunch or Myles' nap, depending on the activity of the day.  During the second nap (2ish- time and length varies), I usually do another chore of some sort or write while I catch up on a show.  Then I need to get a game plan together for dinner so that dinner is started or ready to be started when Kyle lets me know he is headed home (6ish).  Once he is home, we eat and get Myles ready for bed (7pm) before we relax together until bedtime (9-10).

A typical day when my resident works a night float (no rules included).

Myles and I wake up between 6-7am.  Kyle gets home around 7am or later, almost immediately going to bed.  Myles naps 9-10am or so.  We venture out sometime before his second nap which is usually around 2pm and lasts an hour or more.  I wake Kyle up by 3pm.  Kyle gets showered while I heat some food up and sometimes we eat together before he leaves for work again at 4:30pm.  Myles asleep at 7.  I go to sleep whenever I make myself (usually around 10).

Now my "rules".

1. During Myles' naps, I take time for me.  I take a long shower, I watch my shows, I read a book, I sit on the deck.  Other than yard work that needs to be completed during the day, I do not do chores.  Most chores are pretty loud inside (think dishes or vacuuming) and would bother Kyle even with the door shut.  This keeps me sane.  
2. We always have an outing.  We go to the zoo, or walk around Target or meet a friend for a play date.  Sometimes it is just going in the front yard to roll around in the grass.  We get out of the house. This is crucial.  Kyle has gotten better about sleeping through normal daily noise but this lets us worry a little less and not go so stir crazy.  
3. We try to eat with Kyle a couple times a week.  Because family time.  And it is important to me to make sure Kyle has something homemade so he doesn't feel so much like a zombie surviving off of Chick-fil-a and cafeteria food night after night after night.  Sometimes I fail and he ends up eating frozen pizza or chicken strips but he appreciates the trying.  The crock pot is my friend.
4. I do the chores at night.  I have had all of my "me" time during the day and once Myles is asleep for the night, I am alone, so I become productive.  Myles can sleep through everything so no chore is off limit.  It is pretty important that I divide up all of the chores on a calendar so that I don't get overwhelmed and shut down.  One major (like things I can't stand doing) chore per night.  
5. Kyle's days off are time to ask for help with things I can't do alone but otherwise, his days off are protected family time.  Basically, no visitors.  We might decide to do something fun for a couple of hours with some friends but family is discouraged from coming to visit us during these months.

Different things work for different people and every program does things differently. What "rules" work at your house?

vacation vacation VACATION

I made Kyle promise that our first vacation of 2nd year would be a beach trip for just the 3 of us since all 4 of his vacations last year were spent with family/having a baby.  And he kept that promise.  :)  Of course I did all of the research and planning and booking.  I would do it even if he wasn't a resident.  Its my thing.  So I chose Hilton Head Island for its price (compared to Charleston) and relatively close proximity to us (since Myles has never been in the car longer than 2 hours... even less since getting out of that newborn sleeping phase).

daddy gave standing lessons on the beach and proper falling technique lessons in
the condo. something I am extremely grateful for now that we are home.

Myles had a play date evening with Eliza while Kyle and I had a date to see Guardians of the Galaxy the Friday before we left.  We knew we wanted to get a date in before we left for the week since no one would be there to relieve us.  The movie did not disappoint.  At all.  I laughed the whole time.

the one hour of the whole week that he would wear a hat.  

We packed up, went to church, and got on the road Sunday.  The drive without stops was 4 hours, 4 1/2-5 with stops.  We got to our condo in HHI around 5pm and then we headed to the grocery to get a few things for meals that week.  Myles was a real trooper.  We couldn't have asked for a better traveler.

I knew our condo wasn't going to be the Ritz or anything; it was obvious from the online listing that the decor hadn't been updated in a while but we weren't looking for luxury, just a short walk to the beach and pool.  Both of which this delivered.  I was surprised though to find out that the mattresses were the oldest things in the condo.  There went my plan of great sleep while away from the cats.  But I would say that if a crappy mattress is the worst part of the trip, then we were doing pretty good.  Myles slept like a champ in the provided pack-n-play the whole week.

The complex that we were staying at was surrounded by nature preserve so it was a really "natural" beach.  Not much white sand, and it was really flat so low tide was really far out.  There were also little fiddler crabs EVERYWHERE!!!  They were so funny to watch run from us when we walked at low tide.

yup all those dots are crabs

We never felt like we could stay on the beach very long since it was so miserably hot when it wasn't raining so we ventured out quite a bit to look around the island.  We did a little shopping, a little fudge sampling, a little wine tasting, and a lot of driving.  We tried to make it fun for Myles and get out of the car quite often.  Thankfully we found some swings!

We ate out at least once a day and had a few "just ok" meals and some really good ones.  Kyle and I are opposites when it comes to the beach.  I LOVE seafood and want as much of it as I can get while we are gone; he is fine with some fish, but would rather get normal food.

I LOVE the beach and all it entails (sand, sun, smell of the salt water, sound of the waves) ; he hates sand (something he confessed in the middle of the week...apparently I still don't know my husband!) so a baby covered in wet sand that can't just be brushed off is his worst nightmare.  He was a great sport though.

All in all, we had a great time as a family of 3.  We both really needed to get away.  HHI might not be my all time favorite vacation spot but it didn't disappoint either.  And obviously, Myles loved everything about the trip as well.  Except for the extra long ride back because of all the traffic we ran into.

It definitely would have been nice to have had a stay-cation and had Kyle help me do some projects around the house or let me run out and browse my favorite stores while he watched Myles, but I can not emphasize enough how much we needed to get away.  I think it really helped Kyle get to know Myles better.  I didn't realize how much of his schedule/abilities Kyle didn't know about until this trip but I guess its pretty normal with Kyle only seeing him for a few hours a day during the week.  Kyle had no idea that I froze homemade baby food and so was confused by the colorful stuff in the ice cube trays in the freezer... as he put it "you go into the kitchen and magic things happen and I feed him what you bring me".  Thats right good sir; I work magic.  It was definitely good for all of us. Even if Myles will never remember it.  Thank goodness for photos!

myles oliver : monthbymonth 5

Another month gone by... You are 5 months old now little man.  You seem so much older!  Not a day goes by that I'm not expecting you to bust out talking or crawling all of a sudden.  Not that you are really going to be doing that any time soon, I think it is in your facial expressions.  You just are so attentive to everything, and with all of the movements and noises you make daily, it just really wouldn't surprise me all that much!

You are still sleeping like a champ.  You hit a really fussy time a couple of weeks ago around bedtime... which turned into you "napping" on me for over an hour (sometimes 2) and me waking you up for your 9:30 bedtime... so I decided this week to just go ahead and put you to bed at 8:30.  I was a little nervous about it but you seem to appreciate it.  I have mixed feelings about this but it has been nice to have a little extra time to myself before my own bedtime.  Added benefit... you aren't waking up earlier... so solid 12 hours!  You are doing this on your stomach now though... you learned how to roll onto your stomach from your back first so you tend to do this at some point in the night and just stay there since you can't roll the other way yet.  It doesn't seem to matter but is pretty annoying during the day... I can't just lay you down to play with your toys for a few minutes anymore because you automatically roll to your stomach and get mad that you can't roll back.  

Clothes are mostly 6 month sizes now... you can still wear some things in 3 months especially if you are wearing a disposable diaper (size2).  This month we added a new object to your wardrobe.  HATS!!! We have been spending SO much time outside and I figured it would be good to protect your little bald head and have a little extra help protecting your eyes from the sun :).  You don't mind them at all thank goodness!

Right after you turned 4 months old, we hopped on a plane and took you to Kentucky.  There are just too many photos to share on this post alone so maybe I can get one done later :)  You traveled really well (slept) both on the plane and in the car.  You met several new people and loved every one of them!

Another big thing this month is that you have recognized the existence of the animals.  Up until this point, you have just stared through them... not even them touching you elicited a response.  Now, you want to pet them all.  The dogs in Ky did pretty well with you, but so far Zoe is the only cat that seems to not mind those tight tugs.  Remi is slowly warming up to you but not by much.

first time swinging... it went ok.  for a minute.

This past week you made a new friend.  Her name is Eliza.  Her parents go to our church.  Interesting fact:  the same doctor delivered both of you.  She is about a month older than you but a little bit smaller.  Whenever you see her, you lock onto her :).  

Your favorite things to do are fishhook our lips touch our faces, pull my hair, stand, and jump jump jump!  We borrowed the Jumperoo from Amanda last month and you enjoy it for a little bit at a time.  Gamma (my mom) bought you a doorway jumper last week and you like it on occasion... but most of all you like jumping on us... which means a workout for us :).  Who needs a gym?  Added to that cute little grin now is a pretty funny little laugh.  With that laugh, you have learned how to scream, and not always for joy ;-).

You are also grabbing your feet all the time and can sit up with very little help from us.  You love sitting up and watching things happen, laying down gets old really quick now.  

Last week Gamma and her friend Debi came in to visit for spring break.  We were out on the town!  You were such a good little travel buddy and loved getting to explore downtown Greenville with us!  We took a long walk at the Falls, ate out at a couple of restaurants, and went to an outdoors concert.  You hardly complained!

You are getting to be more temperamental and challenging (fussy butt) but you are really still such a laid back, sweet kid.  Snuggling doesn't happen quite as often because you want to be on the move a lot more but really that just helps get me off the couch :).  I love that you love being outside.  It makes me a lot less nervous about your fascination with the television.  Time with you feels like it creeps and speeds by all at the same time.  We can't believe how big you are getting so fast, but at the same time it feels like you have been with us forever.  I can't wait to see what this month holds!