Boone Hall Plantation

While we were waiting for Gavin to wake up from his nap this afternoon, Dave and Michael went out to pick up some sandwiches for lunch. They ended up getting them from a place on King Street called Groucho's.

Honestly, I would've expected more for the price. The sandwiches were each around $8, and they were REALLY simple sandwiches--some lunch meat, lettuce, tomato, and condiments between some regular ol' sandwich bread. After we all ate, we said we couldn't complain--there was nothing *wrong* with the sandwiches, but they weren't anything special either. I think we were all kind of "meh" about them. Definitely wouldn't go back there again unless there was no other place to go.

Shortly after we were finished eating, G woke up and we got ready and headed out. We drove to Boone Hall Plantation, which took us about 20 minutes or so to get to from our hotel in the Historic District. The ride took us over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which has become a famous landmark in Charleston.

Our admission into Boone Hall Plantation cost us $17.95/person (thankfully, we didn't have to pay anything for the babes). Normally, it includes quite a few tours, exhibits, presentations, etc. but because we were there in the winter, some of them weren't available to us. Still, it was a nice, sunny afternoon so we appreciated the opportunity to walk around outside.

When you drive onto the plantation and toward the plantation house (where the parking is located, too), you drive down "The Avenue of Oaks," which is apparently world famous and the longest row of oaks there is. It was quite pretty and I can only imagine it would be more so in the spring/summer months.

G immediately took to the horses. He saw them when we pulled up, and was OBSESSED with them the rest of the time we were at the plantation. He kept saying (in his little baby way) "HORSES!" over and over and over again, even as we tried to tour other areas of the plantation. It was too cute, but he sure was persistent! :)

We wandered across the Avenue of Oaks to look around the row of slave homes. These are the original brick structures that uses to house slaves back in the day. They are some of just a few slave homes that are still standing, simply because they are made of brick. Most slave homes were made of wood, which obviously deteriorated over time.

There were eight homes on the "street," and each of them contained different exhibits about slave life, their customs, their culture, their history, etc.

I'm about to post some pics of us near the slave homes, and we're smiling... I feel the need to post a disclaimer that we did not take where we were standing lightly. I know I can speak for all of us when I say that we were actually deeply affected by the slave homes. It was chilling to stand inside of them and know that enslaved people used to live there. Honestly, we were all still talking about it tonight. It was a strange feeling.

After we were done learning about the lives of the slaves on the plantation, we walked around a bit more, killing time before the start of the next house tour.

When it was getting close to time for the tour, we walked up toward the house...

While we were waiting, we walked around the side of the house and found this cool looking live oak tree:

Then we looped back around to the front porch for the start of the tour. We didn't take any photos inside the house (they don't allow you to), but it was a really interesting tour. Our guide was dressed for the part, and he was really knowledgeable about the plantation and the history of that era. He also told us about all of the movies and television shows that have been filmed on the plantation--it was surprising, as some of them have absolutely nothing to do with plantations (Like Army Wives. I have no idea what Army Wives uses Boone Plantation for!).

The tour ended on the back patio.

(Nora slept through the tour!)

By the time we wrapped things up, it was after 5:00, and we needed to head back toward downtown Charleston so that we could go grab dinner somewhere and get the kids to bed at a reasonable hour.

Once back at the hotel, we settled on Jestine's Kitchen, and walked down there. It was about 3/4 of a mile from here. It was a little stressful, as there was a wait for a table when we arrived. The place is really small, so we had to wait out on the street, even though it was pretty cold out. Thankfully, the wait wasn't TOO long, but when they finally wanted to seat us, one of the guys who works there was a pretty big jerk about our strollers.

Let me just say that I know strollers are a pain in the ass for servers, and they don't want to get tripped up by them or have the strollers get in the way. HOWEVER, we weren't trying to keep the strollers at our table or anything--all we wanted to do was get to our table where we could get settled, then break down the strollers and get them out of the way. Again, I understand the inconvenience they pose to the people working in the restaurant, but I thought we were being reasonable about them, and the guy could've been more friendly about it.

That was just the start of it, really--we never felt 100% comfortable there. I wouldn't exactly call the place "family friendly," even though it is completely casual in atmosphere.

When we all got our food, I think we were all mostly disappointed. Again, nothing was TERRIBLE, but Lynsay and I both had some kind of fried chicken that was overdone--they had clearly fried it for too long, which made the chicken itself pretty dry, and the breading pretty gross. Also, I ordered green beans as one of my sides, and they were underwhelming. THEY WERE CLEARLY OUT OF A CAN. I'm not even kidding. Perfectly uniform in size, mushy and with no flavor. Ick. Michael and Dave had meatloaf and pork chops, respectively, and I think they were both fairly happy with their meals. Certainly nothing to write home about! I just don't get what the fuss is about, but maybe we missed something. In short, we do not recommend.

By the time we were done with our meals, Nora was really fussy (poor overtired girl!), so we packed up and hit the sidewalks back to the hotel. Once ready for bed, Nora went down really easily tonight--we've had the TV on and have been moving about the room and she hasn't been bothered by it at all. I hope she gets some good sleep tonight... Lord knows she needs it!

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South Carolina Aquarium

Well, our first night in a hotel with a baby didn't result in as high-quality sleep as we had hoped, but I don't think Nora is to blame--her latest ILLNESS, on the other hand, is totally the culprit. Stupid cold/cough/congestion. Ugh.

After putting Nora into the hotel-provided pack 'n' play last night, it became clear pretty quickly that she was not going to last. She kept waking up and coughing or crying, and she was so miserable and pitiful that I gave up fairly quickly and brought her into bed with us. For the first half of the night, I slept with her cuddled up next to me, sharing my pillow with her so that she could sleep with her head semi-upright to help with the congestion. I also had the humidifier (which Dave and Lynsay so helpfully brought from home for us to use) blasting in our faces, which seemed to help. Michael took over holding her during the second half of the night, so in the end, we all ended up with at least some half-decent sleep. Come morning, we were all still pretty exhausted, but we had enough fuel to rally in order to do some sightseeing.

After we were all showered and ready, we started the morning eating breakfast in the lobby of our hotel. Free breakfast is included with the room price, so it is REALLY convenient for us. And the food selection isn't half bad, either--waffles, eggs, biscuits, sausage, bacon, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, bagels, muffins, donuts, etc. Niiiice.

From breakfast we hit the streets with the kids in strollers, heading to the South Carolina Aquarium at the Charleston Harbor. The morning was overcast and still pretty chilly, so we figured it was a good place to spend our morning--INDOORS! We were able to print out a coupon that gave all of us a slight discount, so we each paid $16.95 for our tickets, and the two babies were free. Michael and I were interested to see how the aquarium here compares to Shedd Aquarium, which we visited in Chicago in September 2009.

Our little Nora, enjoying the sightseeing. So far, she is LOVING riding in the stroller. We barely hear a peep out of her. In fact, she napped in it during breakfast and on the way to the aquarium, waking up just as we were entering the building.
Some snaps of some of the sea creatures... South Carolina Aquarium has a GIGANTIC tank (15,000 gallons) that is full of all of the wildlife that can actually be found off the coast of South Carolina. Pretty cool. I have a soft spot for sea turtles. Especially little ones like this guy.They had an area with a "petting" exhibit, where you could touch things like sting rays and horseshoe crabs. Gavin enjoyed looking at them, but wasn't interested in touching.I didn't do any touching, either. (Ewww!) Michael did it on behalf of the two of us. (And now that I'm looking at this picture, I'm pretty sure he got his sleeve kind of wet in the process. HA!)Oh, Nora. I love you. And your little toy keys.
Otters are a lot of fun to watch.This guy is an albino alligator. It's hard to tell he's albino from the photo, since the lights and the water are reflecting, making it look like he has color. He's actually hibernating this time of year, so we didn't see him move a single muscle. It was strange, because he really looked fake. Would've loved to have seen him in action!Gavin, checking out snakes. And giving his mommy a heart attack, even though there was glass between them. :)Family shot at the aquarium
In all, we spent a few hours at the aquarium. Not a bad way to spend a morning. Once we made our way through the exhibits, it was nearing Gavin's naptime (and we figured Nora could use one as well!), so we came back to the hotel for a couple hours of rest.
Gavin is snoozing away, but Nora slept for about 45 minutes and is now "singing" to herself in the pack 'n' play. This is new, as she usually wakes up crying. I think I'll just let her chill out in there, as long as she's happy. Her nap schedule is all messed up anyway!
Once everyone is awake and fed, we're heading to a plantation for the afternoon. More on that later...

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Five Months Old

Dear Nora,

Five months old and you are officially a little person. Of course, you always have been, but something happened this month—socially, you seem so much older and aware of your surroundings.

You make amazing eye contact now. We can be holding you, going about our business or having an adult conversation with someone, and you tilt your head back and turn your face to look at us directly in the eyes. It’s like you’re saying, “Hey, Mommy!” You are in on everything. You are a quiet observer, and there is no doubt that your little brain is sucking in everything like a sponge.

You’ve found your voice. When you’re happy (and sometimes when you’re mad!), you “talk”—it’s distinctively different than your cry. You squeal and make loud noises in high pitches. It would probably be a little annoying if it weren’t so damn cute. We carry on conversations with you now. We’ll ask you about your day and you’ll squeal in delight. We’ll ask you to tell us more and you answer.

You used to make little giggle sounds, but now you LAUGH whole-heartedly. And we now know all of the tricks to getting those laughs. For instance, you absolutely LOVE for us to sniff your little toes and then say, “P-U! Stinky feet!” No matter your current mood, you find that absolutely hilarious. In the evenings, in the hour or so before bed, you sometimes reach a point when you’re so tired, you’re silly. During that time, you laugh at EVERYTHING. Peek-a-boo, quick kisses on your cheeks, funny noises and faces—you laugh so hard that Daddy and I could probably consider ourselves comedians.

Although you’re usually a really friendly, sociable little girl who is happy to have just about anyone’s attention (you will stare at and study strangers who talk to you, and sometimes grace them with a smile), you seem to have developed just a touch of stranger danger. There have been a few times when someone a tad unfamiliar tries to talk to you (like your grandmas!) and you will bust out crying. It’s pretty funny, but I do feel badly for the grandmas!

Physically, you seemed to reach several milestones this month. One day, you couldn’t roll over from back to belly, but that night, we went into your room to find you sleeping on your stomach—which is certainly not how you were when we put you to bed! You then went through a short stage when you forgot how to roll the other way—in other words, you could no longer roll from belly to back! But, a week or so ago, you put it all together, and now you can roll clear across a room. Only in one direction, though! You always roll to your left. It’ll be nice when you start going the other way. Sometimes, you wake up crying in the middle of the night because you’ve rolled up against the crib rails and you’re “stuck” on your back. We have to go in and roll you back onto your belly, and then you go right back to sleep. If you learn to roll back to the right, you’ll be golden!

You’re also a pro at playing with your toys now. You grab everything, you grip and touch objects, you put them in your mouth. You pull on the toys hanging from your car seat and bouncy seat. You’ve found your toes, and you can’t stop grabbing them and bringing them up toward your mouth. You’re fascinated with our food and drink. If we attempt to sip something (a glass of juice, bottled water, a bottle of beer) while holding you, you reach up and grab at the drink. It’s terribly cute, but it also means we have to be really careful! When we eat with you nearby, you seem to watch every bite go into our mouths. And you LOVE watching me brush my teeth; you look at me like it is the most fascinating thing you’ve ever seen.

Every month, I’ve told you how blessed we are to have you sleep through the night on a consistent basis. You’ve continued to do so, and this month, you’ve started to become a stellar napper as well. We can pretty much count on you taking a 1.5-2 hour morning nap these days, and you’re well on your way to doing the same in the afternoon, too (it’s just not quite as consistent yet!).

Also, you no longer sleep swaddled. At your four-month doctor’s appointment, we talked to your pediatrician about swaddling, and she told us not to worry about it. But when I mentioned that you had been repeatedly busting out of it, she said that maybe you were telling us it was time to give it up. That weekend, we moved you out of the swaddle and into a sleep sack, and you did way better than we ever expected. Now, it’s no big thing. It seems like you’ve been out of the swaddle forever!

For five WHOLE months now, you’ve been exclusively breastfed. I am proud of us and so happy with how you have grown. We had to take you to the doctor earlier this week because you had a fever and an upset stomach, and you were weighed… you are 12 lbs., 1 oz. While you’re still a tiny peanut, you’re growing healthy and strong, thanks to Mommy’s milk! Although I have had a fantastic, “easy” breastfeeding experience with you, it’s still hard work (pumping three times a day is annoying!), but it’s so worth it. I plan to continue to breastfeed you, but it’s likely that we’ll introduce you to some solids within the next few weeks. I’m excited to take that next step with you, but it’s also a little bit sad to have you “graduating.” You’re getting so big!

You still don’t fit into the majority of your 3-6 month clothes. It is so funny. Last week, we attempted to put a 3-6 month outfit on you, and the pants were falling off of you—even with your fluffy cloth diapered butt! Some brands are starting to fit you, but there are many that are still waiting to be worn. We’ve certainly gotten good use out of your 0-3 month clothes, but I have to admit to feeling pretty sick of most of them at this point. I look at all of the new 3-6 month stuff and wish you could wear it! But I know you will grow into them all too quickly, so I cherish how tiny you still are.

Today, we’re celebrating your 5-month birthday (and Daddy’s 30th) in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s your first trip away from home, and we look forward to many more in your future. You did so great on the plane; we’re so proud of you and your ability to adapt and handle any situation. Thank you for being so laid back and flexible! I hope those are characteristics that you carry throughout your life.

We love you so much, Nora. We could not be more proud to be your parents. I could gush all about you for hours, and jump at the chance to do so. The other little girls at daycare with you call me “Nora’s mommy” and it is the most wonderful name I’ve ever had.

Here’s to another month down, and the start of yet another new one in your little life. I look forward to every day of it. Every minute, really.

Smooches,
Mommy

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First Flight

I told you how I surprised Michael with a trip to Charleston as his 30th birthday gift. What I didn't tell you was that I sprung it on him last minute!

After work last night, we were able to briefly celebrate his birthday with a quick crockpot meal and a store-bought (and still delicious!) cookie cake. Nora and I sang to him before she went to bed and Michael and I began the hours of packing and preparation for our trip.

Around midnight, as we were just wrapping things up and getting ready to FINALLY go to bed (with the alarm set for 6:00 a.m.), Nora woke up with horrible congestion and a terrible, hacking cough that she hadn't had when she went to bed at 7:00. Lovely timing, right? After trying unsuccessfully to get her back to sleep in her crib, I ended up bringing her into bed with us and it STILL took me forever to get her back to sleep. Once she finally was sleeping, she was still terribly restless, which = no sleep for anybody.

When the alarm went off (all too soon) at 6:00, I actually called the on-call line at our pediatrician's office because I was so concerned about Nora's cough. The nurse listened to Nora over the phone and said that it sounded like it could possibly be croup, so she suggested that we sit Nora in a steamy bathroom for 20 minutes. So, Nora spent 20 minutes playing in her bouncy seat in the bathroom with the door closed while Michael and I moved about the house, getting all of the last-minute stuff ready to go.

It was not the best way to start off our day of travel, that's for sure.

Soon, we were on our way, and although clearly sick, Nora was in pretty good spirits.

Aside from the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF STUFF required for traveling with a baby, we didn't have too much trouble in the airport. The only thing that was truly a monstrous pain in the ass was getting ourselves (and all of our shit) through airport security. I think we used like 12 of those plastic bins. I definitely felt sorry for the poor schmucks who were caught behind us in line.

The great thing about this trip is that it is a great trial run for future trips with Nora. We've never traveled with a baby before now, so it's good to get some experience under our belts before we tackle some bigger trips. Today, we had two flights (Buffalo to D.C. --> D.C. to Charleston), and it was perfect because neither of them were much longer than an hour.

We didn't quite know what to expect out of Nora, but simply put... she could not have done better.

I nursed her and used the pacifier during take-offs and landings, and she never seemed to be bothered in the slightest. She slept for at least part of both flights, ate during them, and sat quietly. Good girl!

At one point, she even had the giggles...
I don't think it gets any better than those laughs. Ohmygoodness.

Upon landing in Charleston, we were patting ourselves (and Nora!) on the back and celebrating our first successful set of flights as a family of three.

Oh, and can I just say... I freaking love the Charleston airport. It was nice and small, easy to navigate, and everything was SO QUICK. Our baggage (the only thing we checked was Nora's car seat bag) was waiting for us before we even arrived at baggage claim, and there were no lines at the rental car counter. We were able to pick up our rental car without having to take a stupid shuttle and we WALKED from there right outside to the parking lot where we got in and drove off. Oh, and our assigned rental? A Toyota Prius. SCORE.

Nora was happy to be traveling via ground transportation again.

We made a few pit stops at Food Lion and Walmart and headed to check in at our hotel (we're staying at the Hampton Inn in the Historic District). Once in our room, we were trying to figure out where to head to dinner while we relaxed for a few minutes... but little did Michael know that I had another surprise up my sleeve.

Shortly after our arrival, there was a knock at the door to our room. Michael went to answer it to find a 20-month-old boy standing on the other side. That boy belongs to our good friends, Lynsay and Dave! They and their son, Gavin, are joining us for the weekend, as they drove down from where they live in Charlotte, North Carolina. And we're actually in adjoining rooms, too. Wheeee! Michael was, once again, shocked.

After getting them settled in, we quickly headed down to King Street to find a place to eat, since we were nearing the kids' bedtime. (For the record, all of the adults were already zonked, too.) We ended up settling on The Kickin' Chicken, which was actually really good. It was a casual place with typical American fare--burgers, sandwiches, and of course, chicken. I had chicken fingers (a rare selection for me) and I really enjoyed them.

We're calling it a night early (Nora and Gavin are both sleeping, and we're not far behind) so we are ready to get up with the kids sun tomorrow morning and get a good start on the day.

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