Dog Park and More...

This past weekend, David Scott and I had many errands to run to get ready for our trip to Destin.  After running around town for several hours on Saturday, we were both pooped so we went back home to rest.  We didn't really do much for the remainder of the day.  Scotty was playing golf (shocker!) and came home a few hours after we'd returned.  That night, we met our friends Brad and Laura for supper at Coyote Blues, a mexican restaurant in BR.  It was delish and the company was great too!  B&L had not seen David Scott since he was a newborn and they were shocked at how big he's gotten.  They were also surprised at how good DS is in public.  I'd like to think that the kid has some home-training, but we all know that a meltdown could happen at any moment, for any given reason, so I shall not gloat (too much) that we had a pretty successful evening dining out with DS.  His highchair backed up to another little boy in his own highchair.  Once they discovered one another, it was like two long lost buddies reconnecting.  There was "talking," hand grabbing, the other little boy even tried to share his french fries with DS.  No, I didn't get a picture of it, but believe me, it was so sweet watching our little social butterfly in action.

On Sunday, DS and I went to meet my friend Racheal at a dog park in BR.  She took her little schnauzer Dexter (aka Dex or Dex-to) while I just took DS.  We decided that little Lola Bean wasn't social enough to go to a dog park with a bunch of other dogs around.  However, there was a little 4-month old chihuahua there named Spike and he was as cute as could be.  David Scott and Spike quickly became buddies.  And although Lola is starting to tolerate DS more, I'd say she'd have been pretty territorial with this little guy being all up in DS' business.  David Scott loved it though.  He so very badly wants Lola to return his love for her. 

David Scott and Dexter Bellemin

DS looking at Dex, looking at Spike, who is looking at...DS.

Dex's body along with DS kissing Spike

Not to leave Dexter out, DS was fond of him as well -- pulling on his ears and petting him sweetly.  There was an older lady there (who was wearing a fanny pack -- chuckle!) and she apparently has whippets as pets.  So here sho comes with one of her dogs coming over to see the "human baby" as she referred to DS.  Great.  So we're sitting on the park bench as Whippet Lady arrives and she starts speaking her dog's thoughts -- "Oh yes, that is a cute human baby.  Yes, that black schnauzer (Dexter) is annoying"  So I take it upon myself to "talk" for my human baby to take up for Dex by telling her that "Dexter is my (DS') friend and you (she) shouldn't talk about him like that."  She then responds with, "What?  Ok yes, it is time to go.  That human baby IS boring."  Crazy dog lady...

Tonight, after Lee arrived, we ran over to New Orleans to visit Scotty and Lee's cousin Shelby who had back surgery yesterday.  Uncle Davey, Paula, and Whitney were also there and they'll be there til Shelby is discharged at the end of the weekend (we hope).  We took a little care package full of goodies.  Shelby will start at LA Tech in the fall, so we wish her a speedy recovery!

We're getting all packed and ready to head on over to Destin and are very much looking forward to a relaxing (ha!) time.  I hope David Scott has a good time at the beach and loves it as much as Scotty and I do.  Tough nuggets if he doesn't.  A beach vacation is a requirement for every summer.

Frustration...

I have encountered more viewing issues and problems as a result of having to replace the background on my blog. Can I just say that I am beyond frustrated with this process???  Yes, I get free backgrounds.  Mainly because they're free.  However, I'm thinking that I may just have to break down and pay (gasp!) for someone on Etsy to create one for me so that I won't have to deal with periodically changing my background and dealing with the headache of also changing my fonts and colors and anything else that I might have to coordinate with the new blog background. 

Many times, I check my blog through my iPhone for comments to my blog and to see if any of the blogs I follow have been updated.  I also like to look back through past posts to see cute pics of my little man.  However, since changing my background, my pics won't show up on my phone, and I had to change my font color b/c it was apparently too light for my phone to pick up.  Technology...what a ball of frustration sometimes.

On a happier note, here's a teaser for my next post:  David Scott...with a puppy -- does it get any cuter?!?  And no, that's not our puppy, nor will it ever be our puppy...Stay tuned!

8 months...

OK, so I'm 4 days behind on David Scott's Official 8-Month Post.  Chasing after a mobile child is taking up any additional "me" time in my evenings, so now I'm really short on time. 

David Scott,
At 8 months old, you are:

• 19.5 pounds
• 26 inches in length
• cutting 8 teeth -- 4 on top and 4 on bottom!!  Three on bottom came together as a group first, then all four on top came in simultaneously, and then it was back down to the bottom for the last one (so far).  Perhaps you'll have enough chompers to eat a steak from Ruth's Chris on your birthday.  Ha!
• "army" crawling everywhere
• are pulling up on various pieces of furniture as well as some of your toys and your bed
• just figuring out how to open drawers and cabinets
• using your hands to eat more -- graham crackers are your favorite; you hate puffs.  In fact, you make an awful face like you're being physicially harmed by those awful snacks.
• taking 4 6-oz bottles each day with a 2-3 oz bottle some evenings before your dinner
• eating baby food at "our" normal eating times -- breakfast lunch and supper in addition to your bottles.  You love your food!
• wearing a size 3 diaper
• wearing size 6-12 month clothes
• still loving Lola and she is liking you more now that you leave her graham cracker crumbs and can throw your spoon where she grabs it as soon as it hits the floor and takes it under Mama and Daddy's bed
• saying Da Da, Ma Ma, Hey, Lola.  You've even said, "Da Da" TO Daddy and, "Ma Ma" TO me once or twice.  It melts our hearts!!!
• exploring EVERYTHING -- the speaker (for our surround sound), the fireplace (which only has a bunch of candles on a stand in it), the blinds on the windows.  You've heard the word "NO" more in the last day or two than you've probably heard it in the previous 8 months total.  You've also been spanked and had your hand swatted twice for continuing to do things after we've said, "No!" and then move you to another area for you to play.  Inevitably, you just go right back to where you were. You WILL learn what that word means.  At the moment, you apparently think, "No" is code for "turn around and look at Mama and Daddy with your big blue/green eyes and smile thinking we'll be rendered useless and will let you continue doing whatever you're not supposed to be doing."
• still not sleeping through the night.  You're still getting up once a night most nights.  However, some nights you sleep straight through until 5 or 6 a.m.  I look forward to the day when sleeping through the night is more consistent.  But right now I'll take what I can get! 
• reaching for people -- the ladies at daycare, Daddy, Me
• giving hugs and "sugar" -- I think I am the main recipient of those :)

Oh, David Scott!  As much as I've been waiting for you to reach the next step in your development, I REALLY, REALLY wish things would slow down.  I think you're going to be walking in the very near future and in just a few months you'll be a year old!  Where has the time gone???  We love you more and more with each passing day and are doing our best to live in the moment now and cherish every day we have with you.  I try to take lots and lots of pictures of you so that we don't forget a moment, or a smile, or an experience.  Next week, we'll be going to Destin with Mimi for your very first trip to the beach.  I think you're going to love it and look forward to so many other Firsts to come.

Love,
Mama

A close-up shot of little DS...you can see a few of his bottom teeth!

DS:  Let's see what this is...

Mama:  David Scott, No!  Hot!  (not really -- it's unlit)

DS:  Mama, are you talkin' to me?  Look at these eyes...surely not...

Mama:  (Stifling a laugh) No (firmly).

DS:  Uh Oh...I knocked it off the thingy

Mama:  Ugh -- I said, "No!"

DS:  Peace out!  Sorry, Mama!  I love you!

(And yes, all of these pics were taken on the same day)

Weekends...

The last two weekends have kept us pretty busy.  First we had the July 4th holiday weekend.  We spent a quiet weekend at home, thankful for the freedoms we have.  David Scott got to try a popcicle (sugar-free frozen kool-aid) for the second time, and he also had a couple of pickle spears to gnaw on as well.  After that, DS got in his pool for a little while afterwards to splash around and get cleaned off.  A big afternoon.  Well, he had an ever bigger evening since he threw up about 7:00.  Yuck.  We didn't realize until later that he had contacted the stomach virus.  He got sick once more Sunday night and then again Monday morning, but then was fine for the rest of the day on Monday.  We'd been giving him pedialyte and then resumed his bottles that evening and he was happy as a lark all day long, just sleeping a little more than normal.  So I sent him back to daycare on Tuesday (it had been 22.5 hours since he'd been sick AND he never ran any fever).  I thought we were in the clear.  Wrong!  I got the call that afternoon that he'd thrown up at daycare and that there was a bug going around his classroom and multiple children had been out sick the week before and that day as well.  Once we were home, he ended up getting sick one more time, so we resumed our pedialyte feeding schedule (1T -- about 1/2 an ounce -- every 10 minutes, after keeping it down for 2 hours, we could start an ounce every 15 minutes for an hour, THEN give him a small bottle and build up from there).  Anyhoo, Scotty stayed with him on Wednesday morning while I had a meeting for work, and then we switched for the afternoon.  He went back to daycare on Thursday and has been great ever since. 

Then on Friday night, the Sproles/McLemore clan came to town!  That would be Sue Sue, Alicia, Dale, Leslie, and Riley.  We stopped by their hotel that evening for a bit and then made plans to meet up on Saturday morning for a day of adventure.  Our first stop on Saturday was the zoo in NO:

DS in his ride...

As you could imagine, we saw all sorts of animals -- even got up close and personal with a few:

DS and me at the petting zoo with some goats.

This is what Scotty did while DS and I explored the petting zoo...

This peacock was walking around at the entrance to the zoo.

DS in front of an alligator.  A fake alligator, obviously.

DS riding the alligator.  I couldn't help but think of the "Cajun Night Before Christmas."

Daddy teaching DS about flamingoes...

The Rainwater Family and the Elephant Family.  I love my top but I've decided it isn't flattering at all and will probably retire it soon.

It was so hot, but the zoo had misters and I had a misting fan that we all enjoyed.  David Scott was a trooper and didn't whine about being hot at all.  :)  We ate lunch, finished the zoo as we tried to beat an oncoming thunderstorm, and then headed to the aquarium, also in NO.  Because of the air conditioning (possibly) and the fact that he could see so many things better (most likely), I think David Scott enjoyed the aquarium more than the zoo. 

So happy to be in the air conditioning.

Riley, DS, and Leslie in the shark's mouth.  Notice the outfit coordination...not planned!

We had a great time with our "other family," and were glad they were able to come visit. 

We haven't had too much going on this week, family-wise.  DS is still on the cusp of crawling.  He's been pulling up with our assistance more and more.  And tonight, he pulled himself up to a standing position on the ottoman! 

Not the best quality picture with the sunshine and all.  On the other hand, he looks quite angelic. 

He's growing so fast and is starting to get in to everything that it's hard to keep him in one place unless it's somehow enclosed.  As for our plans this weekend, I'm going to the beach with my girls from work (Happy Administrative Professional's Day to us!).  Scotty is keeping David Scott all by himself.  I hope he survives.  Scotty, that is.

Wow...

As if we needed further evidence that Coki Beach in St. Thomas was in the middle of the ghetto, THIS happened there on Monday.  Sad.

Also, I hope to get a post up tonight concerning our 4th of July and then this past weekend's adventures at the zoo and aquarium in NO.  Fun times!

St. Thomas

Thursday, June 24...Travel...


3:30 - Wake up: leave for airport 35 minutes later. Note to self: Upon arrival at airport, DO NOT use curbside check-in. See post from Washington, DC. 4E is where we parked-- mental note.

5:39 - Boarded plane. Yay!!! Missing David Scott. Hopefully he's still asleep right now.

5:48 - After not seeing him since Father's Day due to a business trip to Vegas (yeah...), Scotty is having DS withdrawals. He just got done looking through my pics of the Little Mister.

11:41 - Boarding plane for St. Thomas. Woohoo!! Glad DS had a good night and has a busy day planned with Mimi and Mamaw.

4:13 - Finally made it. Currently in taxi on our way to the Ritz. We will be cutting it close as we're still prob 25 minutes away and the group is leaving the hotel at 5:15. This delay won't in any way be caused from the fact that I may puke due to the winding road we're on and once again being driven by an octogenarian (again, see post on DC).

11:45- We made it to the rehearsal dinner on time. The food was great as was the company. We even got to sit at the head table with Tyler and Karla, their parents, and a few others. Scotty gave a funny, yet heartfelt toast to his good friend, and after all the toasts, we headed back to the resort. We gathered for one last drink before calling it a night. Did I mention this place is the bomb??? It is so beautiful and gorgeous, we might just send for DS and move here. Not really, but I think we are thoroughly going to enjoy our stay.

The Ritz:  The pool...the beach...the ocean...and St. John in the background.

Friday, June 25...Wedding Day...

8:43 - After a glorious night's sleep, we are both awake and I am eating cookies for breakfast. Oh chocolate chip cookies, how I've missed you!

2:08 - Earlier, we went to lay by the ocean. Beautiful views! After having a $70 (!!!) meal of a chicken panini, chicken Caesar salad, and chips and salsa, we went to lay by the pool where it quickly started drizzling. We came back to our room, then went to the little gift shop here, then back to the pool, only to have it start drizzling more. Presently, we are sitting on our patio, still watching the rain fall. Good thing we're going to be here for several more days. Or maybe not, when lunch for the two of us is more than I spend on two weeks' of lunches back in BR. I half-jokingly told Scotty we should get a loaf of bread and eat our own sandwiches in our room. :)

4:30 - Got mani, got ready, and then found out the ceremony has been pushed back 30 minutes and the location has changed due to the inclement weather we're having. Apparently, we are experiencing the outer bands of a tropical depression. Lovely.

6:25 - Beautiful ceremony. Favorite part was when one of Karla's friend's phone started ringing some rap song ringtone. Currently waiting for reception to begin.

The Rainwaters

9:03 - Lost it when Karla and her dad started dancing to Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up." Everybody was boo-hooing. Even Scotty and Matt were teary-eyed.

10:00 - Requested "Ice Ice Baby." Scotty and Tyler break out their best junior high dance moves. Everyone was impressed with the skills of these two white boys. Party officially begins.

11:00 Danced with Mr. JW. Spinning around on the dance floor, I realized 3 cosmos was 2 too many. That could be problematic later on. Mrs. Suzanne sees me afterwards and offers me pepto. It was stupid of me to decline. We headed back to our room shortly thereafter where I apparently texted Boo to let her know I was "complegely wasted." New word. Excellent.

Saturday, June 26...St. Thomas...

5:15 - I am awake. Not a good thing. Feeling the pain from my prior night of fun. So is Scotty. I guess we are not renting a boat today. Probably a good thing.

Wearing my shades...in bed...

8:15 - I drifted in an out of sleep for a couple hours following my initial awakening. A shower makes me feel better.

9:30 - Laying out down by the water. Despite the weather forecasting to be scattered showers for the next week, it is a b-e-a-utiful day. Now Tropical Storm Alex has moved and is predicted to hit Mexico/Texas. Good news for us. In desparate need of a Coke rather than this $7 Gatorade.

2:11 - Ate lunch at the Ritz again-- only $50 this time. Currently at Magen's Bay with "our" group -- mostly sisters and friends of the bride, and then Matt, Scotty Mercer, my Scotty, and me. It's just as gorgeous as before but with less people due to the cruise ships not being in port. Bonus! Feeling better than we did this morning. We'll feel even better tomorrow.

4:15 - Well, for the last two hours, we've been crawling around on our hands and knees combing the sand for lost treasure. What kind of treasure? That would be my wedding ring!!! I was flicking a bee off my swimsuit when my ring flew off my hand. I did my best to remain calm, cool, and collected, reminding myself that it was just a "thing" and could be replaced. There were probably 8 or 10 of us looking and finally, after 30 minutes of raking the area, we inquired about a metal detector. Initially, we were told that they weren't allowed on the beach. Um...excuse me? I was NOT leaving my post without my ring. Period. Fortunately for me, a local woman was helping in the search and she knew the people working the beach and so she was able to pull strings and get a guy to come out with one. But, no one knew when he would be able to come as only a message was left earlier. The puke feeling was setting in. Then it started to rain. Great. Our day was getting better and better. Finally, about and hour and 45 minutes after I lost my ring, we spoke to the metal detector guy, Diver Paul. He would be 20 minutes. I reenacted the "flick" and he determined the general area, and after a false alarm (a penny), Diver Paul saved the day! My ring was about 3" into the sand on the edge of the area we'd been sifting for the last nearly 2 hours. I was some kind of relieved! It cost us over $200 to find it when you combine Diver Paul's fee and the cost of the beach toys Scotty bought so we could dig and sift. Congratulations, DS, you have some expensive, new beach toys and Daddy doesn't get to hold it over Mama's head that she really lost her weding ring.

Diver Paul, me, Scotty - Treasure Island...

10:30 - Our "7" minute cab ride to the Italian restaurant somehow turned into 20 minutes. Romano's, owned/run by the famous Tony Romano, was pretty good. It was more expensive than we were expecting, and once again I had to discreetly google a few items, but we had fun. I am now in the bed b/c we are catching the ferry over to Virgin Gorda in the BVI's tomorrow. We are going to see The Baths at Virgin Gorda.

Sunday, June 27...Virgin Gorda...

7:45 - Arrive at ferry station to catch 8:00 boat for Virgin Gorda. We are told it is not coming until 8:30. Yipee. An extra 30 minutes in the un-air conditioned holding area. Lovely.

10:00 - Boat arrived on time, and after a side trip to pick up passengers in St. John, we arrived in Virgin Gorda. We had to go through customs and there was a large group behind us who were also heading to The Baths who we were told we would have to wait on. Fortunately, Scotty was not afraid to ask if a smaller taxi could go ahead and take us to our destination and we got there 20 minutes later without waiting on the large group.

The ginormous rocks that are The Baths at Virgin Gorda...

10:37 - Eating a fudgecicle and Scotty is having an ice cream sandwich before we get started. We're renting a locker "$2.50- one-time use" for our stuff since climbing through small holes and wading through pools of water isn't really conducive to carrying a large bag. We've decided that, among other things, we'll bring a backpack next trip.

12:30 - Eating lunch at the restaurant at the top of The Baths. Great view, good food. The Baths were really cool. It was more of a workout than either of us anticipated. The water at Devil's Bay -- at the end of The Baths -- was pretty. Good call forgetting the snorkeling gear, Sarah. After we finish eating, we are going to go back through everything.

View from the restaurant atop The Baths...

3:38 - Leaving Virgin Gorda on the ferry. Good thing we went back through as we'd apparently missed out on some of the pools/water in The Baths. It was so nice. If we ever come back, we'd love to spend more than a few hours at this place.

Beautiful Caribbean waters...

6:45 - After we got back to the hotel, we went to the pool which overlooks the ocean. This place is so gorgeous. The views are breathtaking and the water is such a beatiful azure color. We are about to go eat at the restaurant of the resort next door.

9:27 - Returned from Robert's American Bar and Grill. Scotty's was gross. Mine was not bad...ready for consistently good food again, though. We think we may watch a movie in our room. Nevermind. Not for $17 we aren't. We have missed David Scott the most today.
Monday, June 28...St. Thomas...

10:00 - We are currently sitting on the beach at Coki Bay. It is also pretty with good snorkeling...apparently -- we wouldn't know about that last part, though. This beach appears to be in the middle of the ghetto, which shouldn't come as a surprise since that seems to be the case with many places here. Sipping on our frozen drinks since it's a thousand degrees, we probably won't last too long here today. We're thinking of going into town to shop a bit this afternoon and then hitting St. John tomorrow. Scotty tells me I look like a lobster.

Coki Bay...ghetto-fabulous

12:05-Left Coki and are now sitting at The Greenhouse -a restaurant located downtown...trying to decide what to do next..

3:15 - After we shopped downtown, we returned to the hotel where Scotty relaxed on the beach and I did arts and crafts. By the pool and ocean, there's a little cabana where you can do sand art. I made us a stepping stone.

6:34 - Getting ready to go eat in one of the resort restaurants.

8:55 - Going back to room. I enjoyed my sushi, rice, and seaweed salad; Scotty had pepperoni pizza...shocker. We have an early wake up call tomorrow as we're taking the ferry over to St. John to hang out at Trunk Bay and possibly one more beach area.
Tuesday, June 29...St. John

6:55 - Scotty wakes me up so we can catch the 7:30 ferry to beat the crowds.

8:05 - We arrive at Trunk Bay. We're early alright -- only 5 or 6 people are here besides us. The beach shop, snack bar, chair rentals, etc. don't open for another hour. We are presently sitting on a beach towel looking at this:

Overhead view of Trunk Bay

8:30 - I hope Scotty doesn't catch encephalitis from all these mosquitoes. Usually I'm the one that's their meal, but somehow, this time I'm not...knock on wood.

9:00 - We bought mosquito repellant at the little beach store. Neither of us has been bitten since. I think Scotty topped out at 10 bites and I only had a couple. We also rented snorkeling gear since I forgot to pack ours as Scotty keeps reminding me.

A few of the mosquito bites Scotty obtained while at Trunk Bay...

11:15 - Eating lunch at the snack bar here at Trunk Bay. Thought about eating it at a picnic table overlooking the bay. Decided against it when I was nearly attacked by a flock of seagulls.

12:44 - Finished my book and decided to go snorkeling with Scotty.

1:47 - Snorkeling was fun. We saw a bunch of coral and fish -- even a baracuda! Currently, we are riding in an open-air taxi driven by "Puff Daddy" heading back to downtown St. John. It's been a very relaxing day so far. St. John's beaches are gorgeous and the water appears to get even more beautiful when the sun shines brightly overhead.

Scotty striking a pose at Trunk Bay...

5:37 - There wasn't too much shopping to be done in downtown St. John, so we caught the 3:00 ferry back to our island. We've been sitting on the beach at the Ritz ever since. We are SO READY to love on David Scott tomorrow. It's been simultaneously both a long and short week. We have reservations at the nicest restaurant at the resort tonight. I am looking forward to a fabulous meal -- with another great dessert -- and a good night's sleep so we can wake up bright and early tomorrow. Our flight to Miami is at 8:15, but We have to be out front at 6. Puke.

Last night in St. Thomas, before dining out...

9:30 - Well, we just returned from the restaurant. It's never a good sign when you see only one thing you'll eat on the menu--and even that has to be doctored up in some way. And to top it off, you pay an arm and a leg for this meal. Blech!
Wednesday, June 30...Waiting...

5:39 - Waiting for the bellman to come get our bags while Scotty takes care of our bill. I am so tired but SO EXCITED to see our little DS in about 12 hours!!!

6:55 - Waiting on Scotty who has been randomly selected to be searched.

Random Selection...

9:09 - We've been in the air for about 45 minutes. I'm not sure what's worse the poor, screaming baby several rows up or the loud guy snoring across the aisle from me. I think it's the latter as the baby only wailed for about 20 minutes. Get this guy a breathe-right strip, stat.

10:36- Rip Van Winkle is awake! No more snoring for the descent!

1:49 - We are at Chili's for lunch. Tried something new and didn't like it -- the buffalo chicken salad. Scotty also tried something new, the jalepeno burger, he didn't dislike it, so that's good. :) We are currently waiting in our waiting area. Only 2 more hours...

2:54 - Finished book #2. I hate sitting in airports.

2:59 - We are currently being shot at by a kid playing "Star Wars" nearby. Apparently we're carrying missile blowers that he needs to destroy. Good imagination, kid.

3:34 - No, guy sitting beside me in the airport, your weird mouth noises are not bothering me. Not at all. And yay, our flight's been pushed back 20 minutes. Hooray. Thank you late flight attendant who is apparently responsible for this delay.

4:00 - Boarding plane. Yay!

4:25 - Deplaning due to some problem needing to be fixed with everyone off the plane. It could be an hour and a half before we can get back on IF they're able to fix the problem.  If not, they said we could catch the 11:00 flight to NO. I want to cry.

5:30 - Reboarding plane. Crossing fingers and saying a special prayer for safe travels...even more so than I usually do.

6:55 (central) - I have never been so happy to be in New Orleans in my life!!! Scotty is getting our 4Runner and I'm collecting the baggage.

8:15 - After a quick stop for gas and Mickey D's, we're now about 10 minutes from home. The excitement of seeing David Scott is taking us both over.

Boo was holding DS and waiting for us in the driveway when we got home.  He looked at us both for a couple of minutes, reaching his hand out to touch our faces and such.  It was almost as if he was thinking, "Is this real?  Are Mama and Daddy really back?!?"  It was such a sweet moment.  We had a great time in St. Thomas and are so grateful that our families were able to keep David Scott for us while we were there.  I know that DS did a lot og "going" while he was in North LA.  I guess I'll have to request for them to keep a log of DS' travels next time.