Vacation, staycation...

 

We decided to take a short trip to the Outer Banks over Memorial day weekend since Pratima took vacation that week and daycare was closed.  We stayed for a few nights up in Corolla and had a great time relaxing, playing on the beach, biking, and enjoying beautiful views while eating meals dockside.  Just south of us, the town of Duck had a great boardwalk along the sound that was perfect for Austin to wander without us fearing that he'd tumble into the water.  He did end up tumbling into the railing though, leaving quite a knob on his head for a few days.  Good news - I think his confidence in his walking skills is increasing.  Bad news - I think means he's going to fall down more!

 

To show just how much fun he was having, he would run towards us with his arms in the air making silly noises.  I think this kid was having a blast... 

 

One of the most recent go-to toys these days is this cheap set of plastic golf clubs that Mike brought back from St Louis a few months ago.  They pretty much go with us on any trip these days...yep, we're starting him young.  He can take his clubs out, put them back in, push around his cart, and yes, occasionally swing.  Although his form could use a bit of work.

 

 

No better place to practice golf than on the beach:

 

 

 

Time on the beach was also spent trying to fly a kite.  It took a while for Mike to battle the wind gusts, but he finally got it up there.  Unfortunately, Austin didn't seem to notice it that much.  At least we were having fun with it though!

 

 

We got back from vacation, worked a short work week, and realized that we had a free hotel night that was about to expire.  Hence, vacation, staycation.  We booked a night in downtown Baltimore with the idea of heading to the Childrens Museum - Port Discovery on Saturday, grabbing dinner in the Inner Harbor and enjoying brunch in the morning before heading home.  Such a fun idea...we had a great time.  Port Discovery had so many things perfect for Austin's age.  I think he could have stayed in the water works room forever. Unfortunately though, it closes at 4 so we did have to take him away.

 

Thankfully, he was even more entertained by the Toddler room.  He must have walked back and forth on this little path dozens of times, working hard to master the steps, railings, and bumpy road.  I swear that it helped him with his walking...he is so steady on his feet now!

We played with the pegs on the light board (below), puppets, sand, and plenty of other toys before calling it a day. 

 

 

 

Its become pretty evident that Austin really likes Julian.  He can point to him and attempt to say cat, although it doesn't really sound much like 'cat'.  And he follows him around pretty much everywhere, petting him, and then laughing.  Julian is fairly tolerant, but lately has started to get a little annoyed with this mobile toddler always invading his personal space.  We need to watch them a little more closely these days, but as much as Julian slightly complains (meows)...I think he secretly loves having a little buddy.

 

 

Pals

Still pals

Friendship terminated for the moment (in Julain's mind)

Watching a little baby grow into a toddler is definitely fascinating.  I swear, every day gets better and better.  Austin now has a few words...the first of which was uh-oh.  Next came 'more'.  As in ''more food please'.  As you can tell by his chunky thighs and cheeks, he still eats well.  He also definitely can say mama and dada, bird (he's obsessed with them), and sometimes something that sounds vaguely like 'cat'.   Oh, and I can't forget 'diggle diggle' - which is him imitating us saying 'tickle tickle'.   This week he's really started mimicking us even more so I feel like more words will soon be on their way.  The funniest thing that he's picked up on is us blowing our noses.  Its hilarious...he will cover his nose and snort and then laugh.  And to think, this time last year we were really excited if we could get him to smile!  He certainly seems to really watch what we are doing.  For example, a few weeks after we put together his Y-bike, he actually found the hex wrench outside and took it over to the bike and tried to put it on the hex bolt.  Hard to tell in the picture, but we were pretty amazed.

There's a lot less fuss these days (although still some), and a lot more just chilling out and playing.  And when there is some fuss, blanket puppy usually comes in and does the trick.  Not sure how he got quite so attached to that little lovey but its quite cute to see it soothe him!

Oh, and lastly, you may be wondering how we kept him entertained for the long drive down to the Outer Banks?  Lots of snacks for sure...and, a box of tissues.  He probably played with the tissues for at least 45 minutes just taking them out, putting them in, hiding behind them, eating them, shredding them.  A pretty cheap toy for sure!