Happy Father's Day!

~A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart.~

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed celebrating Blake's first Father's Day!  It has been an amazing thing to watch him foster such a warm relationship with Sydney already.  Ok, if I'm being honest, I wondered how Blake would handle having a daughter when we found out we were expecting a girl.  He is a guy's guy: loves any kind of sports, horror movies, and wrestling.  Why I gave it a second thought, I have no idea.  Sydney has held his heart in the palm of her hand from the second she was born.  I feel so blessed being able to watch Blake be Sydney's daddy.

I could go on and on bragging about Blake, but here are a few pictures that I think capture his love for Sydney.

Beach Baby

~If you want to know how much I love you, count the waves.~

This weekend, Blake and I took Sydney to the beach.  I have been waiting to take her to the beach since the moment she was born!  For as long as I can remember, I have loved the ocean.  It has a calming, peaceful effect on me that I can't explain.  No matter how stressed out I am, the beach is a place where I can unwind and truly relax.  My wish for Sydney is that she falls under the same magical spell the sea has on me.

We were worried about how the car ride would go, especially considering the fact that Sydney had been up earlier than usual to go to the school I taught at for a baby shower and then went to UNC for a much longer than anticipated appointment with only a catnap on the way there.  Sydney fell asleep rather quickly when leaving UNC and slept for about an hour, which gave us a pretty good start.  We stopped briefly in New Bern for a diaper change, snack and then headed back on our way.  Sydney did a great job!

Taking a break with Daddy

Once we got settled in Morehead, we packed Sydney back in the car for the short ride to the Beaufort waterfront, one of our favorite spots!  We walked Sydney around the boardwalk and looked at all the boats.

We're just debating which boat to buy...

We wondered how Sydney would sleep in a new place, but no need to worry!  We put Sydney down at about 8:00 and didn't hear from her until 9:00 A.M.!  She was completely worn out from a long day, which helped her sleep well.

The next morning, we packed the car up and headed across the bridge from Morehead to Atlantic Beach.  Of course, we lathered Sydney up from head to toe and made sure she had a hat plus we kept her under the umbrella pretty much the whole time (we're new parents, what can I say?).  Once settled in on the beach, Sydney played with her toys and seemed as happy as a clam (appropriate for the beach, right??). 

"So there's that ocean you've been telling me about!"

Sweet baby

Not loving the sunglasses

We did put her feet in the water, but she wasn't super excited about it.  In her defense though, the water is still rather chilly!  Not to worry, she will have plenty of opportunities to try again. 

After her nap, we headed over to the aquarium for a quick visit.  Sydney looked at the fish some, but was more interested in spreading her infectious smile around to the people there.  I have the feeling we will be visiting the aquarium often, especially the older she gets.

At the aquarium

Checking out the fish

That evening we enjoyed a nice dinner with Blake's cousin Eleanor and her friend Jill who also happened to be down at the beach.  Hopefully they enjoyed dinner too, considering they ate with a nine month old!

Family picture at dinner

Sunday we headed back to the beach and played until Sydney was ready to nap.  We packed up quick and headed home.  Sydney had a great time at the beach, and we can't wait to get her back again!

Relaxing on the beach

This duck is DELICIOUS

So is this bucket

Silly girl!

Sydney loves her daddy!

Gimme those sunglasses

Checking out the ocean

It's cold!!!

2 Week Post-Cast Follow-up

On Friday we took Sydney to UNC for a followup with her hand surgeon.  Her doctor is, most importantly, pleased with the way her hands are healing.  I think her words to describe her left hand were "like a dream".  Her right hand, however, still has a little work to go.  We have noticed pretty much since her casts came off that her right ring finger and middle finger were not bending when she grasped things, especially the ring finger.  In addition, they are both curving inward, trying to go back to the way they were formed.  The doctor basically told us that it is what it is to a certain extent.  She said we can most likely have more surgery done as she grows, but I'm hoping it is maybe something that Sydney can decide if she wants done or not. 

In the meantime, the doctor sent us to a physical therapist who specializes in working with children.  Once we finally found where in the world we were supposed to go (in the main UNC Hospital), we met with a great PT.  She made a splint for Sydney to wear while sleeping.  It is something she is going to have to start out in small increments of time (about 15 minutes to start with) and we will gradually increase the time until she wears it at all times while sleeping.  We are not sure if the splint will help or not, but we are willing to give it a try for sure.

We go back to see Sydney's surgeon in August, after she returns from maternity leave!

Happy baby in the waiting room

Splint taped on her hand

All done and ready to head to the BEACH!

 

Baby-proofed...or Adult-proofed

Blake and his dad baby proofed our house a couple weekends ago in anticipation of Sydney becoming mobile soon.  Our cabinets now have latches on them, that continue to catch us off guard everytime we go to open one.  I'm sure Sydney will quickly outsmart the baby proofing soon.

Sydney's Pops was a great help!

Box o' safety

Drying...hoping it will come off one day :)