Pensacola Beach 2014

Although James loves the Caribbean blue (as evidenced by most of our beach vacations the past few years), my heart belongs to the Gulf of Mexico.  I grew up on those beaches (Texas side of course), spending almost every summer I can remember in Port Aransas.  So when we decided to go to Pensacola Beach this year for a summer get away, something felt right about those warm gulf waters (even if the beautiful, white, seaweed-less Florida sand is something, admittedly, I am not used to.)

Let me tell you - a beach vacation with a 10 month old is something else.  Very different, very fun, but also extremely exhausting.  Thankfully we were in a condo, which gave us access to bedrooms, a kitchen, and a place to contain the little rascal.  It also meant that when he went down at 7PM (after getting up at 5AM - why, JB, WHY!?), James and I could enjoy a glass (or two) of vino out on the balcony with our home cooked meal.   There are definitely worse things in life, folks.

Sunset view from our balcony

Sunset view from our balcony

I've only crashed my computer a few times trying to upload the hundreds of photos, so you've been warned.  Get ready for lots of pictures!  (And, I've purposefully pulled out all the pictures from our trip to the Pensacola Naval Museum for another post - stay tuned.)

My Daddy trained me right - when you're at the beach, you go to…THE BEACH.  (Growing up, he would get personally offended if we wanted to hang out at the pool, with the surf only yards away.)

So of course we took advantage of the beach.  Several mornings we would be out walking in the sand, enjoying the calm and (relatively) mild temps before most people were awake.

Although the public beach was right in front of our condo, we opted to lounge on the beaches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.  The National Park Service maintains the private beach, and the crowds (families, birders, etc) were more our speed.

One morning we were there so flippin' early (thanks, JB) that we were nearly alone on the beach.  We could see a storm brewing down the coastline, and, as a result, enjoyed hours of cool breezes and overcast skies.  Perfection.

JB really enjoyed the water and sand!  It was impossible to keep it out of his mouth, so I'm just going along with my Mother's assurance that it's good "roughage".  He was a huge fan of the salty water, and I'm sure he snuck a few sips while we played in the surf.  

We also had a blast in the pool, but no pictures because I rarely brought my camera down.  Between all JB's water crap necessities and our beer cooler (priorities), there were no hands for the Nikon.

One day we ventured over to the city of Pensacola, spending a good amount of time walking the historic district.  What a lovely part of Florida!

Main Street had many great restaurants to choose from, but a build-your-own-burger joint caught our eye and proved a wise decision.  James got a bison burger with cheddar, onion, tomato and romaine lettuce (boooooring), while I enjoyed a turkey burger with dill havarti, green olives, sprouts, arugula and garlic aoli with bacon-infused house made chips (for the win!)  JB was quite upset that his meal consisted of Puffs and purees.

Gimme...

Do they make bacon-infused Puffs?

Speaking of eating, we did a lot of it.  And who can resist some nice Gulf shrimp when you're right there on the Gulf?  Pensacola is home to Joe Patti's Seafood shop, located right on the bay and seemly a favorite among every single person within 50 miles.  The place is quite chaotic.  It took us a while to figure out how to order, but then we were set with our shrimp.

Got our skrimps!

They steam the shrimp for you, which was worth it (once we figured out how to ask for it.)  We waited patiently until they were done, entertaining ourselves with the lobster timer.

Worth the chaos!

Sadly we did not catch anything to eat, but one afternoon we enjoyed watching others fish off the pier.  Not sure what they were catching, but something had everyone all excited.

When we weren't beach bumming or eating, we were just hanging out and being silly.  That's JB's favorite thing to do right now:  be silly.  :)

Honest to goodness, I probably took 200 pictures of this child on the trip, beyond his more "formal" beach pictures.  But can you blame me!?

Such a wonderful trip!! A few days away in Florida with our little family of three resulted in some very happy Sassers once we got back to GA.   I'm ready to go back!

Our Little Beach Bum

Y'all, I know I owe the blog a formal vacation post.  We had a fantastic time, and I got some really cute pictures.  But we came back from vacation on Sunday night, I flew out for meetings in the Jerz on Monday, and now I'm just back to a "normal" workday today after 2 weeks of being away.  You can imagine how atrocious my inbox and my to-do list look.  Super ugly.  And I am already feeling like, "what?!  I went on vacation!?"   :)

So, to tide everyone over while I continue to edit and write and prepare the Pensacola Post, I'll include some very cute beach pictures of our little beach bum.  

I am in love with these shots.  I'm so grateful for a cooperative kiddo, an amazing summer storm (which led to some amazing afternoon skies), and the beautiful white Florida sands for making these possible.

James Benjamin - 10 Months Old!

James Benjamin is TEN MONTHS OLD!

This boy cracks us up - JB is turning into quite the little character!  So many things make him laugh, and we (mostly me) show no shame in doing whatever silly thing we can to hear it: tickle him, make pig noises, this-little-piggy, "I'm gonna get you", hide-and-seek, etc.  He think it's particularly funny when he's doing something naughty.  If we say, "JB, don't you do it!", he can barely contain himself and laughs so hard.  (I think we're in trouble...)

JB is a little sweetie, too - loves his people and his furry siblings.  If I ask him for a kiss, I get a wide-mouth wet smack on the cheek. Sometimes he will kiss me out of nowhere, even grabbing my face so he can get a good hold of it.  He loves babies, and will act all shy if he sees one. He's fascinated by big kids, and spent a lot of time at the pool and beach just watching them play.  I would say, though, that JB's favorite person right now is JB.  He is obsessed with talking to himself in the mirror.  And giving himself kisses on the mirror.  Sometimes he'll "talk" and then laugh and then "talk" again to his reflection, and I can only assume he's telling himself a very entertaining story. 

He is go, go go - nearly 100mph from the moment he wakes up until he goes to bed. He's bear crawling, pulling up, climbing, pulling things down, taking toilet paper off the roll, knocking everything over, getting in a lap, standing up in a lap, trying to climb on his parents - just moving all the time.  It's exhausting, but also very fun to see him grow up into this inquisitive, busy little boy. 

LITTLE BOY.  This month he's really changed and matured. We're about to exit the baby phase soon, and I'm in total denial - but since he's such a fun little man, it makes me very excited about the toddler phase!

JB's Measurements:

• Weight: 18 lbs (according to our neighbor's scale)

At 10 Months Old, JB...

…Eats 4 liquid meals a day, and 3 solid meals a day (plus snacks if we're trying to distract him.) He's still a good nurser, but our normal 8 minute nursing sessions are extended now that he has to stop and look around every few seconds.  I tried his milk in a sippy cup this month, and JB was clear that will not be tolerated.  Not up in here! He still eats his combo purees like a champ, particularly liking lentils this month.  He's better with the finger foods, too!  Still gags a bit, but getting more confident and adventurous with things like cheese, smoked meat, black beans, and Puffs.

…Sleeps through the night still (yea), and has officially dropped the third nap.  We target 10AM and 2PM for naps, and he's usually in bed between 7 and 7:30PM.  He's up around 6 or 6:30AM (5AM when we were on vacation - have mercy!)

...Wears mostly 9 month clothes, but still comfortably fits in many 6-9 month. He is still in size 3 diapers.

…Loves playing in his blue chair; when you try to "get him"; being upside down; the Touch and Feel Pets book and the Little Fish puppet book; playing hide and seek; admiring himself in the mirror; other babies/kids; removing the safety corners from furniture

…Does not like when people eat in front of him without offering a bite; saline spray up the nose

...Has mixed emotions about the bath.  Loves getting in, hates getting out!

Month 10 Milestones:

• Walked with a push toy
• First swim and beach trip
• 2 more teeth!
• Gives kisses

Month 10 -  double digits!  This boy spends a lot of time smiling, laughing, and moving.  He's so fast that it's hard to keep up with him!

iPhone Photos

(Mama is traveling on his 10 month birthday, but will upload  iPhone pics and add them to the post later.  Yes, I know, MOM FAIL.)

Previous Updates on JB:

• Birth Story
• One Month
• Two Months
• Three Months
• Four Months
• Five Months
• Six Months
• 7 Months
• 8 Months
• 9 Months

Hello from the Beach!

Hello from sunny Florida! From the beautiful waters of Pensacola Beach!  

I am currently relaxing on a massive balcony overlooking this:

And this:

It's a lovely way to spend the morning, and helps in my recovery from yesterday's traumatic trip down (in which JB slept 30 minutes of the 6.5 hour trip, and cried so hard for most of it that he threw up all over the car seat. The only thing that calmed him down was my singing 1990s hits off XM radio, so safe to say that James's nerves are pretty fried, too.)

But we made it! And we're ready to have a BLAST.  The internet is sketchy, so no promises on a blog update while we're here.  (Unless James figures out how to fix it, which he is frantically trying to do. Someone is not in vacation-mode yet... His phone may mysteriously end up on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico before the week is over.) :)

If This Doesn't Melt Your Heart...

Enda has a new best friend - and it's not another furry gal like herself.  Her name is Isabella, she's 6 years old, and these two have developed quite a bond.

Isabella is Nanny Y's daughter, and she comes to our house twice a week during the summer.  This has been a wonderful thing for many reasons:  first, it gives Nanny Y more time with her daughter (which, as a working Mama myself, I realize is super important); second, it has allowed JB time to socialize with another child.  Even though she is older, JB enjoys playing with her, listening to her read, laughing with her, etc.  Third - and maybe the most important - it has shown Enda that not all kiddos are scary.  That some kiddos, in fact, can be your BFF.

Enda has always been a little leery of anyone under 4 feet tall.  Maybe she was chased at the park one too many times as a puppy, but there is definitely fear and trepidation anytime a youngster comes near.  Every youngster but this sweet girl.

Enda follows her around, they lay down and rest together; they play make-believe together (circus - Enda is the lion, I believe); and cuddle all the time.  When they were packing up to leave last Thursday, Enda bolted out of the house, into their car, and refused to leave Isabella's seat.  After everything I've done for that stinkin' dog…..

"I'm sad my BFF left me"

Isabella brought Enda a gift (a new plush toy which she immediately destuffed) and this card.  She told me that the red dog on the right is Enda, and the dog on the left is her.

           

Seriously, if that doesn't touch your heart, you need to check your pulse.  Such sweet friends!

Chevrons Can Change Your Life (For Reals)

You know your life is lacking thrills when you write a comment on a crochet message board that says "this pattern has really changed my life".  It's sad, but true - I've found a great new way to make chevron blankets (which are not that easy to make).  And, obviously, I have no shame when it comes to letting people know.

I've been crocheting since I was 8 years old, after my Mimi patiently taught me one summer.  Since then, I've easily made over a hundred blankets. Maybe even 200.  Now I also make stuffed animals, plus beanies and hats.  The possibilities are really endless with a crochet hook and a Michael's coupon.

Thanks to Pinterest, I have access to hundreds of new techniques, patterns, and old lady followers who Pin the best stuff.  Thanks to this site and this site, some of our Alabama friends are getting this for their baby boy:

Love the chevrons, love the little elephant, hate the colors (I'm more of a burnt orange or orange/navy fan when it comes to these blankets, of course).

I post this today to stay humble, less any of you think that James and I are leading a rockstar life with all our wild parties and such. Crochet message boards, my friends….crochet message boards.

Lupe is 10 Years Old!

Since JB gets a monthly update and Enda gets an annual update, I figured it's about time that our other fur-babies (the forgotten children) received an update.  Guadalupe has hit a rather important milestone this month - TEN YEARS OLD!

I can't believe little miss Lupe and I have been together for a decade, especially because my memory of taking her home is still so vivid.  I grew up with cats and adored them - so much that I spent many hours putting together a lively presentation (with poster board and everything) to convince my parents to adopt a third cat when I was 8 years old.  After they agreed, I checked out a book called "How to Care for Cats" each week from the library, took extensive notes, and built out what I know now is an Standard Operating Procedure. (Obviously I was born to be a consultant.  And a nerdy child.)   Fast forward many years, and I had patiently waited throughout college and grad school until I had a job, an apartment, and could "support" another mouth.  Summer 2004, and my first 8-5 job at TxDOT, gave me the opportunity.  I adopted Lupe from the Town Lake Animal Shelter in Austin, Tx , and took home what I thought to be an 8 week old little kitten.

My only Texas-born child

After days of not eating and crying endlessly, I took her to the vet and realized this little Spout (her given name at the shelter) was only a month old.  A MONTH OLD.  This led to bottle/syringe feeding and me going home each day at lunch to feed, cuddle and nurture the poor gal.  I'm sure it bonded us for life.

I proceeded to drag that cat all over the place with me - from DC to California to Atlanta.  (True story, when my first consulting Partner assigned me to a project in Sacramento for several months, he asked if I'd be willing to stay 2 weeks at a time and get a corporate apartment.  I agreed if I could fly my cat out to live with me.  How totally green - and completely nuts - my first year analyst self must have seemed!)  

"But wasn't I worth it?"

Another true story: Lupe has survived - no joke - 7 full days trapped in the closet without food or water.  My pet sitter found it odd that she didn't see her the entire time we were on vacation, which is why that knucklehead is no longer our pet sitter.  To think we could have lost her still gives me chills.  James says, just like a cockroach, she is a survivor.

"...I'm not gonna give up…"

She has also survived the addition of her kitty sister (who she tolerates), her new daddy (who she hates), her puppy sister (who she despises), and now her human baby brother (who, surprisingly, she likes).  Every time the nursery door opens she rushes in and sits on the ottoman, and even lets JB love on her.  While the other animals run from him, Lupe is the only one who actually goes up to JB for affection.  It's the darndest thing.  

Now days, Lupe spends the majority of her time up in my office, where she can be lazy in peace.  Sometimes she'll get feisty and attack Carmen, usually when I'm on an important call and not on mute.  She has a double-jointed hip that doesn't give her trouble, but makes her seem like a little old lady.  I have to remind myself that she's 10, and not 20.  

Happy birthday to my sweet grey girl.  I can't believe you're 10 years old.  Good news: this is by no means "old" for a cat, and everyone is thrilled you'll likely be with us a while longer.