14 months

Yesterday, I was at a baby shower for a friend and watched as she opened gifts filled with tiny blue outfits. I felt so excited knowing she would soon be experiencing the love of her new baby. It made me think about how fast the last few months have gone. I've been watching Miriam change every day, but all of a sudden she seems so big. She's getting a tiny bit closer to walking, but seems mighty happy just cruising and speed crawling her way around.

Her big thing lately is pointing. At the fan, at the window, at the t.v., and everything is "da". My dad said pointing is definitely a sign of intelligence. Um, yeah, sure I'll go with that theory. So pointing is pretty cool, but something not so cool… screeching. She is trying out the ole vocal cords and I'm pretty sure hubs and I are going to go deaf any day now.
This morning I was making some hashbrowns and toast while a very squirmy little lady was pouting and trying to crawl up my leg. To give myself just a few more minutes of cooking I needed a distraction. So I pulled open up the dishwasher of clean dishes and let Moosh go to town. She loves to crawl up on the lid and play with spatulas and whisks and such. One eye on the stove and one eye on all those breakable dishes.

Anyway, she's wild and only getting wilder, but we're having a lot of fun around here. Lot's of trips to Pontotoc and playdates with some friends and hanging with the fam. Miriam has been a trooper as we float from our condo, to the farm, to running errands with Tenn Hens. She has accompanied Currier & I on business lady lunches and even a couple press checks. It's a hard balance, but I'm thankful to juggle it all …for now!

30A Style

While we were at the beach momma picked up a copy of her friends new book, 30A Style. Inside it shows this scenic highway in Florida where the New Urbanist movement really exploded along the coast. Seaside kinda started it all, but it's grown like crazy from there. But, back to the book! It's a peek inside some of these beach homes. Some are really fancy and beautiful, but my favorites are the ones with a little character. Not overdone or too staged. These are spaces that you truly want to live in.

 

…and then there's this lake cottage I may be a bit partial towards. Okay fine, I am partial because, I know the lovely folks that live here. But seriously, even if I didn't know them it would still be my favorite. Everything just seems so comfortable and inviting. Like you want to shimmy up to the counter with a cocktail and watch the chef do her thing. That's my kinda place. And the marble countertops, the yellow Le Creuset, and the cherry bar… oh, and the sleeping puppy… yessiree, don't mind if I do.

baby at the beach

I'm still dreaming of the waves humming in the distance, but it's back to the real world after our beach trip. Don't you always feel like by the time you settle in and begin to relax, it's already time to go home? A vacation to the beach is always too short, though I shouldn't complain a bit. We got to get away from it all and put our toes in the sand. The beaches of 30A are beautiful and so are all the children in Seaside. Everyone is friendly and chatty and in a laid back state of mind. I can tell you it was different than vacations of the past. Toting Miss Moosh around changes everything. Long days on the beach with a cooler of beer are no longer! And that's ok. We worked around her schedule, took turns, applied & reapplied sunscreen to that soft baby skin, stacked 2 highchairs at a high-top table so she could eat with us, put her in a floaty, sat under the umbrella a lot, and tried to make baby as happy as possible. She was like a little fish splashing and kicking those legs while watching all the big kids play. She was in heaven. We brought a wagon with us and I felt like we were straight out of Oregon trail rolling into the beach club. It was borderline ridiculous with an enormous red canopy. Oh, we were totally "those" people!





Our condo was perfect. Right on the beach, quiet, and nestled in the dunes. Everyone had their own room, except we decided to put Miriam in the huge walk-in closet. I realize that sounds ridiculous, but I promise she was fine. There was plenty of room for a crib and we always had the door open. She slept like a little lamby the whole time and I swear it's because there were no windows. And speaking of, she's been an angel lately. Who knew? I mean, she's still a wild mess, but the sleeping and the schedule and the two naps?… perfection. Maybe she's payin' us back for the first 6 months of screaming & crying. Maybe. Or maybe it's just a phase and all of a sudden she'll change again. Who knows, but I am saying thank you sweet baby for now





So here we are back in Nashville still getting our footing, but glad to be home. And at least we have a pool nearby so we can stay cool and pretend we still hear the Gulf crashing in the distance.