Lilly's first beach visit....

Needing a MUCH-NEEDED break, TB, LG and I headed for a beach weekend. We left Friday afternoon and stayed in an oceanfront room at the Sheraton on Atlantic Beach. How nice! We had a restful, fun, adventurous time. Of course, LG is the center of attention, with us and EVERYONE who is around her. Here are a few snapshots of her first beach experience!

Here she is in her first beach-side photo op!



We sat her down where the ocean water, at approximately 65 degrees, met the sand...waiting and watching for her response!











At about this point, we were waiting for her to either scream or cry; but neither happened. She did her typical "study" and watched to see exactly what was going on! As you can see by the next frames, after she thought about it, she LOVED IT!





Getting close to walking, she next decided that she need to feel this action on her toes! These photos show how much she studies and concentrates! She wore TB and I out helping her toddle in and out of the water's edge.













Every rose has its' thorn, though. And every ocean has its' sand. While LG didn't mind the cool, cool waters of the ocean, the squawks of the seagulls and the glow-in-the-dark-white skin of the tourists (parents included), she did not grow accustomed to the sand. We put out a sheet for her to sit on until she ventured out onto the beach itself. Because this child is ALWAYS on the move, we didn't figure it would take very long. Well, she NEVER left the sheet! When she saw her toys sitting in the sand, she took off for them. But she put one hand in the sand and turned right back around. She did not venture away from the sheet for the rest of the time we were there. She did, of course, study the sand. She rubbed her hands together. She felt of the sand on her feet. But did not want to get more on her than was already there. More pics:

This is how it started. Then we moved the toys.



Notice the curl!!



She went no further than this!











"She CHEWS sea shells by the sea shore" :)

Promotion :)

I've accepted an offer to move from the Dept. of Ophthalmology to the Dept. of Surgery at Duke. I am quite excited! I will be doing more training and development than actual grant processes. Here are my new digs!

Lilly and her Grandpa

Since birth, LG has been very responsive to my dad. Remember? She opened her eyes at him first. Here are some pics of LG's recent visit with G'pa. She's becoming a handfull!

Weekdays with Lilly

We are so fortunate to have a wonderful sitter for LG. The Turla's adore Lilly and treat her as a member of their own family.

Lilly's Ima Saty ("grandma" in Tagalo) takes such good care of her!



Every morning when I drive up to drop LG off, as I walk up the driveway, I hear Toby yell, "Lilly" - he greets us at the door and yanks her out of my arms! :) He is such a precious kiddo! And I love how much he loves my angel! Almost daily, he meets me when I pick her up and gives me a "report" about how much she passed gas today, or, how she's "maturing" because she burps like a boy, or how much LG hates to have on shoes and socks. Sooooo cute.

A sunny day in West Palm Beach...

LG really enjoys the water! She loves baths, especially when you use the sprayer...she tries to "catch" the water as it sprays! Too cute! Here she is enjoying the pool where my mom and dad live. She had a ball in the pool! Tom and I are spending the weekend at Carolina Beach this weekend! Am excited to see how she like the sand!

Dark video, but worth the squint!

My mom bought LG a walker. Once she figured out that she could "go" she never stopped "going" - She was most excited about the driveway run! My favorite part of LG in the walker was how she chased Bentley around and harrassed him! LOL! Make sure you full-screen this video! Listen to her screech! Watch how proudly her face beams when she reaches the end of the driveway! Won't be long now until we are chasing her around the house!