All tuckered out

You can always tell when Mia is sleepy, because she has this precious way of hanging onto her bangs. It's like a built-in security blanket.

Sewing 101

I recently took up a new hobby: sewing. Some might laugh, but I tell you it's great. After a crash course lesson from a good friend, I tried out a few small projects. Then, I figured I was ready for something more challenging, so I decided to make some tab top curtains. It took me 3 weeks and who knows how many man hours, but they're finally done. Don't think I'll try that again.

Before


After

What happened!?

Sebastian: 5 months

Sebastian: 3 years

I had Sebastian hop in the stroller last week just for kicks. It was depressing -- no, distressing. Seems like yesterday we were cruisin' the streets of Old Town in the red buggy, Sebastian's feet barely hanging off the edge. Every day since has been filled with sweet moments, but don't you think you could slow up a bit, Time? Alternatively, anyone have a Delorean I can borrow?

Soapbox

CPR, folks. It's been on my mind since Sebastian had a seizure this spring, when it took him a few moments to being breathing again. I have never felt so helpless in my life, as I racked my brain for the CPR techniques I learned EONS ago. I was at a loss. Luckily, Sebastian regained breathing on his own, but if he hadn't....well, I would have been useless. Turns out the instructions for CPR have changed quite a bit since the days of Dr. Martens. Sam and I completed a CPR course last night, and I urge every one of you to do the same. The American Heart Association reports that "the odds of surviving cardiac arrest [any situation when the heart and breathing stop -- chocking, infant crib death, etc.] drop 7 - 10 percent every minute without CPR!" The average emergency personnel response time for my county is 15 minutes, which means that without any CPR, a victim has a only a 50/50 chance of survival at the 5 minute mark and is most likely a goner by the time help would arrive. Sorry for the grim picture, but it's reality.

CPR courses only take about an hour and a half to the tune of $10 or so. Most hospitals even offer FREE infant CPR training if you're expecting. As a parent/friend/daughter, I am embarrassed that it took me this long to brush up on my lifesaving skills. If you'd like to do the same, the websites below can help you find a CPR class in your area. Go get 'em tiger!

American Heart Association-- http://www.americanheart.org
American Red Cross -- http://www.redcross.org

Hydrophilic

Oh, how I love the water! Thankfully Sebastian and Mia seem to be smitten as well, be it a muddy puddle or the ocean. Outside of our bathtub, the closest body of water is the neighborhood pool, which is conveniently located just beyond our property line. Hallelujah!

Sebastian, our little fish. (No, that's not Sam in the video.)

The Job Hunt

Sao Paulo - not what you pictured, is it?

The banking economy here in Charlotte came to a grinding halt this year, thus, no work for Sam's law firm. They did their best to ride out the storm, but in the end they laid off a slew of competent attorneys -- Sam being one of them. He's off to NYC tomorrow to interview for a position that would take us to NYC for a year and then on to Sao Paulo (yep, that's in Brazil folks). We've always wanted to live abroad -- kids or not--, but the thought of leaving family so far behind is the only thing stopping me. Well, that and the fact that we STILL haven't sold our stinkin' house in Utah.

I have moved almost every year since Sam and I got together : 6+ times in all. I love the excitement and spontaneity, but I thought Charlotte would be our landing place for sure. Guess the big man upstairs has something else in mind....

Mia crawls!

Yea, Mia!! Beating her big brother's record by at least 2 months, Mia started crawling earlier this month. You can check out the progression below.... as well as a little something special....

SO CLOSE...



THE INCHWORM...



SUCCESS!



A LITTLE SOMETHING SPECIAL FROM MIA ....

The Beach...yipee!

This time we vacationed at Edisto Island, SC, with my mom's side of the family. I simply love the beach, and thanks to the generosity of my cousins, we enjoyed waterfront accommodations. Sebastian and Mia loved the water, while I LOVED having all of the extra helping hands! Hooray for family!

A day in the life

The oh-so-enjoyable daily "grind":