Me: Ellie, it looks like you need to go tee-tee [because she was holding herself]
Ellie: No, I don't need to.
Me: Are you sure?
Ellie: Yes. I'm just holding my toot so it doesn't fall out.

Paging Dr. Hirst

I had another OB appointment today and I brought both kiddos with me.  Everything is great with the Grand Finale and Ellie was a big helper.  She got to put the “goop” on my belly, turn on the doppler, and hold it to my belly to hear the heartbeat.  She was so very proud of herself and excited to hear her little brother or sister – I can hear it now, Dr. Ellie Hirst!  The midwife was very impressed by her ability to find the heartbeat right away – based on the picture below, you’ll see that it’s not exactly a hard target to find these days. ;-)

Port Aransas

We had such a wonderful time in Port Aransas!  It was our first and last vacation as a family of four and we just loved every minute of it!

 

We drove down to San Antonio, rented an RV and headed to the coast.  Damian found the most amazing campground and we had a prime spot – we could see the ocean from the RV and just had to walk over a sand dune and we were right on the beach.  It was perfect because we could go to the beach for an hour or two, head back to the RV for lunch and naps (and avoid the hottest part of the day) and then head back to the beach for another hour or two in the late afternoon.  Heaven!

 

Ellie absolutely loved the beach.  She let out the most contagious belly laugh every time a wave broke.  Meanwhile, Charlie cried out “ohhh nooo!” every time a wave broke and wanted to be in physical contact with Damian (I was chopped liver the second we hit the beach) the entire time we were on the beach.  As the days went on, Charlie became more and more brave and enjoyed it more…although he still preferred to sit on top of Damian.

 

Can you tell we were just a little worried about sun protection?  You can’t see much of the kiddos due to the big hats and glasses, but here they are…

 

This was Charlie’s favorite spot – on Daddy’s lap.

    

Refueling after a fun morning at the beach:

When they aren’t trying to beat each other up, these kiddos are the best of friends.  Charlie watches and imitates everything Ellie does and Ellie loves showing him the ropes.  We just love listening to the two of them belly laughing together!

“CHEESE!”