6 Months

So I'm a tad late in posting about Sally at six months. Two weeks late, to be exact. We left for Utah on July 1, and we just got back on July 15. It was one of the craziest and least vacationy trips of our lives. But that's another story for another post. For now, let's talk Sally. Sally is so grown up now! This is the age when all the moms start doing the #pleasestopgrowing hashtags on Instagram, and I think I finally understand why. She looks so much older than she did just a month ago! Here are some of Sally's favorite things to do these days:

• She is so smiley and sometimes laughs her head off. Once something gets her giggling, she'll laugh at it over and over and over and over.
• She sits without any help from me. I'm no longer worried she'll fall, and if she does, she can catch herself pretty well now.
• She can stick things in her mouth so well! Tooo well. On our trip, I'd sit her in the grass and look over to find grass in her mouth. And I've found my phone in her mouth several times. She loves my phone so much.
• She wants to grab anything and everything, and she's pretty darn good at it. If it's in reach of Sally, it's not safe. 
• We can hoist her up to hold onto ledges, and she'll stand there by herself for a few seconds. 
• She makes much more sounds that sound like she's trying to talk to us now, in the sweetest, softest voice ever.
• She finally figured out her naps! Everyone said it would take unti 6 months, and it did!
• Sally loves people and new experiences.
• She rubs her eyes when she's tired and ready for a nap. It's so cute.
• I'm her most favorite person. I feel very lucky, and it's fun that she actually cares that it's me holding her now!
• Sal is STILL teething. She has no teeth yet, but she wants to bite everything, and quite violently. This week she hasn't wanted me to put her down hardly at all, which is fine and dandy since I don't need to pack or anything...

Also of note:

• Sally was a champ on her first plane ride. We kept her entertained with toys, and she was a happy camper. The last hour and a half, she slept on my lap.
• Sally still hasn't started eating solids. I'm holding off until we're all moved in, so for now it's still just nursing.
• Sally slept so bad on our Utah trip. She'd wake up 4-5 times per night. But she naps beautifully now. It's the best! And now that we're home (until Friday when we move!!) she's back to sleeping 12 hours. She has started to wake up once to eat at midnight. I think starting her with solids will take care of that need for a midnight snack.

Some News

We just said goodbye to Utah after spending two weeks running around with family and work stuff. But we'll be saying hello again very, very soon since we're moving there in a little over a week! We couldn't be more excited. We've got lots of packing to do until then, so wish us luck!

Hiking with My Fam

When my family was in town, we all went for a hike together! We went on many hikes growing up, so it seemed like the obvious choice. And we're still not sure how to entertain people when they visit North Carolina, so the nearby state park is a great option!

We stopped and got subs on the way and then found a place to eat them mid-hike. This was my "brilliant" idea, and I'd forgotten how much I hate bugs. And stopping to sit and eat in nature is pretty much a welcome invitation for creepy crawlers to find you. So I ate my sandwich very quickly.

Sally's first photo-bomb!

Johnny introduced Sally to bark. And like anything and everything else these days, she immediately decided to eat it.

My girl was beyond ready for a nap, so I carried her like that for the last mile or so.

I spy a deer!

And here we are looking our very best at the end, nice and sweaty!

It was so great to see my family! I already miss them all! 

My 26th

Welp, I'm officially closer to 30 than 20 now. And honestly, I haven't even had a split second to think about it yet. My life has changed so much in the past year, and I wouldn't have it any different. I really am loving this mom thing.

My family made a short visit to come see us for my birthday. I was thrilled! I was so happy to see my mom and sisters, especially Jill! I hadn't seen her since she'd gotten back from her mission in Peru. On my birthday we had cake and ice cream and played games and had a great time together. It was the perfect celebration.

Jill!! Oh, how I'd missed her.

The girls!

We had a little visitor who didn't want to miss out on any of the excitement. She ended up staying up for a while and entertaining everyone, which cracked Johnny and me up. We'd never seen the entertainer side of Sally. She loved all the attention!

Charleston

On the way home from Hilton Head, Johnny and I stopped in Charleston for a few hours. I was dying to visit Charleston again after going when I was a teenager. And I really wanted Johnny to see Charleston, too. It's just one of those cities everyone must experience at least once.

I emailed my friend Alexa, who is from South Carolina and went to college in Charleston. She gave us the perfect guide to a day in Charleston! It was so much fun, and I felt like we had our own personal tour guide!

We started at Fleet Landing Restaurant, and I got the shrimp and grits, per Alexa's recommendation. They were so delish, and I've craved them multiple times since!

Charleston is just oozing with history and Southern culture, two of my very favorite things. I could have spent all day wandering each and every street. Every home is so beautiful, and pictures really can't do the city justice. I was in heaven on each and every street.

Johnny and I loved all the huge shutters and covered porches on all the homes. Gorgeous!

Johnny was probably sick of the camera at this point. Just a guess.

Charleston was definitely another bucket-list city I wanted to see with Johnny, and I'm so happy we got to experience it together! Sally slept through most of our walk, so we'll have to take her back when she's a little older. :)