Six Down, One to Go!

On Monday we set out to check the last two NC lighthouses off our list: Oak Island and Bald Head. So we headed down in the rain through Wilmington to catch the Fort Fisher ferry. Little did we know they only took cash. The fare was $5. Not much, I know, but we had to scrape together all of our change to reach that amount. We were so lucky!

Arden was so happy during the ferry ride! She loves being "free" in the car.

Here we are at the Oak Island lighthouse! Yes, I'm pretty sure it's a bit crooked. And yes, I'm definitely sure it's unattractive!

It was cold and windy, but luckily the rain stopped just enough for us to get out of the car. We even saw dolphins swimming in the water!

If you look closely, you can see Bald Head lighthouse in the distance. We were going to stop there first, but we didn't do our research. Apparently you have to take a passenger ferry (no cars), and it's $16 a person. You might even have to pay for parking. We also discovered the lighthouse museum is closed on Mondays. We were thinking of going on Tuesday since we were staying at a hotel in Wilmington, but Adam had to work that night and didn't want to feel rushed. So, we didn't get to check Old Baldy off our list, but we will eventually...when the weather's nicer and we have a full day.

We stayed at the TownPlace Suites in Wilmington. It was out of the touristy coastal area, so it was less expensive. It was also about an hour from the lighthouses. Arden actually stood unsupported for a few seconds. She was already standing and just let go of me. Adam got to see it, too. I was pretty proud. Anywho, the cool thing about the hotel is it had a little kitchen area and a walkthrough closet. We put Arden's cosleeper in the closet, leaving the doors open. She was down by 9:15 p.m., but she woke up crying at 10:30 p.m. and every two hours after that. She was just starting to get a cold, and I think she hates sleeping in the cosleeper...it's a bit small, and she likes to move around. After getting up with her several times, Adam tried to get her to sleep on the other bed surrounded by pillows. She fell asleep at 4 a.m. and slept until 7 a.m. I guess we should've put her there first. Needless to say, we were all exhausted in the morning.

Instead of visiting Old Baldy, we stayed in Wilmington and checked out the USS North Carolina Battleship. It's was $12 per person. It was sprinkling when we got there, but it stopped by the time we went through the museum and got onto the ship.

I didn't realize there was so much to see until we got into the belly of the ship. We just followed the "Tour" signs, and it seemed to go on forever.

In case you're wondering, this tour is not for the claustrophobic! Toward the end, I was itching to get out.

Arden eventually fell asleep. Adam was great at carrying her around. He's such a great Dadoo!

She woke up as we loaded her into the stroller.

My little sailor baby! We had a great time!