Part 1: Paradise...
Our vacation began with relatively easy travels through the airport and in the air. Anna slept on her third ever flight, just enough to get us through the long day in transit. Upon arrival, the weather felt perfect for my dry, sun-deprived skin; it was mildly warm with a touch of humidity, and the slight breeze carried the smell of the ocean through the car windows as we approached the coast. As is always the case for me, I immediately felt like I was on vacation when I spotted my first palm tree. The beaches were almost Caribbean-like. The bay view from our villa (condo) surprised us, with boats jetting through the clear blue water just beyond the exotic birds dancing in the mangrove. The condo, while small and lacking in kitchen provisions, had updated decor and a bed with the feather pillows and fluffy duvet that I love. And, although the weather didn't always cooperate, we acted as if it were 80 degrees and sunny every day.
Day two. Scooping.
We dove into the beach the first day, eager to experience Anna's first time digging in the sand. Her excitement over the water couldn't be contained. It seemed like she would have run right into the ocean had we not restrained her. She quickly learned about filling pails with sand and building (knocking down) sand castles, burying toes, and sifting for sea shells. We squeezed in a trip to the pool before lunch and a nap, just before a thunderstorm hit. The rest of our days were some version of this, with more or less time at the beach or one of the pools. We ate entirely too much junk food and too few vegetables, devouring pizza, ice cream, french fries, copious amounts of
Annie's Cheddar Bunnies (a possible addiction for all of us), and anything that required very little thought or work. We pushed naptime to 2:30pm some days and extended betimes to 8:30pm so we could stay out and play. We rode the resort trolley to and from our condo, even though we had a car that could get us around more quickly, because Anna loved the trolley, almost as much as she loved the pool. We meandered through the
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge with Anna on my lap in the passenger seat snacking on her bunnies. We also splurged on a poolside cabana twice, which allowed us to settle in one spot for the day as opposed to running back and forth to the room. The resort provided a portable crib poolside, and Anna actually cat-napped in it too late in the afternoon.
Pausing for pictures while bird-watching in the wildlife refuge.
Pizza...and Anna's first ice cream cone.
Cat nap in the cabana.
The view from our cabana.
Swimming in the pool at the main complex.
Some of my favorite vacation moments that must be remembered...
Daddy and Anna's snuggle time. They cuddled almost every day on the lounge chair, Anna intently chipping away at an apple for 20 minutes or more, until only the core remained. The last day when we were out of apples, she didn't quite know what to do.
Apple time.
Snuggling while watching the big kids speed down the water slide.
Anna and I riding the trolley alone on our last day of vacation. After an entire day at the pool, we were both sweaty, tired, and happy. She rode on my lap, facing me with her legs straddled, her arms hugging my waist, her head resting on my chest. We watched the trees and birds go by, sang, and snuggled. I wanted pause that moment.
The dolphins. I love dolphins. We saw them a lot, actually. Our last day they were just beyond the shore, playing in the breaking waves. Anna saw them too, and her eyes lit up.
My alone time. I zoned during a three-mile run and some pool-time with my book in hand, feeling the warm sun on my bare legs.
Being unplugged. Blake and I spend a lot of time on the phone and computer at home. It was so nice to be away from it for a while. Although I missed posting and reading other's blogs, I loved the lack of distraction. It gave a little more space and time for quailty conversation with my husband.
Anna intently and excitedly climbing on the lounge chair in the condo's screened in porch. She climbed up and down so many times we lost count.
Ready to climb.
A leisurely bike ride across the island to and from dinner our last evening.
And ready to ride.
Part 2: ...Almost
So, it wouldn't be the truth if I said the vacation was always blissful. It was so worth it, but it was tough at times, too. Sleep was our biggest challenge, as is always the case when traveling with Anna. Not only did she not want to sleep the night before we left, she woke for multiple hours at a time the first three nights we were there, often waking shortly after we came to bed (we were sharing a one bedroom condo). This resulted in one major meltdown on all of our parts that first night and a few minor ones later. Needless to say, we were dragging a bit until the last couple of days on vacation.
Then there's just the annoyances of traveling with a kid...in diapers. We had a leaky diaper after the first plane ride that left me and Anna wet, a ridiculously poopy diaper in need of changing in a rental car, and two poopy cloth swim diapers (which thankfully didn't happen until our last day at the pool, and it didn't happen IN the pool). But, I figure this has to be easier than traveling with a kid who is just potty training, right!? I guess we'll find out next year.
Anna really faired remarkably well being away from home for so long - probably better than her mommy who struggles with transitions. She was particularly demanding, though, more and more so as the trip went on. She was constantly saying she was hungry, but refused almost anything we would offer her (except apples and cheddar bunnies, of course). This wouldn't be a problem, except that she insisted she wanted food at midnight when she woke. She always seemed to want something, asking for her favorite song, bunnies, the pool, the trolley, a ball, or a floaty (usually one that wasn't hers), and most often she changed her mind once we indulged her. She also developed a strange fear of the rope that divided the shallow and deep ends of the pool, which resulted in her repeatedly asserting "No rope!" even when we were no where near the pool. Despite all of this, we had very few tantrums and lots of smiles, even on the airplane ride home.
On a different note, the resort itself was beautiful; however, it had it's shortcomings. After walking around our condo for an hour after our arrival, the bottoms of our feet were black with dirt. They remedied this by mopping the floor the next day, but it left a less-then-perfect first impression. It was also lacking in good food. There was only one true restaurant, and the food there was mediocre at best. We missed this part of vacation. In addition, the resort is very spread out. It took time to get to the main pool, beach, and restaurants from our condo. Trying to fit all of our activities in between meals, naptime, and bedtime was challenging enough without factoring in travel time as well. It felt like we had to rush around sometimes, when we really just wanted to take it slow. Nonetheless, we are already talking about going back to South Seas. It is a great place to take kids!
I look forward to doing it all over again next year. I'm so glad we took the time and energy to travel with Anna. It's definitely not easy, but it is so worth the effort. We'll remember the smiles and cuddles 10 years from now, and we'll forget about the hassle of packing and unpacking and losing sleep. And we'll remember seeing the sunrise from our balcony on the last day of vacation.
Watching the sunrise from our screened-in balcony.
After adding vinegar and food coloring to the plastic bags and mashing it around for a few minutes, we spread the pasta in a single layer on wax paper and let it dry over night.
