Last week, my entire family went to Captiva Island, Florida. My parents rented this lovely house right on the bay. Right across the street was the beach, and the house even had its own pool, fishing dock, bicycles, and kayaks. The weather was beautiful... warm and sunny - my favorite!
As you all know, I was just slightly freaking out about the 2.5 hour plane ride with the little one. For anyone who knows her, Eva will NOT SIT STILL for one second. She squirms, arches her back, and cries to get down when she doesn't want to be held. So being couped up on an airplane for close to 3 hours including boarding and take off, I was prepared for the worst. Luckily, it was matched up perfectly with her nap time, so we all prayed that she wouldn't be too stimulated by all the new sights and could just fall asleep.
We brought her Halo Swaddle-Sack and favorite movie and plenty of snacks. None of the toys we brought ended up being interesting enough for her for the ride there. But lo and behold, the little fart fell asleep for a little over an hour on the way there. It was a miracle! The rest of the time was spent entertaining her with food, books, and Baby Einstein. I was so proud of her, but mentally and emotionally exhausted by the time we got there. I don't think I fully recovered before it was time to come home.
Her first palm tree!
The week flew by faster than normal. The whole trip was exhausting and the opposite of relaxing, but we all had a great time. It was so nice to have a whole week to spend with Andy also, since we've both been constantly on the go the past few months. There were so many fun activities to do, and we definitely kept busy! We got to go kayaking, paddle boarding, biking, have ping pong tournaments, play board games, see dolphins and an alligator, and make and eat delicious food. Best of all, my mom, sister, and I got to have a spa afternoon where we got lunch and facials. It was amazing! Unfortunately, Eva did not like being thrown off her routine in a new and scary place, thus her nap schedule was a complete mess. She was so tired most of the trip, but too stimulated and cranky to sleep. It made for a stressed out and tired mama. I tried to make things similar to home, but she wasn't being fooled. Luckily, I had a lot of help... but even when someone else would relieve me for a bit so I could go for a run or go swimming, I felt guilty leaving her with them in case she were to get super crabby again.
Eva got to go swimming for the very first time as well! We never took her last year, as we both felt she was a little too young for the chlorinated water. But this year she was ready... and boy, did she love it! She kicked and splashed and jumped into our arms over and over. It was seriously the best thing ever to watch her experience the pool for the first time.
The return trip went well also. We barely made our flight in time, but Eva was content to read books, play with toys, and eat snacks. I'd call this vacation a success. A little more work than I would have preferred, but a nice get away in a lovely place.
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