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Sunday, October 6, 2013

throwback: part 2 of spring break

well, here's another oldie but goodie.  i forgot to finish our spring break posts!  you can find part 1 here for a little refresher ha!  this was back in april and i can't believe how tiny she was.  i'm trying to remember exactly what it was like since she's actually had her second beach trip now that i'm writing this in october. goo!
we were in gulf shores, al for our first time ever on our first ever family vacation with baby in tow.  everything was new, it was a learning experience and so super super sweet.

our chauffeur around town & tour guide, emmie collins.
certainly, a highlight was getting to see emmie experience the beach & ocean for the first time.  being that it was april it was gorgeous weather outside, definitely warm enough to be in a bathing suit on the beach but the water was pretty chilly so we spent most of our time on the actual beach.  she really liked to look at the ocean and at the sand but didn't really want to touch either.  at the time em was only crawling and wasn't crazy about the sand being all over her.  she would squish it around in her hands but then would want them wiped off.  she had a little baby tent that we borrowed from friends to keep her in the shade and i laid out towels with bath toys for her to entertain herself with.  tip:  for our next beach trip we learned that an old flat sheet is a great idea for the beach instead of a million towels.  it's lightweight, compact and gives babes lots of room to move around without getting in the sand [if they don't want to].  thanks for the idea, supermom cory!
when we had her stand in the sand by the water and let the waves wash over her little feet she just screamed and wanted to be picked up. haha not thrilled.  i think it was just too cold for her teeny toes at the time.

i bought this little sun top at a consignment sale months before our trip.  it was for a 12 month old, she was just 8 months old but her little arms were being squeezed like a blood pressure cuff and the belly could not be contained.  swimwear sizing is a joke and also my baby was the roll-polly-ist!  i kind of don't even remember how rolly she was without seeing these pics.  so adorable!!  gimme those thighs!
like i said, we learned a lot on our trip.  we learned that lugging a bunch of baby crap back and forth to the beach is not our favorite thing but once you get there, we really loved it.  multiple factors lead to a lot of back and forth to the beach that made it kind of wearing.  at this time em was still taking 3 naps a day.  ugh.  we couldn't really get her to sleep on the beach but looking back i should have just tried harder to let her get wiped out and eventually nod off.  sadly, i'm such a sucker when she's whiny and i'm kind of crazy over her getting good sleep.  maybe i'll be more laid back if we have a second babe?  secondly, i was translucently pale and was a little scared to spend the whole day in the sun myself.  burning is the worst & i'm scared of that burning ball of fire.  and finally, i was still nursing her and i wasn't much of a public feeder so we'd take care of that when we were in the house for naps too.  for second babe i think i would probably give beach feeding under a wrap a try too if needed.  all that combined equals a lot of to and fro.  a little tip [that everyone had probably thought of besides me]:  as far as food went on the beach, those squeezy pouches were amazing.  no utensils required, no prep, no sand in her food.  i'm so glad we brought these with us, both for the car rides and for the beach!
emmie & i went on lots of walking adventures (in a stroller) around our neighborhood and looked at many adorable little beach homes.  em loved the breeze and looking around for the most part and it was a nice departure from hauling to the beach.
...family portrait attempt 1...
on a cloudy, windy day we took a walk on the pier and saw lots of birds and fish that people were catching.  emmie didn't love being in the baby backpack but tolerated it for about 20 minutes before getting really upset.  she's just getting on the higher end of the weight limit so i think she may have been a little uncomfortable and at the time was just kind of getting into her independent stage.  she couldn't walk then [even assisted] and crawling on fish & bait goo while hooks are soaring through the air is a little out of the question for this momma.
family portrait attempt 2 hahah
 
we ate breakfast and lunch in most days and did dinners out.  gulf shores is an hour behind us in kentucky and we kind of wanted to keep our normal schedule so most nights we were at dinner around 5 with all the early birds so that we wouldn't be rushed to get emmie home for bed.  after din din we'd basically tuck emmie in and be in for the night.  we'd read or watch a movie.  in hindsight, i would have loved to pack some games for us too, for some more entertainment / interaction for ben and i.
it's easier if momma takes the pic :)
due to a water heater fluke we didn't have hot water for like 2.5-3 days.  something was wrong with the heater and it was easter weekend so basically no one was working and all the hardware shops were closed.  it was a little rough.  they had another unit a few miles away that we went to go to get cleaned up.  there's not really a point to mentioning that other than the fact that it made ben and i a little less sweet to each other.

we're really different and sometimes have different expectations of how we'd like to spend our time.  i think this always becomes most evident for us on family vacations because it is just us.  normally at home if one of us doesn't want to do what the other is looking to do we can find another person to come along or another way to compromise.  when you're 10 hours from home, just the two of you and a baby - expectations and different 'wants' seem to come up more often.  i remember kind of grumbling in my head about several of my wants not being met and then i was smacked in the face when reading 'one thousand gifts'.  i realized, i'm frustrated that my husband doesn't operate the way i do when in reality, i am beyond blessed to have a wonderful man as a husband and partner. i'm grumbling that it's hard to lug a baby to the beach when lots of families never get to take a vacation or go somewhere so beautiful.  i'm irritated that my kid needs lots of naps and constant attention when there are so many families that would love to have the amazing blessing of a healthy, sweet baby.  so long story short(ish), i'm selfish and don't deserve so many of the ridiculous blessings God pours out on me.  this week will always be a great reminder of that for me.  thank God for grace, thank God for this beautiful life.

2 comments:

  1. Really a nice blog!!It's true when you are having a small baby then baby stroller is really a good option for carrying your baby and if you want to buy the best baby stroller then about the online site I know from where you can get the best stroller within the affordable cost price....Click Here

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  2. Emmie looks so tiny here!!!! Anyway, I don't think you will get more "laid back" about naps with the second baby. You may be more relaxed in general, but I too am a nap nazi and taking care of two babies I need them both to nap - always. Besides, it is such a short period of their (and your!) life that they take all those naps. :)

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