Beach Bum Baby

We just returned from our first family vacation in the Keys and had such a wonderful time and did so much fun stuff I don't even know where to begin. Nate experienced a lot of "firsts" so I guess that is where I will start...

His First Airplane Ride

I was a ball of nerves leading up to this event, but it turned out to be nothing to worry about. On the way there he stared out the window as we made our way to the runway, drank a bottle during take off, and slept the entire flight until we landed. On the way back, he was getting really antsy and fussy (it was hot on the plane) while we were sitting at the gate and he wouldn't drink his bottle when we were taking off so we were getting really nervous, but then he giggled during the bumpiness of take-off and then once we got in the air he looked at me, closed his eyes, and put his head on my shoulder where it stayed until after landing (I had to wake him up). So, apparently the roar of the flight works as a sleeping aid for Nate - yeah!

His First Time in a Pool

He loved the water...he was a little nervous at first but he had a blast splashing in the pool. "Crazy Crab" (as we named him) was a hit...he had fun kicking around in him and I loved that he could play in a little bit of shade.

His First Time at the Beach

The water in the Keys is amazing...the colors are gorgeous, it is clear and calm, and there are lots of sandbars. We spent a couple of days at Bahia Honda Park and there were beautiful sandbars right off the shoreline so it was perfect for Nate...calm waters and he could put his feet down, so it wasn't overwhelming - like a giant pool. He had a blast!

There were some more "firsts"...first boat ride, first taste of ice cream...but a lot of our pics are in a raw format that I can't get to upload to the blog yet. So, I will work on that and create an album of all the fun pics from our trip (or at least a sampling...we took almost 700).

Random Baby Product Plug - we weren't sure what to bring for Nate to sleep in since the Pack & Play just isn't realistic when flying and we weren't staying in a hotel to rent a crib, so we took a chance and ordered a "PeaPod". It is a little tent that folded up small enough to fit in my suitcase and has an air mattress you blow up for the bottom. It was PERFECT. Nate loved sleeping in it (it was like a little cocoon for him), it didn't take up much room, and it was even perfect to take to the beach for shade and napping. They have an small size (that was still plenty big for him) and a bigger size and I would highly recommend this tent if you need a sleeping alternative while traveling!