beach baby

I have a lot of blog catching up to do! For starters, I totally forgot that we went on a vacation recently. This happens when life is a complete blur post-vacation. I knew it would be like this, but it still caught me off guard. We went to Turks & Caicos in mid-November for a blissful week of fun and relaxation. I knew once we got home it would be a mad rush to Charlie's first birthday and Christmas, and I was not wrong....to the point that it feels like our vacation was ages and ages ago.

But it did happen, and we had a blast. It was so great to get away together. It certainly helped that traveling with baby was a breeze this time. Sure, we had to bring a lot more stuff with us, but some key items made for a smooth vacation. We brought a little travel high chair, which was perfect for meals by the pool or at places that didn't have a highchair. We also packed our nest cam video monitor. We stayed at a very small resort (I could see our condo unit from the pool) so we let Charlie nap in the room while we watched him on the monitor from the pool. 

It was almost like Charlie knew he was on vacation. He was so happy and easy-going the entire trip. He loved splashing in the pool, eating all the delicious food, and trying to figure out what the heck sand is all about. He slept great, napped like a champ, and even dozed off on the plane - I can't remember the last time he took a good plane nap. He was on a first name basis with pretty much everyone at the resort after the first couple of days. One fellow-vacationer seemed quite relieved when he told us, "Your baby never cries!" To which I responded, "There's no crying on vacation."

Like father, like son.

Yeah, but when can I get back into the water?

Lunch by the pool

What is this stuff?

No really, tell me what this stuff is.

Water, I know this!

He even woke up happy on vacation.

This might have been the highlight of Charlie's vacation.
Turns out all he needs is a large coffee table just his height + a bonus hidden drawer! 

visits with schmeema & papa butch

We've had the pleasure of seeing Schmeema & Papa Butch twice in the last month! Charlie and I flew to Wichita in mid-April while Jon was at a work conference in San Diego. And last weekend, they came to visit us here in Alexandria.

Yet again, Charlie was an expert traveler - and thank goodness because I was flying solo this time. He made friends on all of his flights and barely made a peep the entire trip. We spent one night in Wichita and then drove down to Oklahoma to see Aunt Megan, Uncle Aaron and cousin Abby. Schmeema and Papa Butch will hopefully be moving to Norman, OK soon so we went to shop for a house. Turns out house hunting is not Charlie's favorite activity, but he hung in there like a champ.

This is what I do on planes.

First time sitting up in a high chair (just shy of 4 months old) - with the help of mom's boppy pillow.

Do we have to go look at another house?!

Abby sharing her toy with Charlie. 

Do we have to fly home, Mom?

While they were in town last weekend, we celebrated Schmeema's birthday and Mother's Day. Schmeema and Papa also had the pleasure of babysitting while Jon and I went to a wedding. It was the longest we'd been away from Charlie - and the first time someone else had to put him to bed - but all parties survived. I think we'd let them do it again. ;) On Monday night, the adults went to a baseball game while Charlie stayed home with a sitter. This whole leaving the baby with a sitter thing is pretty great. :)

Happy Birthday, Schmeema!

I showered AND did my hair. #adulting

Meanwhile, Charlie stayed home with his grandparents.

Sorta behaving during church...

Every family has THAT person. 

Learning how to sit up with Schmeema.
He is doing so well, and can completely support himself upright without help for several seconds.

baby's first spring break

We tentatively planned a family vacation with my side of the family before Charlie was born. It was a little daunting to think about traveling with baby, but I knew I would be more than ready for some sun and relaxation come March. So with baby's passport in hand (it took some doing, but Charlie's passport photo taken around 5 weeks is pretty precious) we headed to Mexico. I'm so glad we went for it. And the best part was that we just had to show up. Schmeema did all of the planning. Thanks, Schmeema!

I don't know why I was worried, Charlie was a total champ during all the travel. That first day was long. We drove to Baltimore, parked, checked in, went through security, waited to board, took a 4-hour flight, went through customs, waited for our transportation, and then drove a little over 1 hour to the condo in Playa. Charlie didn't cry one time - he was perfectly content to sleep, eat or just check out his surroundings. He did the same thing on the way back - just fussing a little bit when we were waiting to get off the plane in Baltimore. He made lots of friends on both flights. Everyone was so impressed with how good he did, which totally turned me into that gushing proud parent everyone hates.

We rented a condo in Playa del Carmen. It was a short walk to the beach and right in the heart of the town so we could easily walk to shops and restaurants. With two babies in tow, we didn't want to mess with car seats. We spent the week hanging out by the pool, going to the beach, eating lots of great food, napping and just enjoying family time, i.e. sitting around watching the two littles be adorable. I was thrilled to have so many people there willing and able to hold the baby. Charlie liked that too. He's pretty content as long as he is being held. He had a lot of fun playing with Papa Butch & Schmeema. They got the best smiles out of him, and Schmeema even got him to chuckle one time.

Jon and I had our first official night out sans baby with Megan & Aaron. We went to a nice dinner while the littles stayed at the condo with Schmeema & Papa. Charlie behaved - only melting down once he got hungry - but calming right down after guzzling his bottle. I'm going to need all the grandparents to move in with us so I can have built in babysitters at my disposal!

It was really fun to introduce the cousins for the first time. They are 6 months apart, which seems like a huge difference now, but won't be as they grow up. Abby completely dwarfs Charlie - she is fat, happy and very talkative. Charlie, on the other hand, is lanky, stoic and not one for exuberance. We nicknamed them the chunk and the monk. I'm not sure either one knew what to make of the other, but I can't wait to see them interact more as they grow up together.

The two kiddos were a big hit in the double stroller. Abby road in the front and completely hammed it up for all the admirers. Meanwhile, Charlie held down the back row and gave everyone the stink face. It's almost like he was mad at Abby for giving away so many free smiles. He clearly thinks everyone should have to work really hard to get him to do a trick.

Baby's first flight

First time in the pool. Poor kid. It wasn't so much that he hated the water, he was just tired.

Meanwhile, Abby loved being in the pool.

See, all he needed was a little nap with Schmeema.

Second time in the pool. Doesn't hate it.

This is my happy face.

Checking out the beach.

This is fine as long as I can eat my hands.

I love this. Jump, Abby, jump!

That time I stuck my hand in a vat of cream cheese.

The cousins meet.

Abby plays well with others.

Peeking over a pillow. Papa Butch's hand is bigger than Charlie.

Parents on the loose!

Packing to go home.