Aloha!

We are back from our nearly 2 week vacay to the Big Island and Maui. It was Nate's first time on a plane, so suffice it to say, I was a bit nervous about the 9 hour flight. Yes, I went overboard with Ally's entire suitcase filled to the brim with new toys and gadgets along with 32 dvds. I ran out and bought 12 Wiggles DVD's since that is Nate's current obsession, hoping that would entertain him along the way. I was shocked we only used the DVD player for 30 minutes on the 9 hour flight!
The time change did affect them as they were bright-eyed and bushy tailed...at 5:30AM! I don't function at 5:30AM!!! It took 3 days for them to get back to the 7pm-7:30AM schedule.
At our hotel on the Big Island, it was the first time Nate slept in a crib where our beds were in plain sight of him. Well, that didn't fair so well. He would wake up at midnight, want to get in bed with us, then at 2am, want to go back to his crib...back and forth. I was so tired of that. When we got to Maui and knew this was where we were spending the next 8 days, I was relieved to find an area where we could put his crib that was separated from our sleeping area. Before you peg me for being a mean mom, let me just say that pushing Nate's crib into the bathroom helped not only us sleep better, but he slept 13 consecutive hours every night vs. waking up every 3 hours. Plus people, if you saw this bathroom, you probably wouldn't mind sleeping in there. Ally and Nate would spend hours if they could in the jacuzzi tub.
This was the first time Ally slept on the sleeper sofa instead of our bed. It was good to introduce her to that since that is where her and Nate will be sleeping on all upcoming trips. She would thank Lawrence every night for getting a bed just for her. Way to play your mind-trick, Jedi Master Daddy.
Along the way, I managed to lose my voice and pick up a vicious cough. Thank goodness those were the only symptoms. Ally picked up a fever towards the end of the trip too, but she was such a trooper. She would just lay there and rest and when she would muster enough energy, she would want to go to the beach, and then come back to the room and rest again. At 3am, when I felt that she was burning up, I would wake her and she would just cheerfully tell me "ok, mommy, I'll take my medicine." I just wanted to lay next to her and squeeze the fever right out of her. After she fell asleep, Lawrence and I would lay in our bed and pray for our little girl who, being helpless and uncomfortable, was still our happy go-lucky baby. Thankfully after many doses of Tylenol and Motrin, she felt better, but totally exhausted.
What more can I say about our trip. Going to the beach every morning, playing in the pirate boat pool, grubbing down, family time...it doesnt get better than that.

By the way, I am in the process of compiling snipits of footage I took, so I will post it when its ready. Be on the lookout!