kid-free getaway

For Memorial Day weekend, Chris and I headed away for a much needed 3-night, kids-free Caribbean getaway. Being the first time that we were leaving Andrew for more than one night, I was a nervous mess leading up to the trip. However, I knew without a doubt that all would be good once I was parked on a tropical beach, refreshment in hand. I am an anti-all-inclusive or big resort kind of girl, instead favoring more out of the way, lazy little beach towns. Our destination for this particular trip was Cabarete, a wonderful beach town on north coast of the Dominican Republic.
We had never been before, but I had read many great things about the town. After hours of my usual Trip Advisor research, I booked us a 2 bedroom apartment at the Hotel Alegria. Obviously 2 bedrooms was much larger than Chris and I needed, but at $80/night, it could not be beat. Cabarete is a quick 3.5 hr non-stop flight from Newark... perfect for a long weekend getaway. Once in the DR, it was then just a 20 minute cab ride into Cabarete. As soon as we arrived in town, I knew Chris and I would love it. It was not quite as "sleepy" as some of our favorite destinations in Costa Rica, but it had a great local vibe and no signs of your typical Americanized tourist desinations - no McDonalds or Starbucks.
We checked into the hotel... perfect by the way... and quickly made our way to the beach. Warm Caribbean water here we come. As soon as our toes hit the sand, all the stresses of the everyday melted away. Ahhh... its good to be on vacation.
The three days we spent there were just enough. Half way through the second day, we both found ourselves missing our little man. Many of our conversations turned to how wonderful it would be to come back withAndrew. Next trip will be the whole fam.

down the shore

Yesterday we took Andrew to the beach for the first time. He loved it. He was completely mesmerized by the sand as he dug his hands into it. Chris and I were your typical first time parents, snap snap snapping away on the camera. All was good until Andrew took a huge clump of sand right to his mouth. Yum.

early bird

5:15am. That's his wake-up time. Nothing we can do about it. People ask, "have you tried keeping him up later?" or, "maybe you should feed him more at night to fill him up?"... yeah, none of it works. 5:15am regardless. We have gotten very used to getting up before the sun. In a way, it is actually nice. The first light of the morning, Andrew's innocent gaze out the window, it is a wonderful calm before the start of another day.

wagon wheels yes, pasta no

We have just started introducing Andrw to solid foods. So far so good... or somewhat good. He loves loves loves puffs, wagon wheels, yogurt melts and cut up bananas, but he is not so into the cut up veggies or pasta. Conveniently, the timing aligns perfectly with him figuring out how to scream for what he wants or throw a fit when offered something not to his taste. Ugh. We'll get through this. Tonight we are trying sweet potatoes. Hopefully things will go a little better.

From me to we to three..

From me to we to three… that defines my last few years. From single twenty-something to happy newlywed to mom. While each period was fantastic in its own right, nothing beats being mom to Andrew, my amazingly awesome 8-month old son. I have learned more in the last eight months than I ever dreamed possible… like how to calm a colicky baby, how precious an infant’s first smile is, how to exist on little to no sleep, or the fact that no toy is as interesting in a simple game of peek-a-boo, the phone you are trying to have a conversation on or the remote control.