I know, I know. It's been FOREVER since my last post. That I've been busy goes without saying -- I am a working mom after all -- but for the past two months I've also been battling sickness after sickness. Oh, and we left the country for a bit during that time for our first family beach vacation! That vacation was such a wonderful experience for us and I've been wanting to blog about it since we returned a month ago. Alas, here it is!
To begin, let me fill you in on how this vacation came to be. I had been pressing Andrew to go on a family vaca for a few months. I really wanted to take Brayden on an airplane before we had to pay for a third seat plus, selfishly, I really wanted to escape to a sunny destination for a bit of a break from the blah weather and the normalcy of everyday life. Well, doesn't my amazing hubby surprise me with a vacation to the DR for Valentine's Day! The tickets had been purchased, the resort had been booked and all I had to do was make sure I was able to take the time away from my work. Oh, and pack.
Packing for this trip involved quite a bit of planning. I started by drafting a list for the three of us, categorized by: toiletries; first aid; beach; evening and; bedtime. Then I hit the shops. (All of Brayden's summer clothes were 6 months too small!) fortunately, by mid-February store were already displaying their spring/summer inventory so we had lots of cute things to choose from.
We left Toronto for Puerta Plata at the end of February and were joined by friends of ours, Jen and Neil, and their barely 4-month old cutie, Ashlyn. Both Jen and I were extremely nervous about how the LOs would fare during the 4 hour flights but to our amazement, both did amazingly well. Jen nursed Ashlyn during take-off and landing and I had packed an apple for Brayden to sink his teeth into which worked super well at keeping his ears open and keeping him entertained. The best part about the flights was that they two kiddies slept really well. There's something about the buzz of the aircraft while in flight that encouraged our babies to sleep. Perfect!
We spent the week at the
Iberostar Puerta Plata which was clean and had friendly staff. Our rooms were on the first floor with close access to the pool. This was perfect for us since that's where we spent most of our time. Brayden was obsessed with the pool vs. the beach/ocean. Though he loved watching the ocean waves crash, the boats sail by and the wind surfers' kites soar high up in the air, he was much more confident around the pool.
Below is a photo summary of our week away.
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| Day 1: Brayden's feet touch sand for the first time. He's was a little unsure about it. |
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| Didn't take him long to get used to the sand beneath his feet! |
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| Hanging out under our hut by the pool. |
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| Jen and Ashlyn keeping cool and well-shaded. |
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| A huge iguana... |
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| ... which Brayden was clearly not thrilled about as seen here, hiding under daddy's legs. |
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| Heading out for a walk before dinner. |
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| Nap time. We were sure to keep to our daily routine, as much as possible, while on vacation. |
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| Hanging out on our porch before breakfast. |
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| Brayden and daddy looking up at the starry sky. Lots of "ews!" and "awes!" |
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| A.M. family pic by the pool. |
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| We introduced Brayden to the delicious world of popcorn while in the D.R. He looked forward to this favourite snack ever day at 4:00 p.m. |
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| One of our last nights. Pictured here in the courtyard en route to the Brazilian restaurant for dinner. |
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| Not so impressed with the big Brazilian hat on his head. |
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| This picture describes our time away perfectly. All smiles! |
