How is it that summer is almost over already? I don't know what I'm going to do when Emery starts school - it seems like their breaks just get shorter and shorter. Two months off is just not enough. In Alaska, we always got out end of May/early June, but didn't go back until after Labor Day, or at the very earliest the week before. I mean who wants to go stand in the bus line in August in Mississippi? That alone should be a deterrent to starting back so early!!
Ok I digress, moving on. First off, our trip to Hawaii was fantastic, even with a one year old in tow. Now that we're back, I can brag about what a world class traveler she was. I could have saved a lot of stress worrying about those LONG plane rides because she was amazing. Oh she had a moment here and there, don't get me wrong, but never more than a few seconds. And there were always other babies on the plane, so that took a lot of the pressure off. She slept a lot - much more than I thought she would. I gave her benadryl on our first long flight from Memphis to Phoenix, but didn't have to pull it out again after that. And I gave it to her as a precaution before we even left the airport, just to be safe. She probably would have been fine without it. That first overnight in Phoenix was a little rough, but that was my own fault. I didn't want to pay for a pack and play so kept Emery in bed with me, which has never happened before. So it took awhile for her to settle down in the bed (and stop trying to kiss me and lick my face). And even then I didn't sleep well because I was so worried she'd fall out of the bed.
But we made it, and didn't miss our flight the next morning, thank goodness. We arrived in KONA around 3pm the next afternoon, an hour before my cousin. Thank goodness we didn't come in on an earlier flight. I love airports, and didn't think it would be a big deal to fly in early and hang out until my cousin arrived, but the Kona airport is tiny, minuscule really (they have one baggage belt). And it's all outside. So I'm very glad we didn't try to fly in earlier. The hour we had to wait was boring enough!
Hawaii itself was amazing - something out of a dream. Perfect weather (high 70s most days, even a little chilly at times), lush landscapes, great food. My cousin-in-law Creighton is Hawaiian, so we had the inside scoop on places to eat and visit. We stayed in an older but very spacious condo right on the ocean and woke up every morning to pounding waves. As mild as the weather was in Hawaii, the buildings do heat up during the day, and we had a mild freak out moment when we first got to the condo and didn't think it had AC (apparently a lot of houses there don't). But thankfully our unit had one, we just had to pay $15 a day to have it turned out, which we gladly did. Even though Emery was in our room, the closet was big enough to put her pack and play in and close the door, so we weren't waking each other up all night. We spent a lot of time touring the island - visiting beaches, waterfalls, the volcano, several markets, a luau etc. I rediscovered how much I love shaved ice (over there they put ice cream in the middle - yumm!) and beef teriyaki. I don't think I had a single vegetable the entire trip. Hawaiians eat lots of rice and meat, but very few veggies. I came home addicted to rice, and even invested in a rice maker so we can make perfect rice everytime! And like I said before, Emery was a champ. She slept all night every night, and took decent naps most days. She had a few drama moments, but considering we dragged her across four time zones and she cut two teeth in the process, I think she was amazing. We went swimming almost everyday, and although she was not crazy about the water because it was chilly, she tolerated it. She loved swimming in Arizona though, where the pool was at least 90 degrees. We came back a day earlier than my cousin, because I wanted the entire weekend to recoup. And this is where traveling across four time zones has some advantages - our first day home Emery slept until 11am, the next day 10am and the third day until 9am. It's been 630/7am ever since, but those three days of rest were heavenly! And in our overnight in Phoenix on the way home she slept from midnight to 10am. Needless to say, I felt almost completely recovered by the time I started back to work July 5th, which was a huge blessing. As wonderful as Hawaii was, to me the best part about the trip was getting to spend 11 days straight with my family. I've always enjoyed traveling with Jeff, and having Emery just adds to the fun. I love those guys!!
Emery turned one the weekend after we got back from Hawaii but I waited until the next weekend to have her little party. I used pictures and pink paper and fabric to decorate, which is great when you're decorating on a budget. Emery loved having all of her friends there, but did not enjoy her cupcake, much to my disappointment. My child loves water and is not crazy about sweets - how did that happen??? Anyways, it was a lovely afternoon with family and friends - just like I like it! And although the porch was not finished, Jeff's dad had come in for the weekend and helped us get the fans installed, so the big kids had fun playing out there.
Emery is now a big girl one year old, I can't even believe it. She started taking a few steps before her birthday, but has really been cruising the past several weeks. It took me a week to get her to wear shoes, but that hasn't been an issue lately. She says a few words - dada, dog, uh oh and all done. She still doesn't say mama, which is frustrating but not uncommon, or so I've heard. I think her comprehension level is pretty high - she seems to understand most commands (Stay on the carpet, sit down, etc) and can answer basic questions (where is your head, what does a cow say). She moved up to the one year old room at daycare last week, and seems to be enjoying it. They nap on mats on the floor, which I was worried about, but so far shes done okay with it. I think she really enjoys playing with other kids all day, and her teachers adore her. It's hard for me during the week because she goes to bed so early (between 6/630 most days), so I treasure my fridays off with her. Unless she is teething, or tired, she is a happy little girl who enjoys playing with her toys and reading books. I discovered about a month ago that she can't have real milk - it hurts her stomach, so we're on rice and almond milk for the time being.
We had her baby dedication at church last month, and she was the cutest one (of course:)! When the pastor said her name, she clapped her hands and said "yeah!" I promise I did not coach her to do that, but might next time around because it was super cute.
