^ I only noticed this after I edited it. I suppose it's all fitting since it was his birthday and all. ^

For as long as I can remember papa bear and I hoped to have a "funny kid." By funny I mean a little mischievous, with a healthy sense of humor and a kid who doesn't take life too seriously. Because at our house we like to laugh a lot, we horse around, we're big fans of dance parties and we certainly don't take life very seriously (how could that possibly be fun??). As most parents know for about a month or two after your baby arrives it's sort of a doll that cries a lot, eats a lot and occasionally sleeps a lot (really I do miss those newborn days so, she slept non-stop!!). Then around three months they get a bit of a personality, start to smile and generally react to their environment beyond themselves. But five months, five months is the golden time - you really start to get to KNOW this person you're sharing your home and heart with and it is all kinds of amazing. So it was around this time that we found out that our little angel and the apple of our eye is a complete dork and silly-maker. The faces, the sounds, the clasping of hands and gleeful screams, and THAT TONGUE ohmygoodness!!! This kid laughs for days, yay and clapping are her favorite and she quite literally NEVER stops smiling! Of course we just eat it all up and the level of happy went up by a couple hundred notches at our house. Birdie is an absolute ball of joy (pun intended because she has the roundest face ever, courtesy of her Eastern European mama) and I feel like all my wishes came true with her!

"You never know where your dreams might take you

So keep them safe and sound don't let reality break you

Feel your sweetest memories come and carry you away

Just get lost in yesterday

Every wish, every dream you ever had

Just close your eyes

And it will all come rushing back

Fly away

All you need is to believe and remember when

Surrender to the innocence

You thought you left behind

And reach the child that lives inside

Every wish, every dream you ever had

Just close your eyes

And it will all come rushing back

Fly away

All you need is to believe and remember when"

- Disneyland

Vacationing with a baby is definitely unlike vacationing as a couple and there were a few things we learned over the course of two weeks that will most definitely come in handy next time:

sand and saltwater are a baby's favorite snack

just like with flying, apply sunscreen to yourself first THEN to your baby lest you spend the remainder of the vacation looking like a well done lobster

don't buy a pack-n-play for your baby to sleep in (she will hate it with a fiery passion), bite the bullet and co-sleep (so much easier, especially in a king bed)

have more than one swim diaper (DUH!!!)

don't question buying the giant inflatable lobster at Publix, it will be the best purchase of your life

have a never ending supply of guac, mauna loa chocolate macadamia nuts & blood orange pellegrino on hand

take your baby's lead when it comes to new things - I was horribly anxious about V and the ocean but she LOVED it and spent a large part of her day letting the waves crash over her little legs

I packed diapers with us (Honest Co.) but used the empty space on the way back to pack the things we bought there: bottle rack, brush, baby monitor, etc.

water, water, water for everyone! We were drinking water, in water and using water to cool ourselves down all day. It did wonders to keep us all happy. Also, at Epcot I would pour a little cool water on V's head every half an hour or so and then pop her hat back on, it ensured her head stayed cool and she stayed happy (little trick from my mum, thanks mummy!!)

instead of baths we often just hopped in the shower with V after the pool to clean her off (it was quick, easy and painless for us all)

leave the "projects" at home - we gave up on solids, sleep training & other things while on vacation (hey we all need a break sometimes right??)

I have a whole other post cooked up on traveling with a baby that I'll share next week!

And as always do any of you have any great "vacation with baby" tips?! Please do share!!

xo

I think I've been dreaming of this moment since I was a little girl. The day that I would take my baby out on the water in her little flotation device and she would smile and splash and I would think to myself "this is it." This year, and the past six months in particular, have without a doubt been the most difficult papa bear and I have ever gone through. Even before Birdie was born there was so much to do and our schedule was packed to the brim. In December we added lack of sleep to the laundry list of complications and we have just been powering through every day ever since. Our bodies were exhausted, our minds worn out and yet when we finally made it to Florida. That first day, when Birdie dipped her toes into the ocean and squeezed a cluster of sand into her tiny fist we felt it had all been worth it. 

Sometimes in life you feel like Gob from Arrested Development constantly saying "I've made a huge mistake." Lord knows we've made plenty along the way, and occasionally all that work seems futile. But there's nothing quite like the feeling of working harder than you ever have and to see the "fruit" of your labor blossoming before your very eyes. Perhaps this is what people that run businesses feel when they see them thrive. Maybe a congressman has the same feeling when a law passes. I may never do any of those things but as long as I preserve that twinkle in Birdie's eye, as long as she remains this curious, excited and joyful about life... well to me that will mean everything. She already is my nobel prize, my academy award, my medal, my everything...

We're finally back home! So in other words - let the photo dump begin! It should be known that there are still a total of four unpacked suitcases in our house but writing posts with lots of pictures is waaaay more fun than unpacking so here we are!

We spent our first week in Florida with my parents in New Smyrna Beach. We've been coming here with my family since I was in middle school and then papa bear joined our gang and this year Birdie graced us with her wonderful presence. And I must note that I had a lot of anxiety regarding bringing her with us, I worried about whether or not she would like the beach, ocean, pool, etc., I worried about how she would do on the flight there, I worried about keeping her hydrated and protected from the sun, basically the list of my worries was pages long. And yet!! This kid was the perfect plane buddy (she snuggled up to me and slept the whole time), absolutely LOVED the water, sand and sun and was an absolute joy to be around. I never take this girl's easy going personality for granted and I was especially thankful for it on this trip. A part of me feels like she is going to have withdrawals this week as she got so used to spending her days in the pool or the ocean just splashing away. 

We also had no shortage of good food on this trip - from my mum's incredible homemade pico de gallo, to our favorite crab joint on the water and of course the French bakery that holds a special place in our hearts (though papa bear paid a hefty price for all that gluten later that week but that story is for another post). 

The whole week we were here I couldn't help but shake the feeling of how "circle of life-ish" the whole experience felt. I remember being just a kid frolicking in the same pool, I remember being there as a teenage and crushing on young boys, I remember the year papa bear and I were dating but he didn't come with us and I missed him like crazy, I remember the year we were there just a few weeks away from our wedding day and now here we were going on five years of marriage with a baby in tow. I had just never felt more blessed or fulfilled. 

There's nothing quite like a vacation that reminds you of all your blessings and brings it all back to what really matters. And for that I am eternally grateful!

Later this week I'll be sharing Orlando, Epcot and some family photos we took on the beach!