Friday, June 27:
We woke up absurdly early at 3:45am in order to be ready for our car to pick us at 4:30am. Once we got to the airport and through security, Emma was ready for a drink.
The flight was thankfully uneventful, because I am not a big fan of flying. Emma slept for a good amount of it and didn't seem to bothered. After take-off, we asked the stewardess for a spoon to feed Emma her breakfast. She replied that she couldn't do that until all the dinners on the plane had been purchased because they only had enough silverware to go with the dinners. Keep in mind that neither JP nor myself were ordering a meal so realistically, shouldn't there be at least 2 available spoons on the plane? And wouldn't you think she'd want to appease a hungry child as opposed to having her start to scream on the plane? Apparently not. Fortunately, a kind passenger behind us gave us his spoon before there were any temper tantrums from Emma (or me).
When we were checking into the hotel, Emma received her first goodie bag- a Westin Kids Club bag with a rubber ducky, outlet covers, and a nightlight. She loved her ducky and gave him lots of kisses throughout the vacation. The outlet covers were also handy because Emma is a very fast, military crawling diva.... The nightlight was a bust however. I turned it on when we went to bed at 11:30pm and when Emma woke up at 3am, it was pitch black in the room because the batteries had already died.
On a positive note, that was the last time Emma woke up in the night*- Woohoo!
Be sure to catch the footnote to this under the June 28 entry...
Saturday, June 28:
After carrying Emma around for a day in the sweltering Florida heat, JP and I decided we needed to leave the air conditioned hotel and hit the road in search of an umbrella stroller. We mosied up the street to the trolley station and hopped aboard to go to Ybor since we'd been told there were lots of shopping places there. Unfortunately after a stroll through the village (did I mention the sweltering heat?) we did not find an umbrella stroller but a shop owner that we met thought that would be a great item to carry. So if you're ever in Ybor and need an umbrella stroller someday, you may have more luck than we did.....
The Nanny:
JP headed off to Tyson (JP's college suitemate from Bryant College)& Marissa's wedding while I stayed back at the hotel with Emma. We arranged to have a nanny watch Emma for us during the wedding reception which was held downstairs in the hotel. At 4:50 the nanny arrived, looking a bit haggard. I asked her a little about herself and she said she had just relocated from Oregon. Of course, the first thing that popped into my skeptical mind was- why did you leave Oregon? Did you have to leave? Are you running from the law??? I know the nanny service does extensive background checks but I was leary. After being at the cocktail hour for less than 10 minutes, I raced back to the room to make sure that Emma was still there (under the guise that I'd forgotten my camera). The nanny, Ros, had already changed Emma into her jammies and was rocking her while Emma drank her bottle. They both looked right at home so I went back to the reception a little more at ease. About an hour later, I checked on them one more time and Emma was fast asleep and Ros was just watching TV. Sigh of relief- all was well.
The Wedding Reception:
Thursday, June 26:
The wedding reception was a blast! We caught up with a bunch of friends that we haven't seen in a while. And it was open bar...... How can you go wrong? The happily married couple had arranged to have a photo booth set up in the foyer next to the bar. At the beginning of the night we all thought it was a bit strange. But after a few drinks, we truly appreciated all the fun that could be had. Basically, you hop in the booth with however many friends you want and have 4 photos taken- at the beginning of the evening we just smiled pretty for the camera. As the evening progressed, the photos got more "creative"..... Then you sign the back of 2 photos that you want to leave for the bride & groom and you get to keep the other 2 as a memento. It was really fun (and a bit crazy)! I'm sure Tyson & Marissa will get many laughs out of their photo collection.
By the end of the night, all the "Bryant Wives" were drinking "Dan Specials". Dan was the bartender that Jen had asked to come up with something different for her. Well whatever it was, we all loved it and kept going back for more.
When we got back to the room, Emma woke up and was screaming for some attention. I picked her up and she desperately wanted to nurse so I let her. And she slept through the night.... I kept checking on her from 6am on and she was sleeping soundly. *I'm glad to say that she woke up very happy at 8am (and didn't seem to have a headache....) Regardless, from that point on she's been sleeping through the night. Coincidence?- I'm not sure......
Sunday, June 29:
We took our time packing up on Sunday and joined friends for breakfast. We then headed to the pool for some splash time with Emma.
The Search for an Umbrella Stroller- take 2:
On our way to Clearwater Beach, we stopped off at Target to find an umbrella stroller and they didn't have any either. Fortunately, there was a Walmart across the street but we slowly learned that getting there wasn't an easy task.... The parking lots were horribly laid out both at Target and Walmart. We kept driving down dead end access aisles trying to find our way out. It was quite comical. Eventually we made it back to the main access aisle and waited at the same light to cross the street for 4 light cycles! Walmart's lot was just as poorly laid out but thankfully, we made it there and they had an umbrella stroller with Emma's name on it. Woohoo!
Then we were finally off to Clearwater Beach.
Monday, June 30:
The Beach:
Clearwater Beach was just as beautiful as I remember it from the days when I worked at Disney and used to head west with friends on the weekends.
We rented a cabana for the day and camped out from 9:30- 3:00 enjoying the sun, the shade, and the warm ocean water. We wouldn't have minded it being a bit cooler in the water so that maybe we could have actually cooled off a bit but at least we had the shade to go back to.
Tuesday, July 1:
The Pool:
The day started off cloudy which made for a comfortable few hours by the pool. Once the sun came out full strength, JP and Emma headed back to the hotel room for a break. I enjoyed some quiet time and actually managed to read a book uniterrupted.
Wednesday, July 2:
3 Hr Plane Trip Home becomes a 6 Hr Trip:
Due to severe thunderstorms in Boston just as we were preparing to begin our descent, the pilot announced that we were being diverted to Bradley Airport in CT to sit the storm out and refuel. We spent close to 3 hrs on the ground after repeatedly hearing from the pilot that we would be leaving shortly. Emma was relatively patient through the whole thing but JP's and my arms were very tired from her insistent bouncing up and down.
Kids happy to see Emma:
By the time we made it home, the kids were already in bed but weren't yet fast asleep so JP and I excitedly went up to say hi and give them all hugs and kisses. And what did we get in return? Not a single "I Missed You" to Mommy and Daddy but rather a bunch of "Oh, I Missed Emma!", "Oh, Emma's home!", "Oh, I Love You Emma!"
Princess Emma gladly reclaimed her throne ;)
July 3:
Like we never left:
After ten minutes of being with the kids Thursday morning, all memories of our relaxing vacation were quickly washed away and it was back to life as usual.
Time to pack for our next adventure- heading to the Cape for the 4th of July
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