I really don't even want to look at the photos from our trip. It was so much fun, but so is December in general and I'm getting into the holiday spirit. This makes it hard for my brain to wrap around lovely warm Hawaii! I didn't take my camera with me much, but here are a few shots, and some things I want to remember.
-It was sunny and warm and lovely... and that didn't mean I got to hang out on the beach and relax! Ha! More like the opposite. Tuesday wanted to explore and dig and get wet. I wish I could have some how recorded her little laugh when I held her by both hands and dangled her feet in a wave. She loved to feel the pull of the water going back out and would have happily been carried away if I let her.
-Diaper free! I was all about what was best for Tuesday when deciding to do Elimination Communication and cloth diapering, but I'm not going to lie having her be reliably diaper free by this trip was a big goal. Last year half my suitcase was diapers! She's 23 months and has been in undies full time since 18 months. She prefers a little potty seat reducer on the toilet but will go on any potty if she has to. Only a couple little night time misses, but no biggie with the waterproof pad I brought for her playpen.
-The last of her baby chub. Seeing her in swimsuits really brought home how skinny and tall she is getting. Much more little girl than baby. Though I still call her baby, so she calls all babies AND toddlers babies, including Chloe.
-Speaking of names she thought Carmen's was "mommy" since she calls me "mama". The four girls would go out together and Tutu would call for her mama and mommy to come over to her or look at this. Totally adorable!
-4.5 months as an age gap is quickly becoming a mute point. Chloe can keep up with Tuesday and then some! She's about the same size (just a little shorter), and is full time on the potty too. It was great to see Tuesday with a playmate all the time. They were crazy funny together, running up and down the halls of the hotel. There was some hitting and fighting; which I've never had to deal with before and hope I handled well.
-The train! Or really any train! We could here this little steam train from our hotel. It goes so slow you could easily keep up by jogging next to it. Tuesday could have ridden all day long.
-She didn't need to be entertained and there really wasn't a whole lot to see on the short ride. I'd love to know what she was thinking. She did point out animals, cars, trees, and the water to me.
-We went on this together again later, a mama daughter date, to a little nearby town. We walked around and had lunch overlooking the ocean. I only had a tiny purse with me. I imagine it was the first of many similar adventure's thrown together at a moments notice with my girl.
-If we weren't talking about trains then we were talking about hula! We happened upon a free hula show at the shopping center by our hotel out walking one evening. She loved it and was seriously entranced. That sealed the deal and we decided to take her to a real luau. For three hours she sat and watched the dancers. She even wanted to be held by one after the show (and felt up her coconut covered breast, hilarious!). We bought her a little hula doll we call Teetee, and it's big around here.
-A great trip with great friends. Probably the only downside was gaining five pound before Christmas so I like slightly pregnant... and I am not! But who can resist those Caramacs? Who?!?!?!
-I would also like to point out the whiteness of Tuesday and I... it IS possible to go to Hawaii and not get tan/burnt. We found some great coral friendly/free of all the yucky stuff sunscreen at our local health food store. People kept thinking it was our first day because we were so white, ha! Take that skin cancer!