Hawaii

Aloha!  We are home!!!

Casey's Grandma took the three of us, and Casey's Mom, to Hawaii for a 7-day cruise around the islands.  What a trip!  We did so much in the week that we were gone, every day was an 8-10 hour adventure.  Lucy did GREAT!  She was so well-behaved and everyone absolutely loved her. 

We flew to Honolulu on Saturday and sailed to Maui, Hilo, Kona, Kauai. 

Rather than ramble on and on, I'll leave you with some pictures (Casey took over a thousand!)...

Maui

Our state room

Lulu LOVED the mirror behind our bed

Road to Hana, the most gorgeous and looongest scenic drive

Lava Beach

Maui Ocean Center

Hilo

Rainbow Park (that is a lava tube under the waterfall!)

Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Plantation

Volcano National Park

An active vent - Eeek!

At the Orchid Farm

Kona

View from our state room

Kona Coffee Plantation

Sampling the World's Best Coffee

At the beach!  (that's our ship in the background)

Kauai

Waimea Canyon - The Grand Canyon of Hawaii

Lulu's twin sister new baby friend, Reese

At the Fern Grotto

Ferns grow upside down above this lava tube

TTFN, Lovlies!

Adios!

Sayonara! 

Later, Alligator!

You're leaving us?!

Not to worry, darlings!  I've lined up some of the best Mommy Bloggers the blogosphere has to offer to keep y'all entertained for the next week.



Try not to miss me too much!  ;-) 

The Littlest Camper

Casey's Dictionary 

camping(Verb)

1. Live for a time in a tent or camper, sans bathroom or electricity, when on vacation.

2. Take part in "real" camping activities, including hiking, fishing, and canoeing. 

Taylor's Dictionary 

camping(Verb)

1. Live for a time in a tent or camper, with bathrooms (complete with flush toilets and showers) and electric, when on vacation.

2. Explore the nearest tourist attractions, including shopping, restaurants, and the occasional historic landmark.

As you can see, our definitions differ quite a bit.  Casey likes to be manly, dirty, and active; and I like to be clean and only moderately active.

No bother, we still LOVE to camp.  And so will our kids.  When I say our kids will abide by my definition, I mean, we will always be in an RV park or campground with facilities and (usually) electricity.  I do NOT pee behind a bush.  I have done so one other time in my life, when I was a Girl Scout, nonetheless, and that was not my proudest moment.

Anywho...Call us cheap vacationers, call us outdoorsy.  This past weekend was one of the best, most relaxing weekends we've had in a long, long while.  We didn't venture far from home, just 45 minutes east of Fountain Thrills, to Payson.  Yet we managed to encounter several hiccups right off the bat.  Soon our $20 vacation blossomed into a $200 vacation... 

Hiccup #1:  We no sooner began setting up camp, when we realized our tent was missing some vital pieces...the support frames.  A quick trip to Wal-Mart, and we had a new tent, air mattress, stakes, flash light and beef jerky.  

Hiccup #2:  We bought this wonderfully large and luxurious air mattress, under the impression that it came with an air pump and battery, only to find out that the battery was sold separately.  A quick trip to the Dollar Tree and we had an inflated air mattress.

All jokes aside, we had a great time.  We were able to unwind and escape the run-around that is our home life.  We slept in, we cuddled, we acted silly and spent time as a family.  And it gave me a chance to appreciate the Phoenix climate for once (yes, the girl that hates Arizona), when I had to breastfeed Goosey Girl in a hoodie sweatshirt.

So how was it camping with a 6 month old?  Pretty damn easy.  We used disposables (and had a blowout...), because Momma Goose didn't wash the diapers in time.  We packed for the worst - hot/cold, blowouts, drooling, etc.  We didn't bother bringing the stroller, and I wore Lulu whenever we ventured out.  And she entertained herself, briefly, while we set up the tent.

Maybe it's because we were only gone the one night, but it was really no harder than being home.  I look forward to the first time we have to give Goosey a bath or feed her something other than boobs while "roughing it".

I cannot wait to go camping again - we're hoping to start going every other weekend or so!   Here are some pictures from our glorious weekend...

Happy Goose, all bundled up!

Co-sleeping while camping, no exceptions!

Tonto National Forest

Tonto Fish Hatchery

Wearing my Goosey Girl!

Getting in touch with my inner Pocahontas, breastfeeding under a Weeping Willow Tree

Walking around with Daddy

Piggy back from Daddy in the park

Gone Camping...

Casey and I are campers.

Family camping trips were a big part of both our childhoods - even though our definition of "camping" differs quite a bit. 

We don't go as often as we like, but hopefully that's something we can remedy now that the weather is starting to break.  The plan is to ultimately raise a pack of Baby Shelton campers.  (and they will undoubtedly abide by MY definition of camping!)  And we're starting with Lulu.

So we've gone camping.  Just the three of us.  Just for the night.  No lap tops, minimal cell phone reception...just us, in a tent, surrounded by nature. 


It's a weekend of firsts for us!  First time camping with Goose.  First time feeding Goose solids.  You can look forward to those posts and a belated birthday post next week! 

Traveling Back East, Part II: Diapering, Breastfeeding, and Family

I assume most cloth diapering families use disposable diapers when traveling.  We didn't have much of a choice on the matter.  Casey and I are, what I like to call, lazy cloth diaperers.  Meaning, we require a diaper sprayer and all-in-one cloth dipes to be successful.  (we still love prefolds, we just love all-in-ones more).  Bringing the diaper sprayer across the country was not an option, and I knew the all-in-ones would never dry in the Connecticut humidity. 

Let me tell ya, we missed our fluff!  In a matter of 7 days we had two poopy blowouts and three leaks.  Believe me when I say this was not user error - I know how to diaper my Goose.  One of the blowouts occurred while walking around Time Square in New York City.  That was fun.  Since our car was parked a few blocks away, I got to wait in the ladies room with (a very unhappy) Goose for twenty some minutes, while Casey ran to get a new outfit. 

One positive note, though, I was finally able to pinch Goosey's bum!  Usually her tush is so buried under cloth that I can't do that.  Heehee.

If I can make one recommendation for those planning to travel with little babes, consider transferring your diaper bag essentials into a smaller diaper bag for times when you'll be doing a lot of walking.  You don't want to lug around any extra weight.  Baby wearing in NYC was quite the workout!  I can't imagine throwing a full size diaper bag into the mix.

Overall, diapering was interesting on this trip.  Breastfeeding was even more so.

I breastfed in some of the weirdest, most public places you can think of:  Carmine's restaurant, seaside in Essex, and the Intrepid (just to name a few).  While breastfeeding at the Intrepid, a female employee came into the restroom and had this conversation with me:

Lady:  Is there a woman breastfeeding in here?

Me:  Yes...(thinking I was about to get kicked out of the family restroom)...

Lady:  Can I get you a chair?

Me:  No, thank you, I'm good!

Lady:  Are you sure?  Its no problem!

Me:  Really, I'm fine!  Thank you...

Lady:  Alright then, well God bless you!  That's terrific to see such a dedicated nursing mother!

Say it with me, folks, "A.W.K.W.A.R.D."  There was probably twenty or thirty other women in the restroom at the time.  The place was mobbed, more than usual, because we arrived just in time for Fleet Week. 

Anyways... moving on...I also created a new breastfeeding position!  Casey likes to call it "The Boob Dangler".  We started out by pulling over every time Lucy got hungry, but that became tedious.  So tedious, in fact, my mom yelled back, "Why don't you just dangle your boob in her mouth?!"  Pffffff bahhhahaha! 

I laughed for about thirty seconds, and then I did just that.  I got on all fours, bent over the car seat, and stuck my boob in her mouth.  I know, I know....I am SUCH an inspiration to breastfeeding mothers around the world.  HAHA.  Just try to imagine this balancing act while driving amongst all those crazies on the Jersey Turnpike.  It turned out to be a *huge* time saver; it was uncomfortable for me, but Lucy didn't seem to mind one bit!

Fortunately, all this hassle was well worth it in the end.  Lucy got to meet her great grandma, great aunts, great uncles, and even some cousins (firsts and seconds)!  Here's a few photos from our trip:

 Strolling through Seaport Village

 Lunch at Carmine's

 Meeting Great Grandma

 The whole gang seaside in Essex, CT

Goosey's new sun hat!!!

 Family photo at Lyman's Orchard

 Four generations:  Lucy, Momma, Nona, Great Grandma

 All the ladies (on my Mom's side)!

 Goosey and Momma

Group photo (with my dad's side)

Traveling Back East, Part I: Packing, Flying, and the Car Seat

Let me start by saying, packing for this trip was a nightmare.

I'm a list person; I require an itemized list to complete almost all tasks:  grocery shopping, household chores, miscellaneous to-do's, PACKING.  I admit, this behavior is a tad OCD.  Prior to embarking on this great journey, I googled four separate infant packing lists.  They were all pretty similar, BUT I had to be sure.  There seemed to be this recurring theme of packing doubles: two outfits per day, two sleepers per day, two hats, two this, two that.  All this makes for a suitcase twice the size of acceptable carry on luggage. 

I eventually decided that packing that much for one little, tiny baby girl was just plain insanity.  And so, we planned to wash clothes a couple of times while staying at my aunt's house (thanks Auntie Judy!).  In the end, it was the perfect solution; I recommend doing this if you're staying with family or friends.

Here's a pic of alllllll the stuff we packed for Goose (not including disposable diapers and diapering supplies):

Naturally, all this packing fun took place at the absolute last minute.  I literally zipped up our suitcases, and we headed out the door for the airport.

My mom made all the travel arrangements, and she so brilliantly chose a red eye flight to Connecticut.  That's right mom, I just called you brilliant - you're welcome.  Goose fell asleep on the drive to the airport, and stayed asleep through most of security.  Apparently just one, short month ago the FAA decided babies must be removed from carriers of all kinds (including the Moby).  Naturally, Lucy woke up, and stayed awake through boarding.

Goose was a perfect angel walking through the airport.  When we got to our gate, she was ready to eat, but we wanted her to hold off until take off (the swallowing helps babies ears adjust).  The six of us took turns trying to bounce her and distract her, but ultimately, papa bear had to request that she and I pre-board, so that I could start feeding her.

Once in flight, Lucy drifted in and out of sleep.  I had a hard time figuring out how to position her, because she hates being cradled.  At one point I was burping her over my shoulder and she fell asleep within seconds.  For those who plan to travel with their babies, keep that sleeping position in mind!


The flight was surprisingly short, less than five hours!  We landed in Newark around 6 AM local time, and headed to the rental car pick up.  Our chariot for the week was a sexy 2011 Dodge Caravan.  Casey and I loved it!  We hope to get one in the next year or so.  It was SO roomy, and perfect for large families - eventually we hope to be a large family!

My one complaint, completely unrelated to the van, was the car seat we rented.  When we found out there were car seats available for rental, we were ecstatic.  Who actually wants to lug a car seat across the country?  We assumed that the rental company would provide a good quality car seat, considering the liabilities...  Well, we assumed wrong.  The car seat we received was pretty damn ghetto, to say the least.  The handle had been ripped off, there was no head support for Goose, and the strap used to tighten the harness wasn't working properly.  So...for those traveling with babies, bring your own car seat!!!  It is worth the hassle. 

 Despite all this, Goose had no problem getting cozy!

Stay tuned for Traveling Back East,Part II:  Diapering, Breastfeeding, and Family!