Our First Family Vacation!

Hola!  We just returned from our first family trip to Riviera Maya, Mexico!  It's hard to know where to start when describing such an amazing week...so I figured I'd just give the whole breakdown, pictures and all.

Flight: Of course, this is what we were the most nervous about.  Gavin had never been on a plane before, so we figured his reaction would be somewhere between four hours of screaming and four hours of sleeping.  Thank goodness, we seem to have a great flyer on our hands.  He was an ANGEL on both flights.  On the way to Mexico, he fell asleep during take-off, was woken up by a rude flight attendant (I literally had steam coming out of my ears), and then fell back asleep until landing.  On the way home to Cincinnati, we had about fifteen minutes of fussiness before he fell asleep FOR THE REST OF THE FLIGHT.  It was bliss.  We got through customs with no issues (formula and all), Gavin got his first stamp in his passport, and we were free to enjoy a beautiful week.

Ready for take-off in his captain onesie!

Hotel: We stayed at the Barcelo Maya Palace Deluxe, an all-inclusive about an hour away from the airport.  This was our first family-friendly all-inclusive, so we didn't really know what to expect, but the resort was AMAZING.  The rooms were a nice size and had a separate area to put Gavin's pack-n-play, so he slept like a champ (the other thing we were really nervous about).  The only issue was that our room was near the first-floor elevators, so we heard all the drunk people stumbling back to their rooms at 3:00 am (and vowed to give them a piece of our minds if they woke the baby up).  The resort was half-occupied at best, so we never felt crowded and never had to wake up early to jockey for good spots by the pool/beach.  Most importantly, though, the staff members were OBSESSED with Gavin.  They all wanted to touch and hold him and we were never made to feel like we were a nuisance when Gavin would squeal or push food on the floor, even in the nicer restaurants.  Our baby was treated like royalty.  He made lots of new baby friends and loved all of the attention.  We've always said that trying new resorts in Mexico makes it feel as though it's a new destination every time (and we had talked about going to the Iberostar next time)...but I would definitely return to the Barcelo Maya again.

Pool/Beach: This is where the Barcelo Maya really impressed me.  I've been to Mexico six times, at four different resorts, and this pool was BY FAR the best I've ever been to.  It was enormous, with a swim-up bar and several different alcoves to play in.  There were massage jets, waterfalls, bubble pools...Gavin was in heaven.  The resort also had an entire waterpark for kids!  Gavin was a little too small to play in it very much, but he enjoyed the baby slides.  There were lots of places to sit both in the sun and under the shade, along with lounge chairs in the pool.  The beach was wonderful as well -- nice sand, beautiful water, not too much seaweed.  We didn't spend much time by the ocean (because Gavin kept eating the sand), but we took daily walks and let Gavin splash around when the water was calm enough.

Entertainment: Obviously, with a 10-month old in tow, Stephen and I spent a majority of our time swimming, taking walks, and playing with Gavin, though we did manage to get some shopping in.  My parents (more on them later) were ridiculously sweet to give us a few hours of "us" time here and there throughout the week, though.  On one of the more beautiful days, Stephen was even able to go jet-skiing!  We had every intention of getting a couples massage on the beach while we were there -- but with such a happy, excited little baby, we decided we'd rather spend time pushing him around the pool.

Food: We mostly ate at the buffet restaurants because they were waaaaay easier with a baby, especially one who decided on this trip that he's had it with purees and wants the real deal from now on.  Gavin literally couldn't get enough to eat -- bread, chicken, fruit, cheese, anything he could get his hands on.  He'd scream if you got the spoon full of pureed anything near his mouth, and scream if you didn't get real food within his reach quickly enough.  We did eat at a few of the specialty restaurants and really loved the Italian and Lobster places.  Lobster, mmm... 

The Travelers: We were beyond blessed to have my parents travel with us on this vacation.  Not only did they help us maneuver around the airport and on the plane, but my dad spent a majority of his time taking Gavin around the pool while Stephen and I were able to float around and chat, and my mom took over a few of Gavin's afternoon naps so that we could stay outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.  They were so generous, and it was obvious that Gavin LOVED having his grandparents with him on his first big vacation.  We were especially excited to celebrate Mom's birthday while in Mexico! 

I honestly don't think this trip could've gone any better.  We slept well, we ate well, we had a blast during the day, we had great company...  I went into this trip wondering if a vacation with a 10-month old still counted as a vacation.  About mid-way through the week, I was already planning our next trip.  It was so fun to see Gavin splashing around, completely enthralled by the sights, sounds, and people of Riviera Maya.  It's always good to be back home (our jet-lagged baby slept twelve hours last night and has been down for his nap for almost four hours this afternoon) -- but as vacations go, this one was pretty top-notch.

The loves of my life!

A little Loveland Trail photo shoot!

...more fun playing with my new 85mm lens, at one of our favorite places!  We are LOVING this gorgeous weather.

This kid's faces crack me up!

I could not love this photo more.

Alli turns ONE!

We had a GREAT afternoon celebrating the first birthday of Gavin's little girlfriend, Alli!  It was a gorgeous day outside, but more importantly, our little munchkin had so much fun playing with Alli and all of her baby friends.  It was literally too much cuteness for one backyard.

Happy birthday, Alli!  We met you when you were barely three months old -- how quickly this year has flown!  We've loved watching you grow and can't wait to see what this year brings for you and your wonderful Mommy and Daddy.

Gavin had so much fun in the bouncy castle!  I thought he'd be too small for it...shows how much I know!

Weeeeeeee!

After some prompting, Alli DEFINITELY succeeded in a proper cake smash!

Alli and her Mommy have been huge sources of support for us this year!  It was so fun to CELEBRATE Amanda and Matt making it through ONE YEAR of parenthood!

Nine Months

Nine months is a fairly big milestone.

Gavin has now been outside with us as long as he was inside.  (Though, if he'd had his way, chances are likely he'd still be inside -- our stubborn little boy needed pitocin, forceps, and three hours of pushing to come join us!)

41 weeks pregnant and SO ANXIOUS to meet Gavin

Before the party began...

Just minutes old

The phrase, "It took nine months to put the baby weight on, so give yourself nine months to take it off," now applies.  (My pre-pregnancy clothes fit -- thank goodness -- but this nine month deadline has definitely been looming over my head.)

We have had enough time to hit our stride as parents, factor in how a baby affects our schedules and budget, introduce Gavin to a substantial amount of friends and family, and grow in our marriage.

In the past nine months, Gavin has put on over twelve pounds, grown almost a foot, popped eight teeth, learned to crawl and cruise, started to (finally) sleep through the night with some consistency, and has charmed every person who crossed his path with those cutie pie dimples.  He has learned to wave hello and bye bye, saying "ba ba" as he does so, and has figured out how to put food in his own mouth.  He knows how to tell us when he wants something (a lovely high-pitched shriek) and also when he doesn't (by pushing whatever it is away from him).  He is precious and hysterical and has personality for miles.  

He has made Stephen and I love him, and each other, in such a way that I oftentimes find myself overwhelmed by the enormity of my love is for this little family.

It takes a village to raise a child, and I am proud to be part of the village that has been blessed with the joy of raising Gavin.  It has been the most challenging, most rewarding, most life-altering, most exciting, most tiring, and HAPPIEST nine months of my life.