Kauai

I have to say that travel is one of the biggest changes that happens when children enter the picture. We went on our first vacation with Lyla this past week, and while it was a lot of fun, I now need a vacation from my vacation :)

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai on Poipu Beach on the south shore, and our six days and five nights were pretty enjoyable. It's a beautiful resort that's romantic as well as baby-friendly.

Of course I was stressed about traveling with Lyla for the first time, and my packing began several days in advance of our trip. The amount of gear you have to bring is pretty daunting! Luckily Hyatt hotels have a service where you can order diapers, wipes, baby food, etc to be delivered to your hotel for you, and I totally took advantage of this. We would have had to bring an extra suitcase just for diapers! We also had access to coin laundry on the premesis which was was a big help.

The flight from San Francisco to Kauai is about 5 1/2 hours, and we didn't know how Lyla would react. We held her on our laps and I nursed her during takeoff and landing to help with the ear pressure. I even gave her some infant Tylenol on the trip there, although that seemed to be unnecessary. The pressure didn't seem to bother her; she was sleeping during takeoff coming home and it didn't phase her a bit. Though I'm not going to lie, she nursed for a lot of both flights.

This trip came courtesy of Ray's company, the event for the high achievers and Purple Label Society for 2010. Besides two dinners and a sponsored activity (read: spa!!) we did as we pleased.

Last year we went to Napa on the PLS trip, and just like before we got some great swag including Tshirts, cookies, backpacks, and an iPod nano.

My brother Chris joined us for a little of his own vacation, making it much more fun for me. It was great to spend some time with him, and for him to get quality time with Lyla, his niece and goddaughter.

Lyla dipped her toes in sand for the first time, and spent a little time in the pool.

The majority of our time was spent in a cabana by the pool. I was so paranoid about protecting her skin that I neglected my own sunscreen the first day and got a little pink. Her skin was unscathed, and we had some good times listening to Laurie Berkner Band on my iPhone and changing diapers every time she went in the water.

Dinnertime was after she went to bed. Two out of three nights she slept right through, but this one dinner on a balcony was a problem because she howled periodically through the meal. My arm is dragging her stroller back and forth in these pictures!

The time change was the biggest hurdle we faced with Lyla. Hawaii is 3 hours behind California so by the time we arrived at our hotel she was exhausted and a massive meltdown ensued. She went to bed at a decent time for Hawaii but very late for home.

(this is the face of a super tired baby who is sweetly trying to put on a good show)

She was up twice that first night but it could have been a lot worse. She did manage to nap by the pool several times during our trip, in the stroller and on a lounge chair.

I tented the stroller with my nursing cover- more use than it's ever gotten. It was good for naps and for playing, when she was overstimulated by all the sights and sounds.

We could have requested a crib in our room but in the interest of space and practicality Lyla slept in a big arm chair with the cushions removed and her own cushion that we brought from home.

When she woke in the early hours I'd bring her in our bed to nurse and a few times she did fall back to sleep. The turtle floaty we bought was maybe more of a hit with us than we with Lyla, but we'll get some good use out of it in the next two years.

It didn't occur to me in advance that she'd need to be changed after every pool dip, but she did! Not because she was dirty (she actually only had one dirty change after the pool and it was all contained thank you very much) but because they get waterlogged! Oh man, you can see the capacity those things can hold after you put a baby in a pool.

Thank you Grandma Carroll for the sun hat! She wore it every day.

Little piggy toes peeping out during a nap.

We had a great time, but it was certainly different from taking vacations just the two of us! We're rethinking our plans to travel this summer, and may just do a long weekend locally in the Monterey/Carmel area to give ourselves a break!