Last week, Nick took the week off from work and we took our first family vacation. While we were supposed to go to Nantucket, our transportation plans got goofed up and we ended up staying in the Cape at my mom’s place in Dennis.
This probably led a more relaxing week, logistically. No ferry, less town traffic, cheaper dining options and free babysitting at night!
We bought an off roading beach sticker for our wrangler and were able to drive out with all our baby gear instead of carry it all from a parking lot. This made the process a lot easier. Crowes Pasture, the ORV beach was closed the first part of the summer due to endangered birds nesting. We lucked out that it opened up at the start of our vacation week.
Now that Tommy is full on crawling, he would not stay under the tent so we needed to put up a little play pen for the little guy. My sister handed down her Summer Infant play yard to me. He hates being in this thing indoors but could play in it by himself for hours outside for whatever reason! We just put in the shade with some toys and he had the best time ever trying to pull himself up.
Tommy also loves the ocean but hates wearing his sun hat unfortunately.
We bought him a couple of iPlay bathing suits with built-in diapers and they were so much better than the swim diapers we used the first few times! We were cautious not to put it on before getting to the beach or before his “daily movement.” As a result, we never had any number 2 accidents at the beach. I used Honest and Babyganics sunscreen in addition to the built in sun block clothing. We washed them after every use though so that may get annoying for some people.
If we weren’t in the water though, he was always in the shade.
As a mom, I learned that it’s very easy to forget things when you are paying so much attention to a little person. I love these sunglasses that I got at the NSale and yep, I lost them day 5 of vacay. I also kept forgetting to put sunscreen on myself. I loved using this All Good sunscreen butter on my face and body. It’s nice to keep in my purse too since it’s so small.
Ok, so before I was a mom, I witnessed many parents going home for nap time. I always wondered why the kiddos couldn’t fall asleep at the beach. I now realize that we are VERY lucky to have a baby that loves to sleep on his dad. When we noticed Tommy getting tired, Nick would take him for a walk and BAM, he would fall asleep. It was seriously a miracle. 
Tommy would not nap on me, just Nick. I saw other kids napping in car seats which worked for us in the beginning. I also saw bassinets and pack and plays at the beach. He was such a good sleeper that we would get to the beach between 12 and 1:30 pm and stay until 5pm. Only twice we got the beach early and were still able to stay until about 4:30 pm.
Now that he’s 7 months old, Tommy was drinking a couple of ounces of water from his sippy cup. Nick and I packed our lunches most days.
The biggest difference with having a baby on our vacation were our boring nights and early mornings. We’d get up around 7 am, and take turns who would get to sleep in. I’d take Tommy for runs in the jogging stroller or workout with him in the play yard when it was my turn.
He really loves being outside.
At night, we went out to dinner a couple of times after Tommy had gone to sleep. Staying with family gave us built-in free babysitting which we took advantage of but were always home by 11.
I would have loved to go out and have late night drinks but unfortunately Tommy dictates the alarm clock and staying up late on vacation no longer means you get to sleep in. I’m also still nursing so I can’t really have more than a couple of glasses of wine.
I worked out about 4 out of the 7 days of vacation. I had lots of ice cream and drinks. The splurges made me thirsty for green juice and a good salad back home.
The last day ended with what could have been a nightmare. Tommy was playing in the playpen with an 8 year girl when a bee landed underneath his armpit and he put his arm down. Poor guy got stung through his shirt. I didn’t see it and immediately rushed to his side. He was inconsolably at first. We rushed down to the ocean and put his arm in the salt water. He didn’t stop crying until I realized I should nurse him like they say in the doctor’s office after a shot.
He didn’t have an immediate allergic reaction but I called the pediatrician anyway. They said to watch his breathing and look for swelling. It was 3:30 pm at this point on Sunday, so we packed up and left the beach in case he did show signs. He ended up being totally fine and was a real trooper. We didn’t give him any medicine or use topical ointment because I’m scared of everything.
Our first family vacation was a success. I think had we not been able to stay with family or have our own car, it would have been a lot more work. We are very lucky, not only to have a place to go but also to have a baby who didn’t mind spending 7+ hours at the beach some days.
