Greetings from the Aloha State!
Life here is pretty good as we just came home from a family weekend together. We often are asked, "Where do people who live in Hawaii go on vacation?" Well, the answer is Hawaii, of course. J
Because the house continues to be a disaster, causing never-ending drama, we took the weekend off. Mainly, we needed some family time together after many spare moments being spent on "Honey Do" lists rather than actually enjoying each other. Also, the reality of Mike's impending departure played a factor, too.
In an effort to relax, we checked into the Kahala Resort. It is located past Waikiki and sits on the famous Waialae Golf Course, home to the Sony Open. A feature of the resort includes its Dolphin Quest program. While we did not spend the $300 per person per ˝ hour to swim with the dolphins, we did have a room that overlooked the dolphin's swimming area, so we enjoyed a private show. In addition to dolphins, which Declan talked to in his newly found high-pitched voice, we saw many fish, a turtle and a stingray up close.
Because the tourism numbers are so bad here, we got a great rate on our stay. We were thrilled with that, but even more please to discover a free buffet breakfast each day, free valet parking and a luxurious beach towel to boot! It was like we hit the jackpot. The room contained a spa tub and stand-up shower, and they also provided us with a full-sized baby crib for Declan. Oh, did I mention the mountain view that was lit up with hundreds of lights from the houses and the waterfall that provided the best white noise? Declan behaved pretty well for most of our well-timed meals – well timed in that we ate right after he did, so he was at his happiest.
The only bad part of the weekend involved a new parenting faux pas. We thought we were doing everything right - hat, sunglasses, sunblock, etc.; but, the sun must have penetrated the palm fronds during his nap. We even picked the chair up twice to make sure he was in the shade. The poor little guy received a sunburn. We moved him under an umbrella shortly after. Ugh!! We could not have predicted that it would happen with all of the precautions and cloud cover.
Declan is doing well and working on the art of sitting. His hands (and feet) are still tasty, and now there is no fumbling to get his thumb in his mouth. His movements are quite deliberate. The jumper toy is his favorite, especially when encouraged with chants of "jump, jump, jump." The most perplexing event of late was "swimming" for the first time at the Kahala in the keiki (kids) pool. He did not grasp the cause and effect nature of splashing the water and getting his face soaked. His bath tub does not offer the same splashing range. However, he did seem to enjoy being pulled through the water.
We are enjoying time with Mike before he leaves for a few short and then his very long trip. It looks as if he will begin his executive officer (XO) tour on his new submarine earlier than planned.
I have taken the first few steps in hanging out my own law shingle and doing some immigration work. We'll see how that goes. Playing the role of mom is my number one time commitment right now, but I do need some professional stimuli to continue on as a human being.
Apologies again for my delay in returning emails. I am not as good as I used to be. Declan is a gift and a joy, but he is really high maintenance and high energy, requiring constant attention and stimulation.
Just think, spring is around the corner! For us it means a return to warmer weather and hopefully seeing the sun. For many others, the end to a really cold winter with lots of snow. Hang in there!
All our love…
Posted at 10:02 pm by jillwardo
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