So sorry about the lack of posts here for a while. We were on vacation in Jamaica for a week and had no easy access to computers. Actually, it was kind of nice to have no contact with the outside world. We didn't even turn our television on all week. We returned on Tuesday (a day later then planned....more on that later) and have been recovering ever since.
Here's the low down on the trip...
It's a gorgeous country...at least the parts of it we saw. The weather was awesome. Sunny and in the 80's the whole week. The water was toasty warm. We stayed at Beaches Resort, Negril. Negril is about an hour and a half from thr airport in Montego Bay. This was a big downer because taking that van ride with a 1 year old after corraling him the entire flight was exhausting. It did allow us to see some very lovely parts of the coast which was a good thing because we only left the resort once while we were there.
We picked this resort because of its particular emphasis on families with young children. In fact, it had a Sesame Street theme going and Collin "particpated" in many a Cookie Monster event throughout the week. There was a Kid Camp that included a nursery for Collin's age group. The staff were very well trained and completely competent. Some of them just weren't that nice to tell the truth. It kind of made it tough to appreciate the staff that were friendly and engaging....I just couldn't get past the attitude problem coming from some of them. I didn't expect this issue from the nursery staff!
As a whole though, the Jamaican people were lovely and friendly. It actually left me feeling a bit guilty because the poverty we witnessed driving into and out of the resort was awful. We knew it was there, but seeing it in person was a whole other issue. It made me sad to think of all the friendly staff probably going home to a little shack while we lounged on their beach!
As for the not so tiny tyrant's behavior...it was fickle all week long. On the good side, he slept fairly well for being in a strange crib (in the same room with us) most of the trip. On the not so good side, he was attached to our hips the whole week. He did not want to stay in the nursery one bit. I think we utilized it a grand total of 6 hours the whole week. We hired a private sitter twice. That helped a bit, but again, he was not very comfortable. Now I know he was not purposefully trying to put a downer on Mommy and Daddy's trip, but he did have that little gleam in the eye as if to say, " You will not be having any fun without me!" I think that we have entered a stage of limited travel with Collin for a while. It's simply exhausting trying to keep up with him on unfamiliar turf! Now that he is walking like a pro he wants to explore every nook and cranny. He loved going in the ocean and riding the lazy river with his Dad. The pool...not so much.
Anyway, there's a lot more to tell, including the trip home from hell. I'd love to post some pics, but blogger is NOT cooperating!
