2nd Half.

With much effort, I was able to get a family picture on each day of our Maui trip, which means I succeeded in my 1st February resolution. My 2nd resolution was to complete a photo album of our trip before the month was over.

The album is now created, ordered, and soon-to-be shipped to our doorstep, thanks to our Mac. It will be a black hardcover, with a book jacket. I'm super pumped to see how it turns out, because if it lives up to my expectations, this online way of making photo albums just might become my newest addiction.

On The Mend?

Rhys had a much better night last night. It started off rocky, so I was worried, but he ended up going the entire night without needing a bottle or Tylenol. Just a few 'soothie rescues'.

Now...I just need to ignore the sore, scratchy feeling I'm getting in MY throat...

New Parent Milestone.

Warren & I have reached a new parent milestone that we're anxious to leave in the past. We have a sick baby.

I've heard all my mom friends talk and write about the times their kids have been sick, and I knew it would be miserable. But it's hard to imagine what it will really be like, until it happens to your baby.

Rhys' cold started off as a somewhat 'cute' stuffy nose. A few sniffles that we chalked up to teething. But tiny little sniffles didn't last long. They quickly developed into a full on head cold, and four days in he's now sporting a wicked smokers cough on top of it all.

Just imagine all the symptoms we as adults have when we have a head cold & cough. Tired, red, droopy, watery eyes. Eyes that look like they've been crying for hours. A clear stream of snot running out of both nostrils, some crusties lingering on the tip of your nose that dried there while you slept. A forceful, hoarse cough that sounds like something scraping at your lungs from the inside out. Now imagine all those full-size, grown up symptoms packed into a tiny little 18 pound body. It's PAINFUL to watch. Painful to listen to. Painful to know we are doing every thing we can to make him comfortable, and it's barely enough. Saline spray, nasal aspirator, baby Tylenol, humidifier at full blast (his room is like a tropical rain forest), pillow under his mattress to elevate his head ever so slightly, nighttime bottles of warm milk as Rhys tries desperately to keep his eyes open long enough for us to soothe him. He has even dozed off on the change table, out of pure exhaustion.

I know people say sick babies are more 'snuggly', but I wouldn't call it a 'good' snuggly. It's a restless snuggle, mixed with cries of anxiety, booger bubbles and sneezes. It's a snuggle that says 'I want so desperately to sleep...to BREATHE...and even mommy can't help me". WOW. Just writing that makes me tear up.

A trip to the Public Health Nurse 'drop-in' this morning, and we now figure he's mostly likely got a really nasty viral infection that's going around (probably what Warren had when we left on holiday). The nurse said it can last weeks and weeks. So, if I have plans with you in the near future, I may need to bail.

Sweet baby Rhys, get better soon. Mom and Dad love you...

For Gramma Patsy

My mom hasn't seen Rhys for a week now, and she's going through some major Rhys withdrawal. She's sick with a really bad head cold, so in lieu of a visit, Rhys wanted to make a video for her.

This video is intended for Gramma Patsy's enjoyment, but it also showcases the New Improved Cuteness that we like to call: Rhys SITTING.

Rhys, 7 months old:

If the video looks cut off (is supposed to be widescreen, click here: RhysHiGramma

Aloha & Mahalo

Goodbye & Thank-you, Maui!

(Editor's Note: You may have looked at this picture and thought to yourself..."Geez, Warren looks kind of odd in this pic". Well, that's because I altered the photo. This was taken on our last day. We were tired. Pair that with some poor lighting, and Warren had some dark circles under his eyes. He hates photos of himself at the best of times, so I attempted to 'fix' the photo by removing his dark circles. I showed him the result, without telling him I had altered it, and asked him 'Do you see anything weird about this picture?". His reply?

Warren: I look like a Chinese Joan Rivers! You gave me a really bad face lift!

I *nearly* peed my pants. )

The Forgotten One

When I'm stressed by packing for a big trip, someone always tries to console me by saying 'Don't worry, as long you have your passport, everything else you forget you can buy at your destination'. I used to believe that to be true, until I left CEDRIC at home. Oh, poor little Cedric. You'll be the first item I pack on our next trip, I promise.

Day 11 of our trip was a slightly more ambitious day. Before coming to Maui, Warren & I chose one thing that was really important to us to get the chance to do on this holiday. My 'thing' was that I wanted the opportunity to lay by the pool and suntan & relax (read: sans baby). I'm easy to please, I guess. Warren's 'thing' was that he really wanted to get up before dawn and drive up a volcano to watch the sunrise from ABOVE the clouds (hmm...slightly more difficult to please...). Obviously, this was something I would have loved to do too, but after much discussion we both decided it wouldn't be fair to Rhys to wake him at 4am, pack him into the car, drive up a windy, dangerous road to watch the sun rise from the freezing peak of a volcano. Not what we considered a child friendly activity.

So Thursday morning, Warren, Rob & Tiff woke up really early and headed off to the volcano, while I stayed at the condo with Rhys. Rhys slept in a little that morning (6:15am! Yes, in Maui, that was sleeping in...), and went back for a nap at 7am. That gave me the chance to blog a bit, and to enjoy our gorgeous view and the ocean breeze (which I miss very much):

As the morning hours ticked away I was beginning to feel sorry for myself. The gang was off having an adventure, and I was stuck at the condo. So I strapped Rhys into the Baby Hawk carrier and we went for a walk to find some Kona Coffee. Rhys got lots of 'Ohhs' and 'Ahhs' from passers by, which always warms my heart:

By the time we arrived back at the condo, Warren was home. The trip was totally worth it, he said, but he was glad we didn't bring Rhys. He said there was a family with a baby up on the volcano, and they were totally stressed out and had the baby wrapped and bundled in quilts from their hotel. Warren said it was cooooold up there. He also said the twisty road would have made me sick. But these photos tell me one thing is for sure...we will be taking Rhys back to Maui some day, so that he can watch the mighty sun rise up, while standing above the clouds:

After the gang had a quick nap, we jumped back into the van and headed south, to the sunny shores of Wailea. It was gorgeous there. We took lots of video, but the only photo we took in Wailea was Resolution Pic #11:

That night, we all cooked steaks on the ocean front BBQs, watched Survivor Heroes Vs Villains, and ate some All American Pie (half apple, half cherry!).

Our last full day in Maui was ambitious and full and lovely.

Holiday Recap: Rhys Edition

Today is Valentine's Day, and also Rhys' 7 month anniversary. Our baby had some firsts on our family trip to Maui, so this post is to document them.

He had his first time in a pool, and his first time 'splashing' the water:

He saw fish & the ocean for the first time. He said da-da, ma-ma and na-na lots on the trip (da-da & na-na were new). It seemed liked he was responding to his name, which was new. He can now sit up on his own really well. He sucked on his toes. He has started 'banging' things together. He slept in the same room as Warren & I for the first time since he was 8 weeks old. He ate mushed up banana for the first time.

He flew on an airplane for the first time:

He sat in a non-bucket carseat for the first time. He fed himself crackers for the first time (Baby Mum Mums):

He was a complete rockstar on this trip, in every sense of the word. He did so well being 'off schedule' and out & about all day. He adapted to his new sleeping space quickly. He was super easy going when we ate out at restaurants. He was amazing on the plane (slept for 5 hours on the plane home!). He's a little traveller now. Warren and I always joked that we would have one kid and become 'The Globe Trotting Trio'. This trip was our first step in the right direction! We survived. He survived. We had fun. He had fun. The saying 'I need home for a rest' was very true in Rhys' case. I think he was awake for all of 2 hours the day we got home. That boy needed some serious Z's after that adventure.

More recap posts to come (including our last 2 family pics), but I'm SO TIRED!

So, later gater.

McDicken

I am amazed that I can be on one of the most secluded islands in the world, and still have internet access. Seriously, the Hawaiian Islands are in the MIDDLE of the ocean, not just a few miles off shore. We're halfway to China out here!

Some pics from day 10 of our trip...

Rhys, having a party in his stroller, laughing at nothing. Sometimes I think he knows something we all do not:

Random stroller cuteness that shows off his big eyes:

If Rhys could talk, he'd be saying "Kay, Mama. I'm done with all these adventures. A baby can only handle so much!":

I'm posting this pic for Warren. He really likes this photo of me, and he was very proud of the exposure in it - he thought it was the perfect light:

At the end of day, before dropping off Gramma Patsy at the airport, we stumbled into the AIO valley and caught the sunset, which brings us to Resolution Pic #10:

The title of this post, "McDicken" is an inside joke between Warren & I. You kinda had to be there. As we were driving along the highway we saw a chicken in the ditch beside the road.

Amanda: Hey look, there's a chicken in the ditch!

Warren: It must be a Ditch Chicken.

Amanda: Or, you could call it a Dicken!

Warren: Mmmm...I'm in the mood for a Dicken sandwich.

Amanda: A McDicken sandwich?

See? You had to be there.

The Sea Was Angry That Day, My Friends

Our visit to Maui landed smack dab in the middle of the whale season, and we're told this is one of the best whale seasons in decades. Knowing this, a whale watching boat ride was at the top of our list of things we wanted to do while we were here. Originally we planned to go separately - my mom & I on one trip, and Warren, Rob & Tiff on another. But when we were booking it the guy told us that people bring kids on board all the time so we were extra excited knowing we'd all be going together.

We had it planned to a tee. Warren would carry Rhys on his back in the Baby Hawk carrier. I would be on video camera duty, and Warren would have the zoom lens, ready to capture the money shot of a breach whale. We made sure to have all our equipment charged up to the max the night before. We were set.

Once we finally got Rhys into the Baby Hawk (it's a bit of an art form to put that thing on, and we're not very practiced at it) he fell asleep:

As we boarded, a crew member snapped a souvenir photo of our little group. This photo captured our excitement for the adventure ahead:

Once the boat left shore, things began to sour. First, the captain announced over the loud speaker that anyone with children had to remain seated, holding the child. What?! We didn't know what the rules were for the baby carrier so Warren stood up to ask a crew member. As soon as he stood up and realised how unsteady he was walking, he knew the answer before he asked. It was totally unsafe to walk around the boat with a baby, even if he's attached securely to you. So our plan was to find a safe seat on the upper, open-air deck and take turns holding Rhys while the other stood up to look for whales and take photos. 45 seconds up there and I began to feel 'off'. So back down to the lower 'inside' deck we went. And there is where it hit me full force. SEA SICKNESS. And we'd only been on the water for 5 minutes. This was a 2 hour whale watching tour. Warren said the colour left my face and looked drunk. A crew member approached me and asked me if I was feeling alright. 'Not really' I replied. 'I didn't think so' she said. So she suggested I go to the back of the boat, stare at the land mass and she brought me some ginger ale:

My sickness got to the point where I could barely look up. I was sitting at a table with my face in my arms, focusing on breathing deeply. I couldn't have cared less about seeing a stupid whale, at that point. I just wanted to be back on land. So, Warren sat across from me, holding Rhys, watching me deteriorate and listening to the tour guide describe the beautiful mom and calve who where swimming around the bow of the boat, not being able to snap a single photo (or watch it at all for that matter).

We looked around and my mom was dry heaving out the window, and Rob was sitting with the his head between his knees. The only one enjoying the trip was Tiffany, who is very intelligent and took Gravol before we left!

SO, whale watching was a complete BUST. We laughed about it afterwards. Warren thought the entire situation was pure comedy and he kept saying 'this will be great for your blog!'. I suppose there is that.

Later on we found a secluded beach and went for a quick walk (that is where we took the family portrait).


And another Gramma Patsy outtake...Rhys spitting up and her looking a little grossed out at the whole thing:

We're all hoping today pans out a bit better!

Resolution Pic, Day #9

Oh, today was a day. A day to write about. BUT, no energy right now, so another time.

For now, Resolution Pic #9:

Worst. Family Portrait. Ever.

For some reason my 'family picture' resolution is very hard to keep! Today we had big plans for the photo, then time got away from us and it never happened. Minutes after putting Rhys to bed I realized we hadn't taken a family portrait at all today. So we ran upstairs and snapped a self portrait into Rhys' crib (sorry little man!). I couldn't figure out which of these terrible photos was the 'better' one, so I'm posting both. Rhys is barely visible in both of them. Either my hair is covering his face, or his Paddington bear mobile is...

This morning we took some photos of Rhys in his Hawaiian outfit.

Then, an outtake...Gramma Patsy 'spitting' at Rhys (in an attempt to make him laugh or smile), and him looking...happy about it:

Finally! Pictures of the Sea Turtles at our condos:



More fun with the wide angle lens:

To top of this post, Gramma Patsy got this great shot of Rhys smiling in his sleep. I wonder what he's dreaming about? :

5:10am

Maui is 3 hours behind Calgary time, and Mr.Rhys' internal clock is still on Calgary time. He's waking up around 5 -5:30am in the morning out here. I think these pics show pretty clearly why we can forgive him for being an early riser:

Some more early morning whale watching. These were two males showing off for a lady by splashing their tails in the water:

Warren's wide angle lens takes some funky pictures:

Finally, resolution pic, Day #7: