Note to Self:

A trip to the beach with a 7 month old may nor may NOT qualify as a "vacation". We left Sunday for a few days of "rest and relaxation" at the beach. We knew we would be traveling with a lot more "stuff" than normal. Our condo was on the beach to help with hauling all our supplies back and forth. We were prepared. We'd purchased a tent and plenty of sunblock. We were READY.

You're looking at these pictures and thinking how sweet..she looks so happy. But pictures can be deceiving. I only posted the happy photos. How come none of you mentioned to me that babies typically don't like the beach???? Or that babies typically don't do well when you move them to a new environment for a few days? Monday morning we were up bright and early. We had to give EK 2 bottles during the night Sunday night. We haven't done that since she was 2 months old! But to spare our neighbors the screaming fits, we gave in. We thought she'd take a good nap and we could head down to the beach. We thought wrong. No nap. By 11, we gave up, and went to the beach with NO nap. A mistake? Yes, probably. But we're new at this. After screaming for an hour, she napped on the beach. B suggested we call the sitter and ask her to drive down...immediately. Ella Kate didn't like the sand, the waves, or the heat. As soon as we took her in, she was fine. Tuesday was slightly better. I was a little more "organized" as we trecked to the beach. She played in the sand for a little while. The water was good as long as the waves didn't crash into us. She still didn't love it, but she was improving. Even though, it was the most exhausting "vacation" I have ever taken, it was fun and I'm glad we took her. I just hope she likes it better next year.