November 2010 – The things that grow in my garden…

St Bart’s

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

Today we saw St Bart’s, which is still part of France. The street signs
are European, the prices in Euros, and lots of Peugot and Renau cars. I
noticed that even the door handles to stores are the European Level types.
It was very beautiful, turquoise sea, yacht’s, and beautiful houses perched on forested hillsides. Just gorgeous. We tendered in, and walked a bit around town. We went to a bookstore first and bought a lovely children’s book (in French). As we continued however, it became clear that this was a high end boutique type of place. R has been desperate for a new pair of flip flops and we heard all about it as we searched for some. We did find some cute hello kitty ones, alas they were missing one
of the pair. We finally found a pair, and to my relief, they were on
sale. This is one expensive Island. The town was not large, so it
didn’t take us long to explore. J fell asleep as we walked back (in the
hip carrier). After lunch, we did the usual, R to the kids club, us to
nap. Daddy went and got her soon after and they went to the pool. J and
I explored the wonders of the laundry room. They have nice machines.
Vacation laundry is different than laundry at home. Here lights and darks
are all mixed up, as you just want to do one load. For some reason I
forgot to pack any skirts for R. So she has a few pairs of shorts and dresses. She has complained however that shorts are hot, and wished she
had some skirts. I should have guessed that dresses are only worn in the
evenings now.
She is off to the kids club again now, and J is sleeping already. He is
definitely teething, he woke up every few hours last night when his
Tylenol wore off. He is also back to lots of drool, and lots of fingers
in his mouth. Tonight at dinner a gentleman came over and complimented
us on how well behaved our kids were. Proud parent moment 🙂 Tomorrow is Dominica, and we’ll see what that holds.

Here are the pictures
This is the view of St Bart’s from the tender ship as we approached.

Here is a view from the island

Did I mention how European this island is?? Check out the cars!

One of the stores we went in had this sign posted just outside the door…Nice eh?? In fact my child was unattended in the store, briefly only, but as I was reading this sign!

The Christmas decorations…well they just felt odd. It seemed so out of place to see snowmen, snowflakes and Santa Clause in 30 degree weather.

And a classier display at a jewellery store.

J fell asleep in the carrier on the way back to the ship.

Our waiter surprised us with some beautiful origami at supper.

San Juan

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

The kids did not sleep so well, and so we didn’t either. That’s the
trouble will everyone in one room. J was sort of waking up periodically
making noises, but then settling down. If he had been in his room at home
everything would have been fine. Anyways. After breakfast R decided
that she did not want to walk around town with us, she’d rather stay in
the kids club. Sigh. I wanted her to see the super cool fort and the
old city, but did I really want to drag a reluctant 6 year old along??
Nope. So she went to the kids club, J got in the hip carrier and we set
off. We waited for a while for a Trolley that was supposed to take us
around the old city, (it was free) but it took forever to come. You
should know that from the pier to the fort was a huge change in elevation, so we wanted a ride up, and to walk back. We walked up a short ways, then found a taxi. The traffic into the old city was jammed up. The driver was very crusty about this, and complained that when they put up the
Christmas lights, they shut down whole streets. Anyways. He went the
L-O-N-G way around and we finally arrived at Castillo de San Felipe del Morro.
We had been to this fortification before, I think on our first cruise. It
was just as beautiful. Gorgeous views of the island and the lower fort.
I have tons of pictures of course. We spent some time here exploring.
I must say my fear of heights is alive and well. Even with walls that are
6 feet deep, I still feel that awful jumpy feeling in my stomach when I get close to the edge. Coupled with that is a little light headedness.
Daddy and J went tromping around, while I was more cautious.
After exploring the casillo, we walked back through old San Juan to the ship. They are spending a lot of money restoring all the buildings. Most I’d say have had a facelift. But we did come across 2 where the inside structure had been torn down, and just the façade remained. I got some
cool pictures of the sky through these window frames. We popped into a
few shops “The best souvenier shop in San Juan” didn’t really live up to its name. We did however find 2 stores selling art by local artists. We bought a small piece of pottery. By this time it was getting quite hot,
and I was anxious to get back to R. We walked back, noting that the
“Westerdam” was berthed beside us (the Maasdam). We took the Westerdam on its 2nd sea voyage back in 2004 for our 10th anniversary. Fond memories!
Once back we went right for the Lido and cold water. It turns out R already had lunch in the kids club and was not interested in watching us eat. She told us to come back for her after lunch….so much for needing to
be worried about her. The afternoon she spent in the pool, and J had a
nice long nap. Late afternoon on the pool deck I talked to the mother of
M, a little girl she loves being with. It turns out her husband is the doctor on board! (I saw him our first day of the cruise for pink eye,
which is thankfully gone, and no one else got). They live in Vancouver,
but are originally from South Africa. I must say I like these smaller ships with fewer kids. R finds it easy enough to make friends, and since there are not that many kids, she seems to get to know these kids better and loves playing with them.
At supper we were once again entertained by the string quartet in the balcony above us. Both of the kids enjoyed the music. R recognized many of the songs (from Carmen, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, the Sugar plum fairy from the Nutcracker) I am proud to say. We clapped enthusiastically for
them. After as usual R went to the kids club and I went back to the room
to put J to bed. I just hear the engines starting now, we are due to leave in a few minutes.
UPDATE: here are some pictures

Daddy (with J) went down this huge staircase to the lower level. I didn’t want to do that with my knee. Here is a view from the bottom.

So while they were down below, I found some super cool look out spots from above that gave me some spectacular shots. Here you can see the cannon runs clearly.

After exploring the castle, we walked back to the ship through the streets of Old San Juan.

Day at Sea

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

It’s a good thing. In each elevator is a floor mat. Not remarkable you say, quite common in fact. The neat thing is that it has the day of the week on it, and it gets changed daily. Very helpful to those of us in
vacation lala land. So I know today was Sunday, instead of just a day at
sea. The kids were up early as usual. After breakfast R went to the
kids club, and I took J. Daddy had had a bad night, with a runny nose, so he went back to the cabin for a nap. J and I went to the Explorer’s lounge, where we found a super comfy couch. I got all his toys out, and he played beside me while I did a jigsaw puzzle. It was a really nice set up with a low leather couch on one side, a big square table, and more
chairs around it. He was happy there for about an hour. Then he got
restless, so we moved so a nice couch just off the hallway. He practiced standing here, and sitting, and turning pages in his book. At one point he yawned, so I rocked him to sleep. One woman came by (obviously missing her grandkids) and said she’d like a turn holding him too! I just smiled.
No way lady, I’m not handing my sleeping child over to you! But she ment well.
J woke up after about 30 minutes, and we went to get daddy, then R from the kids club. Next we had a dip in the pool before lunch. Well, I should say daddy and I sat on the edge of the pool, and J was with us, R
was the only one right in the water. They set up this ‘Mongolian Grill’
on the pool deck for lunch. Basically you pile your plate high with all sorts of veggies and cooked meats, and they stir fry it for you on this
big grill. Nice. There was also sliced mango at the buffet, sushi,
devilled eggs, a frightfully good Caesar salad, well you get the picture.
We ate on the pool deck. It was very windy, but delightful none the
less. J got lots of attention as he always seems to do here. R is
somewhat jealous, but then someone tells her how much they liked her dancing, or her braids and she is mollified.
I put J down for a nap and listened to my audiobook. He slept for a
whopping 2 hours and 15 minutes! Unheard of. We wandered around a bit then went back to the pool. Oh, during our wandering we went by the photo
studio. The photographer stopped me, and told me J was famous already.
Sure enough there were super cute portraits of J and R, both prominently
displayed. Later in the evening, I heard a woman in the elevator say
“oh, there is the baby from the photo studio!”. Yup, famous all right.
Supper was great as always, and after R went to the kids club. Well, I should say she BEGGED us to go to the kids club. I patiently explained
that the kids that stay up late are also the kids that sleep in. Kids
like her who are wired to get up early need to get to bed early. She was NOT happy to hear that, and promised to sleep in until 11am if only we let
her go! Well we’ll likely pay for it, but she went for a while. There
are 22 kids on the ship between the ages of 3 and 17, and she knows pretty much all of them. One of her little friends is even from London Ontario.
Tomorrow is San Juan and we’ll see what new adventures that brings.

Bahamas

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

The night went fairly well. J had a small crying jag, but settled down
with a drink of water. Once again we were up early, and walking down the
hallway to breakfast at 7:30. Yup, I can hardly believe it myself. I am usually dragging myself out of bed then!! What a difference sun and being on vacation makes!

We set off for the pier and our Glass bottom boat tour. The guide
assured us it was only an 8 minute walk, but that must be like Island time or something, as it was more like 20 minutes. R was hot, and complained about it! How quickly we forget that our summer was pretty much the same temp! (27 degrees). The boat was interesting, although the coral reef and fish on the bottom only entertained R for a little while. J was also not that interested, but that was likely due to the fact that he wanted cheerios and water.
Upon returning to the dock I popped into a few stores, found some postcards, and R a “girls rule” shirt. Yup, that was the t-shirt she
picked out, of course it was purple-blue tie dye to boot. She then
decided she’d like her hair braided. We found a nice lady and proceeded
to the “Official Hair Braiding Pavillion”. R managed to sit still, and
got her hair done. I wandered off on a mission for stamps. While she
sat still for the hair braiding she dictated postcards to daddy. For
those of you who get them, this is why it is in daddy’s handwriting. R
loves her braids. Actually I think she likes the fact that they make
noise when she walks the most. She is constantly jumping up and down to
show us how much they jangle!
Back on board, we cooled off in the Lido and had lunch. After R and
daddy went swimming, I tried to nap J, but he had other ideas. We went
to try to learn how to play steel drums, but were late, and alas there
were no drums for us. Perhaps they’ll repeat that session. R went to
the kids club for a while, she already has a good friend there. Daddy J
and I had some ‘floor’ time on the sports deck. We got the kids bathed
and ready for dinner (Formal night) and actually left the room about 30
minutes early for dinner! Since it was formal night there were
photographers scattered around, and they took some picture of us. Dinner
went very well, we’ve had several people compliment us on how well our kids are behaved! (Proud parent moment!) After dinner daddy put J to bed and R and I went to the lounge for her to read to me, and me to read to her. Now they are both asleep, and I’m
heading there soon too. We have a restful day at sea tomorrow!

Embarkation

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

Well I woke up at 6:56 to a beautiful beach sunrise. I hadn’t even heard the kids. Albert had taken R into the other room so I hadn’t heard a thing.
We were all showered and ready to go at 7:58! Unheard of, I know. It helps when you go to bed at 9pm!

So after a bountious breakfast, we were off the the pool. It was still overcast, and windy. Warm though, and the pool was heated, so daddy and R were toasty. After the swim we walked down a few blocks. I popped into the drug store, and R and daddy went to the beach across from the store. I came out a few minutes later and lone behold the sun was out. We headed back and took a shuttle to the ship. Boarding was uneventful, and we went right to lunch. They have these nice highchairs, wooden with a small tray, but the best part is that they sit up really high, so J is almost level with our heads. I think he really liked it.
We got to our room, and while daddy and R went swimming, J had a little nap while I did the domestic unpacking. For those of you who have cruised, you know how small those state rooms are. Everything really needs to get put away. There was plenty of storage, so I squirreled everything away. When they came back we all went to the kids club to check it out. There are 22 kids on board apparently. Very nice staff,we spent some time in there. Then it was time for our lifeboat drill. Thankfully they no longer make you wear your life jacket to and during the drill. Safety hazzard, go figure. I thought this on the previous cruises as hardly anyone actually does up the life jacket, so there are dragging/dangling straps everywhere. Anyways. R freaked at the 7 blasts of the whistle, and surprisingly J didn’t!
Supper was good, R complained about her head hurting. The ship started moving, and my head felt swimmy too. By the end of the meal she was better. I should mention supper was very delicious, I had linguini with pancetta, daddy had veal. Our room wasn’t quite ready so we went to the pool deck where they were playing music. R got up on this raised/gazeebo thing and started dancing. It was great. Other people love her! Now all is finally quiet, and both kids are sleeping. I’ll head there myself soon. I’ll try to find an internet connection tomorrow so I can type on my laptop and include pics. Yes, I have typed both of these updates on a blackberry!

Day 1 – to Miami

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

Well. We got to the airport with some time to spare, and check-in, customs and security all went well. We got some food and drinks on the other side and waited to board. Once on the airplane, I realized what a different plane ride this would be. J was in the seat beside me while things got settled, and he immediatley turned and tried to pull himself up on the armrest. (Up until now he hasn’t been moving at all, read our website for updates). The little stinker wouldn’t just plain sit, had to be moving all around…while it is great to see, it is also not as convenient!!

Other thank squirmi-ness, our flight was uneventful. Arrving in Miami things also went smoothly until we tried to get a taxi. I am astonished at the rudeness of some Americans!! Anyways. We finally got a taxi and got to our hotel. We are staying at a nice hotel, right across the street from the beach, and for some reason got upgraded to a suite with a huge balcony overlooking the beach. Wow. 2 bathrooms, and the one is just HUGE! It also has a nice kitchen, granite counters, stainless steel appliances. I’m a little sad it is only for one night!! We decided to try the Thanksgiving buffet. It was pretty good. The turkey was good, the gravy super good. They had yummy beets and goat cheese, and R ate a bowl of muscles and crab legs. J ate pretty much everything, but really liked the butternut squash soup. From where we sat we could see the pool, beautiful, lots of palm trees, hot tubs, and a ocean view which I’m looking forward to seeing in the morning. J and I did some tummy time therapy while daddy and R hit the pool. I am so amazed at J’s progress. A week ago today was our initial consultation/session, and today he is moving from sitting to crawling position, back to a sit, from belly to crawling position, can pivot 360 on his belly, and has learned to go from sitting to standing you have to bend your legs! Oh, and also from lying down to sitting up. Quite the list I know, but a week ago he was doing NONE of these things!
Anyways. The kids are asleep,and I may just have to head to bed soon too. I want to pack a bunch of things in tomorrow morning before we transfer to the ship!

Things that don’t so much grow in my garden

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

I am really pathetic at keeping my houseplants alive. In the old days, when I still worked out of the home for money, I had glorious plants at my desk. A huge swiss cheese plant, orchids, devil’s ivy etc. Now as I survey the last few surviors at home, I feel nothing but pitty for them. They are crunchy, brown and limp all at the same time. Poor plants.

Just have to brag a bit…

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

So J and I were at the physio again today. J showed her what he had practiced, and she said she had never seen so much improvement in a week! And I (being all mommy-braggy like) pointed out that it had only been 5 days, not even a week! Yah. He’s a smart cookie. He Bmmmmed, complained and cried his way through the hour, very annoyed with us for making him work. However, he was quite proud to show off his skills at home. The therapist told me to lower the crib today, so that is what we did tonight. And you know, just to prove he’s ready to move and go, he crawled to the end of the bath tub, and dragged down a piggy facecloth that was hanging on the faucet. Freaked me right out, and just emphasized how VERY much I need to watch him now!!
Still, i couldn’t be prouder.

Our homework is paying off already

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

Well, J has been doing his homework, even though he complains about it at times! I have noticed some improvements already. He has moved back to sitting from crawling position already a few times on his own! I should really take a little movie of this, as it likely doesn’t make much sense to you. Anyways I guess the whole point of homework is to get confident and see improvements!

Beautiful kids

Posted by ahechtenns On F j, Y

I have beautiful kids, inside and out. I love them dearly. I feel so blessed.