Summer Vacation has Come and Gone

Kris, Jonah and I just returned from summer vacation oceanfront for a week at Topsail Island. I am sad to see this week end but happy to be home. My how things have changed since last year at this time. Jonah was not even three months old, I was preparing to go back to work and trying to adjust to life with a baby. It was a different kind of vacation last year. Jonah could not be out in the sun a lot, Kris and I were trying to get him on a schedule and sleeping through the night.

This year was a lot more familiar. Jonah was Great!! All of us had a great time watch him play with his two cousins, Grady (4) and Barret (will be 2 in October). Barret was like a big brother. Jonah watched his every move and tried to copy him. I think they bonded at Max's pizza last night when both high chairs were set up next to each other. The beach house was filled with pitter patter, laughs, giggles and lots of chatter.

To all of those who are planning a trip to the beach with a one year old, a beach chair will not be needed. Jonah had us on the move the whole week. However, there were a couple of things that would keep him occupied for a long period of time (more than 5 minutes). Gigi and Papa, Kris's parents, had a baby pool to be used at the beach. Jonah loved the pool. I liked it too because it was a great place to wash the sand off of Jonah any time I needed. All of the boys would play in the pool and it offered the adults and cool place to take a nap. Jonah has no fear when it comes to the ocean. The minute you said, "Let's go to the beach" he would take off down the pier. Once on the beach, it was off to the water. This is a good thing and bad thing. Kris and I never took our eyes off of him in order to keep him safe.

I enjoyed spending the week with my little boy. It seems like in just one week his vocabulary has tripled. Here is the vocabulary: Mama, Dada, All done, bird, ball, shoes, uh oh, etc. Kris and I have been using sign language with Jonah since he was three months old. All of the hard work is finally paying off. He walked up to my dad on the beach and was signing milk because he was thirsty. I think Jonah has taught our family many different signs this week such as, milk, eat and more. While we were there I worked on Please and Thank You. It is amazing how quickly he now picks up new signs. He was already using please this afternoon and was starting to use Thank You at the end of the week. It is refreshing to be able to communicate with my son even though his vocabulary is limited. It eliminates a lot of frustration on his end and our end. I highly recommend it.

If I were to compare vacation this year and vacation last year, I would have to say this year did not seem as chaotic. I came into this week with the correct expectations. I knew what I needed to do (Feed Jonah breakfast, time for Jonah's nap, Jonah is thirsty). This helped the week to be more relaxing that last year. I am glad Dana finally got her voice back. It was nice to spend more time with Dee Dee and Troy. I hope Grady feels better soon. Spending vacation with my mom and dad made me realize how much I love them even more. Jayme is always fun to hang around for a week. The boys were so nice to Jonah. Jimmy and Gayle, you never disappoint when cooking breakfast. Until next year everyone! Pictures will be posted soon.