It's Better In The Bahamas

Giggling as the tide come in and goes out.

Having a blast with Daddy in the pool.

Concentrating on filling the dump truck on the beach.

Morning sand play.

Vacation with Roo was the best. Her teacher even said last week that she has been so much better with her tantrums since we got back. The poor kid just needed a little attention. Boy did she get it, from everyone.

From the second we landed she tried to capture the attention of everyone she ran into. From the guys in the steel band, to the people in customs, to the concierge at the hotel, she kept up her job as chief entertainer. I was actually surprised by how many people enjoyed her. I guess I thought that most people find little blonde toddlers annoying, but apparently in the Bahamas everyone has a little bit more patience.

Most mornings we had the same routine. Roo would get up around 7 and the three of us would watch cartoons and eat cheerios in bed for a bit. Then we'd get ready for our day. Most days we started at the beach. We were usually out there by 8:30 and it was pretty quiet. The hotel had a "private" beach, not very big but perfect for us and it was right on Nassau harbor. We could even see all the cruise ships come in every couple of days. Roo liked watching them and of course every time they left she would wave bye-bye.

The first order of business for Roo was stopping by to get towels and say hello to the lifeguards. They LOVED her. Every morning it was "Good morning Reagan!" and as they handed us our towels she would always politely say "tank yoo". Next order of business was securing the good beach toys. We brought some of our own, but Roo liked to also grab some of the hotel's dump trucks. Then we'd head down to the water to dig in the sand a bit. She really liked it and it was so much more fun for me than visiting the beach last year where I spent most of my time saying "sand is not for eating." This year she actually played, dug, raked and tried to build stuff. Two things she didn't like--my occasional attempt at burying her and standing in the water when the tide went out. The water was a little cold, but she liked wandering into it a little bit. It would splash up around her ankles and knees and as the water would go out, her little feet would sink into the sand. She didn't like it. She couldn't figure out was going on and would grab onto whoever was closest whining "no, no, no, no, no."

After the beach we would clean up and hit the pool. Daddy was the designated pool entertainer. She loved everything about it, jumping, spinning, blowing bubble and sitting on the ledge waving at all the people around her. A nice family even offered us some swimmies, but she didn't like that much. After some swimming we'd have lunch poolside, then it would be upstairs for a nap. After nap time we'd either swim some more or go exploring in town.

Every time we went walking around town people stopped to talk to her. Even at her worst (for example, a ridiculous temper tantrum at dinner), everyone smiled and complimented her. One night in a desperate attempt to find a place other than the hotel to eat, we ended up at Senor Frogs. It was great for us (loud enough so that no one could hear her scream if she decided to) and entertaining for her (plenty of people watching, things to play with and a little dancing on the dance floor with Daddy).

Finally, by about 7-8 PM we'd all head home exhausted. Roo had a tough time getting to sleep (and staying asleep) most nights, but ended up doing pretty well. Some bedtimes were tougher than others. We'd arrive back to our floor, Roo and I would go out to the balcony to say "nite-nite" to the ocean, boats, birds, trees and lizards, then head to the room for a bath and whatever bedtime routine we could accomplish. Once she was out, Kerry and I would watch movies.

More Roo Bahama Baby stories to come.