Memorial Day Weekend in VA Beach/NC

I finally edited my photos from our week long trip to Virginia Beach and North Carolina.  I have been very bad about photo editing and blogging recently and I actually am completely ok with it.  Here is why:
1. I have no time on the days that I work 10 hours...literally.  I guess I could post at least a picture but I only have so many of those. ;)
2. My "off" days during the week I often times have some sort of appointment (I see Linda, my midwife, every 2 weeks now and I've been going to the chiropractor).  Or I just try to get out and do something with Kayla since she tends to get a bit stir crazy with me at home.  Then when we get home for her lunch and nap, I end up eating my lunch sometimes while she is napping and I'm finding myself falling asleep on the couch while she naps as well.  Almost every day.
3. On the weekends, when I intend to blog, Justin and I have been keeping busy taking Kayla outside, to the pool, park, splash pad, etc.  And I really don't feel bad about not blogging because I am trying to enjoy my summer and last couple months as a little family of three.

Anyways, back to the point of this post.  I should have at least written it a long time ago because I don't remember all the small details about our trip, but here's the best recap I could muster. :)

Flight there:  Kayla was quite well behaved on this flight.  We had to drive and park in the cheapest economy lot, take a bus to the other economy lot to the train, and then get on the train to the terminals.  The flight was fine, no big deal besides Kayla doesn't exactly like keeping still in my lap anymore.

We spend the first few days at my in-laws in Virginia Beach.  We didn't do too much, except we went to see our friends the L's who just had there third baby...finally a little girl.  Justin was in their wedding and J was in out wedding, so it's always nice to be able to catch up with old friends and meet their brand new baby!  Despite Kayla's overnight sleep difficulties and the significantly varied sleep arrangements we had in her first year of life, Kayla has turned out to be a pretty versatile sleeper.  She napped pretty well in the pack n play at my in laws house.  She cries a little bit at first but then does surprisingly well.

Photos I took while we were outside on the deck:

Rolling and catching the ball

Slightly obsessed with cameras...probably my fault

Always on her toes :)

"It was THIS big!"

I hardly edited this one at all...sometimes I take one amazing picture in like 100 :)

Clapping

Most infectious laugh!

My sweet little girl

On Friday (3rd day there), we headed to the trailer across the boarder in North Carolina.  Kayla loves being outside so this worked out pretty well, minus I was really not feeling 100% and hating the heat with the passion of a thousand suns.  And night times here were pretty much horrendous.  Kayla was in the pack n play shoved between the end of the queen sized bed (which my in-laws kindly let us have since we have had Kayla).  First of all, the bed is on a slight angle and I had to turn around because I was so nauseous in the middle of the first night.  Second of all, every time Kayla slightly moved or turned over I could hear her and every time she woke up she cried because she knew we were right there.  The second night we tried to sleep in the bed with her but she is a wild sleeper and was all over the place.  Needless to say, I was a very cranky pregnant lady surviving on very little sleep in significant amounts of heat/humidity, who wasn't feeling all that great the whole trip.

Despite my discomfort, Kayla loved being able to be outside and everyone loved how friendly and easy going Kayla is.  I have to admit, a few times friends said to me, "So she's a pretty easy, happy baby huh?"  And I replied, "Yeah she is.  She's pretty fun to be around most of the time."  But later on in the trip, Justin and I were talking about how, yes, she was very easy and happy on the trip, but not QUITE as easy and happy as normal because of the lack of good sleep.  I guess only we would have noticed that anyways. :)

Still didn't love grass at this point.

So happy about the pool!

Snacks with my cousin

I was more than happy to let everyone else help her down the slide...a MILLION times in a row. :)

We were supposed to stay at the trailer until Memorial Day and then  head to my sister in laws for dinner, but I literally couldn't take one more night with Kayla in that trailer.  So we went back to my in laws by ourselves which was, by far, the best decision we made the entire trip.  She slept and we slept and it was glorious.

We had dinner at my sister in laws on Memorial Day and it was fun to watch Kayla with her cousin, E, all weekend.

She looks so sweet and innocent holding Lambie.

"Hi Mama"

Some photos I made Justin take of me and Kayla, since we have so few.

Tuesday, we got ready for our flight home.  Which was really the icing on the cake to not my favorite trip ever.  I was really miserable and felt really bad about it because it had nothing to do with my in laws at all.  I just felt like crap and wasn't sleeping and was having some seriously painful cramping for most of the week (so much so I went to see Linda (MW) when we got home.)  We boarded the plane on time but then sat at the gate for at least an hour while they tried to "reroute" us due to a line of storms in our path home.  Then they had to get more gas or something because the rerouting was going to be a longer distance (and therefore longer flight).  Kayla only wanted to be on my lap and I was feeling huge and uncomfortable in the tiny plane seat.  She was screaming because she didn't want to be stuck in the seat with Justin and I.  She refused to sleep (flight was at nap time) the entire flight.  Until we landed.  Literally, wheels hitting ground, Kayla asleep on my shoulder.  She slept the whole car ride home.

It was great to see our family and friends, but Justin and I were quite happy to be home.  I guess that's how it is with most vacations or trips, especially after having kids.  It's really no longer allowed to be called "vacation" in our house if the kids are coming.