Emma's first vacation

Due a minor technological glitch, we won't be able to share any of Grandma & Grandpa's pictures...we'll have to enjoy those the old fashioned way, printed on photo paper. But we've still got plenty of goodies to post, so away we go!

Emma's first airplane flight went great. She stayed awake the entire time, mostly checking out the surroundings and playing peekaboo with Grandpa. Because we managed to scoot onto an earlier flight and board as soon as we got to the gate, Mommy was unprepared and didn't manage to get a picture on the plane. This one was taken on the flight home, which went just as well.
Since we got into Sarasota so early on Friday, we had some time to pass before we could check into the hotel. We stopped at Crescent Beach on Siesta Key so that Emma could see the beach and the Gulf. I thought she'd be afraid of the moving water, but she actually seemed to enjoy it. We couldn't play much, since we were still in our street clothes, but she did get to dip her feet in the water and dig her toes in the sand a bit.

We spent a low-key Friday evening over at Pam & Flip's house, where Emma had fun getting to know them and keeping a lookout for the kitties.

Saturday morning, Emma went swimming for the first time ever. She had a ball, and was not happy when we had to get out and go inside! I think we are going to have quite a little fish on our hands as she gets older. Saturday afternoon at Pam & Flip's house was a bit more hectic than Friday, as the girls all celebrated at Katie's baby shower while the boys all went out bowling. Emma was on her best behavior all day, being passed around to a bunch of people she'd never met before and playing with a whole new batch of kids she'd never seen before. She barely put up a fuss, even though she never got an afternoon nap. (We all hope for Katie's sake that baby Ashley follows her example!) No pictures of the mom-to-be with Emma due to the glitch mentioned above, but we all had a very nice time at the baby shower and the cookout afterwards. Emma finally crashed around 7:00, and she was done for the night.

All in all, she was a fantastic traveling companion. Her only problem was not being able to sleep through the night, which I can understand, since she was not in her house, her room, or even her own pack & play. Other than that, she did great. I know Grandma & Grandpa Hill enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with her, and I think she enjoyed getting to spend time with them too. Grandpa seems to be her favorite peekaboo buddy!