february wrap-up

Well, it's been a week and a half since our return from Clearwater, FL... for better or worse, it was an adventure! But we survived. :-) Poor LO came down with a cold (thanks to yours truly, who was just getting over one before we left), and to make matters worse, it was cold and windy! The biggest disappointment was that after driving almost an hour away from our hotel to Tampa's Busch Gardens, paying 12 bucks for parking and waiting in line for almost 20 minutes, we were told at the admissions counter that LO was too young to go on the safari (our main reason for taking him), and to add insult to injury, the kiddie stuff was SHUT DOWN until spring... we ended up spending the nicest day of our trip indoors (and LO's first day of finally feeling himself somewhat) at a nearby aquarium. LO didn't even realize what he was missing and thoroughly enjoyed the aquarium that day, even having been to a different aquarium the other day - once he was feeling better, he was cool to just go with the flow. LO was such a trooper throughout the 5-day insanity (and he was completely awesome during the flights), and it had little pockets of loveliness that we'll always remember... it was his very first time to see the ocean, and oh my, did he LOVE that powdery Gulf sand!

In other news: LO is now sleeping in a big boy bed! He did wonderfully in transitioning, starting with the nap first, then overnight. Honestly, we couldn't have asked for this whole transition to go any more smoothly, knock on wood! And even though he can get in and out of the bed on his own (with his stepstool), in the mornings and after naps he still waits patiently in bed for one of us to come in to greet him before he will get out. I'm sure it's still a psychological thing carried over from being confined in a crib, and I'm wondering how long that will last, but for now I am glad! Our little boy is growing up!! *sniff*

Completely changing gears, I found the coolest camera bag from Jo Totes via Design Mom's blog - and she's holding a giveaway that ends tonight... just thinking about how I didn't take our DSLR on our vacation because I didn't want to consider the camera bag one of my carry-ons, this tote would've been the answer, as you can not only carry your camera and lens(es), but also the (pared-down) contents of your handbag. Very cool (though wondering if that thin cross-body strap would've ended up digging into my neck at some point during the trip) - I like the idea of carrying the DSLR with me more often... I've got a 20-year high-school reunion coming up this summer that I was thinking about lugging the "big camera" to, and I have no interest in carrying around the camera bag and a handbag. So add "acquisition of very cool camera tote" to my "To Do Before Reunion" list which as of right now includes "turning back the ravages of 20 years on my face" and "losing 40 pounds in 4 months". See, completely feasible!

Finally, I leave you with this sweet, goofy little face: