Our adventures in Hawaii continue!  We have spent the first half of our trip so far just relaxing and being pretty low key.  We switched it up from the pool to the beach…

Where we have seen humpback whales mating and playing in the water each day.  It is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen, and I can’t believe how close they get to the shore!

The water here is absolutely beautiful.  Clear water with rocky and coral bottoms – perfect for snorkeling and exploring.  I might rent some snorkel gear from the pool area to go explore some of it today or tomorrow.

There are some big leaning trees toward the back of the beach that provided us with the perfect amount of shade.  It’s funny that I used to go on vacation and bake in the sun all day.  Looking at me on this trip, you’d never know I have spent most of the day outside!  SPF 50 for everyone, and that’s a change that is most definitely for the better. 

I’m kind of a psycho about making sure Cullen stays covered and out of the sun, and I’ve loved having his little sunglasses and sunhat to keep his head nice and cool.  Born in Seattle in October, he’s never felt anything quite like this!  His little swim trunks and swim diapers just kill me. 

After a few unsuccessful tries in the pool, we decided to give it another go yesterday.  We found one of the smaller pools seemed to be a bit warmer, and Cullen cautiously let us put him the whole way in!

Turns out we have a little shark on our hands!  He discovered that the water is actually really fun, and we both laughed hysterically watching him splash and play.  He didn’t even mind all the water in his face, and he kept kicking his pudgy little legs.

Even though he won’t remember any of this, I know it was a moment Casey and I will hold onto for a long time.  Every one of his “firsts”  is special, and all of these vacation firsts have been so fun to watch.  I took a few videos too, so that I can show them to him when he is 15 and hates me.

Once our little fish had had enough of the water, we headed back to dry off and get ready for a beach walk.  Cullen was due for a good snooze, so Casey strapped him on and we covered him with a light blanket to avoid the sun.  Life doesn’t get much better than a gorgeous walk on the beach with your husband, who has your sleeping baby on his chest. 

We walked all the way to the end of the Ka’anapali beach, and back.  When we first planned this trip I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea.  Originally Casey’s parents were going to come with us to help with Cullen, and when they had to cancel I considered that we just cancel the whole thing since it would be too hard.  Now that we are here, I’m so glad we came.

Every day of parenting brings new lessons and new surprises, and traveling 7 hours over the ocean together has taught me a lot about our family and what we can do.  Even though he tells me I’m a great mom all the time, I think spending a week of round the clock time with Cullen has also given Casey a new appreciation for my role as a stay at home mom.  :)

Our trip has been a nice mix of fun play time with Cullen at the beach and the pool, and some quiet alone time with Casey during beach walks and in the evenings.  Life feels really good.

We walked back along the beach boardwalk…

And eventually made our way back to the Honua Kai. 

In the evenings, we’ve made dinner and relaxed in the room while Cullen has happily played on a blanket.  Big discovery of the week?  His FEET!

And once he goes to bed, we get to cuddle up and eat dinner together and just relax.  Another room-cooked meal – taco night with tofu, beans, avocado, brown rice, and salsa on corn tortillas.

Eaten on the couch while we watched the movie In Time (which I thought was really good!).  Not sure what today will bring, but the sun is shining so we are heading out!

PS – For any moms or expecting moms, don’t miss my Babble giveaway for Charlie Banana swim diapers (open until Friday!). 

Aloha!  We have arrived in paradise.  Friday was our first day here, but was mostly taken up with traveling hours and hours over the ocean.  Cullen was a total champ over the 8 hours of flying time, and many passengers afterward complimented us on how good and quiet he was.  Such a relief!

As soon as we touched down on the island, vacation mode began.

Saturday morning we had our first meal at Duke’s Beach House – a Hawaiian breakfast full of delicious fruits.

Including steel cut oats topped with brown sugar and mango – delicious!

Enjoyed while taking in one of the most beautiful views…

We are staying in a resort in the Kaanapali Beach area, and so far we absolutely love it.  The water is blue and gorgeous, and in the distance we can see island mountains and breathtaking scenery. 

There is a boardwalk that runs along the beach right in front of our hotel, and stretches for miles to the north and south.  It’s really nice to have a place to walk in the morning before we get our days started.  The views aren’t bad either.

Best travel decision ever = bringing our stroller!  Cullen has never been a big stroller fan, mostly because he hates his car seat.  It is recommended that we use the car seat attachment with this stroller until 6 months of age, but I decided to see if Cullen would like it better riding directly in the seat.  One million percent SUCCESS!  It is so nice to be able to wheel him all over, have extra storage for our things, and to have a shady spot for him to nap while we are out and about.

Saturday was a fun family milestone – Cullen’s first dip in the pool!  He absolutely HATED it.

Lots of tears and pouty lip, and total panic when his feet would hit the water.  I think it was too cold for him?  After a few attempts of him crying and us laughing, we gave up and retired under a shady gazebo. 

All the pool drama tuckered out our littlest traveler.

And he spent over two hours absolutely passed out on Casey’s chest just taking in the ocean breeze.  Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!

Luckily he woke up rested and feeling much better, and momentarily forgot about the big scary pool.

One of the reasons we booked this particular resort was because the rooms are actually individual suites.  We have a full upgraded kitchen, a washer and dryer, and a separate bedroom and living area.  Since we can’t take Cullen out to restaurants that easily, we wanted to be able to cook our own meals in the room.  We made a big grocery trip and stocked up on food for the week – such a huge time and money saver!

Our first home-cooked meal of the trip – roasted asparagus, crispy tofu, and fluffy couscous.  Yum.

In the mornings, we enjoy our breakfast and coffee outside on the open air lanai porch, overlooking a beautiful grassy mountainside. 

And since it is easier to take Cullen out for meals during the day, we’ve tried a few lunches out – oceanside!

The “Leaning Tower of Tofu” from Pacific O’s.  Absolutely delicious!  I could eat Hawaiian fruits all day long.

Vacation with a baby is certainly different from vacations past.  It’s so nice to have such a big spacious room, since we have to come back every few hours for Cullen to eat, nap, and get a little downtime. 

We have this scary old rickety crib provided by the hotel that he has been sleeping in, which we’re keeping next to the bed in the bedroom. 

I actually brought our video monitor with us, so that when he tuckers out early in the evening, we can still cook dinner and hang out just the two of us in the living room, without having to tiptoe around and worry about waking him up.  We can still be our wild and crazy selves!

Yesterday, we tried getting Cullen into the water again – this time in a warmer kids’ pool.  As you can see, he loved it!

And since the pool wasn’t a huge hit, we thought we’d try the beach instead.  He was totally mesmerized by the sand and the water, and couldn’t stop staring out at the view.

I thought I’d see if he liked getting his feet sandy…

But Mr. Hawaii wasn’t so sure about that either.

He might not be a little fish just yet, but I have a feeling it will grow on him as he gets older.  Even though he seems big compared to what he was a few months ago, he’s really just still such a tiny peanut.  Overall he has handled all the travel, weather changes, time change, and loose schedule really well. 

Like I said, vacation with a baby is very different.  Long gone are the days of laying in the sun all day long with fruity drinks in hand.  And babies don’t seem to understand that vacation means sleeping in late and taking lots of naps – nope, still getting up round the clock, even in Hawaii!

But I’m finding that this new style of vacation, while maybe not quite as relaxing, feels so much more rewarding.

We feel so blessed to have eight uninterrupted days together just the three of us.

And we’re soaking up every minute of it while we can.  How often do Casey and I get to sit outside and enjoy our coffee together while taking in views like this…?

The rainbows here are nothing short of amazing, and I feel like I’m living in Photoshop. 

Back on the beach today!