Our Dominican Disaster

FLORIDA.  BRING IT ON.

We woke up bright and early, let Maks release some energy and said goodbye to Louisiana - embarking on our 3 day road-trip journey to The Sunshine State.

What a gorgeous Fall morning!

I WILL miss this yard. 

"Don't drink and slide."  Leave it to this kid to find the lone beer bottle that Daddy left on the patio.

I was lucky enough to travel in a car with a carseat-hating toddler and a 65lb dog.  Bryon did his part by driving the UHaul through some intense winds and rain.  Neither were very rewarding.  But, we made it to Florida.  What we haven't done is get settled.  We technically moved here October 1st, although our house wasn't ready for us to move in until November 1st.  Bryon started working right away.  And let me tell you, watching after a toddler and a dog while living in small quarters and out of a suitcase (while pregnant) is not a walk in the park.  Sunrise strolls like this helped to make it better:

For the first 10 days, we stayed in a Temporary Lodging Facility on base at MacDill.  I'm sure the housekeepers there thought we were crazy because we took the queen mattress off of the bedframe and moved in onto the floor of the living room.  Since it was only a 1 bedroom unit, Bryon and I slept out in the main area (so that he could get ready for work and leave in the morning without disturbing Maks, and so that we could stay up/run errands in and out of the apartment after Maks went to bed at 6:30pm) while Maks slept on his twin mattress that we brought from home in the bedroom.  It was a rocky transition at first, but Maks slept his 12 hours at night and eventually took some decent naps during the daytime.

We went a little stir crazy.  For example, these mommy fails:

Fail #1:

He looked so uncoordinated running down the sidewalk...only to find out I'd put both of his feet through the same leg of his shorts!

Fail #2 is visible by looking at his nose.  He'd been deciding to unbuckle himself and jump out of the jogging stroller while in motion.  When he wouldn't listen to me, I let him continue to do so (to try and teach him a lesson).  All he learned was to slide off on his belly the next time.  And I was fortunate enough to deal with the horrified looks of bystanders as my jogging stroller conveniently rolled over my child's body.

And we spent a lot of time at the park and zoo.

Just a tad concerned that whenever he sees a meerkat he excitedly yells, "Da-da!".

I'm kind of loving the signs at our park!  And Maks loves chasing said squirrels more than playing on the equipment.

Since after 10 days our lodging came out of our own pocket, I figured that I'd rather spend money on a real vacation/hotel rather than simply pay for a hotel in Tampa.  So, we'd booked a week-long trip to the Dominican Republic.  We'd made the mistake of not going on a baby-moon prior to Maks' arrival and didn't want to make the same mistake this time around.  However, Maks would be trekking along with us.  So, we chose an all-inclusive (not our typical style) beachfront resort with infant/childcare facilities.  A nice week to de-stress, relax and soak up some sun.

Prepping for Punta Cana in the Florida sand!

Punta Cana.  It was awful.  Let me elaborate...
*DISCLAIMER: We did end up with some decent tans, and some nice photos to share!  Don't be fooled by how fun it looks; we won't be traveling back to the Dominican anytime soon!

For starters, the day before we left, Maks woke up from a nap with a funny sounding cough and mucus-y spit up.  I didn't think much about it because it only lasted about 10 seconds and he seemed find.  Around 8pm that night, I was out picking up food for Kira to eat while we left her with a friend.  Bryon called me stating that Maks woke up with a horrific cough (he NEVER wakes up from sleep) and needed to go to the ER.  He'd called his step-mom, who is a doctor, and she was concerned about whooping cough as well.  So, off to Tampa General we went.

To make this story much shorter than it actually was...Maks was in awful shape but couldn't sleep the entire time we were at the hospital.  We finally left at nearly 2am with a diagnosis of croup and an upper respiratory tract infection, a few prescriptions from the doctor and the advice to continue on with our trip as planned (it was too late to "cancel" at this point anyhow!).  We were also given medicine for whooping cough, although the results of his test wouldn't be available for a couple more days.  This way we'd have the meds in case his test results came back positive and we needed them.  Better safe than sorry.

THIS was a big hit!

Fast forward to our plane ride, which included Maks not sleeping until we were within an hour of landing in the Dominican Republic around 9pm at night.  We'd been so busy running around picking up prescriptions for Maks, etc., that when we landed, we realized that we hadn't brought ANY cash with us and all we had were our credit/debit cards.  Luckily we met a nice couple on the plane who lended us some cash for our visas, and we were able to pay them back after paying a ridiculous currency transfer fee at the airport.  Lesson learned!

Beachside kisses.

After an hour transport from the airport to our hotel, we arrived only to find that they'd not placed a crib in the room for Maks.  (I even double checked with the front desk upon check-in, too.)  We called housekeeping and they assured us that the crib would be delivered asap.  Then we called back no less than 12 more times.  Once 1am rolled around, we put Maks to bed without a crib.  At nearly 2am, they called to see if we still wanted it delivered.  "No, thank you.  Let's try again tomorrow."

Cutest booty in the Dominican Republic.

Oh, and we chose this particular resort because of the fact that they had a well reviewed "babyland" where we could drop Maks off to play and swim in a special area so that we could go on excursions/enjoy a meal/sit on the beach for a few hours on our own.  Anyhow, the staff let me know upon check-in that Babyland was under COMPLETE RENOVATION AND WOULD NOT BE OPERATING THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE STAY.  Um, shouldn't they have told me this prior to reservation? 

Babyland was obviously a bust...so we hung out at the pool with adults instead.

Maks reports that this is the best way to travel.

Maks attended his first foam pool party!

Maksim refused to nap every day, but remembered to be cranky.  The only way we finally got him to nap on the last day was to let him cry for an hour in the ergo carrier while we walked on the beach.  Once he fell asleep, Bryon got to sit motionless in the hot, hot sun for 2 hours while Maks napped (and Bryon sweated).  Maks also woke up no later than 4:45am every single morning.  Not horrible, but the hotel restaurants didn't open until 7am, which made for a long morning without ANY food.  We ran into the same problem at dinnertime.  The resort restaurants didn't open for dinner until after Maks went to bed for the night - which meant that every night Bryon and I took turns going to dinner and eating alone while Maks had to stash up on food at other meals throughout the day.  

This dismount could use a little work.

Maks' cough and infection cleared up fairly quickly, but Bryon caught it later in the week.  Alternatively, my pregnant self caught some sort of food/water poisoning (despite solely using bottled water).  Maks was lucky enough to catch the water bug at the end of our trip as well.   

"See ya, Mama!"

Free drinks!

Mazel tov!

So, for the most part, we spent each day dreading how many days we still had left before we were able to go back home.  Not the vacation we'd planned.  It was a total bomb.  Live and learn.  (And go by ourselves next time!)

Finally back in the USA.

Here's Maks' layover workout in Miami.  He did this at least 10 times.

Happy to be back in Florida...but still don't have a "home" to go back to just yet!

Are y'all still out there?

Whoa.  What a hiatus.  My apologies for the long break.  I've been busy doing things...you know: house hunting, a trip to New Orleans, moving to Florida, vacationing in the Dominican Republic, celebrating the holidays, chasing around a wild one-and-a-half year old, and GROWING A BABY.  But I haven't forgotten about you!

Let's start with the house hunting.  First of all, house hunting without a Realtor and instead with a 1 year old is awful.  Maks decided to boycott his nap for the entire 10 day trip.  The only way we could get him to catch some rest during the daytime was to let him fall asleep for an hour or two in his carseat.  This kid likes to sleep IN HIS ROOM.  And for the most part, I'm guaranteed a good 2 hour nap and a solid 12 hours of sleep at night...IF HE'S AT HOME IN HIS ROOM.  It's a blessing, but also a curse.

Bad food.

Bad snacks.

Drinking through straws.

Carseat naps.

Anyhow, house hunting was difficult to say the least.  We had no idea where we wanted to live, so we had a HUGE radius around Tampa to search.  Not to mention more than half of our showings cancelled on us last minute or simply didn't even show up to let us in!  Luckily, we found a place on nearly our last day of searching.  It's in South Tampa and just about 3 miles from the base gate.  Although the suburbs were lovely, the hour and a half commute for Bryon each way just wasn't sounding do-able.  I'd rather have a smaller place that costs twice the price and have my kids see their daddy before they go to bed at night!  We knew the properties in South Tampa fly off the market like hotcakes (literally less than 24 hours), so we took the plunge and jumped into a historic bungalow merely minutes after we walked through the front door.  With a house lined up (although not ready for us until a month after we've already moved to Florida), we took the last few days of our trip to soak up some Florida sunshine.

They look right at home already!

He's loves running in and out with the waves!

We purchased our annual pass to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.  I'm thrilled that this is just 8 miles away from us!

Maks could pet and brush the goats all day long! 

For better or for worse, his experiences with Kira have taught him to not be fearful of animals!

This beautiful park and splashpad (with adjoining fishing pier) is just 2 miles down the road from us!  I know where we'll be spending some hot summer days!

Maks approves!

We went to the Aquarium, too!  It'll be just 4 miles from our doorstep!

Everything's more fun when you're on Da-da's shoulders! 

Here fishy, fishy!

Always an adventure with Dada!

Maks and Daddy even squeezed in some canal fishing and kayaking time!  Thanks to Bryon's Aunt DeEtte and Uncle Clayton for letting us stay at their house even though they were out of town!

"I could get used to this!"

"Full speed ahead, Dada!  Pick up the pace!"

"We went for the KAYAK!"

Right before we officially moved, Bryon and I decided to take a short trip to New Orleans.  I figured that after living in Louisiana for 3 years, it was about time I visited NOLA.  Plus, I don't plan on making any trips back to LA for any reason in the foreseeable future.  Luckily, I have an AWESOME friend in Shreveport who was literally jumping at the chance to watch Maks for 2 nights (along with her 2 and 4 year olds) so that Bryon and I could enjoy our trip by ourselves.  I'd throw said friend's name out there, but I don't want y'all to start dropping your children off at her doorstep...because yes, she's that awesome.  Honestly, she'd probably welcome your children with open arms and be nothing but grateful that she could be of help.  Amberly (whoops, I'll omit your last name), I miss you!

As for New Orleans, I received this cute little book from another friend as a birthday gift, and it pretty much planned our entire trip for us.  In an effort to fully enjoy our trip, we decided to leave the camera behind.  (Sorry for the lack of photos, but lugging around a camera just didn't make the priority list this time!)

We stayed in this hotel right in the heart of the French Quarter - so everything was accessible by foot or streetcar.  On our first night, we enjoyed drinks (well, Bryon did...but we both enjoyed people watching) on the porch of The Columns.  Afterwards we headed to Frenchman Street where we ate dinner at Snug Harbor and spent the rest of our night listening to a brass band play in the streets.  We planned to go into one of the Jazz clubs, but the brass street band was just THAT GOOD.  Plus, the jazz clubs were packed.  It was fun to watch the swing dancing going down inside, though!  I could tell Bryon was dying to dance.  However, with a 3 drink per person minimum (and me not drinking), we decided to forego the club.

The next day, Bryon went for an early morning run through the streets of the French Quarter.  He reported that the streets were wet from being hosed off and quite smelly.  I'm particularly glad that I stayed back at our hotel.  We started off by grabbing some beignets at Cafe Du Monde.  Next stop was the Backstreet Cultural Museum to learn firsthand about Mardi Gras Indians and the history behind the Mardi Gras Tribes - and most importantly the handmade costume competitions.  We arrived just as the museum opened, and the owner (Sylvester Francis) let us know that he only had 40 minutes to show us around because he was closing shop to attend a Jazz Funeral.  To make a long story short, we got the details on an official Jazz Funeral, as well as an open invitation to attend the celebration.  This was hands down the most amazing part of our trip.  After the church funeral, everybody (literally hundreds of people) followed the hearse procession, dancing down the street alongside a brass band...for miles!  People were happy.  Everybody was celebrating.  It was one big party!  What a cool way to commemorate the life of a loved one!  Lunch was a shrimp po'boy from a hole in the wall restaurant inside of a very small convenience store.  We were a bit skeptic, but with noteworthy reviews from places such as NY Times, we decided to give it a try.  The Rampart Street Food Store didn't disappoint.  And at $5.99/sandwich, it was easily one of the most affordable meals of the trip!  Afterwards we ran across town to catch a ride on a 3-hour Gray Line Hurricane Katrina Tour.  We learned how levees were breached, what it was like for residents (our guide was a victim of the flood), steps that have been taken towards renovation and rebuilding (along with what has NOT been done) and effects on the economy and coastal wetlands.  We learned so much more, too!  On the way home, we stopped at Hove Parfumeur and I picked up some bundles of root in Vetivert - an earthy scent which was supposedly favored by Creole women.  After relaxing for a short bit, we hopped in the car (for the first time since arriving) and drove to Dick and Jenny's for an early dinner (such a great way to avoid the crowd and allow plenty of time to get back into the French Quarter before it was too packed...hey this pregnant mama needs her sleep!).  Back in the French Quarter, we listened to live Jazz music at Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse and then roamed the streets people watching for a few hours before calling it a night.

Sitting street-side eating our Shrimp Po'Boys.

I wish we'd have had some extra time to visit some Cottonwood Plantations, but with a 5 hour drive ahead of us followed by packing up our UHaul for our big move to FL, we were anxious to get back the following day.  We hit up Elizabeth's for breakfast - and Bryon had to order their praline bacon.  Everything was tasty and kept us satisfied for the majority of our trek back to Shreveport to pick up our little man!

Elizabeth's Restaurant

Go figure, Maks did great!  He took all of his naps and slept for his full 12 hours each night.  I'm sure he was thoroughly stimulated during all waking hours with a 2 and 4 year old to keep up with!  And this mama did her part by not checking in on him once during the entire 3 day trip.  I knew he was in amazing hands.  Within 36 hours we had our entire household loaded up into a UHaul and we were all on the road to Florida!

I know I've got a lot more to cover to get us up to speed, but my pregnancy pillow is calling my name.  More adventures to come!  

TBT: We made it ONE WHOLE YEAR!

This post is lengthy (in terms of photos).  Don't complain; you know you want see them all!

Maks turned 15 months old the other day, so it's about time I shared his birthday photos! You've all seen his Happy Hour party pictures, but this is the first reveal of his actual cake smash...

Such a serious mugshot.

  

We cleaned him up quickly in the bathtub...

...Followed by some 1 year old snapshots outdoors!  (I've left out all of the black & white prints - but trust me, they're breathtaking!  I'd appear much to boring if everything I posted was lacking color.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for black & white.)

There you have it!  I love them!  Thanks to Lindsey Caroon for fitting us in before her big PCS to Montana!  We're so happy to have captured this big moment on film!  And for those wondering...yes, Mom, Dad and Kira did get in on the action.  I'll post some of those next week!