Amalia’s first vacation to “America’s Caribbean”, nevermind that the entire Caribbean is in the Americas (except for Cuba – that’s someplace between China and the USSR.)  More importantly, the US Virgin Islands officially won the contest for “most exotic place we could get to in <8 hours without a passport for Amalia.”  We were fortunate to spend time in both St. John and  St. Thomas.  We started off in St. John, which remains very much an idyllic tropical paradise.  That said, everything has its ups and downs, so here’s my thought on the island.

Top 3.5 St. John’s experiences

3. Arriving at the Westin resort – We flew into St. Thomas and took the Westin ferry directly to the resort.  This service is brilliant marketing.  Not only does the boat provide a water-tour of the ruins and private estates that line the southeast side of St. Thomas, it also floats past some of the island’s most mediocre beaches.  You then cross a short straight and into Great Cruz Bay.  The bay is filled with small sailboats and widely brimmed with white sand draped by palm trees, with tropically wooded hills rising behind them.   Much of this scene is in fact the resort, with the residences hidden in the sloping forest.  We were instantly convinced beyond all doubt that we had chosen the right place.  If you haven’t already signed up for the Starwood Hotels (parent of Westin) credit card and loyalty program, this place alone is worth it.

2. Touring Virgin Islands National Park (brought to us by Jeep, the last great Chrysler automobile) – Two-thirds of St. John is preserved by the National Park Service, and as such there is a lot to see in the park, ranging from stone and brick remains of Danish sugar plantations to rustic nature trails.  Beyond the individual sights, the broader experience of renting a jeep (nothing else fits) and navigating the slightly treachorous roads from fisherman’s harbours to the peaks of this oceanic mountain range is exhilerating.  

1. Cinnaman Bay – this might be the perfect tropical beach.  Parking is a short distance from the shore, with a sandy path leading through the rain forest to the beach proper.  A few steps toward the ocean, and you could be on a deserted island.  Small rocky cays interupt the straight blue horizon, and behind the forest think with palm trees entirely obscures the path.  The sand itself is silky smooth and remarkably clean.  We setup camp under the shade of a palm tree at the back of the beach.  Amalia relaxed in her baby sun tent, while Ren and I took turns storkling amid a reef that conveniently extends from the shore.  After a long morning in the sun, we retired to a shady patio area where fresh mahi mahi was served from the grill.

0.5. Sailing tour - several touring companies offer sailing tours to see underwater caves and natural baths along the shores of St. John and neighboring cays.  We didn’t do this since, disappointingly, Amalia has not yet leared to swim the minimum 600 feet (she has been properly chided), but this looks just fantastic.

Bottom 3 St. John experiences

998. Cruz bay – There is a lot of good food here, or so we’re told.  Our brief time in town was marred by heat, humidity, and mediocre shopping.  We did acquire a good and very hot bottle of hot sauce, but the town is probably best seen from inside one of its many restaurants.

999. Day 1 beach failure – Before we were in a good rhythm of when and how to deal with Amalia at the beach, there was a brief period of concern that taking a beach vacation was a very bad idea.  This period consistented of (1) go to the beach, (2) endure screaming for 15-20 minutes, and (3) retreat from the beach.  Thankfully we quickly overcame this and spend many quality hours in the sand.

1000. BBQ at the resort -  The Westin is a fantastically well-run resort in all respects, except aparently the beach restaurant, where they managed to completely ruin a BBQ chicken and beef buffet.  I didn’t think it was possible to not like BBQ, but they proved me wrong.

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Traveling – what a great thing to do when you’re not sleeping anyway.

I have had a crazy time since February 9.  On the day we flew back from the Virgin Islands, Amalia had spent just 55% of her life at home.  ”Home” for her, so far, has been three distinctly different, and brand new experiences.  

Going back a bit, Amalia and I traveled to Pittsburgh in March, so I could meet up with a long lost friend, and so that she could meet her grandpa and great-grandparents.  Plans for the trip were laid back in December, when a friend of mine who lives overseas said she’d be in Pittsburgh for a conference.  We hadn’t seen each other since before our weddings, and she didn’t know we were expecting, but the point of the trip was to catch up!  She was quite surprised when I wrote back that I would meet her, but that I’d have a baby daughter in tow.  

As the trip drew near, life continued, and at four weeks into Amalia’s life, I was excited, but apprehensive about traveling alone with her.  At that point, she hadn’t responded to gadgets like the swing or bouncy chair in any meaningful way, so I wouldn’t necessarily miss those.  But, she was growing at lightning speed, bursting out of her newborn clothes, but not quite into her 0-3’s.  I packed it all.  Thank goodness I did, because I could hear her growing on the flight, and the first morning in Pittsburgh, she was suddenly, and decisively, in her 0-3’s.  

Amalia and her grandpa hit it off instantly, however, great-grandpa had fallen extremely ill the week prior, and was unable to meet her.  My grandpa’s illness continued to color the week, as much of my Pittsburgh family’s energy was directed toward handling it.   There were still many friends to see, though, so we stayed plenty busy.

While we were in Pittsburgh, Amalia gave her first smiles — first to a 6 year old girl named Amilia at a restaurant, then to my dad and mom.  It was a little while longer before she smiled at me, however she was ready to give a big gummy grin to her own daddy when she got back home. 

Before smiling at me, she gave me something else even more invaluable — 6 solid hours of sleep.  It was the longest I had slept since before Christmas, and wow, what a difference that made!

The day before returning to Boston, Matt asked if I had any ideas regarding vacation in April.  He had a natural break at work coming, and had a week of paternity leave, plus extra vacation to use.  I left it to him to plan, citing exhaustion, as I would have had a baby in mid-February, traveled to Pittsburgh for 9 days in mid-March, and would no be traveling to who-knows-where in mid-April.  I decided I’d enjoy it when I got there.

We steamrolled into vacation.  The apartment was a shambles, I felt horribly behind, and despite the baby sleeping at night, it still took time to get her interested in the bouncy chair for more than a few minutes during the day.  Most of my days were spent either entertaining her out on the town somewhere, or shooing Zanzi away while trying to feed/soothe/entertain her at home. Amazingly enough, the only thing we needed to buy while on vacation were the second week’s worth of diapers — which I’d planned on anyway.  It was impractical to try to pack two weeks worth of diapers.

Photos of our vacation can be seen on the USVI ‘09 tab.  One of us will write an entry detailing the trip and narrating some of the images, but I need to use the rest of this glorious nap time (she JUST started napping for longer stretches during the day in her crib this week…wahoo!) for something more productive that will, say, prevent the health department from banging down my door.  In the meantime, if you have any questions about the trip, don’t hesitate to ask Matt or me!  We have tons of recommendations and stories….it was a blast.

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Smiling started at almost 6 weeks, with cooing too.  Now she loves to end the evening by telling the bedtime story!

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I can’t believe our baby is a month old today!  I guess this is what happens when you’re sleepwalking for four straight weeks….

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She spent a few minutes discovering her bouncy seat today…  Zanzi wanted to help, but I had to keep discouraging him.

A girl and her bouncy seat!

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Amalia’s grandparents came to visit this week from Michigan – she’s been so spoiled with all of this family!  

We had a great time together, though the visit went too fast as it always does.  Overall it was a low key visit, but Amalia definitely came to know and recognize both of them by the end of the week, which we will credit to their skill with babies.  And not to lose sight of parental vanity, we will also count it as a sure sign of extraordinary cognitive ability in our 3 week old  They were also kind enough to watch Amalia for an evening so Ren and I could enjoy a night out together, one of the few sans-baby that we’ve had.

One the of the biggest challenges about having a newborn – and living in Boston -will be the distance between us andboth of our families.  It was really nice that Amalia will be able to meet all of her grandparents fairly quickly after being born, but now the trick is helping her to know her whole family as she grows.  We’re very thankful for all of the new technology that makes this just a little easier, like videoconferencing and blogs like this one.

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Yesterday was a special day. Yes, it was Valentine’s Day and that in itself is special enough, but this Valentine’s Day was extra super special at the N*** home, because Amalia came home for the very first time! She was dressed in onesie with dots and a pair of purple snuggly pants and white booties…with lots of growing room, even though it’s size 0-3 mo. Her mommy, Ren, says, “She’s a February baby, so she’s wearing amethyst home.” Her daddy, Matt, is very attentive & helps gather all the sundry belongings & accoutrements that need to come home with us. He changes Amalia’s diaper & dresses her up for the ride home. It’s a cold February day, so she wears a white fleece footie sleeper with lamb’s ears on the hood & a receiving blanket that coordinates with her onsie. She is the picture of perfection. 

The car seat is not particularly new-parent friendly with all it’s straps & buckles, but eventually it is conquered. Mom signs all the paperwork & we are free!!! Out into the big wide world we go. Mom & Dad decide to stop for brunch on the way home, & Grandma gets to sit next to Amalia in the booth…the best seat in the house! Amalia, of course, starts accumulating charter members for her fan club. She’s a good baby…not that there are any bad babies…and only fusses if there’s something she absolutely needs. She sleeps through brunch with Billie Holliday & Louis Armstrong music as her lullaby. 

Then it’s home to meet the kitties. Zanzibar is quick to greet the newcomer with purrs & nuzzles. Zoe is more reserved and tentative. She watches from a respectable distance. Zanzi is particularly fond of some of the new toys that come with the baby, and Amalia does not object to sharing. 

Later in the afternoon, Mom & Dad announce that they are taking Amalia for a walk. Grandma is taken aback by this declaration, seeing as how it’s the dead of winter & Amalia’s skin & lungs are just 4 days old. Nevertheless, Amalia is bundled up in her pram & the family sets off to see the world, leaving Grandma to stew in her own juices. A couple of hours pass. Grandma thinks of how Eskimo babies must survive in the frigid north & tries to fend off sheer panic. Eventually, the family arrives back home with tales of an adventure to the mall (which is about a mile away). Grandma inspects Amalia & finds that her fingers are a bit cold but otherwise she is none the worse for wear.

The rest of the evening goes smoothly with nursing, gazing, diaper changing & contentedly snoozing. Amalia is finally home where she belongs & all is right with the world.

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Amalia Claire was born February 10, 2009 at 12:59am!   She weighs 6 pounds even, and is 18.5 inches long.   She’s got a ton of personality already!

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6 days till my due date, 5 till the Steelers win the Super Bowl… It is an exciting time!

Like many couples, we came up with a silly non-name nickname for the baby before we knew whether she was a he or she. For good or bad, the one that stuck was “The Larva”, which has evolved over time into simply “Larvie” (not to be confused with the plural “larvae”). Hence the name of our poll.

She hasn’t made her appearance yet, so if you haven’t already logged a guess, please do so here to join in the fun! Keep in mind, we do know that SHE is a Girl, so don’t lose points by forgetting to check that box!

How Big Is Larvie?

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