We finally spent some time enjoying summer over the last few weeks (just in time for it to be over. Sigh.) First – vacation! Clark and I took a week off of work, and Ellie took a week off of daycare – the first time we’ve done that (when she wasn’t sick) since she’s been born. We decided to take a short (3 day) vacation and go to the beach – so we headed to Grand Haven.
Ellie says – ‘I’m all packed and ready to go’:
Our first day up, it rained so we headed to visit Ellie’s Great Grandma’s for a visit and then checked into the hotel. Ellie did not sleep well that night, so we got a late start the next day. Which was fine, because it rained. All day. Which is a great way to have a beach vacation.
Sleeping in her pack n play:
Since it was raining, we tried out the pool. For the first 15 minutes, Ellie cried. Like, really cried. She eventually got used to it, then she started having a lot of fun.
Nervous about the water:
Having some fun in her float:
Later that evening it finally stopped raining so we headed over to the boardwalk by the beach. It was cold (50 degrees…in August) but we at least got outside. Here’s a ton of pictures – and this is narrowed down.
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Our last day of vacation we finally got to get to the beach! Ellie took to the sand within a couple of minutes. She was digging in it, throwing it, eating a little, trying to steal other kids toys – she had a great time. Ellie even tried to go to the water, until it hit her toes (it was super cold).
That week we also headed to the park for the first time! The swings are not her favorite, but she loves running wherever she wants and climbing on everything. She was so much better at the jungle gym than I thought she would be. She climbed right up, and through tunnels and down the slide completely fearlessly. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but she had a ton of fun.
We also went to Howell Melon Festistival. Apparently Howell melons are a thing and they’re somehow special, so there’s a festival every year. I tried a Howell Melon and…it’s a cantaloupe. A good cantaloupe, but a cantaloupe. Anywho. We went down to check it out and it was a giant street fair with vendors, bands, carnival rides and fair food. We wandered around, had some delicous melon ice cream and Ellie got to discover funnel cake and lemonade. This child strangely likes lemonade. It’s the only non-water liquid she’ll willingly drink from a cup. Which is key when she’s sick.
On to being sick. This silly girl seems to get struck down with some sort of major illness every 6 weeks or so lately. She’s just getting over another week long bug of some kind where she had a fever and stopped eating (and drinking) for two days – which is always worrisome. And just because everyone asks, she won’t eat: juice of any variety (except lemonade, sometimes), powerade, gatorade, pedialyte (3 different flavors). She will take a couple licks off of these baby popcicles I found but won’t eat any of the juice ones, or ones I make with pedialyte. My tiny girl also wasn’t sleeping, kind of at all, with this cold so we were all a little tired and crabby. For whatever reason, she also had some respiratory issues with this cold and we gave her breathing treatments. Oh, and an ear infection, but she wouldn’t drink anything, and doesn’t take medicine well, so we had more fights trying to shove her motrin and antibiotics into her tiny body. That girl is strong. Poor thing. Good news is, she’s feeling much better now and back to her happy, curious and trouble making self.
She discovered how to pull out the toilet paper:
I guess I can’t call her my tiny baby any more either – she’s moving into 24 mo/2T clothes! They’re so big! And I don’t remember if I mentioned it, but she learned the work no. She uses it for a lot of things. It’s annoying, but oh so cute when she just says ‘no’ or ‘no no’. I can’t wait for her to talk. And some more photos:
She now prefers to eat her banana by herself, just biting off pieces on her own:
While packing to leave the hotel on vacation I let her watch cartoons for the first time:
Her favorite way to enjoy the pool – empty:
Playing:
Doing what she does best – looking cute:
The photo where she’s nervous for the water is sooo cute! Well, all of them are but especially that one. 🙂