Bermuda Baby - Part III

After yet another night with no one getting great sleep, Dylan and I went out for a walk so Mike could get in a morning nap (we alternated days on which parent go to grab some zzz's). We went to a park in Hamilton that had a big gazebo with a gate you could close. So Dylan and I hung out there and he had a fun time running around.....I had fun watching him and got a super cute self portrait of the two of us:

This being our last full day in Bermuda, it was time to hit the beach! Although our hotel in Hamilton didn't have beach access, it's sister property further south on the island, which we had full access to, did. The resorts had a ferry running between them but they were pretty infrequent and by the time we were ready to go we would have wasted an hour or so waiting for it. So, we opted to take the bus there.

We arrived at the hotel, had some lunch, explored their shops and kid playroom then changed into our swim suits and took the shuttle down to the beach (the hotel was on top of a very steep hill). This was Dylan's first time at the beach. I know, I know....it's horrible that we live close to so many beaches and never took him to one this summer. In spite of not getting to the beach, we managed to stay pretty busy in the hot months. But, hey, being able to have your first beach experience in Bermuda is pretty cool!

All the umbrella's were taken. For a pasty family such as ourselves, this was nothing less than a tragedy! Luckily, in talking with the beach worker guy about what to do (because he was trying to help us since we had a baby that needed to be shaded), a nice couple offered to let us share their space and take it over when they left. Crisis averted...we had shade!

Dylan dove right into sand play exploration. We had even remembered to bring the pail and shovel he had gotten for his birthday. While some kids aren't sure of the sand, Dylan loved it! He had a great time digging, putting it in his pail, picking it up and watching it drop back down...loads of fun. Walking in it didn't come quite as naturally. His first few minutes of walking along the beach were pretty comical. Lots of staggering, falling, falling and rolling, "uh-oh's" and other general drunken baby looking cuteness. I did take a little video of it...too much of a pain to try and edit and post but let me know if you ever want to watch it when you're in the neighborhood.

Beach Boys

Next, Dylan had to go into the water for his first ocean experience. I am not a water person. I am especially not an ocean person. Waves are not my thing and this beach had some strong ones. So my time in the water was brief. Mike, however, loves the water and was more than happy to take Dylan out into the waves for some fun. It appeared, at times, that Dylan is about as apprehensive about the water as I am. But, he did really enjoy his Dad tossing him up into the air over the water.

Water Boys

Mike brought Dylan back to the beach and we spent some time playing on the wet sand portion. At one point, Dylan was sitting safely out of the water when a wave rolled in and, though no more than an inch or two high, had enough strength to topple Dylan over on his back and get a mouth full of salt water. We waited for the cry but none came. He just sputtered, sat up and looked a bit confused. What a good sport that kid is!

Although we were all completely lathered, head to toe, with the strongest waterproof sunscreen known to man, we didn't want to push our luck (since we'd all avoided sunburn for the vacation thus far) and called our beach time to an end. Then the clean up started. Man, that sand is seriously pesky! It was everywhere and took a LONG time to get off of all of us. After much time and many showers at the beach cabana, we got dressed, enjoyed dinner back at the resort and had a nice cab ride back to our hotel (missed the last ferry back).

Our last morning there, I had hopes of getting in a little more sightseeing. It was not in the cards. Dylan was DONE with vacation! My sweet, laid back little boy was a whining mess all morning. Given that Mike or I were constantly holding and entertaining him, it took a ridiculous amount of time to get packed up. So much so that we only had about an hour to spare before we needed to head to the airport. Our concierge suggested we check out the post office and neighboring Bermuda Historical Society Museum which were about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. Mr. Whiny Pants fell asleep on the way there, so Mike and I quietly read some historical facts and viewed the cool old post office building before heading back.

Luckily, our flights there and back were fairly uneventful. Though Dylan didn't sleep on either, his ears didn't seem to bother him and he wasn't cranky or too disturbing to our neighbors. We landed safely back at home (obviously) and were all very happy to be there. One of the great things about vacations are getting back home!

A few more pics of our trip can be seen here.