Ft. Lauderdale

As I mentioned, our trip to Ft. Lauderdale was great! Lila was much more content to sit in our laps and play with things than I had anticipated. Maybe it was because she had both of our complete attention. She was also working the crowd - peeking over and around seats to flirt with other passengers. They all loved her because she wasn't screaming. In fact, she spent a significant amount of our flight time asleep!

I was a bit doubtful about our hotel (even though I was the one who picked it out) because you just can't tell what you are going to get sometimes. Also, we'd heard from a couple of people that the place was "old, but nice". It turned out to be quite nice though. Recent paint, carpet, and furniture in the room and the view from our window was lovely. My only real complaint was scratchy sheets - not bad!

The one other time that we've stayed at a hotel with Lila, we put her in the bathroom to sleep (see the archive for march if you want details). We thought we might be able to do that again here, but the crib was too wide to fit through the doorway. Oh well, we just rearranged the room to make a little sleeping alcove for her and then we hid in the hallway or bathroom between her bedtime and ours.

We didn't make it to town in time to hit the beach the first day. Well, I went down to see it that night, while Doug was putting Lila to bed, but that doesn't count. We were there early on Day 2 though! We all got slathered up in sunscreen, put on our suits, and headed for the sunshine. What are the 6 S's of the beach? Sunscreen, Sunshine, Sweat, Salt, Sand, and Swimming! We experienced them all.

Lila was tired and unsure of the whole business that first trip out, but she warmed up to it quickly. Well, she grew to like everything except the sand. She never liked that and didn't want to be put down on it. She was happy, in the water or out, as long as she was not touching the ground (being held, in her floatie, in a chair). She didn't even like the way the sand felt through the beach towels!

I only set foot in the ocean once and that was fine with me. The water was comfortable and clear (it definitely passed my requirement for being able to see my feet). I just don't get that excited about the water. Doug and Lila went in several times and played in the swimming pool too, but I only stepped in the pool long enough to rinse off the sand and salt water after my one trip into the ocean.

Reading in the shade is more my style. And I got to do lots of reading. I usually only read for a few minutes at a time while Lila is nursing, but I made it halfway through a John Grisham novel on this trip! There was no housework to be done, no computer to be distracted by, and I couldn't get sucked in by the TV after Lila went to bed because she was sleeping in the same room! Once again, it was great!