Get Ready To Be Jealous!

Get ready to be jealous!  Our kick ass weekend started Friday afternoon just like everyone else’s weekend.  The difference, WE ARE WORKING IN THE CARIBBEAN!  After G and I both finished up work for the day, we decided to take Alexa to the Buccaneer Beach Bar across the street to watch the sunset over the Caribbean ocean. After the sensational sunset, a beautiful beach bon fire lit up from inside a gorgeous metal sculpture and families flocked to it like bugs to a light box.  At 7pm, a large outdoor screen was on display featuring “Open Season 2” and tiny little stools for a kids barefoot beach movie night while the adults enjoyed fresh grilled food and drinks of their choice mingling around the bar and beach bon fire.  Apparently this event takes place every single Friday night featuring a different kids’ movie.  We are sooooo there.  What a great idea keeping everyone in the family happy, free, open, barefoot and outdoors together.  Why don’t people in the states do these kinds of things?

Saturday early morning we packed up the beach bag and drove to the French side to Bebe Beach (aka Galion Beach).  Again, the weather was wonderfully warm with a little breeze and clear turquoise water just the right temp and height for tots.  With a French outdoor no shirt no shoes grill beach restaurant, loads of undiapered kids with no arm floaties swimming and a live DJ, it just doesn’t get any better… Or does it?  Yes, it does!  Saturday night, our new St. Maarten babysitter, Heather, watched Alexa sleep while G and I went out to dinner with our good friends Scott and Charlie.  It’s not only a special occasion to spend time with Scott and his partner Charlie, but it is also super rare to find a trustworthy babysitter while traveling, so this was a special treat all the way around.

Sunday, like every day, Alexa woke us up at sunrise… but this day, Orient Beach was calling our name…  G’s and my long time St. Maarten fav.  In unprotected waters, the wind is stronger, waves a bit rougher, but water clear as the clearest pool and sand as white as snow.  Weather perfect for kite boarding didn’t scare little A one bit.  As a matter of fact, she enjoyed this beach even more as she jumped over waves, getting splashed in the face, laughing, and repeatedly asking to swim, swim, swim every time we tried to get on land to take a little break.  She begged to kite board, parasail and jet ski like some of the others, but we had to explain maybe in a few years. Once the tired out little ball of energy was down for the count and before jumping head first into a bottle of beachside vin blanc, I had to go for a seashore barefoot four mile run and crystal clear salty swim.  After running past a bunch of swim suit optional (nakedness preferred) tanned bum people, I met G and sleeping little A back at our little swimsuit bottoms preferred camp and we took advantage of our adult quiet time enjoying a beachside bottle of Sancere and great conversation gazing over the breathtakingly beautiful blue.  When little A woke up, we ordered a beachside French gourmet service lunch of edamamme, zucchini, humus, olive tapenade, roasted red pepper/tomato, guacamole and pita.  It really doesn’t get any better than this.  Well, maybe if we had our own yacht, but no reason to get greedy.

Love playing with Daddy. I missed him this week.

I like sticking my head in the water bucket

Sunset

No, my hair isn't on fire - Beach Bon Fire

Beach Kids Movie Night

Orient Beach

Our Terrace



Our Terrace View


 

Yell-lel-low Umbrella Beach Fun

Swimming laps and yoga is a great way to start the day.  Fortunately, George gave me 35 minutes to myself this morning to enjoy this inner peace before G headed off to work all day and night once again.  Although I miss my morning extreme cardio, yoga and swimming outside in the Caribbean sunrise gives me a different kind of peace and the change in routine is kind of refreshing.  After returning from my little workout, Alexa asked to go over the ABC’s and colors on the computer… www.starfall.com... She loves it.  I highly recommend the website for tots and preschoolers… the best!

After studying a bit, Alexa and I ventured out of our comfort zone and found a beach a 5 minute walk away.  And not just any ‘ole white sand turquoise water beach, this one came with a outdoor grill and bar, a little tot slide, and a waitress serving us waters, pineapple juice, veggie burgers, and fresh grilled Mahi Mahi sandwiches right to our beach chairs under our yell-lel-low umbrella.  Alexa made friends with two local girls taking the initiative to kindly share her Dora mermaid doll.  She’s such a sweetheart.  After a quick cold shower back at the pad, she’s down for a nap… my time to blog and get some work done.  When she wakes up, we’ll walk over to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner and breakfast tomorrow.  I doubt Alexa will get to see her Daddy tonight.  He has a cocktail party to attend after the yacht event today and then another dinner out with yachtie business acquaintances.

Starting to feel a bit more relaxed and at ease...

We have internet!  I got some work done!  I can post my blogs as I write them!  We still have intermittent water and it’s all cold when we have it, but things are beginning to make since here one baby step at a time.  And… I made a friend!  Alexa, and I spent the morning with our new friend at the pool doing yoga, swimming, and playing around.  Alexa and I already adore her.  She’s a health-nut, super fit, yoga instructor from Boston who lived and studied yoga in Germany for 8 years.  She doesn’t have any kids, but she is so good with Alexa.  This woman radiates compassion.  I’m ecstatic… this is one more friend than I had in Monaco all last summer.  She’s leaving for St. Barths Friday… but that is literally only a 5 minute flight or 20 minute ferry boat trip away.  Still haven’t met the “new babysitter”, but feeling better about the whole situation now.  Alexa is just waking up from her afternoon nap now and we are heading over to the Sand Bar in about an hour to meet up with Daddy and mingle with the other yachties.  Starting to feel a bit more relaxed and at ease.  Amazing what internet and an adult conversation can do for you.

Today must be special, two blogs in one day, special or especially emotional.  Sadly, I still don’t have a clue when I will be able to actually post these blogs or get any work done.  George came home just long enough this evening to quickly change and run out the door for dinner and drinks at Lee’s BBQ with the Trinity group and a few others.  In the 10 minutes or so I saw him, G excitedly told me how he found us a babysitter today, a yacht broker’s assistant.  He described “our new babysitter” as young (29 or 30), single, eager to help, nice, and perfect for this job.  He repeated himself numerous times.  “She’s perfect.  I think she will be really great.  She’s perfect and said she’s free every night.”  Scott came over and enthusiastically verified George’s comments.  Am I silly to skeptically think this girl might be too perfect?  I’m supposed to meet her tomorrow.  All jealously aside, Alexa and I enjoyed the evening alone together in our paradise living room playing preschool apps and dancing to music on my iPhone.  I forced myself to put her to bed around 8:40pm.  Selfishly I wanted to keep playing with her, but she needs her sleep, especially since she has another cold… again… with a concerning cough this time.

Minus the very unpopular cold shower this evening, Alexa and I had such a good day together.  She’s such a sweetheart, really such a sweetheart.  Her concern for others, her natural compassion, melts my heart.  She helps me to be strong, to focus, to stay positive.  She is my rock.  She is my life.

Yachie Mommy Paradise

Day two into our yachtie mommy paradise in St. Maarten is coming with a big heaping scoop of pain in the ass.  Our accommodations are somewhat comparable to last summer’s Monaco accommodations where we had little A/C, no TV, a leaky roof, 4 flights of dangerous stairs to climb, and floors that turned our feet black.  Although this time, in SXM, not only are our feet black and the A/C is not working in some of the rooms, but we have no internet, I have no phone, the water isn’t working from some of the faucets, the only shower that works has NO hot water, there’s no bath tub for Alexa, many of the electrical outlets are not working, Alexa’s baby monitor doesn’t work in 2 of the three rooms, there are no hangers, and most of the appliances are not working or missing completely.  We have an ironing board, but no iron; a $400 internet contraption G bought this morning, but no internet; and apparently, according to little A, the almond milk sucks here.  But… when life gives me lemons, I make lemonade, or in this case, I decided to transform the yucky tasting almond milk into a smoothie for Alexa.  I filled the blender with ice, almond milk, chocolate flavored organic green power, pineapple, mango, and a banana only to find out after the fact the blender doesn’t work.  So, I poured this clumpy messy mixture into a bowl and began attempting to squish up the fruit with a spoon.  Then, I dumped it all in her sippy cup and shook the cup violently.  Making the most of the situation, Alexa and I danced around together in the smoothie splattered kitchen singing “Shake, shake, shake.  Shake, shake, shake.  Shake that bootie.  Shake that bootie!” The result, two laughing goofballs and a clumpy “smoothie” that can’t be sucked through a straw because the clumps keep getting stuck in it.  So, since we have no strainer, I tried to strain out the chunks with a spoon into another bowl.  After finally getting this “smoothie” the right consistency, I gave it to my sweetie who sucked it up in under 5 minutes flat.  Thankfully it tasted good, or maybe the poor little thing was starving to death since she wasn’t too fond of the falafel, humus, olive, pita platter I ordered for her for lunch at “Top Carrot” earlier.  I put her down for a nap in her way too small pack & play bed and proceeded to clean up this crazy smoothie mess…. uhhhhhh… NO WATER!  The ants come marching one by one, ha rah, ha rah.  You guessed it, shortly after this fiasco the ants are swarming the sink loving the mango, pineapple, banana, chocolate green powder, almond milk splashes that I can’t do much about except collect cold water from the one working shower and dump it on this mess, scrub everything with dish soap, then dumping more cold shower water again and again until it’s semi cleaned up.  Frustrated with all these inconveniences, G removed himself from this situation early this morning and has yet to return.  It’s almost 6pm.  He’s been gone all day working with Scott and I have no idea when they will be back.  I have no car, no internet, and no phone.  I miss my Mom and my friends.

If there’s one thing I have learned in my life, it is to be flexible, especially as a yachtie mommy.  All bitching aside, this place really is actually quite peaceful.  Besides a plane roar every so often, the island breeze blowing the palm trees creates a serene ambiance and keeps the villa cool… enough… you know, humid, camping on the water kind of cool.  The green hills smiling at us through our wall-sized windows and towering over the sunny bay is picturesque. If only I had internet right now so I could get some work done on our gorgeous terrace while Alexa naps.  I guess I have to settle for blogging in Word on our terrace in the breeze, then when G gets home, (time permitting), maybe I’ll walk over to “Jimbo’s” Tex-mex with free Wifi and yummy margaritas to get some work done.

Alexa and I spent a couple of hours at the gorgeous pool this morning before heading across the street for lunch at my favorite vegetarian café on the island.  Like most populated islands, this one is dangerous, so without a car, the closer the better.  A medical clinic, grocery store, vegan breakfast/lunch place, a variety of restaurants, and a few bars are all but a few minutes walk away from our 24/7 guarded security villa.  Playing it safe, the only way I will be able to keep up my running is if I find a running group or a treadmill.  Thankfully, little A and I found that amazing pool this morning that’s not only beautifully relaxing, but also long and deep, perfect for swimming laps.  I think with a regular exercise routine, starting a Sunday brunch Orient beach family tradition, reliable internet, locating a beach within walking distance, some scuba diving, parks for little A, maybe finding some friends at a mommy & me group, and a few other minor adjustments this place could become quite cozy.

Bon Voyage

Packing two months worth of three persons stuff (with semi-friendly travel tot toys of course) in a few hours… yes, I am getting used to this.  See you down south! Bon Voyage.

Glup!

We just left the office of one of the best Pediatric Urologists in the country, Dr. Roth at Texas Children’s Hospital, and he highly recommends Alexa has surgery right away given her high grade of reflux, deathly severe Cyclosporine allergy, and our extensive traveling work schedule.  I am slightly relieved to have a resolution, yet horribly terrified of my baby girl going through surgery.  What if… *glup*… what if something goes terribly wrong?!?! The surgery is similar to a c-section, (minus the uterus slicing and pulling an 8 lb+ child out).  The surgeon will put her to sleep, slice her open across her lower abdomen, correct both valves in the tubes leading from her bladder to her kidneys, and stitch her up with dissolvable stitches.  The procedure takes about an hour and a half and has a 3 week recovery time.  My heart is breaking into pieces knowing the pain she will have to endure and worse, she won’t understand why.  I need to be positive, fearless, and strong for her.  I feel a strong pull to understand and draw on the powers of healing energy from the inside out and the outside in.  Reiki, meditation, light therapy, raw organic live foods, yoga, massage, laughter are all begging me to know them better.  The surgery will most likely, and symbolically, be this Spring… the season of blossoming birth, life anew.

WE PARTIED WITH FAMOUS CHIPMONKS!

A very big six letter word sums up our weekend perfectly… DISNEY!  “It’s a Small World” ride was by far the biggest hit at Magic Kingdom.  The parade in front of Cinderella’s castle was pretty amazing too.  Meeting Chip & Dale in Magic Kingdom and then roasting marshmallows with Chip & Dale at the bon fire was killer.  Then the next morning from inside our Disney log cabin we saw Chip & Dale on TV – WE WERE PARTYING WITH FAMOUS CHIPMONKS, super cool!  Nemo killed it for little A.  She was glued to the underwater scene for most of the morning in Epcot.  Might have been fueled a bit by my enthusiasm for the underworld.  “Vowwwwww! Vowwwwwww!”… in Alexa’s words.  I, of course, drilled the staff about “their” 2 captive manatees and “their” 3 captive dolphins.  After finding out both the manatees and dolphins are rescues currently being rehabilitated soon to be released (and replaced by other rescues), I quietly, but skeptically backed away, then later explained to Alexa that it made me sad to see dolphins and manatees trapped in such a small enclosed space since they should be in the wild with their families and friends doing what is natural to them if at all possible.  Strangely enough, I went to Epcot a year or so earlier and swear I saw the same environment with the same, or very similar, sentient marine beings acting in the exact same distressed manor.  Going to research this further…

On a happier note, not only did Alexa have the time of her life, but I ran the Disney Half Marathon Race the morning before our Epcot excursion in record time.  (Record time for me (a P.R.) since having Alexa).  13.1 miles in 1 hr 49 minutes!  I was proud of myself… for a few hours after… but honestly I can’t get it out of my head all these other people who can kick way more ass than me running the full marathon and some even running the half on Saturday AND the full on Sunday.  Am I a bit competitive?  Yeah, maybe a little… but regardless of the reason, it’s time I stepped it up a notch.  I’m already scoping out music to fill my iPod for a 26.2 mile race.

We got home this afternoon (only a quick 3 hour drive) and Alexa was so excited to see “CamNut” (our cat “Camden” renamed CamNut by little A).  Then she proceeded to her room where she pulled out her number book opened the page to “6” and started to count the dogs on the page verbally outloud “un” “doo” “tee” “foor” “five” “six”… WHAT?!?!?!? My little baby, my little 20 month old baby just counted out loud to 6!!!!!  WTF?!?!? How awesome!  I’m shocked… still shocked… hours later.  The craziest part of it all is that I think she can count further than 6 because earlier today on the swing another little older girl was counting and paused after saying 7.  Alexa picked it right up saying “eight” and “nine” perfectly clearly!  We were constantly picking out letters and numbers throughout our Disney excursion.  And she knows her numbers when I show her, her

Seseme street

flash cards she got from Santa.

Another shocker, my little 20 month old has gone pee pee and poo poo in the potty more times than I can count in the last few days.  AND… on Friday as we quietly passed a “restroom” in Magic Kingdom, Alexa suddenly yelled “Autty!” “Autty!”  I checked her diaper, nothing.  I said “do you have to go potty?” She said “Yes! Autty!”  As I quickly whisked her away into the restroom it suddenly occurred to me, how did she know that was a potty?  There were no pictures and I never say the words restroom and she can't read the words restroom… or can she?  I’m impressed… and shocked… and proud of my baby girl.

Video I took while running the race!

Cheers to a Compassionate New Year!

Happy New Year!  01.01.11! 

There are a few other days this year that really catch my attention… days that I consider lucky since a bunch of 1’s in a row is my favorite number combination.  First off, we have 01.01.11.  Then in eleven days 01.11.11.  And then the luckiest day of them all, 11.11.11.  Maybe 11.11.11 will be a special birth day.  ;-)

Our New Year’s was very quiet and sober.  Since I don’t drink much at all these days and decided to attempt to drink a bottle or two of wine the night before New Year’s eve, I was so hung over all day on the 31^st I felt like I was back in high school repeatedly promising I will NEVER drink again, EVER!  My New Year’s resolution seemed to clearly have to do with future sobriety. Around 5pm, after my extreme nausea subsided, I asked George what his New Year resolution is.  George doesn’t always communicate too well, so after I poked and prodded him a bit to get an answer, he told me his New Year’s resolution is to be a good boy so he gets more… ummmmm… I’ll leave the rest of that sentence for you to fill in the blank.  Funny he should say that because to me he is already a “good boy”.  George is a hard worker, kind, generous, and wonderful father.  Plus he cooks, cleans, and helps around the house tremendously when he’s home.  I truly appreciate my “good boy” husband.  Maybe my New Year’s resolution should be to show him my appreciation more often.

Alexa’s too young for New Year’s resolutions since she doesn’t do anything “bad” and she continues to grow positively every single day.  Maybe this should be my resolution, to view the world through the eyes of a child, open-mindedly learning and growing.

How many New Year’s resolutions am I aloud to have, because I have a list… no, really, I’m not kidding.  Being a bit of an over achiever, I actually typed up this ever growing list twice in this blog, then deleted it afraid of exposing myself to the extreme pressure of having to live up to “official” typed out resolutions.

Screw New Year’s resolutions, instead this is my New Year’s wish… that we all love one another embracing the true meaning of love in all its glory and exuding it through us into all other beings.  After all, we are all equals on this planet just trying to survive.  Why not love and support each other instead of destroy each other and our home.  It’s so important to be compassionate.  My New Year’s wish is for compassion, hope, happiness, freedom, peace, and love for all us earthlings and beyond.