Hawaii at 11 Months

I suck at being a photog.  We are nearly a week into our 3-week Hawaiian getaway and I have barely taken any pics.  Granted, we haven't done any official "touristy" things yet, save for going to the beach for an hour one day and hitting the "International Marketplace" on another day.  Mostly, we've been hanging around in the area, taking long strolls and catching up on our Vitamin D production.

My goal for the next 2 weeks is to actually take pictures each day, even if it's only with my iPhone.  It's Baby L's first official beach holiday (and really, her first real vacation anywhere) and I would regret not capturing at least a few of the highlights for posterity.

But Baby L is now 11 months and here are some observations I've noted:

* She has discovered her pointer finger on her right hand.  She points at everything and nothing at all, sometimes holding her finger up in the air like a little trophy.  It's cute and weird at the same time.

* In Hawaii, my kid drinks a lot more formula than when we are home.  In fact, she seems to have an insatiable appetite for most liquids, as well as those baby cookies that we buy to bribe her into sitting in the car for more than 5 minutes.

* Although Baby L has yet to take her first steps (and somehow I don't think she's all that motivated since she crawls like a pro), she does enjoy "cruising" around the musical activity table that we've rented for her.  Round and round she goes, side-stepping the entire way.  Maybe it's practice for when she actually decides it is time to learn to walk?

* My kid has learned to whine, and does it at least as well as her mom. ;)

* We think she may already be getting her incisors or molars.  Drool, soft poops, random crying (especially in the middle of the night - fun!) and shoving her newly-discovered pointer finger into the side of her mouth are some of our clues.  Oh, and the biting.  Anything and everything, but especially my knee, Hubbs' nose, and my fingers.  Suffice to say, I don't dare let my fingers roam too close to her face.

* Since getting sick, she has actually been more willing to sleep in her crib for more than an hour and a half at a time during the night.  Not sure why, but we are happy to not be bedsharing if she is willing and happy to be in her own bed.  Of course, her current crib is a mini, but the one we rented for her is a spacious regular crib (which she is loving even more than the one at home).  So now we've resolved to buy her a second, full-size crib.  We're probably going with a cheapo Ikea one though, since we already blew a chunk of change on her first one.  No need to buy two pricey cribs for one baby (who only sleeps in it part-time).

* Dining out in the evening has become somewhat of a nightmare.  Baby L is really hating being confined to a high chair (or our arms), and prefers to be able to crawl about exploring new sights.  This has made for some interesting dinners out, and we're at the point now where we are going to avoid dining out past 5:00 pm for a while.

* My not-fussy eater is becoming a somewhat fussier eater.  She still isn't refusing food entirely, but she is beginning to show preferences (e.g. protein at breakfast, carb all the time, fruit at select points during the day, snacks all the time, veg hit-and-miss) and sometimes she will decide simply not to eat solids.  I'm not worried yet, since she is still doing the formula and breastfeeding thing.  However, if this keeps up we may have to reevaluate how and when we are feeding her.

* Baby L takes after Hubbs in that she absolutely loves being outside.  She will nap in her stroller or sit quietly observing her environment so long as her ride is moving and she has fresh air to breathe in.  The temperature doesn't seem to matter as much; she likes the chills of winter in Van as well as the hot and humid weather in Hawaii.

* Not to sound like an ingrate but a vacation where I still have to do laundry and cooking is not really much of a vacation for me.  Lesson learned: next time we're staying at a resort with full maid service and plans to dine out all the time.  It's just easier that way.

Anyhoo, that's the update for now.  I do plan to review the Foonf after we get more opportunities to travel with Baby L in it, and I will try to blog between trips to the beach and other touristy things we're doing! :D