We were gone but now we're back

So much for blogging again soon ... but I had a really good excuse. We spent last week in the Turks and Caicos with Matt's family. This is the second time we've gone down there and it never disappoints.

Claire handled international travel pretty well, all things considered, and loved getting to be outside so much. The weather was a little cool for the Caribbean (low 70s most days), but perfect for the babies. We slathered them in sunscreen, stuck them under a big umbrella and let them tussle over measuring cups and empty water bottles to their hearts' content.

In another year I think they'll have begun to really enjoy each other's company. They're already pretty obsessed with each other, they just aren't sure what to do with each other once they're within arm's reach. Grabbing fistfuls of hair was a popular choice. :)

Claire's sleep schedule deteriorated over the week. It was no one's fault, except maybe mine. At home if she cries at night we ignore her and she goes back to sleep on her own, but I was afraid to let her cry at the condo because I really did not want to be indirectly responsible for waking Riley up (not to mention everyone else). Therefore, I nursed her back to sleep whenever she made a peep, and predictably, she made more and more peeps as the week progressed.

The last couple of nights we were up basically every hour, and she was up for the day around 6:15 -- which has never happened at home, thank the Lord. But last night, back in her own crib, we went back to letting her soothe herself and all of us slept until almost 8 a.m., which felt like noon. We accidentally left the charger for the monitor in the Turks so we didn't use the monitor, and wow, it is way easier to ignore a crying baby when you can hardly hear her.

The monitor was much, much more useful there than here, anyway. Every day when Claire went down for a nap we just took the monitor outside with us and lay by the pool or in the hammock or whatever. The pool is right outside of the condo, but I was still impressed with its range. I read about three full books and got at least several hours most days to relax. I had no such expectations but sure was glad it worked out like that.

We took a bunch of pictures but the thought of downloading them is a little overwhelming right now. Sometime this week I'll try to post them. Special thanks to Mom, who came over this morning to play with Claire so I could shower, dust, sweep, unload the dishwasher, get the laundry rounds going, respond to 10 million emails and go through a week's worth of snail mail.

Mom's third liver anniversary was March 3, while we were gone. That new liver is one of the very best things ever to happen to me, not to mention Mom. I can't wait to properly celebrate it later this week. I love you, Mom!