Hamptons Phase 1

Last week, we headed up to the Hamptons! We were so thankful to have the house still available--thanks Otter and Pat and everyone for making this possible. We waited until Liora's bedtime and got on the road around 7, arriving at the house by 2 a.m. (we hit night construction and sat in a traffic jam for an hour)! But leaving then worked out well for Liora; she snoozed through most of the drive. Mommy also napped for a bit (we knew Liora would be up at her normal time the next day, nevermind that we had been up half the night), and daddy held strong and got us there somehow.

The next day, we woke up and walked around, getting to know the house once more. Liora loved the provided toys (thanks Uncle Andrew and family) and was immediately taken with the koi pond and bubbles in the pool.

We headed down to the beach right away, not wanting to miss a minute! Liora took one look at the beach and was in love. She walked right into the ocean as if it was nothing new to her, and showed no fear whatsoever. Of course, mommy and daddy had to learn what it's like to be at the beach with a baby, applying and reapplying sunblock, changing diapers full of sand, trying to keep her sun hat on, and figuring out where to fit in naps.

We met a young boy who had made himself a tidal pool, and Liora decided she needed one too. Here's daddy hard at work while Liora gives him pointers for how to dig that hole.

The house and its property held just as much fascination for Liora as the beach. She loved playing out back, feeding fish, staring at the waterfall (and also the budda statue in the backyard, who she continually said "hi" to. She must be a blossoming buddhist?).

Of course, the pool was the best part for Liora. We went for a short swim every day. Here she is getting sunscreen applied...something that happened at least twice a day, if not more.

Now for a dip...it was a bit chilly, but it seemed to bother us more than her.

This was Liora's first time in a pool where she couldn't touch the bottom, and she did pretty well, even kicking her legs and moving her arms a bit.

Our days were basically: beach, pool, koi staring, naps, eating, and sleeping some more--the perfect vacation. Daddy was with us through Sunday afternoon. That morning, we breakfasted at Hamptons Coffee where we sat near Matt Lauer (our only celebrity sighting). Then, daddy was off on the jitney, heading home. He didn't have any more vacation time! But mommy did, and Dee Dee was already starting her journey to the Hamptons from Martha's Vineyard when daddy left, to spend another few days with us.

Liora really missed daddy, and couldn't quite figure out where he had gone. She looked for him around many corners. We finally left the house and headed to a local toy store--the only antidote for missing daddy. We'll pick up when Dee Dee arrives in the next post.

Here is Liora, charging into the water: