We're baaaacccckkkk

Whew! I need a vacation to recuperate from my vacation... On Saturday before the ship left, we spent the day at South Shore Harbour Resort relaxing by the pool before meeting an old college friend of mine for dinner at the Kemah Boardwalk. Much fun was had by all, and AJ doesn't seem to be afraid of the water anymore. He had a blast jumping off the side into Daddy's arms.

On a side note -- while we were in Kemah, we ran into the parents of one of AJ's NICU friends. Caitlyn was born a couple of days before AJ and they were in the Level 3 nursery together. We would talk to her parents every night during visiting hours. Poor little Caitlyn was doing great until she developed a staph infection and was put into isolation. We found out later that Caitlyn never recovered and never got to go home with her parents. On a happier note, her parents had another little girl that following Christmas who was full-term (thanks to Mom's weekly injections to fight early labor) and is absolutely adorable! It was heart-warming to see their success...

Anyway...we were to board the ship in Galveston on Sunday in time to have lunch onboard. Unfortunately, their check-in computer system went down, leaving us sitting in line on the hot gangway for over an hour.

Monday was good. Lying by the pool, playing some games...it was formal night and we took some family portraits (to be posted later).

Tuesday the battery in our in-cabin safe went out so we couldn't get anything out until it was repaired.

Wednesday - Montego Bay, Jamaica. Fun in the sun at the Rose Hall Beach Resort. AJ had a blast playing in the water, and we got some really good pictures.

Thursday - Georgetown, Grand Cayman. I went on an excursion on the Atlantis submarine which took us out to the edge of the coral reef that Grand Cayman sits on, then dropped down 115 feet under the water. I shot some really good video of this, including the shipwreck that we passed. AJ and Daddy went to the Butterfly Farm and had another beach break. They were bored with the butterflies after just a few minutes. At the beach, Daddy lost the camera. It apparently floated out of his pocket and is somewhere in the Carribbean. In the process of changing AJ's clothes to get on the bus back to the ship, he also left AJ's swim trunks and new t-shirt in the sink of the restrooms.

Friday - Cozumel, Mexico. One word - HOT! No, make that two words - CROWDED! Note to self, do not book a beach excursion in Mexico in May. After we returned to the ship, I booked a "Ladies Night Out" special at the spa. It included: full body exfoliation, sauna, steam room, mini facial, milk protein hair conditioning treatment, eye toner, and shoulder and neck massage. It lasted 2 hours and only cost $59.

Saturday - Fun Day at sea. Ten of us had a very nice dinner at the reservations-only supper club on the upper deck to celebrate a family birthday.

Now it's back to reality. The next group is leaving on the Carnival Ecstasy on February 4, 2008! Making plans now...