jamaica, no problems.

neither justin nor i were entirely sure about jamaica leading up to the trip.  we, of course, were super psyched to get to be there for mike and kim's wedding; and we were pumped to see some friends we don't see very often; but, we had heard mixed reviews about the island.  dirty and dangerous were the two adjectives that worried me the most.

fortunately, i can now say that that was NOT our experience at all.  we had a wonderful time, and i would probably go back to jamaica before any of the other islands i've been to in the caribbean.

we began our trip with a short flight to houston, then on to montego bay international airport.  emmeline was a trooper and slept and played quietly for both flights.  we met up with mike, kim, and kim's family when we landed.  the looooong customs line was a tough wait, but we finally made it through and hopped in a van to make the trek out to negril.  negril is about 70 miles away, but it takes a little over an hour and a half to get there because you have to drive through towns and all of that.  our driver was exceptionally nice and informative.  i spent the majority of the ride quizzing him about jamaica's political structure, school system, economic issues, etc etc.  it was fascinating.  it's a very, very poor country.  but people there are well-educated and welcoming.  they also have an immense sense of patriotism and fellowship amongst each other that i found to be very inspiring.

the place we stayed is called idle awhile and it was incredible.  there were about 12 rooms in the whole resort, and our fellow wedding-goers (and we) took up probably 7 of the rooms.  it was super clean and mellow and the staff was so nice.  we had a room with a big porch facing the ocean that was also tucked back a little so you could see everyone else's room when you were on our porch.  i loved that since i spent a lot of time out there while emme napped inside!

our days were very laid back.  we would wake up, walk along the beach a little bit, eat some breakfast, then head back to the room for nap #1 (which usually lasted 2-3 hours).  everything operates on island time, so breakfast took at least an hour and a half.  i love the slow-eating thing, but emme was usually ready to leave right as the food was getting there, so i found myself eating while standing a few times, so i could bounce her on my hip.  the coffee was strong and delicious.  i do love my coffee in the morning, and jamaica served it up just right.  while emme napped in the morning, i would read on the porch and visit with whoever was passing by and justin would usually swim or be out and about.  when she woke up, i'd lather her up with sunscreen and her swimsuit and all the necessary gear (man, babies need a lot of gear) and we'd head down to the beach.  this is where emme was born to be.  that child would scoot herself into the sand or just wave her legs and arms around and squeal and sigh with delight.  i have rarely seen her happier than she was on the beach.  she loved the water too, of course.  it was warm and super calm.  she would have liked to have been in it for hours, i'm sure, but i was paranoid about the sun, so we would just do a few minutes and then duck back under our umbrella.  she ate a few handfuls of sand, and i think she liked it more than other stuff she's eaten.  after some playing and adult lunching, we'd head back to the room for nap #2, another 2-3 hours.  afternoon play time was usually on the porch or in the shade or in someone else's room, then it was bath time in the sink (we had no tubs, only open-air showers) and time for bed.  emme would get so fired up about everything that she would end up going to sleep around 6:30 at night - about an hour earlier than she does at home.  so, she was sleeping 12-13 hours at night in jamaica.  it was crazy.

oh, i should also mention that emme has a new boyfriend.  our friends merritt and vanessa had their 10 month-old son reid with them, and he and emme hit it off splendidly.  he is a super physical dude - he's walking/running/climbing all over everything and is generally adorable.  he would put his head in emme's lap and steal her toys only to hand them back to her like he was giving her a gift.  too precious.  he also tried to crawl into her carseat with her a few times, which i found hysterical.  i think merritt got some pictures of their antics, so i will post them when i can.

even though i spent a ton of time hanging around because i was watching a bebe, it was a wonderful experience for me.  because i work full time, nothing sounds better to me, vacation-wise, than spending as much time as possible with my little bunny.  i also read 2 entire books, which is basically heaven as far as i'm concerned.

anyway, the wedding itself was on monday.  it was absolutely gorgeous.  people who were walking along the beach stopped just to watch.  kim looked radiant, and the resort and wedding coordinator did a great job with all the little details.  justin was the best man, so he toasted the couple at dinner.  it was an intimate group and everyone had a fabulous time.  emme made it up a little later than usual, so i got to play with the grown-ups until 7:30 or 8.  then, debbie (kim's rad mom) came to porch-sit for a few minutes so i could run and have a few dances with jb.

the trip home was longer, as they always are.  emme was still great, but she was awake for a lot more of it.  she also pooped all over herself/me/the plane on our last flight, which was hilarious.  i think i used approximately 53 wet wipes.

so now we are home, and i would say our first (of hopefully many) international adventure with a bebe was a great success.  we have zillions of pictures and hours of video that our resident media-manager will be wrangling over the next few days/weeks.  but for now, i'm posting a few he pulled out last night.

highlights of jamaica:
- chicken curry meat pies
- coffeeeee
- constant breeze
- brief afternoon rainstorms
- tree frogs singing (which annoyed me the first night when justin told me the sound was a bat alarm, but was surprisingly pleasant once i found out what it really was).
- dinner out with all the big kids saturday night while debbie watched the bebes at the resort
- mike and jb getting ready in our room, trying to figure out how to iron linen and silk
- emme spitting up all over her face and the bed, moments before we were walking out the door for the ceremony.  fortunately, i made the wise choice to not dress her until the last second, so she was just in a diaper
- francine, our squinty-eyed porch cat
- emme in a swimsuit
- emme pooping on me twice (once while in a swimsuit and nursing; once on the plane)

a couple more quick notes: i didn't actually give emme a big spoon to feed herself, she just likes playing with it under close supervision.  and video will be forthcoming, jb promises.  also, i really love pictures of our daughter making weird faces.  is that weird?