Maui, part 1

OK, so whose idea was it to take an 11 month old toddler on a 5-1/2 hour plane ride?? The first hour and a half were *painful* - Zach was trying to crawl all over the place, crying, whining, unhappy to be cooped up on our laps with nowhere to actually MOVE. We tried the usual tricks - books, bottles, toys, rocking, shushing - but we were *that* family. The one with the crying baby that you pray you don't get seated next to on the plane. It only got worse as the flight wore on and it became clear that Zach was cranky because he needed a nap. But he's not used to napping in our arms, and he just wouldn't do it. And time fell into that void where it creeps by at half-pace. Finally at around two hours in, we got him to sleep. And he slept. And slept. He slept for an hour and a half, which was kinda beyond my wildest dreams. And after he woke up, he behaved!! The rest of the flight was innocuous... It also helped that Grandma Wheeler kept popping up with new presents for Zach (books, toys, etc) every once in a while!

Maui is fabulous. More than anything, we are glad to be away from home. Away from residency. Done with the anesthesia boards (congratulations, Meals!!!). We got to our condo in Kahana and were treated to an amazing sunset, right off the bat.

We are treating this as a low-stress vacation, with very little on the agenda. Well, ostensibly, Meals is here for an anesthesia conference, but those lectures end at noon. We took Zach to a "baby-friendly beach" yesterday and it was amazing (pictures at the end). Zach seemed to tolerate the ocean more than enjoy it, but I hope that by the end of our trip, he'll be more comfortable with it. He does really enjoy the pool at our condo, which seems to be constantly filled with other children. We have discovered we have a sea turtle that likes to hang out outside our lanai - we have named her Henrietta. I am trying to channel the rhythms of Henrietta and stop being the obnoxious mainlander who is always impatient (while driving, at restaurants, etc). Maybe at least for a few days, we can relax and enjoy island time. We have been enjoying the local cuisine - wonderful fresh fish and kahalua pork. And we booked massages for Friday... will report back later.

Aloha!!

Andrew.