We were lucky enough to be able to go with my parents to Boca Grande, Florida recently. It was WONDERFUL. The start was a little rocky, but what's a vacation without a little drama?
On the Monday before we left, Jacob got a mosquito bite in the middle of his forehead. I didn't think anything of it -- it's summertime, and these things do happen. On Tuesday morning (the day we were driving to St. Louis), he had a bump on his forehead that was about an inch tall and half an inch wide. I called the pediatrician's office, and the nurse said it should be fine. She said he should be seen if it doubled in size, if it affected his eyes, or if he ran a fever.
So, we drove to St. Louis. By the way, I had gotten a new phone on Sunday, and here it was only Tuesday. My phone was two days old. And I smashed it in the car door. How does one do that? It takes talent. My phone was falling out of the case attached to my belt loop as I was getting into the car. Smashed. The screen completely broken. Awesome.
By the time we got to St. Louis that evening, it had doubled in size. It was the size of a golf ball, and about as round. We took him to the urgent care center. The doctor there said that some kids just have allergic reactions to mosquito bites, and that it was going to be fine. He prescribed a steroid cream for Jacob and that was that.
Wednesday morning. We wake up and the area between Jacob's eyes is swollen and the inner corners of his eyes are also a little swollen. He did not look like himself at all. I called the urgent care center, and the nurse there said they really didn't know what to say and she said he needed to see a pediatrician. I called Jacob's doctor's office and left a message. We then decided that we should take him to the ER (they have a pediatric specialist on call). We didn't want to fly before we knew he was okay. Pretty much as Jacob was being checked at the ER, the nurse from his pediatrician's office called back, and they both gave the same information -- this just happens to some kids. The nurse said it had happened to her daughter, that it took about a week to go away, and that her eyes had actually swelled shut for a while. She said to expect it to get worse.
Luckily, that was about the worst (swelling between the eyes). By Sunday, it was pretty much gone, thank goodness. Jacob's only complaint was itchiness, but it was just awful to see because it looked painful.
So... knowing Jacob was fine, we flew out to Florida. Jacob was very excited to be on a plane, and was interested in anything concerning the plane, including the emergency procedures. Benjamin was a champ and didn't cry or fuss. He was happy and content.
We stayed in my Aunt Karen and Uncle John's BEAUTIFUL beach house (THANK YOU so much for letting us stay there!). We had a fantastic view of the water and all the comforts of home (and more!). For times not spent outside, there's even big collection of books to enjoy.
Jacob loved the beach. He'd been asking us to take him to the beach for about a year. He had a great time building sand castles and gathering shells. Benjamin helped, too!
Although Jacob loved being near the water, that didn't mean he wanted to be IN it. He made a brave attempt with his dad, but came back pretty quickly!
Benjamin wasn't able to spend much time outside with his fair, new-baby skin, but he did enjoy the breeze for a while in the evening.
Geornge Bob and Poppa spent a lot of quality time with the boys. Jacob challenged them to races in the pool (somehow Jacob always won!). Jacob also had loads of fun with the inflatable snakes, which are there to scare off ducks and other animals. Jacob took the "good" snake, and gave Geornge Bob the "mean" one. Apparently, the snakes bite you if you leave the water!
Poppa watched a little TV with Benjamin. He thought he was pretty cool hanging out with his grandpa, even if he did fall asleep!
We went on a boat ride to Cabbage Key for what my parents call the "most expensive hamburger ever." We rode to the little island, which has only a restaurant and a gift shop. The restaurant has a room that is lined with dollar bills signed by customers. The restaurant donates any money that falls to the floor, which is about $10,000 per year.
On the boat ride back, we saw DOLPHINS! The dolphins swim up near the boat, as they are drawn by the sound of the engine. The boat captain (I guess that's what he'd be called?) made the kind of waves the dolphins like, and they jumped and played alongside the boat. Several dolphins came up and played for a while. At one point, there was a mom and baby, which was a pretty special sight. Everyone on the boat was excited by the dolphins, even the teenager who had been reading a Dan Brown novel up until that point. (How could you read when you're surrounded by all of that gorgeous scenery???)
My parents introduced us to a domino game called Mexican Train. It is so addictive! The game takes about 3 and a half hours to play, which can be dangerous when you don't start until 10 at night (and when Jacob wakes up at 7, bright and chipper!).
We had such a great time. Boca Grande is a beautiful place. The downtown has all sorts of fun shops to wander through and some tasty places to eat. It was so nice to be able to just relax. When you're removed from day-to-day responsibilities like housework and job stress, all you're left with is the pleasure of spending time with your loved ones in a beautiful little piece of paradise.
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