Clayton's First Vacation...

For all our fans out there, I'm sure our absence of one week was noted. :)  I missed posting last weekend because Our New Family flew to Sanibel Island Florida in an attempt to leave behind the dreary Wisconsin weather for a week of warmth and sun.  Mission accomplished.  The temperature in Sanibel was in the upper 70's to 80's all week and we only really had one overcast day.  Ryan and I very quickly learned, however, that vacation with a 6-month old is vastly different than the vacations we're used to.  Despite our best efforts, there was no sleeping in - in fact, there was very little sleeping at all.  Clayton had to share our room, which of course meant disruption of his normal schedule and sleep habits.  That being said, we had a great time.  Although not necessarily relaxing, traveling with Clayton is a ton of fun.  He was great on the plane - seriously, the best kid out of the bunch, and there were a BUNCH!  He was a trooper throughout the trip, hanging out at the pool/beach with Mom and Dad, walking/driving around the island, and venturing to many different "exotic" restaurants.  

Before I post the vacation pics, just a few from the week prior.

Clayton continues to attempt to crawl - but generally still heads the wrong direction.  This time, he ended up under our TV cabinet.

And here is the week 28 photo - we were already in Florida, hence the cheesy couch!

 Clayton seemed to really enjoy riding around in our cheap Target umbrella stroller - despite the fact his parents had a really tough time steering (note to self - cheap strollers don't drive well!)

He also seemed to love being in the pool.  He quickly learned to splash and was only momentarily distressed when he (or someone else) splashed water into his face.

I could sit him on the edge of the pool and he would seem to "jump" back in by lunging forward.

Just giving Mom a kiss.

He also explored the Gulf of Mexico...

The water was still a bit to cold to do more than stick his toes in.

Hanging poolside.

Our hotel was actually more like small condo units, so we had a living/kitchen area as well as a bedroom.  Clayton enjoyed hanging out in the AC and continued to practice his skills.  He even started to pull up on things - although not very well (there were a few meetings of his little face and the bottom of the rattan coffee table).  

Here we are at an island hotspot called the Island Cow - yummy food in a very loud and boisterous environment.  Clayton was a trooper and a hit with the serving staff - which was true just about anywhere we went.  It's amazing how "friendly" strangers are to a cute little guy - sometimes in a kind of creepy way.

 And here's the week 29 photo, taken after our return to Wisconsin.