Day 4 - Stingrays & Starfish

Today we chartered a small boat for the morning with another family from Toronto. You met Maya (2) and Andrew (6) in the pool and I met their parents, Cinzia and Paul, and asked if they wanted to join us to check out Stingray City.

We arrived at the Cayman Island Yacht Club at 8:45AM to board the Zodiac with Nicholas, our captain and tour guide. First, we had to drive to Stingray City which is in the center of the North Sound. Nicholas was driving as fast as he could so that no one got sea-sick.
Stingray City is located in a shallow sandbar and there were dozens of stingrays waiting for us. Daddy took you into the shallow waters to pet the stingrays, but I think you were a bit freaked out to see the stingrays up close.
Instead you preferred to be held above water by Mommy and Daddy the entire time we were in Stingray City.
Daddy took some videos of us playing with the stingrays - the stingrays rubbed up against us to say hello (similar to how a cat or dog rubs against someone to say hello). These stingrays were super-friendly and were used to being around humans - in fact, they expected to be fed so they LOVE when people visit them and feed them fish.

Next stop was snorkeling on a small coral reef - there were more stingrays, some Dory's (the blue/yellow fish from Finding Nemo) and other fish around the coral. The water was quite rough so you did not last long in the water; instead you hung out on the boat with Cinzia and Maya. Since Daddy and I are both certified scuba divers, we were not so impressed by the snorkeling.

Our guide Nicholas took us for some sightseeing on the boat to check out Rum Point and some of the nice houses along the beach. Our next stop was Starfish Beach - while we walked around the shallow waters, Nicholas went snorkeling to catch a few starfish and other sealife.
Mommy was being silly by making a bikini top using the starfish - Daddy was not amused.
Here you are checking out the suction cups on the bottom of the starfish which is how the starfish can move around.
Here is another cute photo of Maya, Andrew and you playing with the starfish.
Nicholas went hunting for more sealife - he came back with a sea urchin. Later he collected some seashells and gave them to Maya, Andrew and you to start your own collections.
It was quite hot so Daddy was cooling off by laying down in the shallow water.
On the way back to the Yacht Club, both Maya and you passed out.
Right before we reached the docks, Nicholas noticed a very large iguana hanging out in the mangrove. Check it out!

Day 3 - Beach Cabana

Today we reserved a cabana on the beach so that we had some shade all day long. It was another gorgeous day on Grand Cayman - the water was quite calm today. We took you down to the ocean and carried you into the water. Check out how blue the water was!
At first you seemed a bit scared but then you let go of Daddy and floated nearby.
After an hour, we took a break under the cabana and you ate some veggie puffs.
At noon, it was unbearably hot - plus I think you were tired but did not want to take your nap. You tried to fall asleep on top of Daddy and then on the side of Daddy, but then you decided it would be more fun to play in the sand. The sun was so strong even under the cabana so we decided to head up to the room.

Luckily our new room was ready - they upgraded us to an Ocean View room on the 5th Floor. We had a beautiful view of Seven Mile Beach!

In the late afternoon, we went back down to the cabana. You wanted to go back into the ocean right away. Then we went to the pool to find your playmates, Maya (2) and Andrew (6). When it was time to go, we went back to the cabana to find Daddy. You played in the sand with some toys while drying off.
For dinner, we went to Fisherman's Reef on the West Bay - as soon as we arrived, some guy had just caught a grouper on the dock.
Nice family photo too!
You were so exhausted because you missed your afternoon nap (again!). You barely made it through dinner - luckily my scallops came with angel hair pasta so you were content sitting on my lap eating the noodles with your fingers. . . though I think more pasta ended up on your face, in your hair and on your clothes than in your mouth.

Day 2 - Swimming with Daddy

This morning, we woke up early so that we could reserve some pool chairs. After a quick breakfast from Eats Cafe, we went down to the pool at 8:30AM. You had lots of fun swimming with Daddy.
I bought some Elmo muscles (floating things you wear on your arms) and you just loved being independent in the pool. You were doggy-paddling to get around the pool and jumping into the water.
We also looked for lizards around the pool - for some reason, you have a fascination with lizards.
We went inside around noon to get out of the harsh sun. We lounged in bed and watched TV hoping you would take a nap. I went to the grocery market while Daddy and you relaxed in the room. Unfortunately you never fell asleep for your afternoon nap.

At 4PM we went back down to the pool for an hour and you played with another little girl named Maya. You both were a bit mischievous - instead of swimming in the pool, you liked to climb into the waterfall.

For dinner, we took a taxi to Calypso Grill -- you almost fell asleep in the car but woke up when we arrived at the restaurant. We had a lovely table on the deck outside and enjoyed yummy seafood. You especially enjoyed eating the seaweed that came with Daddy's tuna sashimi.

Grand Cayman Vacation - Day 1

Today we flew to Grand Cayman for a family vacation. Since we did not go away over the holidays or in January, we planned a Spring Break to the Caribbean. One criteria was to fly non-stop in order to minimize time spent on the airplane - for both Daddy and you. Unfortunately we were delayed for almost an hour at Newark waiting to take-off! Luckily Daddy was able to entertain you until we were allowed to turn on the DVD player. PHEW!

When we landed at the airport, we were all so HOT since it was nearly 80 degrees (versus 45 degrees in New York). We took a taxi to our hotel and got ready to go swimming. Here you are relaxing with Daddy having a snack after swimming for a few hours.

For dinner, we walked to a restaurant called Copper Falls near the hotel.
While we ate, you had fun shuttling back and forth under the table!
You also love to pretend whispering gibberish in our ears - how cute!
After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and decided to take a stroll on the beach before going upstairs to bed. At first, you were a bit unstable walking on the sand.
We watched the waves crash while lounging on the beach chairs.
Then Daddy and you dipped your toes in the water. . .actually, Daddy misjudged a wave and his pants got all wet!

Spanish Class & Art Class

I am on vacation this week and we leave for Grand Cayman tomorrow - I took two extra days off so that I could take you to classes you normally go to with Girlie.

Yesterday we went to Spanish music class - I was impressed by how much you knew since the first class especially since we don't speak Spanish at home. Graciela, the teacher, sings children's songs in Spanish and you have learned colors, body parts, animals and directions in Spanish.

Today I took you to a new art class in Brooklyn Heights - it was so much fun. First we colored, stamped and paint-splashed a mural on the floor while waiting for all of the kids to arrive. Next, we painted a toy car - you started using your fingers since you've never used brushes before.
You mixed all the colors together (like you normally do with your finger paints at home) so your car looked psychedelic!
Next, we colored toy airplanes with markers, crayons and heart stickers. Check it out!
Here is your toy car after the paint dried - we showed Daddy all of your artwork when he got home from work.

Easter Egg Hunt

Today we went to the Easter Egg Hunt in Brooklyn Bridge Park – our friends, Todd & Tameron and Caren & Vernon, joined us. I had expected the egg hunt to be a small neighborhood event, but it was a total zoo – we had to wait in a long line just to enter the park. It was also really cold outside today, so we did not stay too long.
Mari and you had fun picking up eggs on the grass. . . .
Then we took a family photo in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. How cute!
Nice photo of the Rickers: Todd, Tameron and Reagan (4 months).
The Edlers came prepared with an Easter basket and bunny ears too. Caren was filming Mari (2 years) while Vernon watched Vernon Jr. (2 months).
We decided to head back to our house to warm up and eat some brunch. We had planned to eat out, but the wait was too long with so many families visiting our neighborhood. While we were eating, you were admiring Vernon Jr. - a good sign for your little brother's arrival in June.

Passed Out

Today is Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday, so Girlie had the day off. Daddy also had the day off but not me. Daddy watched you in the morning while I went to work. He went out the night before with Som and Arjun, so he was a bit hung-over. When I came home from work, you both decided to take afternoon naps. Look at you two passed out on the bed!