Oak Beach, NY

We spent an afternoon with one of Matt's friends that live in Oak Beach, New York, about 20 miles East of Point lookout on the next barrier beach island. Its a very nice secluded beach community on the north (or west depending on how you look at it) side of Fire Island Inlet.
Bella makes a new friend with Boots. Maybe its Bella's charm or her playfulness, or perhaps the fact that she is playing with Boot's food around dinner time, we'll never really know. However, we do know that wherever we go, animals are generally attracted to Bella.
During our stay, we took a quick boat ride over to Democrat Point which is the western end of Fire Island State Park.

vroom vroom

A neighbor of the friend that we stayed with in Matt's hometown parked his car in front of the house. Bella fell in love with it and played for over an hour in it before we asked permission to drive it around town. She was all smiles! She said "whoa" over and over. I think it was the first time she wasn't strapped into her (still rear-facing) car seat. What freedom!

all within walking distance

We really enjoyed eating out this day on our vacation. Someone suggested going to Scotty's for breakfast so we did and enjoyed it. We liked it so much that we came back for lunch and met some friends. For dinner, we met another friend and went to eat at the Fisherman's Wharf, which is next to Scotty's. Bella really got into the calamari! She loved the marinara sauce and the crispies on the calamari. I'm pretty sure she didn't actually eat any squid because there were white little rings all around. After dinner and after dark we went to Ted's for ice cream which is on the other side of Scotty's. The really great thing about the Fisherman's Wharf, Scotty's and Ted's is that they are all within a 10 minute walk from the house. Beach living is completely different from city living...and we loved it.

snail

This picture doesn't capture what was going on so let me tell you. We saw a snail s l o w l y crawling across the sidewalk. It had a larger yellow and brown shell which is different than the small, dirt-colored snails we see in Houston. I pointed it out to Bella and she started screaming, "BAAA BAAAA BA" which is what she yells when she's upset. Over and over again she looked, pointed and yelled with her eye brows furrowed as to indicate that the snail was evil. Here's a video after the rampage. She's a bit distracted, but you can still see an instance of uncertainty about the snail followed by calm comment or two about it ('shit' meaning 'see it').

The video needs to be rotated but that's tricky to do...and I know because I've spent the last hour trying to figure it out.

beachy

In the town that Matt grew up in, there's a beautiful beach! It's a 5 minute walk to the beach which is so ideal, especially for keep your house cool with a sea breeze during the summer. We had a few minutes before meeting a friend for dinner so we strolled down to the beach with Bella in her favorite stroller. It's the snap and go, but without the car seat. She loves to stand and see everything that's going on, just like it's her very own Segway (human transporter). At first Bella didn't like the sand (just like her Grandpa Joe), but after a while she acclimated to it and liked walking without her shoes. Occasionally she fell while walking and sand stuck to her hands. With a cue to brush it off with a wipe her hands, she did, and happily walked along again.
It was so nice to have a beautiful beach nearby just for short jaunts of relaxation. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Uncle Jim & Aunt Marianne's

We went on a great vacation to the North East! It began with me and Bella flying to Long Island. We were on our own, without Matt, on a Southwest Airlines one-stop flight. The flight left at 6 am so our kind neighbor drove us to the airport very early. The strategy was that Bella would be tired and sleep on the plane ride. We boarded the plane and I chose to sit in the very front on the isle. The strategy was that Bella could watch all the other people getting on the flight and the flight attendants to keep her occupied. She has a bit of stranger danger so I thought the 'strangers' would keep her quiet and on my lap. Well, the strategies went right out the door! Bella screamed and screamed! It was the kind of scream that created the hiccups. She screamed and fought and wiggled and screamed some more the entire time that she was forced to be on my lap...which was 80% of the flight. The young couple next to me drank a lot of screwdrivers and bloody mary's! ...and don't forget that this is 6 am! The flight attendant offered me a drink, an alcoholic one, for free. I wanted one like a poor man wants to win the lottery! I said no because I couldn't hold it with Bella. The flight attendant offered to put a top and straw, but I still had to decline. About 20 minutes before landing, Bella screamed herself to sleep...but the hiccups remained. This was part 1.
Part 2 began with a three hour layover in Baltimore. Three hours is a long time to entertain an 18 month old in an airport, however, we occupied the time without many tears. She walked and walked. We played peek-a-boo. We ate lunch. We bought bottled water. We changed a diaper. We pulled out every "new" toy that I brought. Bella tried to climb every stair, especially the escalator. She thought it was best to sit in the middle of a crowded walk-way. We survived.
Part 3 began with the same unassigned seats, but I still chose the first (bulkhead) row on the isle. The strategy this time was that by being in the front row, the projection range of yelling and screaming would be half. If we sat in the middle of the plane, both passengers ahead and behind us would have to endure the ear-piercing noise. Fortunately, there was just a bit of crying. We were so happy to exit the plane! She walked on her own, without even holding my hand, all the way to baggage claim. Boy were we happy to see Matt!

Take home message: Don't fly alone with an 18 month old.

Above is a picture at Matt's Uncle's house in Southampton. We love the looong bench! ...and can you believe that all Bella wanted to do was sit on my lap!?

The next day was better. We were rested and exploring around the house. Even though there was a great shower inside, Matt convinced me to take my first outdoor shower. Matt promised that it would be great and it mostly was.
Coctails! Matt was pretty talented and coordinated to handle a martini, an 18 month old with a container of yogurt.
...and pretty soon, Bella was helping herself to cheese, crackers and snacks. Ordinarily we would have looked on nervously, but after a couple of martinis we didn't care if she double-dipped or spilled.
Cool, crisp, clean beach!
Bella loves the pool, but isn't so sure of the ocean yet...and I don't blame her.

swim class finale

Bella completed her 6 week swim class and as she would say "yea!" then clap her hands. Of course Bella became very comfortable in the water. She thinks she can swim on her own until she sinks. (she really doesn't sink because we hold on to her tightly.)
The biggest feat that was accomplished was that daddy learned to sing all the swimming songs! Here's one: ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies, splashes, splashes, we all fall down!

watermelon lover

What do you do on a really hot summer day? Eat WATERMELON! Bella loves it and I love her chubby legs.


We encourage closed-mouth smiles, but this one didn't work out that way. Don't you think that her teeth are just perfect for biting into corn on the cob, watermelon or removing nails from walls?

new words

Bella's picking up words left and right! Here are the newest:

whoa! (whoa!)
shit (see it)
shit (sit)
ba (ball)
bye (bye)
puppy (puppy)
upie (up please)
upie (down)
mas (more)