Cancun

Before Dale and I left on our trip last week, I wanted to be SURE I didn't have another pump incident (which I've documented in two previous blogs, Travel Day and Again? Really?). So on Tuesday morning, I pulled out the battery pack, installed fresh batteries, plugged it into the pump, turned the knob, and... Nothing. What in the WORLD is going on with this thing? Can you say, D-U-D? All four batteries were brand new!

In my frantic despair to figure out what the heck was going on before leaving for the airport, I made a discovery that resolved for me every single issue I'd previously had with the pump. The battery pack is double-sided. Takes four batteries on each side. Apparently when I've been playing with batteries, I've only been filling the battery slots on one side. No wonder it didn't work...

So, after putting batteries in all eight slots, the pump worked, and we headed to Cancun. After, that is, a tearful departure from dropping the kids off at school. At least I managed to wait to start crying until Ivie was safely in her class, satisfied with the explanation that Mommy and Daddy were going on a "trip," and that Nina and Papa would be there to pick her and Macie up after school that day.

The flights (through Atlanta) were both uneventful and basically on-time. We arrived in Cancun shortly after 2p on Tuesday. Too bad our checked bags decided to hang out overnight in Atlanta and not make the second leg of the trip with us (despite an hour-long layover, which, in my opinion, should have been plenty of time for the airline folks to make the plane switch). I think the bags must have heard of the fun to be had in Buckhead. Or maybe the airline folks were thinking ahead to the fun THEY intended to have in Buckhead that evening...

Anyway, so I'm not one of those smart people that packs a day's worth of clothes (or a swimsuit when heading on a beach vacation) in the carry-on luggage. So all we had were the clothes on our backs until 2p the next day. Thank goodness we were at an all-inclusive resort. At least we could waste time eating, right?

Once our luggage arrived, though, the trip was amazing. Not many stories to tell, really, since the majority of our time was spent relaxing by the pool and on the beach with friends from Dale's company. But I do have a few pictures and a short video of our two outings off of the resort. The first was a "Jungle Tour", which involved Wave Runners and snorkeling. And the second (and probably the highlight of the trip), was a once-in-a-lifetime (mostly because of the cost!) swim with two female dolphins. One's name was Star. The other one's name I can't remember, as it was something very long and very Spanish. Both were pregnant and due in 2 months (dolphins have a 12-month gestation period). Their calves, when born, would weigh about 24 pounds! So not only were they carrying them around in their bellies, but they also had to spend an hour playing with us, hoisting us in the air, and letting us go for a "ride" on their fins. Already practicing to be multi-tasking mothers!

You'll note on the video, when the dolphins are propelling me through the water, I decided NOT to pose as Superman. Note to other ladies who might wish to do this swim with the dolphins someday. Wear a one-piece bathing suit, so you don't have to worry about your bottoms flying off! Because I'm pretty sure they would have, had I not been holding on to them for dear life.

Back in North Carolina, on the home front, Ivie and Macie were in great hands with Nina and Papa, who flew out to spend the week with them. I was a bit nervous about leaving Macie for the first time, as evidenced by the 15-page instruction document (complete with descriptive pictures) I spent a full week writing and editing... Thankfully, my mom is as anal and organized as I am (where do you think I got it from?!?), so she didn't mind the detail. In fact, she said she read through it several times and referenced it often during the week. Thanks for making me feel better about being a control freak, Mom!

It was very strange not seeing my mom and dad on either end of our trip (they arrived after we'd taken the girls to school on Tuesday, and their flight left for home before we returned on Sunday night), but we talked fairly often (can't wait to see THAT cell phone bill!), and they said each time what a joy the girls were.

Despite the great fun on the trip, I must say that I will always remember the look on Ivie's face when we walked into the house Sunday night. Her back was to us, so I made some noise to get her attention. Hearing the noise, she glanced our way, and then did a complete double-take when she saw it was us. She spent the next 5 minutes going back and forth between us giving us bear hugs. And Macie? As I held her, she stared at me for minutes straight. Not even blinking. It was almost like she thought that if she closed her eyes, even for a second, I would disappear again.

Don't worry, Mac. We're not going anywhere for a while. I missed my girls so much, but had a wonderfully relaxing trip with Daddy.