You are one lucky little dude.
Here you are, five months old, lounging in Maui. You beat the rest of us at taking your first Hawaiian vacation. Your sister was seven months old for her first trip. I'd have to check with my parents, but I think I was 10 or so on my first trip. Your Mom took her trip when she was 31.
You have been great with all the travel. You were easy on me and Mom on the plane ride here and will hopefully be the same on the way back. I'm already worked enough at the airports coordinating and dragging all the extra luggage you kids require. By the end of it I feel like I hit max reps at the gym.
You have been super cuddly with your Mom lately, especially in the morning. The way the rooms worked out here at the condo, you get to share the bed with Mom, and Eliza sleeps in a pack 'n play next to the bed. That pushes me out to the second bedroom, which is definitely not the way things were before you kids came along!
You have loved all of the pool time. You can't quite sit up yet on your own, but you try and bounce around like crazy with whoever is holding you. You're a bucking bronco! We alternate between sitting you by the pool and letting you sleep in the shade on a beach chair. You got your first taste of the ocean the other day and got to put your feet in the water, pedaling with excitement.
You have been finding more of your voice on this trip, crowing like a rooster to entertain yourself and fussing whenever we strap you in a stroller or car seat. You want to be free! You don't actually cry much but blow bubbles and wheeze as if in Lamaze class, trying to control your breath. It's funny to watch you get worked up and I appreciate that you don't go from zero to scream and give us a chance to settle you down before you erupt.
Though it's not very wintry here, we have still gotten into the Maui holiday spirit. We took a holiday train ride to "Santa's Depot" and later today we're going to take Santa photos at Wailea with the Chaffee boys. You are lucky to see Santa so many times before Christmas! We'll see him one more time for photos with your cousin Harry.
We are very fortunate to have the means to take trips like these, so don't ever take them for granted. Travel and vacations (not always the same) are a total privilege and, in my mind, total necessities. There's the "get away and reset" aspect of a vacation. There's also the "see how other people live" aspect as a reminder of the choices we have to live whatever lifestyle we choose, and not just the one we create out of habit. Every day has a series of choices, and you can choose to make the same you made yesterday or make today something different. That doesn't make every day a potential vacation, but it can be more interesting. That's the reminder vacations give me.
Unfortunately you won't remember this vacation like I will. Don't worry, we'll take many more together.
Love, Dad