Day 2 – 28 March 2011

We had the alarm clock set for 6:00 to get ready for our all day trip to Palo Verde National Park. However, it seems Alexis is still on Central Daylight Time and woke us up at 5:00. She was hungry and all alone in her crib with no chance of falling back asleep. We warmed her up a bottle and tried to put her down between us in the bed again. With not too much time before 6:00, she fell back asleep. We did as much getting ready before she woke back up as we could. We needed to wake her up in order to eat breakfast before leaving on the tour bus.

The bags were packed and we went to breakfast. It was pretty much the same foods as yesterday, so we were able to pick out our food a little quicker. Alexis didn't eat as much for breakfast, but she was still tired. We had some snacks packed for her on the bus ride, if needed. We were a bit rushed to catch our bus and it was packed full. The tour company, however, was aware that we had an infant and they placed a car seat in one of the bus seats for us. That was a pleasant surprise, but we had already brought ours along anyway. There was a little confusion on where to fit her car seat and where we were going to sit because infant car seats are not made specially for buses. After only one seat change, we strapped her in the front seat behind the driver (where the guide usually sits) using a seat belt for the first time since elementary school, and I sat next to her.

The guide proceeded to let us know that we would be bussing everyone to the central tour office and then splitting off into our individual tours from there, while he sat on the floor of the bus next to the driver. Alexis was fairly good for the first leg, which was only 30 minutes long. We then toted all of our stuff along with her to another tour bus which would take us to the National Park. This bus was much less crowded and we were able to find Alexis the perfect seat in which her seat and the seat in front of here were properly reclined, and the tray table was missing off the seat in front of her – best case scenario.

This is where we met our guide for Palo Verde, Alvaro (Al for short because we're lazy). He gave quite a bit of background about Costa Rica in general and the tour we would be going on in the park. He asked Alexis's name probably three times and still insisted on calling her Alex….eh, close enough. She fell asleep for most of the beginning of the ninety minute bus ride, but woke up probably a half hour too early. I learned quite a few things from Al, including why Alexis keeps wanting to get in the bed with us at night. Apparently she has learned of the Costa Rican tradition where the youngest child in the family sleeps with their parents until the next child is born, or until they are about five years old. Alexis knows her time is limited and doing everything she can to get her time in now.

At the park, they had fresh fruit waiting for us. There wasn't much time for eating as we had to use the restroom, change "Alex" and cover ourselves in sunscreen. Just a few yards away was the bank to where we get on the boat for the river cruise. The tour consisted of approximately two hours of slowly and methodically boating down the river as the boat driver and Al would point out Costa Rican wildlife. The ride was very accommodating in such that they would slow down (and even back up) and point out the animals using a mirror that reflected the sunlight toward the animal – I probably wouldn't have seen half the stuff without that. We took hundreds of pictures of birds, alligators, lizards, iguanas, monkeys, and of course Alexis. She was not as excited because there were only a few things that she could actually see; she did like seeing the big birds that could fly. One of us would be mostly occupied by trying to entertain her and keep her from crying, probably due to hunger, sleepiness, and/or boredom. After the two hours, we were ready to get back to shore.

The staff at the park was preparing lunch for us, which was included in the tour. I quickly got Alexis in her stroller and started making laps around the pavilion. Lesson Learned: The stroller is already becoming the lifesaver (aka "The Napmobile") on this trip. The passed out our plates full of authentic Costa Rican cuisine. We ate fish or chicken, salad, rice, beans, and tasty unknown vegetables. We also had our first taste of Costa Rican salsa which is a brown sauce consisting of a lot of flavors, which I would describe as a cross between Mexican and Jamaican. With lunch they served a juice which looked like lemonade, but was actually some sort of pear concoction (complete with pear-shaped ice cubes). They then came around with some sort of pineapple flan for dessert. The entire spread for lunch was extremely tasty and was probably some of the healthiest food you could eat. Alexis slept through most of lunch, but it was a well-needed nap.

The schedule for the rest of the day was to bus back to the historic Liberia district and walk around there, and then shopping at a few souvenir shops until the other tours were scheduled to arrive back at the main touring office. It was interesting to see how small many of the houses were and the way that people lived in Liberia. Alexis was awake for most of the ride to Liberia and feel asleep right at the end again. Al did a great job helping to entertain her for the rest of the afternoon. She made a new friend who she could play peek-a-boo with and would smile almost every time she saw him. We got off the bus and saw a supermarket – this was a good chance to stock up on some more milk for when it's not as readily available at the resort. We browsed through the aisles and noticed a few brand-name items that we have in the United States, but mostly brands we've never heard of and everything was in Spanish. Walking around the block with not much else to do around there, we got some fresh ice cream and Alexis was a big fan of that. I think it was about this point we were realizing that those teeth coming in are bothering her a bit from time to time. The souvenir shops were filled with knick knacks made of wood, along with coffees and cocoas. Those are there three biggest sellers coming from Costa Rica. Plus, it's hard for me to pass up free samples of coffee.

Now back at the central office, we had to wait fifteen minutes of so for the rest of the tours to return so we could all get back to our resorts. Since Alexis had been cooped up all day, we let her crawl around on the tile floor outside and of course she heads straight for the rocks to start throwing them, and what would it be without her actually putting one in her mouth? As some of the buses get back and there's a rush for the bathroom, who do we see but Alexis's new friend from Albany, GA. We don't even stay at the same hotel, but have run into her three times in less than forty-eight hours.

Boarding the bus and now down the home stretch along the winding and bumpy roads. We got back to the hotel and were exhausted from the day's events. Dinner started in half an hour which was almost perfect time for us to get cleaned up and head down. We had a feeling this would be an early night. The theme for dinner was international cuisine, but I didn't notice too much different from the usual fare. Shortly after dinner, we gave Alexis a bath and got her ready for bed. A few laps around the resort in the stroller did the trick once again and she was asleep while we signed on the internet for a bit. Nicole went to bed early as I transported Alexis to her crib and caught up on the blog. Sure wasn't a late night for me, either – I was exhausted as well.

Day 1 – 27 March 2011

I woke up around 7:15 local time and thought I'd take the time to get acclimated with the resort and go through the information packets we were given when we first arrived. Alexis woke up shortly after and decided to inform her mother it was time to get up by climbing and jumping on her. We decided to get ready and go get some breakfast. After taking our showers and feeding Alexis her bottle, we headed down to breakfast with the map of the resort and our information packet from the travel agency.

We stopped by the agency desk to confirm our day trip to Palo Verde National Park scheduled for tomorrow. Everything was all set and we learned the necessity of being in the lobby at 7:30 and would return at approximately 18:30 that evening.

Walking into the dining area, they had both inside and outside seating so we decided to eat outside because of the beautiful morning it was. There were a plethora of high chairs for us to use for Alexis, so we set one up for her and sat down while Nicole went to get a first round of food for her and Alexis. It didn't take long for Alexis to become the center of attention for everyone around the dining area, as everyone seems to adore her; both other resort guests, as well as the resort staff. I had my first taste of Costa Rican coffee and tasted good. I know I'm supposed to say that it was great, but coffee is coffee to me – I'm no connoisseur, but when in Rome…or, well, Costa Rica. Nicole came back with a large plate full of fruits (papaya, mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple) and eggs and bacon and hash browns and began to eat as she shared with Alexis. Alexis was very happy there were fruits – those seem to be her current favorite foods. I walked into the buffet area and was overwhelmed by the amount of food. I tried to get a little bit of everything, including some typical Costa Rican breakfast staples (sausages, rice & beans, and some type of hash consisting of beef and an unknown orange vegetable), and of course some pancakes with chocolate syrup. Alexis was excited that I brought back pancakes because those will always be part of her favorite foods. On my next trip, I noticed a station consisting of shakes and smoothies. Most of these were just ice blended with various fresh fruits including, but not limited to: pineapple, mango, banana & milk, and watermelon. We definitely left eating more than we probably should have.

Figuring that now would be the best time of any to walk off some of the weight we gained from breakfast, we explored the resort grounds. We first walked down the pool and one giant pool that was shaped somewhat like a clover. There were lounge chairs built into the floor of the pool in the shallow sections of the pool that allowed you to lay on the tiles in the reclined position, while you were almost entirely submerged in the water. We saw Riuland, which contained a kiddie pool and playground. The kiddie pool was being cleaned or worked on, but we sure hoped that wouldn't last long. Making our way to the beach we found very hot sand and a decent beach that wasn't bad, but also not spectacular. It was neat to see the mountains on either side of the resort valley go all around us and then end abruptly at the Pacific Ocean. The ocean water wasn't very warm, but also wasn't cold. Alexis still didn't seem to enjoy being around the ocean (much like her first experience with ocean in North Carolina).

Next stop was to scope out the shops just outside the front of the hotel, along the street, but still on the resort property. There were a dozen different sites, but only a few that were worth mentioning. A few souvenir shops, which would be nice for us to buys gifts for ourselves and our friends and family, as well as a doctor which is on call 24-7 at the resort – with all the sickness Alexis has had, there's no telling what we're going to need. It was nice to see some little shops, but we weren't planning to buy anything yet.

After walking in the hot and humid conditions, we decided it was time to go swimming. We grabbed some towels from the shack and were in search of a decent pair of lounge chairs. Most of them were taken and we ended up with a set that were not shaded at all – major mistake. I got us a few drinks from the poolside bar, but virtually took longer waiting for the drink than it would have for us to drink it. Lesson learned: Go to the bar on your way to the pool, not at the pool. Nicole got in with Alexis and the pool was extremely warm – good news for Alexis. She loved getting in immediately and was splashing and playing all over the place. The resort photographers flocked to her to get her picture because…well, she's Alexis. We brought her floaty raft with us and after a few tries really took a liking to it. We were able to push here around the pool in it and she loved it. Even though we planned to spend a half hour or so in the pool, it turned into over an hour because she was having so much fun. Unfortunately, I chose not to apply sunscreen to my shoulder – I'll pay for that a little later.

After a workout like that, we went to get some lunch. They had quite a few choices and a lot of the standard lunch fare you'd expect at a buffet. Of course, fruit again as well. Alexis ate quite a bit for lunch kept us busy as we tried to get enough food ready for her. She got to try some ice cream and loved it, after she got over the fact that it was cold.

She was extremely tired at this point and needed a nap. We got the computer from the room and went to the resort lobby to get on the internet to check email and connect on Skype with Nicole's parents. Nicole caught up on things with them while I pushed Alexis around the resort in her stroller. Laying her back and strapping her in with her blanket (despite the ninety degree temperatures) seemed to do the trick, as she was asleep within fifteen minutes or so, but not before saying hi to grandma and grandpa first. Finally, a few minutes for us to relax while she got some much needed rest.

After at least an hour of napping, we wheeled Alexis back to the pool deck to relax while she was still sleeping. We got wind that the howler monkeys were in the trees and visible from the resort property. Crowds of people were staring at the trees and pointing so Nicole went to go see with the camera. She took a few pictures and then came back to get me. I quickly switched to the large zoom lens and followed them through the trees taking more pictures while they crawled along the branches and jumped from tree to tree.

When she finally woke from her nap, we dressed her for swimming again. We scoped out the afternoon snack and both got a bite to eat even though we probably didn't even need to. The pool was a little less crowded this time, and most were watching the entertainment staff put on a show. We swam around the pool some more until Alexis was ready to get out.

In preparation for dinner, we all changed clothes as the sun was setting over the mountains. I went outside to take a few pictures while the girls were finishing getting ready for dinner. After they met me on the beach, we walked up to the dining hall. Dinner was a little more formal than breakfast and lunch. All of the wait staff was dressed up and the service was even better than earlier. There seemed to be a lot of seafood dishes, rice, and beans in the buffet. Again, we tried all kinds of food they were serving and Alexis ate quite a bit herself. They had all kinds of desserts, including cakes, pies and tarts.

We ventured back to the lobby area and Nicole caught up on some internet activity, while Alexis and I took a stroll around the pool at nighttime in hopes of her falling asleep. The entertainment staff was putting on a show of "Mama Mia!", so we thought we'd get her to sleep and she could sit with us while we watched. Even though she did fall asleep, we didn't stay too long for much of the show. We were still tired and the acoustics were not very conducive to hearing the performance, so we went back to the room and got ready for bed. With excellent teamwork, the two of us transferred Alexis to her crib with her blanket and the room dark. It wasn't long before we fell asleep, as well.

Day 0 – 26 March 2011

The day started fairly early with us getting up to finish the majority of packing and showering before Alexis awoke. The last few items were stowed into the suitcases as she started to stir. After lunch and last minute house preparations for Calhoun (the dogs and Littlejohn were already boarded the night before). We packed the bags in the back of the van and you'd think we were moving out. Two large suitcases, a car seat bag (with her car seat and various other baby necessities), a giant hockey duffel bag, a medium size suitcase, a diaper bag, a satchel full of books, two backpacks (one for snacks and one solely for an assortment of electronics – it is 2011 after all) accompanied us and occupied more than twice the space of the humans in the minivan.

    The drive to Milwaukee airport was uneventful. Seventy-five minutes on the interstate; flights still on time; estimated three percent vacancy in the super-saver parking lot at the airport. I pulled up to the terminal to drop off Nicole and all of the luggage. Imagine trying to get on a shuttle bus with that and Alexis – not happening. Then I went to park and had to drive all the way to the end of the parking lot and get the last space (well, not even in a space) in the parking lot. I shuttled back to the terminal with Alexis and then finally checking in. The Delta staff was very helpful checking our bags, even though we had some difficulty trying to maneuver the luggage.

    We had just over two hours before takeoff, so we were wondering what there was to do past security. Reading the directory, we saw that there was a children's play area in our terminal – Jackpot! Getting through security was virtually a breeze compared to what we expected with Alexis's prescription medication, bottle of milk, and all those carry-ons. We wandered down the terminal, past a dozen gates, and reached the end; "Uh, where's the play area". Maybe we missed it. Traced back to the security checkpoint and still no play area. "Well, I guess this empty gate will do just fine". Alexis crawled around and was adored by all who passed by. Lesson learned: Don't always trust the airport directory.

    After a bit, we made our way to the gate in preparation for boarding and made hundreds of new friends as they all loved to stare at her. We finally got to board the plane, sat down, and since we were the only two seats on our side of the plane we didn't have to bother anyone too close to us. Alexis made a new friend directly behind us named Reagan (10 months old). They played through the seats constantly throughout the flight. She drank her bottle during takeoff, played with us and she was passed back and forth to take turns keeping her occupied. Tiredness settled in with about an hour to go in the two-hour flight. I was finally able to swaddle her enough for her to stop fighting and fall asleep. She was passed out for the last thirty minutes and I was afraid to move a muscle. Unfortunately a cramp commenced in my hip and the pain was horrible. Rapidly declining altitude caused it to come and go as we landed. She woke shortly after landing and was in the best of moods again.

    With a few hours before departing Atlanta for Liberia, Costa Rica, we decided to get some food at a Samuel Adams restaurant. There wasn't much on the menu, but we had already sat down and needed to eat; so we ordered anyway. The waitress assured us we would be able to get and eat our food with enough time. Yet, order after order out of the kitchen was not ours. With less than fifteen minutes until we started boarding, we hastily ate lunch/dinner and headed for the gate. Lesson Learned: Leave the Samuel Adams restaurant for ordering beer.

    We boarded the plane to Liberia and the person sitting next to us in the window had already got to her seat, which saved some effort of us having to let her in later. She was a sweet southern gal from Albany, Georgia. Alexis and she became very close very quickly. The flight was full, but we pushed back from the gate only a few minutes late. Now getting our place in line for takeoff, the captain informed us we were number thirteen. Then we were number three, then number five – don't ask. Now number one…or not. Dangerous weather in our path to the south caused us to pull off the runway. After twenty more minutes of waiting, the flight was given the choice of taking off to the west and circling around the weather, or going back to the gate and who knows what from there. Luckily, option A was chosen and we jumped to the front of the line. Finally, airborne.

    By the time we took off, we should have already been half way to Costa Rica. Alexis was already beginning to become restless and we had exhausted all of our bottles of milk. People who don't know how to listen annoy me… When they tell you five times that the illuminated fasten seat belt sign means stay in your seat, please do so. When they give you a five-minute warning to use the lavatory before they start the beverage service, don't continually get up to go constantly for the next twenty minutes. Passing Alexis back and forth they entire ride, while trying to feed her any snacks we had was exhausting. The entire flight wasn't a disaster because she would have spurts of happiness where she would wave at people, crawl on people, and clap her pretty little hands. She, however, didn't sleep a single wink for the entire six hours on the plane.

    Getting off the plane was like walking into a sauna. The air was warm and humid, with a warm blowing wind. We passed by other gates and noticed all the seating outside when waiting to board. Even immigration and customs was outside. When we got to the entrance to the ropes for immigration, we were immediately escorted to the front of the line. People with disabilities, babies, or pregnant women were treated with extra care and bumped to the front. We even satisfied two of these criterions – the good two. Immigration was a "breeze" and we moved on to claim our baggage. The moment of truth…How many of our five checked bags actually made it to Liberia? We got the first and were promptly greeted by an employee asking if we'd like a cart. Normally, I'm quite fine taking care of everything myself. However, with a pregnant wife, a tired infant, a truckload of luggage, and being without a chance to relax for over sixteen hours, we succumbed to the aid of a cart man. He was extremely helpful in grabbing our bags as they came off the belt. We had all five! Going through customs, our hockey bag and car seat bag were a little too suspicious for their liking. A brief search and the agent found that we truly did have a legitimate child and not performing illegal activities. We found the representative for our booked travel and stepped off to the side for further instructions. There were a few other parties travelling on the shuttle with us to various hotels around the airport. Little did we know…Alexis's new friend from Albany, GA would be riding with us – different hotel, though.

    We were out of milk, so we hoped we would be able to stop to get some for Alexis to drink (since we were unsure as to the availability at the resort). She was tired and hungry, but we sat in the darkness would help tiredness trump hungry. It took only a few minutes of soft crying and she was asleep in her car seat in the back seat of the shuttle. Our resort was the last stop, so the driver agreed to stop so we could purchase some milk. After trying two liquor stores (yes, a liquor store was the first place they all think of to get milk) that were closed, and after passing by numerous oddities in the streets, we find a supermarket that is still open. I run inside, trying to navigate my where to where I think Costa Ricans would store their milk. Luckily, both they and I thought it should be in the refrigerated section behind the cooler doors. They had 1% and 2%, so the 2% would have to do. I was trying to think about how much we should buy and how much it was going to cost me. I knew that 500 colones was approximately $1.00, but for some reason I was thinking that 100 colones = $1.00. So, I was thinking that this quart of milk was going to cost me $5.00 (the price was 493 colones) – I better only get one and we can find more at the resort in the morning. As I get to the checkout register, it hits me and I'm thinking… "This should only be about $1.00". Sure enough after asking, "En dolares por favor", he said "uno". I handed him a dollar bill and walked out with my quart of milk. Then I attempt some more of my Spanish knowledge and ask how much farther to our hotel. He responded with "Trente minutes" (Thirty minutes). Aye!! It was only supposed to be 30-40 from the airport directly to the resort. To get to the resort, there's only one route and that is over some hills and down in the valley, which leads to the coast. Many roads in Costa Rica are not well maintained, and this was for sure one of them. A majority of this ride was spent on some the most bumpy terrain you could think of, so it was less than pleasant.

    Arriving at the Riu, the view of the lobby is gorgeous and the resort looks enormous. There was so much to explore, but we knew it would have to wait until morning. Check-in was well organized and we were escorted to our room with our bags. The room was very nice and was just waiting for the crib to arrive. We unpacked very little, but just enough to get ready for bed. We poured Alexis a bottle of milk, as she always drinks before bed. The crib arrived in the form of a pack 'n play, similar to the one we actually own. The presentation of even the made pack 'n play was dedicated. We put her on the other side of the empty bed in our room so that she was less likely to see us and be distracted when she should be sleeping. We laid her in the crib and before we could even crawl into bed, she was standing up and not wanting to sleep. When no one was coming to get her, she cried. A few failed attempts to re-lay her down and we decided to let her cry for a bit and let her lay back down to go to sleep. That didn't seem to work so Nicole brought her in the bed with us. That seemed to do the trick. First with Alexis laying on top of her, then rolling to the side on her arm, and finally with our child nestled directly between us in the spacious king-size bed. The night went well from there as the only time she even made noise was when she woke up for just a few seconds to fall right back to sleep.