Southampton Recap: Natalie's First Vacation!
In the beginning of July, my parents took us out to Southampton for 3 days for Natalie's first vacation! This was our first time vacationing in the Hamptons, and since we are only a quick 1 1/2 hour drive away, we were eager to see what Southampton was like. It was a very nice and relaxing vacation, and I was surprised by how not crowded it was. Even though we were there during the week, I just expected summer-time crowds all day, every day. I guess most people out in the Hamptons stay at their big, expensive, summer houses most of the time, so we didn't have to deal with lots of traffic or big crowds at all!
We stayed at the Southampton Inn, and the setup was absolutely perfect. Nice, big, clean rooms and a great setup with connecting rooms so my parents could come back and forth to help with Natalie.
In addition to this being Natalie's first vacation, it also marked a TON of other "firsts" for Natalie:
First time at the beach, touching sand, seeing the ocean, etc. etc.: We were the first people on the beach on our second day of vacation, and basically had the whole beach to ourselves. The water was coooold, but Natalie enjoyed touching the sand and getting her feet splashed! She also fell asleep while I was nursing her - which I realized was probably in part because we use an ocean waves sound machine in her room at night. She probably thought it was nighttime in her nursery with the ocean sounds!
First time in a swing: This made me sooo nervous, but she was fine. She seemed a little bit uncertain about what was going on, I'm not sure she loved it, but we'll keep trying :)
First time sleeping in a hotel room: Natalie wouldn't sleep in the pack n' play on vacation. I would get her down in it each night, but she would wake up as soon as she'd move or turn over, and honestly, I couldn't blame her. The "mattress", if that's what you can call it, is basically a piece of cardboard and not comfortable. It was clearly different from the nice mattress she's used to, and she just wasn't comfortable. She was happy to play in here during the day though!
Sooo, this little lucky lady got to sleep with Mommy and Daddy for 3 nights! Luckily, she transitioned back to her crib quite easily when we came back home, but we're looking into getting a better mattress for her pack n' play for future travel needs.
On our last full day of vacation we drove waaaaaaayyyy out to the tip of Long Island to Montauk. I enjoyed this drive because it was scenic and I was able to see allll of the Hamptons on our drive out there: Bridgehampton, Amagansett, Sag Harbor, Easthampton, Montauk. These were all towns I've been hearing about but never saw or could picture for myself. Our first stop was Gosman's Pier, where we ate at Gosman's Restaurant.
No trip to Southampton is complete without a visit to Tate's Bake Shop. We enjoyed some iced coffees and cookies on their outside patio.
On our way back we stopped at Duck Walk Vineyard for a brief wine tasting and bought a few bottles of wine. I always loved Duck Walk, and it was nice to partake in a good wine tasting again! Like I said, this vacation was very relaxing and enjoyable and Natalie was so good the whole time! I actually think we took this trip at the perfect time because it was right before she started crawling. I don't know if a vacation with her right now would be as easy and enjoyable, because all she wants to do is constantly be on the move and go, go, go!
Natalie is such a lucky girl to go on such a fabulous first-ever vacation! Thank you mom and dad for a wonderful getaway and amazing memories for all of us and for Natalie. (Good thing there are pictures, because she's never going to remember this trip anyway!)
How do you vacation with a baby? Does your baby sleep in a travel crib? Do they end up in the bed with you? Finally,- are you back in the hotel room by your child's normal bed-time or do you keep them up later than usual?
We stayed at the Southampton Inn, and the setup was absolutely perfect. Nice, big, clean rooms and a great setup with connecting rooms so my parents could come back and forth to help with Natalie.
In addition to this being Natalie's first vacation, it also marked a TON of other "firsts" for Natalie:
First time at the beach, touching sand, seeing the ocean, etc. etc.: We were the first people on the beach on our second day of vacation, and basically had the whole beach to ourselves. The water was coooold, but Natalie enjoyed touching the sand and getting her feet splashed! She also fell asleep while I was nursing her - which I realized was probably in part because we use an ocean waves sound machine in her room at night. She probably thought it was nighttime in her nursery with the ocean sounds!
First time in a swing: This made me sooo nervous, but she was fine. She seemed a little bit uncertain about what was going on, I'm not sure she loved it, but we'll keep trying :)
First time sleeping in a hotel room: Natalie wouldn't sleep in the pack n' play on vacation. I would get her down in it each night, but she would wake up as soon as she'd move or turn over, and honestly, I couldn't blame her. The "mattress", if that's what you can call it, is basically a piece of cardboard and not comfortable. It was clearly different from the nice mattress she's used to, and she just wasn't comfortable. She was happy to play in here during the day though!
Sooo, this little lucky lady got to sleep with Mommy and Daddy for 3 nights! Luckily, she transitioned back to her crib quite easily when we came back home, but we're looking into getting a better mattress for her pack n' play for future travel needs.
On our last full day of vacation we drove waaaaaaayyyy out to the tip of Long Island to Montauk. I enjoyed this drive because it was scenic and I was able to see allll of the Hamptons on our drive out there: Bridgehampton, Amagansett, Sag Harbor, Easthampton, Montauk. These were all towns I've been hearing about but never saw or could picture for myself. Our first stop was Gosman's Pier, where we ate at Gosman's Restaurant.
No trip to Southampton is complete without a visit to Tate's Bake Shop. We enjoyed some iced coffees and cookies on their outside patio.
Natalie is such a lucky girl to go on such a fabulous first-ever vacation! Thank you mom and dad for a wonderful getaway and amazing memories for all of us and for Natalie. (Good thing there are pictures, because she's never going to remember this trip anyway!)
How do you vacation with a baby? Does your baby sleep in a travel crib? Do they end up in the bed with you? Finally,- are you back in the hotel room by your child's normal bed-time or do you keep them up later than usual?
Ahh...it was such a great vacation. I enjoyed reminiscing.
ReplyDeleteI really feel like the type of pack and play you have determines whether not they will sleep. Last summer when we went to Oregon and Kennedy was 7 months old, my mom borrowed a pack and play from her neighbor. We had the same problem as you did, Kennedy would go to sleep but then wake up a few hrs later and end up in the bed with us. This summer, we took our own pack and play with us to the beach and she did great. I really think the older model pack and plays are just super uncomfortable. I told my mom this before our trip to Oregon this summer and she borrowed from a high school friend of mine who had a newer model and Kennedy did great!
ReplyDeleteAs far as bedtime, she usually never makes it to bed at her normal time but we try to make it within the hour or so. One night at the beach she stayed up 3 hrs past her bedtime and the next day was not fun so we learned our lesson the hard way!
Love all the pictures! Looks like y'all had fun!
That was my fear the whole time about bedtime - she could be fine to go to bed late, but I didn't want to pay for it the whole rest of the trip with her crankiness! Thanks for your input on this (even though I'm getting back to you about it so late!) We bought a better mattress for the PNP, so hopefully that will do the trick next time around!
DeleteThere is nothing better than ocean air for a napping baby! Baby J was taking two hour naps on the Vineyard, when he was still only taking like 45 minute ones at home! It was amazing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I totally agree with the pack n play. Baby J is still sleeping in our room (his mother apparently can't let go haha) and he's been in the pack n play which he hated. I bought a new mattress for like $25 on Amazon and he's doing a lot better. Still prefers his crib, but it works a lot better right now.
Glad you guys had fun! Looks gorgeous!
This looks like so much fun! Funny, our first vacation was at the beginning of July as well. We had similar dilemmas. I put JaiseAnn to bed when she was ready... Which meant some very early mornings for us. We were staying in a room with two beds so JaiseAnn just got one bed. Unfortunately she started rolling over during our trip and one night she rolled off the bed. I slept with her from that point on. She did NOT transition back to the crib well and is officially sleeping with us. I have been so stressed trying to find a plan that works for us. She's had sleep issues ever since we returned. She's trying to crawl so I think that's part of it.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness!! I hope she was ok! That's terrifying - of COURSE she would learn to roll while you have her in a bed, lol! How is she sleeping now?
DeleteWe went on a weekend trip with Jeanette a few weeks ago and I am glad we decided not to take a week long vacation just yet lol. She did okay but she didn't want to sleep because there was so much excitement, being in the car that long (2 1/2 hours) also annoyed her and we were all so exhausted by the time we got home. I think we will wait till next summer or fall to take a week long vacation! We put her in the pack-n-play on the trip and she didn't seem to mind it but she moves around a lot and the mattress in the pack-n-play is noisy.
ReplyDeleteI agree - I don't think i could do a week vacation and I feel like I would come back way more exhausted than if we just stayed home. But when I think about it - that's probably just how vacations are going to be from here on it - whether my kids are 6 months or 6 years - it's not going to be these relax all day by the beach and sleep in sort of trips anymore!
DeleteLooks like such a great vacation! She is so sweet. I can't take how big she looks already!!! I've always wanted to visit the Hamptons. It looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome first vacation for Natalie and a beautiful place, too!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful trip! Hunter could never really sleep in the PnP either so he would end up with us when we were away from home as well.
ReplyDelete