Dylan's 1st Trip to Aruba Feb 2012

[ctfirewife-mjn109]

We made it safe and sound yesterday to the Marriott Surf Club right on time. Dylan was a CHAMP on the plane! And a little Benadryl didn't hurt either!

Since it was Super Bowl Sunday and later on in the day, we just had sandwiches in for dinner and hit the hay early.


Today, Monday, we got up early, 0648 wake up call from Mr. Dylan and Momma headed off for COFFEE!

After breakfast, we all headed to the beach for a bit and he just loved it. He made a friend too and they played in the sand. In for lunch and back down this time to the lazy river. So far, Dylan's #1 favorite thing about Aruba. We brought a cute float for him to sit in that has a canopy so he is shaded from the sun most of the time. He enjoyed floating down the river listening to the music and laughing with the family. Nana took him for ice cream instead of a much needed nap and as I write this, he is passed out cold, let's hope for the night!

Tomorrow may be more of the same I imagine, just trying to get in a groove here. It sure is different with a 1 yr old in tow! Daddy's off the the grocery store for more provisions and I am going to make myself a drink. Will write more when I can as the week goes by. Melissa

[ctfirewife-mjn109]

So, I didn't get to write during the week...Dylan ended up getting sick and needing to see a doctor. Will finish up the report when I return to work, yuck! He's much better now and saw a great doctor recommended by the hotel. Had a great week, don't want it to end. Will write more next week.

[Arubalisa]

Sorry to hear Dylan was sick and your week is coming to an end. Safe travel home.

[Terry Joz]

Gee, I hope the little man is better!! Safe travels

[Edronenburg]

Add my good wishes to him and hope he is better. No matter how young, memories are formed; and I am sure this trip among the many others to Paradise will be long remembered.

Ed

[purpleangel]

Poor Dylan!

[CandyC55]

Who was his Dr? I had to see a doctor last March his name was Dr Habibe he was excellant. Anne from the Marriott took me there and to pharmacy. She checked on me everyday after until we left. Excellant care from the Marriott...

[Andrea J.]

paul forgot his bp medicine a few trips back and i had a sinus infection.
dr habibe was top notch for us.
AND very inexpensive, including the scripts.

i hope melissa writes soon and tells us of her adventures with her hubby and dylan.

[ctfirewife-mjn109]

We are back home to the cold New England weather...but at least we have tans!
We had a great time, all in all. But how can you not? Dylan was really good on the airplane, slept most of the way and didn't cry upon landing at all. We did see my cousins in "the crying room" leaving Aruba when we arrived, so sad to see them go! They did not have tans and I asked them why thru the glass...he held up his drink cup! Hahaha! Too much time drinking, not enough sunning!

--The first few days were rough as Dylan was not feeling good. We were trying to give him some time before going to the doctor but when we got up Wednesday morning, it was clear we had to go. I contacted the hotel (Marriott Surf) concierge and they put me through to the hotel doctors office, Dr. Habibe (as you all suspected). We made an appointment for 10:45 and I got directions. At that time, it seemed easy enough to find and the woman said it would only take 5 mins to get there. At 10:30 we set out and it turns out, the directions were not so good, I think due to the language barrier, and we got lost. And to make matters worse, poor Dylan got sick on the way so we had to return to the hotel. Cleaned him up, down for a nap and decided to rest a bit too. I eventually called the doctors again and apologized and explained what happened and they said they would see us if we could get there right away. Up Mr. Dylan, naptime is over, and over to the doctors. We LOVED him, what a nice guy and great staff. The directions this time were much clearer and it was SO easy to find. And you can't beat the price. Dr. Habibe really took the time to explain to us what was wrong and how we could make Dylan more comfortable. He had the beginnings of an ear infection and a bad cough. He gave us some prescriptions, directed us to the pharmacy and all was good again.
--Dinner that night at El Gaucho for my husband, sister & her boyfriend and I. My parents watched Dylan so we could have a bit of a break. We of course, got lost. I have been to the island 5 times and still manage to get lost. Plus, roads were already blocked off for the parade so that didn't help much Dinner was great, sangria awesome and it was good to relax, finally.
--Thursday was the Donkey Sanctuary. We stopped at Lings and got 6 bags of carrots and a package of apples. I SO wish I had remebered what Lisa wrote on her report about waiting until we got thru to the building in the back before we started feeding them. We, well should I say I was swarmed. I did panic a bit only because a few started bucking a bit away from me and I didn't want Dylan to get hurt. I sent my sister out with him until the situation was a bit calmer. I am an animal person so I am used to normal behavior but as a mom I was protective of my son. I sacrificed my sisters boyfriend as donkey bait and I got the heck out of there. Once we were out of food, they went back to eating their hay. We did eventually make our way back in to the building and were really glad we did. I fed the donkeys some pellets and Dylan liked watching them. The woman back there is super sweet and took a liking to him. She told us the history of the place and of some of the animals. They have such sweet eyes that make you melt. It was a really great time and fantastic experience.
--Lunch and Balashi's at Boca Prins and a bit of rain. Back to the hotel to hit the beach.

--Friday was a beach day and Dylan was really getting in to it all by then. Dr. Habibe had said that the pool probably wasn't the best for him because of the high level of chlorine affecting his lungs making his cough worse so we limited his pool time which stunk because he really loved the lazy river. After the beach we would jump in the baby pool for a bit then a trip around the river then up for a nap. For Dylan, not us . Dinner that night at Casa Tua, yummy as always! A walk around the new Paseo Herencia Mall and watched the Flowrider surf demonstration. Pretty cool, but it also looked pretty dangerous to me.
--Saturday we headed to Club Arias in Saventa to meet up with Stuart from Arubabob snorkeling. My husband, FFgoo, sister & boyfriend and I got there at 8 sharp and Stuart met us in the most peaceful place on the island. What a wonderful place to start the day. We did our introductions and off to Mangel Halto we went. Beautiful place! I don't know how I have missed this place in past years. After some instruction on how to use the scooters and where we would be going, into the water we went. I had some trouble when the water got rough but Stuart put me at ease and I felt comfortable that he would not push me any farther than I thought I could go. We ventured on and I am so glad I stuck with it. We saw some amazing fish, a giant sea slug and a moray eel! Stuart said he had not ever seen one that close inland and it was indeed a sight to see! We did run into Kent with his group on the way out and he challenged Stuart to dive to the sunken fishing boat, he did it all in one breath! An amazing feat! We all had a really great time and on our return back to Club Arias, Stuart showed us how to get to Zeerovers. I am not a huge fish person but we gave it a go and I am SO glad we did. They had wahoo that day and it was awesome! I am converted! Again, I can't say enough great things about Stuart and Kent. They run a top notch operation and we all felt comfortable and really enjoyed the experience. We can't wait to go back again next year.
--Dinner in that night and some birthdays to celebrate. Early to bed, off to the airport Sunday morning.

We had a really wonderful trip and are already booked to go back next year. I know Dylan had fun and it will be great to see if he remembers anything when we go back since he'll be 2 by then. It was different going with a child, there were alot of things we didn't get to do that we usually do, but the new memories we made with him far outweigh any of that and we are so blessed to be able to make more in the future!

To sum up, Dr. Habibe, great doctor! Recommend him in a heartbeat.
Arubabob snorkeling, amazing adventure! Also highly recommened.

Now, how many days until next trip???? Far too many!

[jeffnev]

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. We also have a TS at the Surf Club and itis reassuring to know there is a terrific doctor nearby. Last summer our son who is 25, but is still our baby, got a sinus infection and it never cleared up the whole week- I should have taken him to Dr. Habibe.

I agree that snorkeling with Kent (we never met Stuart) at Mangel Halto is a completely different experience than going on one of the usual boats. Even though the boats like Jolly Pirates are lots of fun, the snorkeling is in a different league with these guys.

Glad you managed to have fun despite Dylan's ear infection.