house guests.9: the baby

If 2011 is the year of the rabbit, May was the month of the house guest. This set was our third in the course of four weeks, but that's what happens when hurricane season is right around the corner and busy season is in a mini-lull. We make hay while the sun shines and cram in as much fun as possible!

These visitors brought a special package with them: Our goddaughter, Baby R. I had the privilege of briefly meeting her in the hospital shortly after she was born, just days before we flew down to Grand Cayman for good. Her parents brought along this eight-month-old-deliciousness for a week's vacation in Paradise. I might as well have been in heaven!

Um, those thighs? I'm swooning over here...

Well, hello to you and your double chin!

She might just be the happiest baby on the planet. We were just happy she spent her precious vacation time with us.

This little darling is Miss Versatile. She is up for whatever the adults are doing. Never mind that she is a fraction of our age; she thinks crawling is for kids and would rather practice her swimming, standing, and strutting.

          

Come on over, little lady.

I like the sight of mini bikinis
drying on my railing.

First-born children amuse me. They are convinced that the most appropriate place for them is always alongside the big kids. Look at Baby R holding her own (sans highchair) at Karma on our final night.

(I know this post is about R, but how incredible does her mama look?!)

Here she decided to get in on some smoothie action...

...and just took right over!

Vacation is a nice time to forget the rules and let loose. Like that no-dairy-for-the-first-year thing? Oops. Cayman's best ice cream at Seaside Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor won that battle.

Look Mom, no hands! Seriously, the most polite eater ever.

Okay, so I'll admit that I'm an easy sell when it comes to kids. But just to prove to you Baby R really is the bee's knees, I give you evidence of The Godfather in action.

I know this photo is blurry, but look at her joy when walking! I need to adopt this attitude...

NS prefers the kids that are happy and clean. This one is both. Plus she has those killer blue eyes.

What's that? You want all my money?
I'll just grab my checkbook.

We just had a week full of giggles in our house, and here you can see there were extra laughs when we visited the Ritz' beach one night after dinner at Sunshine Grill.

By this time, these two had their own secret hand signals and everything.

Miss Tolerant agreed to pose for literally hundreds of photos that week. I love this oversized chair in Camana Bay, especially when a tiny princess occupies it.

Baby Girl brought smiles to all our faces.

Contagious happiness. I'm a fan.

Some of my favorite photos are the ones of R with her incredible parents. I've saved most of those for my next post, but I have to share this heavenly one:

"You're so ethereal!"

All too soon, our glorious little goddaughter had to fly home. By the next time we meet, she'll probably be running in circles, or riding a unicycle, or mastering French cooking. She's just that kind of kid.

So until then...

We love you, Baby R, with all your endless laughter and entertaining chatter. Keep up the beach bum lifestyle at home in New Jersey!