Our B.V.I. Adventure

Michael and I are really fortunate to have returned to the island of Tortola in the middle of a baby boom!  Babies are everywhere!  There are so many other expats with new babies around the same age as Anna Drake, who just turned three months old!

A friend of mine told me about a play group organized by some expat women.  Anna Drake and I have been twice so far.  Here she is trying out one of their bumbo seats:

There were dozens of babies and toddlers there! 

It was really great to be able to talk with other moms, some new like me and others more experienced.  I have a feeling we will soon become "regulars" at play group, especially as Anna Drake becomes more playful herself!

We are slowly but surely getting adjusted to driving in the BVI again.  (We drive on the left side of the road here.) 

It's much easier to adjust the second time around since everything is so familiar.  There is one new red light in town.  There are only a handful to begin with, so this addition is significant.

For those familiar with Tortola, this light is at the entrance of Wickhams Cay II, where Deli France, TICO, House and HIHO are located.  This is also the entrance to The Moorings.   

Anyway, back to the "Signage Sunday" portion of this post... 
During our drive back from the pool on Sunday, I noticed a funny bumper sticker on a large truck.

It made me laugh.  I'm glad to know this truck stops at ALL railroad crossings (since Tortola doesn't have a railroad!) 

We spent much of Thursday and Friday running around the island trying to reconnect phones and internet.  So far, we're one for two...  Still no internet at the house.  We're working with our neighbors to find a solution that works for both us! 

On Saturday, we were determined to get to the beach!  We met our friends, Paloma and Scott, for lunch at Islands on the West End of the island.  They too have had a baby recently!  We were so excited to meet their bundle of joy, Jude.  He is a doll!  He and Anna Drake are just a month and a half apart. 
After lunch, we lathered Anna Drake in baby-approved SPF 50 lotion and headed to Smuggler's Cove, our favorite beach.  She LOVED it.  Here are some photos of our beach excursion. 
Her yellow swimsuit is too big for her, but the smaller ones haven't arrived on island as of yet.  We shipped one box of baby things, and of course, her swimsuits and hats are in that box.  
She liked the way the water felt on her legs.  We didn't take her all the way in...maybe next time.  We want to make sure the water is warm enough. 
 And the last one...
This will surely be one of MANY baby beach days!

The eyes of the skycaps lit up as we approached the Jet Blue counter Wednesday morning.  Count 'em.  Five checked bags, two of which weighed more than 50 lbs.


If you look even closer you can see I'm toting our miniature schnauzer, Milly, in the airline-approved pet carrier.  Then, of course, there's Anna Drake, nice and protected in her car seat/stroller contraption, complete with paparazzi shade.  We brought along her boppy (the pink pillow thingy) and her diaper bag.  Just the essentials for a 3 hour flight to San Juan!

Not photographed is another roll-on bag and a sail bag with all of our laptops, iPads and who knows what other gadgets!  Oh, and did you spot Michael's Baby Taylor guitar in this BVI version of PhotoHunt?  The guitar plays like a regular guitar, but it's small enough to fit in the overhead bin!

While those that worked for the airline and even the TSA were more than happy to help us each step of the way, we were catching some looks of disbelief from our fellow travelers.  When I happened to make eye contact, I would give a smile that could be interpreted as "Yes, we're really doing this."  We owned it.

Anna Drake did great on the first flight to San Juan.  She had her own seat which was great, because she could sleep in her carrier some, then in our arms.  The best part?  There were no tears!  She was so good, Michael and I were able to watch Crazy Stupid Love in flight!  (Such a good movie!)

The next leg was a bit trickier, and not just because we were flying with an infant and a dog.  It was because of all of the luggage...  We fly CapeAir from San Juan to Tortola.  The plane is small. (It's a Cessna 402 if that means anything to you.)  It's very small.  Like 8 seats small.  They assign you your seat based on your weight and place the luggage accordingly.  Somehow, ALL of our stuff made it!

Once we touched down in Tortola, going through Immigration and Customs was surprisingly a breeze!  And we caught a taxi to the house.  While friends had offered to pick us up, we knew we would require a huge van to transport us and all of our belongings!

Going to sleep that first night back on island was surreal.  The windows were open; the breeze was blowing.  We all slept soundly, including Anna Drake!

After a six-month hiatus from both the BVI and blogging, we will be returning to the island in two weeks! I'll resume my regular blogging, but it won't just be a BVI adventure...

On Sunday, we did what any good host and hostess would do...

We personally escorted our guests, Cristall and Will, to their next destination:  The Westin on St. John in the USVI.  The Harkins were blessed with magnificent weather during their stay.  We thoroughly enjoyed the ferry ride out of West End, as did this seagull that soared above the boat most of the way.
When we weren't ducking from the bird overhead, Michael and Cristall took turns posing at the top of the ferry...

The pool at the Westin was the perfect way to spend our Sunday.  We had lunch on the beach and recommend the fish tacos and Caribbean pulled pork sandwich to anyone heading there on vacation!
It was hard to say goodbye to Cristall and Will, but it was time for the two of them to explore St. John on their own...  So, it was back to Tortola for us, not before getting Mexican food at Margarita Phil's to take back to Tortola!  (We can't resist! We go there every time!)

Cristall and Will, we loved having you here!  You are welcome back anytime!

This sign hanging in the restroom at the Jolly Roger always gets a laugh from our guests.  We took friends, Cristall and Will there on Friday night for lobster and you can thank Will for venturing back into the restroom for this shot!