Dear Kayla,
We have just got back from a fantastic vacation in Greece
and Manchester in England and you travelled like you were born to travel,
flights, people, lights, camera’s …it was all second nature to you. The best
part of this vacation was spending time with you but I thought I would
highlight some of the moments in a short letter.
I had been feeling so guilty the weeks before we left
because I was so busy at work. I had so many projects to wrap up and had to put
in extra hours at work just to accommodate for the vacation. Dad was a star at
giving me space to work and he would help with picking you up and entertaining
you on weekends. He enjoys taking you to the racetrack to watch the cars and
motorbikes race. I think you enjoy it too because you never give Dad a hard
time.
We had a wedding in Manchester,
Auntie Emma and Uncle Darrion. You probably don’t remember them but they came
to visit us in Johannesburg
when you were 4 months old. Their little girl Jasmine just loved the fact that
“Baby-Kayla” was staying with her. Jasmine is about a year older than you and a
lot more active. For the wedding I dressed you in a navy blue and white dress
which were the same colours as what I was wearing. I don’t normally match you
up but it was kind of fun. The wedding was beautiful and your Dad did an
amazing best man speech. I think his speech will go down in history. Lol.
 |
| Emma and Darrion |
 |
| Family photo at the wedding |
In Greece
we stayed on a farm just outside of Athens,
with Stel, Katie and Stels parents (who don’t speak English). It was so
welcoming being embedded in the whole Greek culture. They are so loving,
sharing and also loud. We would eat dinner at 10:30pm and the neighbours would
join us. The food in Greece was so tasty and yet so
simple.
 |
| Our Greek family. |
The Greek landscape seemed African but with a twist. Olive
trees, fig trees and grape vines surrounded the house. It was super hot with
temperatures reaching a high of 40 degrees Celsius some days. The sea was warm
and calm. (No major waves)
In Greece,
we would spend hours just hanging out on the bed. Sometimes it was too hot to
go to the beach and I struggled to get into the whole siesta time (sleeping in
the afternoon). So I would play with you when you were not sleeping. You were
full of laughs and giggles and I would try encourage you to crawl. You haven’t
fully crawled yet but you are very, very close.
 |
| You would love it when we bathed you outside. |
In Greece
it was your first beach/water moment, Dad and I took joy in seeing how you
reacted to it all. The texture of the sand running through your toes intrigued
you, the sounds of the waves scared you and the splashing of the water with
your hands fascinated you. We would float in the water together like we were
mermaids. Then I would have to cut the experience short coz you would dip your
hand in the water and then taste it too many times. I think you are like me…you
love your salt.
During the warm summer nights we would go for dinner and you
would enjoy sitting in your pram anticipating what food you could have. I would
give you bread to play with and little finger foods coz you would have eaten
your baby food already. The snacks would keep you entertained when we were
eating. When you were tired you would just fall asleep in the pram as if you
were at home. It was quite an adjustment being awake so late for dinner…even
for Dad and I, coz their normal dinner time was 10pm. But you hardly ever gave
us problems and I just wanted to thank you for that.
 |
| This was a very hot day but loads of fun in Athens |
Something that is super exciting is that your auntie Katie
is 6 months pregnant. It was a super surprise for us all but I was so excited
to be with her during this time. We got to share pregnancy stories and I tried
to calm her fears on the labour process by showing her videos of the day you
were born. She is going to have a baby girl…just like you J.
Maybe that is why you loved playing with auntie Katie…coz there was a mini you
inside her. Uncle Stel was always full of energy when he was with you. His
voice would go a tone louder everytime he spoke to you (it would sometimes give
me a fright). He would sing – “if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands”
with real zeal and enthusiasm and you would just beam with excitement and start
clapping. It was funny coz sometimes he would sing – “If you know it and you
are happy clap your hands” (the tune was right but the words were so off lol)
Lol.
I was super glad that you were a good baby but I realised
something while travelling. If you look stressed and flustered and have a child
with you, they usually let you go ahead of the queue. This was a bit of a
bummer because you made us look so calm and composed….so we would have to wait
in the queue like normal people. It wasn’t a problem because you were the
entertainment for the queue. People would just shoot you smiles and you would
smile back. You loved seeing other kids. You would get all excited and point at
them with a high pitched scream.
Well I hope the photos tell more about our vacation. I am
looking forward to travelling with you more.
I love you always,
Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment