Sister and brother fun day
Day 9 - Punta Cana
The day started out like any other except Sophie skipped going to the gym and opted to sleep in. For parents that's 6:30am max. We got ready together as a family, we took our time, the kids fooled around outside our front door and Sophie even chilled a bit on one of the two chairs on our porch that we rarely use.
Our friends’ daughter was not feeling great so they were unsure how their day would turn out so we ended up planning our own day but kept them abreast of where we were so they could meet up with us should she feel better. We grabbed a quick breakfast and then headed to the pirate ship kiddie pool where ewe were able to snag several available long chairs for us an soir friends in case.
Since Lola didn't have her friend to occupy all her time she turned her attention to her little brother. We ended up playing in the water park as a family and got some really memorable moments out of it. At first Lola just ran around Wesley and away from him and he was happy to chase her as best he could.
I tried to get Lola to go down the biggest slide the park has to offer, which is pretty small for reference, but it is completely covered. She avoided going down it out of fear and we didn't push. Now her brother without the ability to talk can't really voice his discontent.
With Sophie positioned at the bottom waiting to catch him I set him up at the top and gave him a little nudge over the initial hump. He slid down into his mother's waiting arms and seemed quite pleased with the experience.
Lola witness the entire thing with absolute horror, you'd think we sacrificed him to the ancient gods. I was hoping that seeing her younger brother do it she would want to do it but nope. She was more committed to her position of tube slide = bad then before.
So I grabbed her and sent her down, she was none too eased with me. To distract her from her vehement opposition to my last indiscretion I suggested she go down with her brother between her legs. She loved the idea, I sometimes don't understand kid logic.
Sophie and I took turns bringing them to the top and setting them up while the other waited at the bottom to catch them. This they did repeatedly and they were all smiles.Lola was so into it I got the sense that this truly empowered as a big sister, the whole time it was all about comforting Wesley and telling him he's going to be ok cause she's got him.
After the big slide the two of them moved to other parts of the water park like the smaller infant slides which they did side by side hand in hand, so cute. They also played around the pirate ship. As parents of more than one child it is these types of interactions that we wish to see in order to cement strong bonds between them. Its not something you can force but if you can provide the right circumstances for it to happen organically it's such a wonderful feeling. These two precious beings which you love more than anything else in the world loving and enjoying each other like you do them… it's deeply touching.
Our friends and their daughter eventually showed up which was good timing as we were nearing Wesley's first nap. I figured I would strap Wesley in the stroller and go to the resort shop to see if I could get a ball for the kids. At the shop I found all manner of overpriced items including a ball for the kids, what can I say beggars can't be choosers. With ball in hand we headed back to the kiddie pool, as I pulled up I noticed the inflatable jet skis were back in the main pool.
Knowing Lola would love this I searched for her but alas she was already in line and about to get on. Once on she proceed to terrorize the pool tenants by GTA style running them over. The walls also got some love. After she finished her ride of terror she joined her friend, my buddy, and Sophie in the pool and I tossed the ball so that they can play.
I strolled back to our spots so that Wesley could rest and I lounged around until everyone came back. Sophie informed me that Lola did not share the ball once which defeats the point of the ball all together. Being 3 sharing is a concept that is difficult for her to grasp. She understands taking turns but even this sometimes she's not a fan of. I'm trying to work through this through her brother, no success so far… clearly.
After the nap it was lunchtime. Wesley is generally a really good eater and down here he's got to try a lot of different things. He eats more than his sister who seems to only be getting pickier as she ages. After lunch Wesley is covered in food so Sophie rinses him in the nearby shower and back to the pool area we go.
Lola managed to squeeze in a nap here as her friend was still feeling off and was back at her room. After her nap I laid her down on a long chair beside me and wrapped her in towels to keep her warm and cozy. I then rubbed her back and her face for a while which helped her sleep a bit more and provided another daddy and daughter stand out moment for me.
Before coming here Sophie bought a number of items for the kids such as a little floating boat for Wesley which we tried on day one and it didn't seem to be the hit we thought it would be. However, in the kiddie pool area I noticed it's too deep for him to crawl around and shallow enough to walk around but what he lacks is stability. The floaties he's got strapped on don’t to much to help stability wise either.
So I thought perhaps the boat could serve as a stabilizer in this pool for him. I put him in the boat and then positioned him where he was floating but his feet could touch the ground. He understood the assignment right away and started zooming all over the place. He was so happy to be so mobile in the water that he started exploring every area of the pool. It was so cute seeing him be so independent. He particularly loved this little tunnel in the pirate ship which he repeatedly went through back and forth with the biggest smile.
Lola's friend is back however she seems to have hurt her foot on something sharp and is quite upset because of it. So Lola and I tag team to try and cheer her up. I make up a silly potato fry song that they both crack up at and Lola follows that up by dancing with two pieces of a sausage in each hand and her big finale is putting the two pieces on top of her head. Silly stuff I tell ya.
Dinner time is fast approaching so we split up once more to go get ready in our rooms. Tonight we are having Italian bit since our reservation is for like 7:30pm we opt to go get Wesley some food at the buffet after we get ready as he needs to eat before he falls asleep. After hiquick meal we meet up with our friends in the lobby and head to the restaurant together.
We all order something different and the evening seems to be going well as Lola and her friend play together on their shared banquet bench. Once the meals arrive however Lola decides she wants to rest in her stroller, an odd turn of events to be sure. Even odder is she keeps calling me over non stop for different reasons but mostly because her ear is bugging her.
I assume perhaps water is stuck in there and try a trick to try and get it out. No dice. I tell her that back at our room I will clean her ear and try another trick. I suspected that perhaps it was fatigue that was setting in. After dessert it was clear that something was wrong with Lola so I made a hasty retreat that was halted just me and the kids. I was halted however by a heavy downpour. I waited in the restaurant and by the time it had subsided Sophie and our friends had joined me. We ended up walking back to our rooms together.
Once in our room Lola and I went to the washroom so that I may clean her ears. I did the one that bugged her first and then she asked me to do the other. I sat on the toilet tondo this and asked her to tilt her head down so that I could see better in her ear. It was at this moment that she suddenly buckled at her knees like she'd just been punched in the gut by Mike Tyson himself, prime Mike not Jake Paul Mike. This not only startled me but actually scared me as she's never reacted or done anything like this ever before. I asked her what was wrong which went unanswered. I started to panic and asked again and before I finished she stood up and a dream of vomit launched directly at me. Everything went into slow motion, I stood up lightning fast as the vomit missile hit my right leg. The rest went mostly all over the floor in front of the toilet.
She proceeded to vomit some more all mostly missing the toilet. This was her second time she's vomited so she wasn't used to the protocols. You could see the fear and extreme discomfort in her eyes. As a helpless parent I was completely defeated. I didn't know what was wrong with my daughter and I deeply wanted her pain to go away immediately. I almost instantly went into Defcon 5 alert mode. I knew I wasn't going to be getting much sleep tonight.
We stripped her out of her clothes and into her jammies and into bed. Sophie cleaned up the bathroom as best she could with towels while I laid in bed with Lola. She eventually fell asleep and then Sophie and I discussed many things including how to best deal with this and all of these plans would change repeatedly as the night unfolded. It was to be a night of pure chaos as a parent.
Life was suddenly not beautiful!
February 1, 2025
