Tybee Island

With our new bundle of joy arriving in July we knew we wouldn't be able to go on our usual Thanksgiving vacation (we could but it wouldn't be easy or very enjoyable for a mom with an infant.....) so we decided to take a trip, just the three of us, before the big "CHANGE"!

We've never been to Tybee Island but a co-worker of Ryan's recommended it so we decided to check it out.  Its a small island near Savannah Georgia and also very close to Hilton Head.  It was appealing because it was only a 10 hour drive and with this being Whit's first drive longer then two hours, we knew it was important to stay close!!

We have never driven to a vacation before and have always been so limited on luggage due to flying that I was amazed at how much I was able to fit into our new car!!!  Side note: YES, we did get a new car! After much deliberation we decided to join the mini van club!!  We ended up buying at 2014 Toyota Sienna and are IN LOVE with it.  So much smoother, so much more room and many more amenities then my Pathfinder.  :)

The Drive

The ride down was good!  We drove about eight hours Wednesday night and stayed at a hotel in Columbia, SC.  Whitney did better then I thought.  She is not a huge fan of change and she was very nervous about leaving our house, sleeping in a hotel and then our condo, and having to fall asleep in the car because we drove late into the night to get further!  I was worried we would have many melt downs but she was great and honestly was so incredibly excited about watching a movie in the car that she didn't even notice!!  We got our Ipad all set with movies, bought new head phones and a mount for our car, and hoped she would like it.  She enjoys watching TV at home but honestly doesn't sit that long, so I thought she would get tired of watching a video in the car in no time.  But she ended up loving it.  Ryan and I couldn't believe it and enjoyed some silence as she watched!  She also used her Read-Along Disney Books a lot!  She has a total of 16 books that are read to her as she looks at the pictures/stories about her favorite Disney characters.  Cant beat that right?!

After our night in the hotel we had to drive about two hours and this was a little harder because she thought we would be there when she woke up...... Not the case obviously.  We tried our best and had a few melt downs but thankfully it was only a two hour drive and we arrived before lunch to enjoy our day!

The Beach

We got out of the car and went straight for the beach.  Whit was so excited and loved it instantly.  She liked the beach in Florida last year but we were not prepared for how much she loved it this time!  We literally spent all of our time on the beach jumping waves or looking for shells.  

My sun issues are back with the pregnancy and of course Ryan's sun issues haven't disappeared so we had a little bit of trouble with her love of the ocean and the constant sunshine; but it was worth it for how much she loved the beach!  

Between the beach, nap time and the pool, our days were pretty packed full.  But since we didn't want to be in the direct sunlight all day long (much to Whit's dismay) we filled our mornings with fun outings as we took in Tybee Island and the cool city of Savannah.  And after our eventful days we would shower and head out to dinner somewhere cool and of course have to stop and get ice cream on the way home.  We had a two bedroom condo and Whitney loved the fact that she got to sleep with Mommy or Daddy because this does not happen at home at all!!  She was soaking up all the cuddle time she could get!  Another side note: note sure if all toddlers are like this but she is a mover when she sleeps.  WOW.  I could not believe it.  I ended up having her feet in my face more times then I could count..hahaha goodness!

Savannah

One morning we drove into Savannah, about 20  minutes from Tybee Island, to take in the sites and have breakfast.  It is such a beautiful place.  You drive down the cobble stone streets that are covered by mossy trees the entire way.  The city reminded Ryan of a Europe, very old buildings, a lot of shops lined up with outdoor dining on cobblestone streets and people just milling about.  We ate breakfast at place called Huey's that is known for their special doughnuts called, beignets.  They are basically fried dough squares served warm and sprinkled with powdered sugar......yum!!

Oatland Island Wildlife Center

We took Whitney to a wildlife center that was really neat.  You walk around a large circle path seeing animals (covered with trees -- yay for us with sun issues) that are so close it was a little scary at times!  We saw: bobcats, wolves, turtles, bison, armadillos, snakes, deer and birds.  It is a lot like a zoo but like I said we were a lot closer up then I expected!  Pretty great experience and I think our favorite or the one we were most fascinated by was the armadillo.  It is a strange looking creature but cool to watch!

Dolphin Tour

This is what we were most excited for, a dolphin tour!  Being on the beach so much we saw many dolphins jumping near our condo so we knew there were going to be sightings on our tour!  The boat was covered, see how important it is to be out of the sun (it may seem small but when you are up ALL night itching, swollen and covered with hives anywhere the sun touches, the shade becomes very important!), and rather large so we had enough room to spread out and take in the surroundings.  We learned a lot about the island of Tybee, how old their light houses were and how they were used in several different wars, about Fort Pulaski (from the Civil War), where the movie The Last Song was filmed, and the barges/shipping in and out of their ports.  We saw several large barges carrying hundreds of crates each day out of our condo window, hard to imagine that something that heavy can float!!! (Savannah/Tybee has the seventh largest port in the world!  It was crazy to see these humongous barges carrying crates/boxes out to sea!)

Right off the bat we saw a dolphin and then rode around for about an hour seeing more jump closer and closer to our boat.  In total we saw about six-eight dolphins and the last couple were so close to our boat, it was really neat!  Whitney wasn't as taken by it but I think it was because they literally pop up for a second and then you spend the next few minutes searching the water hoping to see it again, hard to be that patient when you are three!  She loved being on the boat though and kept telling the driver to make it go faster!!!  I however did not fare so well.  I am thinking it is due to being pregnant but I felt sicker then ever!  I grew up on a boat and have never once felt sickness like this!  Perhaps it was because we were driving in circles trying to catch the dolphins, or going slow then fast and rocking in the wake of the large boats...... All I know is that I was ready to get off the boat and stop swaying side to side haha!!

Lighthouse

Another morning we went to the lighthouse on Tybee Island.  We saw it one evening when we were at dinner and thought it would be fun to check out.  178 steps to get to the top.  Not this pregnant lady's idea of fun, so I sat below and waited for Ry and Whit to make it to the top.  Whit talked a good game, even marching around the condo practicing for the steps up the lighthouse, but didn't even attempt one step while in there!  Ryan said it wasn't the most enjoyable experience, carrying a heavy toddler up and down 178 steps and then worrying about the height when he was up there!!

Sandcastles, Shells and Jumping Waves

Once on the beach Whitney did the same things over and over, run in and out of the water and look for shells.  She built one sandcastle but literally would have stayed at the waters edge the entire time if we let her!  She loved holding onto Ryan's hand and jumping over the waves.  At times the water was really cold and she would come out of there shivering but she didn't care!  We saw a ton of jelly fish and horse shoe crabs that were washed up as the tide was coming back in, which was really cool to see.  The horseshoe crab would get turned over on its back every now and then and it was Whitney's dream to watch it wiggle and figure out how to turn back over again! (funny the things that are so interesting right?!)

Her other favorite was finding shells.  One day she must have been in the bent over position for about an hour before taking a break and coming up to sit down.  She was loving digging in the soft sand on the sand bar to find the coolest shells.  A native to Tybee Island made friends with Whitney and was teaching her how to dig properly for the shells that she wanted.  Whitney couldn't believe that the lady lived on vacation!!!  I wish I would have taken a picture when she was done shelling because she was covered from head to toe (inside and outside of her bathing suit) in wet sand....again she didn't even seem to notice!

Overall it was a fantastic vacation and we were all sad to leave.  We ended up going to be early Monday night only to wake up at 2 am to drive all the way home.  Whitney slept from about 2:45-6:45 in the back of the car but I didn't!  I know I should but you can even ask my Mom and Bret, when I was younger and would travel with them, I wouldn't sleep either.  It wasn't for lack of trying either.  I tried several times but just couldn't!  I think I feel guilty sleeping while someone else is suffering at the wheel for me.  It also could be that I like to know what is going on hahaha:)  But by the time Ryan was tired, around Lexington KY, I had about 3 hours of sleep and was bound and determined to give him a break. So here I am swollen and uncomfortable from sitting for nine hours with only three hours of sleep trying to drive home.  Ryan and Whit fell asleep after lunch and I was pulling every trick out of my hat to keep me awake.  Just when I thought I was going to have to wake up Ryan to take back over, they both woke up and energized me again.  So I drove about 2.5 hours and Ryan did the rest...thank goodness :)))  Oh and Whit did AMAZINGLY well on the car ride home.  Literally didn't complain once.....maybe we should do it again....???  :)

Here are some pics from our trip.  I think they should be in order of the things I talked about above.