Galveston

Two updates in one day? Crazy, I know! But I want to get in one more while the internet is free.

We flew to Houston this morning and then took a car to Galveston. Carter and I are traveling for 5 weeks, so our luggage is basically stuffed. The car ride down was easy, and I started to get excited when we got to the island. I saw waterways and cottages, and I was instantly reminded of the beaches in North Carolina that I love so much. We checked into the Hampton Inn and then made our way a block down to the beach.

We're staying near the seawall, which is a really developed area of Galveston. I was expecting there to be a literal beach, but the seawall is literally just a wall. There isn't much of a beach, just rocks along a cement bank beside a busy road. I think there are other places on the island where there are actual beaches, but we had to walk a ways before we found a little strip of sand for Carter to play in. And it was dirty and not all that pleasant, and after a while Carter asked if we could go back to the hotel and play in the pool. Doug and I both said, "Let's go!" We'd had enough. I'm SO spoiled by my beloved NC beaches!







After that, we spent two hours in the hotel pool, where Carter swam without water wings pretty much continuously. I would stand in the middle of the pool, and he'd jump in on one side and swim to me, then after I pulled him up for a breath, he'd continue to the other side, climb out, and do it all over again. He is still doing flips off the side, and was experimenting today with diving. His dives are still a little more like belly flops than actual dives, but he's getting there. When I spot him he can do a backwards dive. I've wondered more than once if we have a future competitive diver on our hands. ;-)

He still doesn't like using his arms when he swims, but I think he'll do quite well once he figures that out. People are always shocked to see a child so small swimming, and they never seem to believe me when I tell them that the other kids in his swimming class are much better swimmers than he is!

We got dressed and walked a few blocks down the street to a Golden Corral for dinner. Carter ate well, and then started to fall asleep with a spoonful of ice cream in his hand. I cleaned him up and set him in my lap, and he literally fell asleep the moment his head hit my chest. This is the same kid who's been fighting sleep every night for a week, and he fell asleep in the middle of a noisy restaurant! Of course, we had to carry him all the way back to the hotel. :-P

Tomorrow morning we take a shuttle over to the cruise ship terminal and then board the ship. We sail at 5:00! Yay! The ship does have internet, though it's expensive. I'll try to post pictures every few days. We're excited!