Every year we go to Ocean City, Maryland on vacation.

It’s really the perfect place for us. No, it’s not classy – in fact, it’s cheesy and tourist-y and even garish at times. The boardwalk is loud and the shops are jam-packed with chintzy memorabilia that’s horribly overpriced. But we’ve been going since I was ten years old. What was once just my nuclear family vacation has grown over the years, and this year we had a record turnout – 36 people. My family, my extended family, and many member of Eric’s family. We spread out in five condos and took up a decent plot of land on the beach.

Every year Ocean City has been different. When I was ten, it was all about playing in the sand. When I was fifteen, it was all about dressing cute and walking up and down the boardwalk with my best friend, collecting phone numbers we knew we’d never call. When I was 21, I started going out to bars. Eric proposed to me in Ocean City (twice). Last year I was so, so sad. We drank in the condo a lot. There are a bunch of pictures of me on the beach, at night, trying to look peaceful. I know I keep saying this, but it’s just remarkable how different everything was this year. Everything I’d been imagining and wanting for so long finally happened.

Molly did great on the beach. There was one minor incident where sand got thrown in her face, but other than that the whole thing went off without a hitch. She slept in the car for most of the way there, and even though we hit traffic we only had to stop to feed her once. Oh, did I mention she’s been sleeping through the night since she was 4 weeks old? I know. I have no idea how I got so lucky. Every night I wait for it to stop abruptly, but so far she’s out from about 10 pm to 5 am. It’s so nice. Breastfeeding is also going better, and she’s slooowly starting to not rely on the nipple shield anymore. I bought a Maya wrap before vacation and every day I would nurse her in it on the walk to the beach. After a week, I started to get good at it. Hands-free nursing is so much easier and more convenient!

What else? Just two short weeks until I go back to work. So far I’ve only been separated from her for four hours at most. A full workday will definitely be an adjustment.

I swear I had more to say, but I’ve been waiting for two days to write this post. The hours pass by so quickly…and I’m trying to savor each and every one.

Here’s some vacation photos: