as you may or may not know, bodrum is one of my 'happy places.' it is (in my opinion) the most beautiful coastline in turkey. so, when ben's parents asked if we'd like to join them there for the ramazan bayram (holiday following ramazan), we naturally said yes. of course, when we planned the trip, i was still pregnant, and we didn't know when kaan would be born (we scheduled our departure for july 26th, not long after my due date). luckily kaan was born a week early & we had 3 weeks with him before we flew to bodrum. it turned out to be fine, except that i couldn't swim (not recommended until at least six weeks after giving birth), and we were dealing with a newborn and a two and a half year old at a large resort hotel. that means a lot of trekking around with a LOT of stuff, insane meals, etc. luckily ben's dad was able to help us out a bit, and emre was pretty worn out each day from swimming and playing in the sand. it was a lovely vacation, but boy, was i glad to get back home: back to our routine and comfortable space (this is also due to some stuff which happened at the end of the trip… keep reading).
here are some pictures from our first vacation as a family of four:
emre was positively thrilled with the endless supply of watermelon (and grapes - this kid and his grapes!)
the first evening we ventured down to the water & emre wanted to swim, but we hadn't brought his suit - so he took a dip with dede in his undies. two year olds get away with everything.
relaxing after a nice swim
seeing ben's dad in his beach garb cracked me up
a perfect morning with my guys
emre really made the most of his time in the sand
kaan and i spent a lot of time chilling on the beach.
the turks LOVE babies, and people went out of their way to help me with anything i needed. some ladies rushed over and helped me open our umbrella on the beach when i was by myself. one woman even offered to hold him while i ate dinner one night when he was particularly fussy in the restaurant (if he weren't SO young, i would totally have taken her up on that offer). very sweet. of course, there was also the woman who lectured me, not very nicely, in the elevator about the 40 day rule (some Turks believe the baby should not leave the house for 40 days after birth) after i'd told her his age. i just looked at her and said (in english) 'i don't speak turkish!' that excuse really comes in handy sometimes.
the weather was HOT and kaan wasn't entirely sold on it - his mood noticeably changed when we were back in the air conditioned room. further proof he is just like his father.
beach baby beach baby give me your hand
paradise. the (hilton) hotel grounds were immaculate, and the views incredible.
it's true! i have a matching tshirt for emre and i WILL get their picture in them. amazing how hard it is to do basically anything now that i have two of these things.
i didn't do it (but we all know he did)!
emre learned how to tread water - all by himself!
f you, humidity.
happier in the hotel room.
fazil can, who was also vacationing in bodrum, stopped by one day with his friends so they could meet his nephews. he's a very proud uncle!
basking in the ac
our beach bum, kissing his reflection - what a nut!
he got plenty of attention wherever he went
this incredibly huge yacht, complete with its own helicopter, was anchored outside the resort for a few days
out for an evening swim with dede & daddy
this kid is a total water baby
balkayas at breakfast
the water was filled with these beautiful silver fish
emre switched from his usual vegetarian status to total meat lover at the buffet each night. he downed the pirzola two at a time!
each night dede took emre downstairs to the children's game area while we ate dinner & passed the (usually fussy) baby back and forth. win, win!
emre is pretty much able to swim on his own now - or, at least stay above water - which is a huge relief to his parents (especially his way over protective dad)
unfortunately, our vacation ended on a low note. on friday as we were packing up in the room to leave, emre managed to topple over a heavy glass coffee table - which landed on his right hand. immediately we could tell he had done some serious damage, as three of his fingers swelled & turned purple, and he could not bend two of them. we rushed to the hotel 'doctor,' who was useless (he looked at him and said we should go to the hospital, did not even offer basic first aid). i kept his hand elevated with ice and gave him tylenol while we waited for the hospital van to arrive (we did not know they were sending a van or we would have just called our own taxi). about 45 minutes later it finally did, and we headed to the hospital in downtown bodrum. amazingly, they brought us directly in for an x-ray (this is one positive difference with healthcare in turkey - you hardly ever wait) and the doctor on duty examined him as soon as the x-ray results were available, within about 5 minutes. he told us the middle finger was broken and bandaged him up. ben and i were both a mess, but emre was ok once the tylenol kicked in and we gave him a lollipop.
he made it all of two and a half years without breaking a bone : (
by the time we left the hospital it was time to head straight to the airport (luckily ben's parents were able to bring our luggage, etc.). we had to take a taxi, and emre had to ride without a car seat. this is something i would NEVER do under normal circumstances. ben hailed us a cab and we headed off to the airport. about five minutes in it was clear the driver wasn't very good, and was swerving slightly on the road. ben had already asked him to drive slowly, and thankfully, he was. however a little while later ben looked at him and saw that his eyes were closed - he had fallen asleep at the wheel. it was a terrifying experience. luckily we made it to the airport ok - ben kept the driver awake the rest of the way by yelling at him.
we made it home safe & sound, and that night after putting the kids to bed, ben and i both had a good cry. we love our beautiful boys so much and it's terrifying and heartbreaking when we fail to protect them. so many lessons learned from those experiences, mainly that we need to have a good plan in place for possible emergencies, no matter where we are.
all in all, it was a good vacation, even though it ended on a pretty sour note. we are happy to be home!
broken finger + guilt ridden & shaken up parents = first fast food experience at the airport. he loved it, of course.
