Eilidh had a very restful first night in Porto Santo. Due to concerns about her ability to climb out of her crib and fall to the hard stone floor, I spent the night in the spare bed in Eilidh’s room. While she had some coughing and a runny nose this morning, I didn’t hear her cough once during the night. It’s possible that I was sleeping extremely hard, but I think it is safe to say that Eilidh is on the downhill side of her illness.
Eilidh was up first, so I convinced Brian to entertain her while I tried to grab a few additional winks of sleep. This plan yielded little benefit as the big kids woke up shortly after and were excited for our day ahead. The agenda was straightforward: visit the beach!
We made good use of the bread, butter, and strawberry provided by Claudia the day before, and finished off some bottled chocolate milk for breakfast. The kids and adults slathered on sunscreen and we set out on the short palm-tree-lined walk to the beach. The kids, with the exception of Eilidh, were ecstatic to be near the water and immediately went to get their feet wet.
Eilidh was happy to observe the waves and watch her siblings playing, but she was very resistant (read: crying and clutching whatever adult was handy) to having her toes touch the sand! I sat in the sand and let the waves come around my legs with Eilidh on my lap, and soon after she was enjoying the water on her toes. She still refused to walk in the sand, but after a quick tube feed on the beach blanket she suddenly became brave and started running all over the place, including into the water. She got knocked out by a wave but after a cuddle was ready to play again!
The kids spent their time shrieking and running in and out of the water. Cassy and I went out and enjoyed the gentler, deeper waves. I convinced Emmie to go out and ride some deep waves with me, but Noah preferred to stay in the more shallow water. After an hour or so Brian headed to the grocery store to stock up on supplies while Cassy, the kids, and I continued our adventures on the beach.
Noah and Emmie had a blast burying Cassy in the sand.
Eilidh really wanted to eat this rock!
Documentation of the addition of Porto Santo beach to the places where Eilidh has now been tube-fed.
Eilidh started to get crabby, so we made the walk towards home and made it back just before Brian and our groceries. The kids got naked and were showered with the hose in the yard. Emmie quickly disappeared and was found asleep in her bed, and Eilidh was likewise happy to see her Tula blanket and crib. Cassy and I ate a lunch of deli meat sandwiches and “Ham and Barbecue” flavored Lays potato chips while Noah and Brian headed to the nearby takeaway restaurant for some cold drinks.
Eilidh got some food tubed while she was asleep but after waking up to burp, we curtailed her usual serving. (We figured it was okay to skip a few ounces as this was the first day she has eaten much since her emergency room stint in Lisbon.) Brian and I joined Eilidh once her nap resumed while Cassy Snapchatted and Noah played Toca Blocks on the iPad.
After nap time, we got up and headed back to the beach with the goal (set by Brian, of course) to walk all the way to one end to eat at a restaurant. After walking for some time with no end of the beach in sight, we convinced him to stop and let the kids play. Brian, Eilidh, and I walked a bit further while Cassy was in charge of the big kids. Eilidh wanted nothing to do with the sand and ocean this afternoon and was a bit of a lug to haul down the beach!
High tide meant we had to navigate through some water to get further down the beach.
When we returned home, Claudia was back to water the lawn and also provide some extra beach towels. Since the morning hose routine, we’d discovered a small outdoor shower area within our walled yard, so the kids once again stripped for showers.
While my intent was for them to wrap themselves in towels and go inside, I was distracted chasing a naked baby through the backyard, allowing the big kids to run naked into the front yard. There, they engaged Claudia in a game of avoiding (read: running through) the watering hose. Luckily, Europeans seem a little more relaxed about naked children running around, and Claudia was a good sport about things, alternating spraying the kids and watering the foliage.
Eventually, the kids were corralled, dressed, and content watching Moana on the iPad while Brian made the walk (as we have no car) to the nearest takeaway restaurant. He came home with chicken cordon bleu, carrot rice, potatoes, and cold glass-bottled Coke for our dinner, which everyone ate well except Eilidh.
The glass Coca-Cola bottles were a bit of a treat, as they are usually reserved for restaurant guests and not allowed for takeaway, but Brian assured the clerk he’d return the bottles later in the evening. The kids returned to Moana, Brian returned to the restaurant, and Cassy and I went to hang clean laundry to dry.
Sadly, our peaceful evening was shattered by a shrieking baby, as Eilidh tumbled head-first from couch to stone floor. Cassy and I ran inside to find blood dripping from her nose and Noah and Emmie standing shamefaced beside her. Noah exclaimed he wasn’t able to catch her from falling off, and Emmie exclaimed it wasn’t her fault.
All in all, the blood was pretty minimal, and Eilidh calmed down quickly with promises of syringe water to drink. Everyone was a little cranky after this incident, but the kids were soundly settled in bed by the time Brian made it back.
Brian, Cassy, and I spent the evening outside lounging on patio chairs and hammocks enjoying the cooler Porto Santo air; sipping our drinks, blogging, and listening to the faint sounds of the ocean in the distance.