I wanted to write about the kindness I've received from other mamas. When you're pregnant, you get this amazing chance to be the recipient of the true, generous human spirit that lives in all of us, especially, I've noticed, from other mothers. The first experience happened on the last morning of our vacation to the Caribbean. Tim and I decided to spend our last night in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and stay at a boutique hotel I had stayed at more than 10 years ago. I've never forgotten its quirky, artsy feel and over the top Rococo decor that transports one back to a much more elegant time. After getting a great night's rest in our king size canopy bed and wall tapestries to match (we got an ocean view room), we headed to the breakfast bar to see if the staff would be willing to feed us 15 min. early since our taxi was picking us up early. The young Puerto Rican man behind the bar became frazzled - he was behind schedule, not ahead, and so we decided to just go with the flow. If all we got was a hot cup of Yaucono coffee, perfecto. As I sat in the garden room looking up at the tropical plants growing along the brick facade, a sweet faced Puerto Rican woman in her 70's who worked for the inn approached me and asked when I was due. Soon we were conversing in Spanish about what it feels to be a mother, her struggle with miscarriages, that her only son was close in age to me. I don't know what it was - her deliberate, easy to understand questions or her kind approach, but my Spanish surprisingly rolled off my tongue. When she asked if I had eaten, I explained my husband and I were waiting for breakfast but that the food was not ready yet. I admitted I was starving. She said, "of course you are, you're pregnant!" She marched in to the breakfast bar, grabbed a saute pan and told the young man she was going to cook a meal for me. He seemed annoyed and she repeated even louder to him,"She's PREGNANT - she must eat!" She turned and asked if I liked "huevos con queso or con jamon" and then preceded to whip up a plate of eggs, homemade muffins, a bowl of freshly sliced mango and pineapple and crusty white rolls with butter. And a hot cup of coffee. Tim's eyes widened when he saw my plate. We were both speechless. You've got to understand - this continental breakfast served to all guests does not include a hot plate of eggs. Turns out, this sweet woman even got us our fruit plate early. Other guests only got muffins and coffee to start. When I went to thank her again, she had vanished. Off to clean a room or make more muffins. I don't know. But I'll never forget this generous gift she gave me and my baby. I was so sated and ready to travel after that breakfast prepared with love. When I got back to Castle Rock, Dax and I were walking out of the library with a stack of 15 books. I was barely able to hold the books, my purse and hold his hand at the same time as we were about to cross the parking lot. He decided at that precarious moment to have a mini-melt down about book returns. He wanted to go back and feed our books onto the "drop off" conveyor belt. Dax didn't understand that on this day we were taking books out, not returning them. Crocodile tears spilled down the cheeks and he wouldn't budge. I finally had to be firm and say we had to get to the car, meanwhile my books were starting to fall out of my arms. Suddenly, a young mom came running up to me and said, "I'll carry your son to the car, you take the books." I wanted to say that I was fine, I could handle the situation, but honestly, I couldn't. I did need help. She got us to our car and told me to have a great rest of the day. I was flabbergasted. Dax is still talking about the woman who carried him to the car. We were both appreciative of her kindness. Thank you to moms who look out for the ones pregnant and bumbling along. And understanding that we do have our hands full literally and figuratively with a toddler and that we are always, always hungry.

We leave for St. John on Monday and after being housebound for the past day and a half with a sick child, I'm needing this time away with Tim that much more. I'm in such need of a change of pace and a change of scenery. Change reinvigorates me and makes me feel more alive. And it's been far too long since I've floated in bathtub-warm ocean water while coral fish swim below. It's been far too long since I've seen the sun set on a beach, or walked hand in hand with Tim along a bay as the waves lap at our feet. I want a mango smoothie, to eat lots of fresh fish, and swim with sea turtles and tangs. But with all that said, I'm still a little anxious about being apart from my sweet boy. Even though Dax is in the most loving hands while we're away, I've never been apart from him for more than one night. And now we'll be gone for a whole week. A whole flippin' week! Ok, just breathe. Dax will probably cry hard for 15 min. and then he'll be smiles for the rest of his stay with Papa Buzzy and Nanna. And then with Auntie Wendy there too, I think Dax is truly going to have one of the best weeks of his life. He may not even want to come home. Or am I just trying to assuage the guilt that I feel perhaps? I've never been one to think that I deserve something good - like a Caribbean vacation. When it comes to splurging on myself, I feel I have to earn it first with hard work. Perhaps twisted logic but it's how I've always operated. Luckily, I married a man who has no qualms about making sure we have the creature comforts on this vacation that I might have forgone - like pro-dealing us top-rated snorkel gear and an underwater camera. We balance each other out. I like that. And as for Daxie, we'll be calling him every day from the island and listening as he shares with us his adventures that day in his squeaky, little voice. I know I'll cry every time I hang up the phone, but I'll look around at my jungle landscape, hear the tree frogs peeping all around me, and see Maho Bay below and I won't regret my decision to be there.

Beauty tips: I'm loving Giovanni's Cool Mint Lemonade Salt Scrub with crushed mint leaves. The trick is to rub on spots you want to soften before you get yourself wet in the shower - exfoliates always work better on dry skin. Then rinse and ooh la la - your skin is super silky soft. I would not recommend using it on the face - it's much too harsh but it is a perfect body exfoliator. I've found this product at Target, Whole Foods and even Safeway in the organic section. And I've used dozens of products on my dry feet (Dr. Scholl's, H2O out of Chicago, Weleda, etc.) and nothing worked until I discovered Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Foot Cream - wash feet, pat dry but while still soft from the bath, apply the cream, don a pair of socks and go to bed. It doesn't beat a good pedicure shaving on dry heels but it does penetrate the dryness.

Cooking tips: I just picked this idea up from famed chef Jaime Oliver - steam your veggies and then hand toss the wilted spinach, broccoli, green beans, dinosaur kale, it in a bowl with EVOO, sea salt, pepper, fresh squeezed lemon juice and crushed red pepper if you like. I used to heat my veggies WITH the EVOO and spices but Oliver's way is so much healthier and tastier. Simply delish.