Aches and pains...

Dave hurt his back just before vacation. Well, really a few weeks before vacation but convincing him to see a doctor took awhile. He was doing some deck repair and ended up bailing out some standing water and overdid it. Oddly, Seth now has very similiar issues, whenever he doesn't want to do something. We were on a walk one day and I told him he was going to have to get back into the stroller if he didn't stay right next to me. His response was, "but my back hurts." Last week we were headed to the library and I was trying to help him with his shoes. "My back hurts." So, I asked if maybe we should stay home? Very seriously he responded, "no, it can hurt at the library." Uugghh!!

Aaahhhh (?) vacation...

I've really been debating how to handle this post. You see, vacation with a 7 month old is not relaxing. Vacation with a 7 month old is about doing the same things you do everyday, only without half of your stuff and with an audience. Couple that with my seeming inability to relax (which I am working on - see a future post, maybe) and I think it's possible that vacation made me more tired and anxiety-filled than a week at home! I still feel like I should be apologizing to my husband (and probably everyone else) for my poor attitude. HOWEVER, I will say that watching Seth thoroughly enjoy the beach and the pool and his cousins and Grammy and Grampy was definitely worth the trip!

We finally got on the road about 10:30 Friday night. For anyone who is not aware, Seth does not always cope well with change. I had high hopes that his time in daycare with different teachers and different classmates would have made him adaptable. Not so much! Maybe he's already forgotten all about it. Anyway, I really hyped up the trip like it was going to be the biggest deal ever, and soooo fun to sleep in the car. Perhaps I hyped it too much. He started out all cozy and tucked in with his neck pillow and Rusty the teddy bear, etc. By the time he finally fell asleep (probably 11:30 or after) he had flopped around so much that the neck pillow was the only thing still in his car seat, and nowhere near his neck!! I think he woke up at 3:00AM and was awake again for 2 hours then.

We were fortunate to hit Birmingham, Alabama around 8AM, a little before I guess, as that was where Grammy and Grampy had chosen to spend the night. It was pouring down rain so we called them and stopped at their hotel. This gave us a chance to change the boys and brush our teeth (yeah!) before eating breakfast and getting back on the road.

The rest of the trip there was pretty uneventful. The boys were really good. We borrowed a DVD player for Seth and it was incredibly helpful! Although if I don't hear another Veggie Tales song for awhile I won't miss it!

The rest of Saturday was just settling in, cleaning up, unpacking the essentials, buying groceries, and ordering pizza. The house was nice, 5 bedrooms and 3 stories. Each family had their own floor. Luke cried a lot the first night and we ended up moving his bed out of Seth's room and into our room so at least Seth could sleep. Luke doesn't quite understand 'time change' so he got up by 6:20 everyday, without fail. Hmmm, why was I not feeling rested?

Sunday and Tuesday were our beach days. Seth really seemed to have a good time. I'm sure it helped having his 2 cousins there to play with him. He didn't mind the sand and didn't complain too much about the sunscreen. In fact, I think he only rubbed it into his eyes once (yes, even the baby no-tears sunscreen burns his eyes! Go figure!).

Luke became extremely good at beach sleeping. I was quite jealous of this. Grammy was always willing to hold him until he fell asleep. Then we would set up the umbrella and position everything just right so the blanket didn't blow up over him and the sun wasn't on him. It was really warm outside and there was a breeze and you could hear the water. Have I mentioned my jealousy yet??

Unfortunately the beach was not an option the second half of the week. Hurricane Ike, while thankfully coming ashore much farther west than where we were, still created some crazy waves, to the point that the sheriff got involved at least one day and was actively kicking people off the beach. It's a little tough to tell in this next photo, but the water is nearly all the way up to the beach cabana we were allowed to hang out on. If you look back at the picture above of Seth on the beach you might be able to appreciate how much farther up the water was coming this day than the days before. Oh, and 2 red flags means the water is closed. The only worse flag (for me anyway) was one purple flag which means dangerous marine life present (kudos to you Jill, because I would NOT likely be back in the water). But we did have the private neighborhood pool. I never figured out why, if the beach was "closed," the pool was not packed. But we nearly had the pool to ourselves both days that we used it. I think Seth's swim lessons gave him enough familiarity with the water that he warmed up quickly and had some fun. Luke was quite hilarious in the float. He really didn't seem to mind the new experience at all.

One day we went to a restaurant that featured live alligators, not on the menu, of course, but as the entertainment, I guess. For $10 you can get your picture taken with a very small alligator. We did this. Of course, the picture is me and Dave laughing and holding the alligator while Seth, who kept insisting we do this, stands at the side crying. Did I mention the black electrical tape holding our friendly alligators mouth together?
And suddenly it was time to pack up and head home. Maybe when both of my boys are old enough to understand "ice cream for lunch" or "late naps" vacation will be restful again. But for now, I am thankful for a husband who puts up with me and a 2 year old who wasn't completely panicked by sand, sun, or water! Oh, and a 7 month old with who lets me take his picture, no matter how silly he looks!

Friday, September 5

Well, finally our vacation paper chain said "0 days, time to leave!" We had been counting down for about a month, tearing off a link each day. Our plan was for Dave to work part of the day then pick up the rental car in the afternoon while the boys and I napped. We would have a normal dinner and bathtime, then load the boys in the car in their jammies and let them sleep in the car while we drove. I would drive the first leg of the trip, having napped, and Dave could sleep awhile then take over driving while I rested. Ahhhh, the best laid plans. But that's not really what this post is about!

Most of the week was spent tweaking my lists, yes 3 of them - mine (clothes, toiletries, books and magazines, etc.), the boys (swim trunks, clothes, toys, food, bottles for Luke, etc.) and the car ride (snacks, sippy cups, baby food, a new toy or two, DVD's for the borrowed DVD player, etc.). And of course there was all the laundry to be done.

In the midst of all this "fun," the circus was in town. Seemed appropriate to me! Well, we couldn't make it to a performance but did hear that there would be some animals on the circle Friday around lunchtime. Clearly from the photos, the kids had had enough of mommy in packing/laundry mode! And I was feeling a bit guilty about how much Sesame Street Seth had seen during the week. So, I decided a diversion was in order.

I packed a lunch for Seth and timed out Luke's bottles just right so he would be good for the event. I dressed everyone in clothes that were appropriate to be seen in public but not yet packed into a suitcase. I loaded up the stroller and then both boys into the car. I drove downtown and parked in a parking garage. I got out the stroller, got both boys loaded into the stroller and trekked to the circle. Seth knew only that we were going to see animals, but not going to the zoo. Once we got to the circle, there was a Colts rally. So, the double stroller, the boys, and I fought through that crowd and tried to figure out where the animals were. We finally figured out, via the super loud Colts rally announcer, that the elephants were progressing through the streets of downtown, on their way to the circle. So, we made our way partway around the circle to have the best, least-obstructed view possible.

Then the elephants came by. And Seth cried hysterically and begged me to get him out of the stroller and hold him, all the while refusing to look at the elephants.

The end.