All Tuckered Out

Sam and I had a busy week because we spent our mornings at our church's Vacation Bible School. We both had fun, but this meant that Sam didn't really have a morning nap all week. So when we tried to put him down on Saturday morning, he really didn't feel it was necessary and never slept.

A few hours later...I had my back turned for a few moments while he was eating lunch. I should have known it was too quiet! He woke up when I sat down to check on him, but fell back to sleep mid bite. So I tilted the high chair back and he slept there for 20 minutes.

Guess we're still not quite down to one nap per day!

HHI 2010

This past Saturday the three of us returned from a week on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where my family has been vacationing for as long as I can remember. We drove through the night to get there - a little tough on Mom and Dad, but worth it so the little man could sleep most of the way. We were met there by my parents (drove from Ohio), sister (flew from San Diego), brother and brother's girlfriend Kate (drove from Chicago via Indianapolis). Uncle George could not attend because he's still away at war. We all stayed in one big house that was walking distance to the beach and had its own pool. It was a great place - and once he adjusted, Sam actually slept quite well in the walk-in closet we turned into his crib room!

With so many adults in one house with only one little boy you can just imagine the kind of attention and spoiling he received. Uncle Matt actually set his alarm so he'd be sure to get in plenty of "Little Buddy" playtime before morning nap. Kate was constantly making him giggle with the silly games she came up with. And there was always someone to sneak him a cheez-it as they passed through the kitchen (ok, so all 8 of us were pretty much constantly snacking the entire week). He loved it all. He loved it so much that he couldn't stand to be held captive in our bedroom. The first two nights he woke up at random times DESPERATE to go back out to the living room to play with everyone. He just couldn't understand that everyone else was sleeping.

You might remember that Sam has been in the pool a good bit recently, so he was really comfortable on that front. This pool wasn't really ideal for him as there was no water shallower than 3 feet, but he had fun "jumping" off the side and climbing up the deck stairs.

The real fun was at the beach. I now wholeheartedly believe that God made beaches for little boys - the rest of us were just an afterthought. Sam ran in and out of the waves, up to the tide pools, back to the waves, this way and that. Running running, giggling all the way. I'm so thankful that it wasn't a crowded beach so we could let him do all this running! He even enjoyed letting the waves crash right into him and sticking his face in the water. He loved to pick up all of the wet sand, demolish the castles that my mom and I built for him, and climb in and out of the holes that Uncle Matt and Kate dug for him. And when he was finally low on energy, he enjoyed some long walks on the beach.

And I LOVED watching him take it all in. I loved that I had so many extra pairs of legs to help me chase him down. I loved that I good be in the pool while my little guy napped. I didn't even mind that I only read 3 pages on the entire trip.

We also managed to squeeze in some bike rides, putt-putting, a visit to the marina, and a trip up the lighthouse in Harbor town. We went out to eat several times. While this was actually a little exhausting with Sam in tow, he did enjoy the show at the Japanese steakhouse. Chris and I kind of rocked at the after-dinner board games :-) And we got to listen to a local children's performer named Greg Russell. Apparently he has been performing in Harbor Town for 34 year - my siblings and I went for the first time probably about 20 years ago. At the beginning of the show Greg asked who had attended as a child and was now returning as a parent vacationing with their own children - I was so excited to get to raise my hand!

All in all it was an awesome trip and I think everyone was sad to go our separate ways and head home. Its getting harder and harder to find a week that all of us can make it, but hopefully we'll have many more of these trips in the years to come!

4th of July Trips

Chris and I have returned safely from a whirl-wind, child-free Fourth of July trip. That's right. We went away, just the two of us. Cause? Micahl and Courtney's wedding in Manchester, CT combined with a few days visiting my childhood friend Meri in Manhattan. Its been a long time since I've covered so much ground on so many different forms of transportation in such a short time. Here's how the logistics played out:
-Thursday: Lindsay flies with Sam to Ohio, drops him with Grandparents at the airport, flies to NYC where she waits for Chris who flies directly from Houston after working a half day. Chris and Lindsay share a cab to Meri's.
-Friday: Chris and Lindsay take the Subway to Grand Central Station where they catch a commuter train to CT, where they are picked up in a rental car by a groomsman.
-Saturday: Chris and Lindsay return to train in the same rental car and return by train to NYC.
-Sunday: Chris and Lindsay stay in NYC and have a lovely, laid back day, but do travel by city bus.
-Monday: Chris and Lindsay share a cab to the airport to take separate flights - Chris to Houston to again work a half day and Lindsay to Ohio to claim the child.
-Tuesday: Lindsay and Sam fly back to Texas on a half empty regional jet that didn't have enough fuel to fly around the weather system thus requiring an unplanned stop in Memphis.

The wedding was set in a beautiful park and we are so glad that we made the trip to share the day with the happy couple. Highlights of our time in the city included walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, pizza at Grimalde's, and viewing the NYC fireworks from above on the roof of a 53 story building. And three adults sharing one 400 square foot Upper East Side studio apartment for the weekend. I must say that Meri has the space arranged so well - there was a table for dinner, beds for all, and even a place for our luggage!

Meanwhile, Sam was having the time of his life at my parents' house. Friday they took him to the Columbus Zoo (one of the best in the country) where he got to spy on a toddler elephant touch goats - which apparently was hilarious. Saturday he went to the Dublin 4th of July parade where he saw lots of dogs, had a sucker, and ice cream. Sunday he went to the neighborhood pool, complete with a "zero entry" that allowed him to run in waste deep, blow bubbles, and splash to his heart's content. And his heart was so very content that we all returned to the pool on Monday.

And those were just the outings. While at the house he also got to play with a whole host of new-to-him battery-free toys (read: Uncle Matt's circa 1986), the neighbor's swing set, the fisher price slide that hadn't been out of the attic since the late 80's, and the cat. Oh the cat. The squeals that erupted when the un-characteristically patient cat was spotted were those of pure joy. Grandma and Grandpa even let him go outside first thing in the morning - before even getting dressed!

How do I know for sure that Sam didn't get bored - not even once - at Grandma and Grandpa's house? Because of all of the things he DIDN'T touch. He didn't try to splash in the toilet, or unroll the toilet paper. He didn't empty any bookshelves, or clear off any coffee tables. He didn't even open the kitchen cabinets. No no, he saves those joys just for mommy.Thanks, Meri, for hosting us! And thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for taking care of our squirmy!