Vacation's Over

Vacation's over, at least for now.

Stay tuned for updates.

Raspy Baby

My baby isn't himself.

Little Guy has a spring bug of some sort. A runny nose, no problem. Wanting to snuggle all day and all night, I'll take it while I can get it - all too soon he'll run from the sight of huggy his mommy or daddy. The strained vocal cords are a little tougher because I know how his throat must hurt. The prospect of not going on our upcoming family vacation is disappointing, despite my own previous personal thoughts (new day, new attitude!) I was looking forward to showing Little Guy the magic around us.

The toughest part? It would be a toss up between 1) knowing Little Guy is uncomfortable and there is only so much I can give him and I can only give it to him every four hours (it seems to only last about 2 hours) or 2) the 3:32 am car drive so Little Guy can sleep while I hope my own eyes stay open to see any other crazy parents with one eye closed so their special little one can sleep.

Even though all kids catch a bug now and then, I wasn't prepared for how difficult it would be for me. In reality, while the lack of sleep isn't ideal but it's managable. Little Guy is very active and curious. He's getting more and more independent. For Little Guy to want to snuggle all day and all night and virtually ignore Jeter, we know he's not in tip top shape. I cannot describe how horrible it feels to know I cannot make him better. The children's medicine can help but with a cold its just going to take time.

There is an up side, Little Guy is on the mend. He had a good nights sleep last night which means Big Poppy and I had a good nights sleep. Tax day is coming up fast which means more free time. Vacation is around the corner and I do believe we will be on track for our departure.

The downside...Little Guy is wanting less snuggle time. It is a good thing, I do know this. But that doesn't mean I can't be slightly sad he chooses a toy over mommy. (The only logical solution, donate the toys.)

Big Poppy & Little Guy catching some shut eye.

Chores

Happy Mom and I decided it's never to early for Little Guy to start helping out around the house. Therefore, we divided up the chores. Happy Mom did the dusting, I cleaned the wood floors, and Little Guy ... well he really took a liking vacuuming on Saturday morning.

Of course I'll vacuum, it looks like a fun toy to play with!

When Little Guy is really old enough to start helping out, Happy Mom and I will be sure to remind him just how much fun he thought vacuuming was. Oh is he gonna regret this pose. Happy Mom says she'll use it everytime he objects. Good Luck Little Guy!

Newest Four Legged Family Member

I'm sorry to disappoint, as we did not get a new puppy. We have enough fun with the one we have. Little Guy has now taken a liking to crawling on all fours over the army crawl. Although, as you will see in the video below, he reverts to the army crawl when he gets tired.

Speaking of tired, now that Little Guy moves much quicker, he sure has us worn out by the end of the night.

F-A-M-I-L-Y Vacation

Have you ever been on a family vacation?

I mean a F-A-M-I-L-Y vacation which includes in-laws, nieces, nephews, crazy Uncle Tom and the pet hamster.

In my mind, the idea of family vacation creates visions of laughter, memories and all around good times. My ideals of a family vacation normally exceed what actually happens. We may even appear more like the Griswold’s on their way to Wally World or the Hillbillies meet Manhattan than the semi-sane family we actually are.

As a result, I am preparing for the upcoming family vacation with some trepidation. I know, in all likelihood, my concerns are strictly a result of my lack of control in the planning process. I know when we are leaving, when we are coming home and where we are staying. Anything else, I’m clueless. The question of what our plan is met with we don’t have a plan or it hasn’t been discussed. Not exactly reassuring. When there are four couples kids involved, it’s normally a good idea to have a plan.

I like to know where we are planning on going each day. There is no rule we cannot change our plans but my past experience tells me not having a fully communicated vacation plan leads to no good. You end up with eight adults with their own idea of what we are going to do. That is further broken down into the couples where one party, normally the husband, is doing their best to keep the wife happy (because if momma ain’t happy, no body is happy is a very true saying). The couples may end up doing their own thing, because each had their own idea of what a family vacation entails. And then, my entire vision of a family vacation falls apart.

But maybe, just maybe, because I am currently going into our upcoming family vacation with some uneasiness, it means this is going to be the family vacation that lives up to my ideals.

If not, if you see this in mid-April, you know you’ve ran into my family.

Swimming

We have a vacation coming up after April 15th. Happy Mom and I thought it would be best to introduce Little Guy to a pool before we left. We do not want the pool to be a culture shock or a scary place to be - he loves baths but you never know what all that wide open water would do to Little Guy. So, we took Little Guy to an indoor pool, complete with a large water slide and another small one for little tikes.

When we got into the water, Little Guy wasn't scared, however he was a little nervous at all the noise and comotion from kids playing in the water. It probably took about five minutes or so, then he figured out that slapping both hands onto the water was really fun!! REALLY fun.

Little Guy was a natural in the water, especially when I helped him down the little slide. Happy Mom got the best view, as when he went down, with me holding him of course, his mouth would open wide with exitement!! :)

I think Little Guy is going to enjoy his first family vacation.

Now it would only be great if we were going here on April 16th. I guess that will have to wait until this winter. Maybe Aunt Stephey and her family will come along.

Some Clean Up Good

Some guys clean up good.

Some clean up real good.