Silliness

Just because it's too cute ;)

Green Meadows Petting Farm (June 19th)

Whoops- meant to post this last week! Just a bunch of pictures from our trip to the petting zoo with Kaely, Nathan, Aunt Raeshel and Chase. Chase was absolutely enthralled! Aside from my OCD nature over hand washing, it was an awesome (kept strategically short) trip!

The full show can be seen :

Happy (8th!!!) Birthday Kaely Grace!

Oh baby girl... my sweet tempered, easy going (in comparison), child of mine... 8 years ago you arrived and made me believe pregnancy, childbirth, and infancy were a breeze. Gee thanks for the disillusion!!! Just kidding ;)

Anyway- she's an amazing little girl, and while she drives me batty too, we have some awesome times! Chase was not to be left out last night, and we even got him on skates! To be honest- these couple hours were way more fun than the weekend attempt at a vacation. My favorite part? Seeing unrestrained, spontaneous smiles and laughs. Made the entire week better!

Our Lovely Weekend at the Mayfair

Oh Chase... Chase, Chase... Chase....

Well. Here's the deal. I decided to book another stay at the Mayfair in Coconut Grove- where we went for part of our honeymoon, and again for our first anniversary. So for whatever reason I thought it'd be a great idea to do again. Now, don't get my wrong, I had offers to allow family to watch Chase for a couple days so we could go solo- but, me being me, realized I knew he'd flip out, and then I'd be stressed and have separation anxiety, and all that. At least for a night would be okay, but not 2- 2 1/2 days.

So, we packed up everything and set off. We ended up making a detour to visit family, which ended up being probably the best part of the whole trip since it was low key, relaxing, etc. We got to play out in the water and on a boat, and that kept him happy for the most part :)

Then we got back into the car... LOL. Nap time is our first issue with trying to travel- it gets all messed up, and sleep deprivation does no one any good. Once we arrived in Coconut Grove, we got unpacked and settled and needed to eat! So we packed up Chase into the stroller and set off on foot, excited by all the porch-side restaurants which would normally be perfect. We decided on Lulu, and ordered a glass of wine and a small meal to share. He quickly decided he'd rather twist himself around and throw himself head first onto the ground than stay in the stroller (no he did not actually fall), so then I sat him in my lap. Then he keeps trying to play with the silverware and ceramic plates, and continues to squirm and fuss... the wine comes- I get a cool two sips before I have to stand up and start trying to distract him (meanwhile other curbside patrons are staring)... The wonderful (3 ct.) scallops and risotto show up, so I end up giving him half of my portion- which he ate gladly, but then went back to fussing/crying/screaming. Dave tried taking him a couple times, but it ended up only making a bigger scene. At this point I just let Dave finish my glass, and we hurried the check along and took off. I wanted to cry, I was so tired and stressed by all the crying- ridiculous! But, back in the stroller and moving along, he was giving a smirk to reinforce the experience. UGH

Then- we get back to the room, and don't get me wrong, it's pretty late for him- nearly 9pm, so we turn down the lights and try to get him to calm down for bedtime. I found out the hot tub on the balcony had not warmed up like it was supposed to, so we had maintenance come in (another distraction), and set down to reading books and trying to go to sleep... next thing you know, it's nearly 11pm, Dad's passed out, and Chase is still wide awake. Oh yeah- forgot to mention that placing him in the pack 'n play only resulted in screaming and feeling like we would get kicked out of the hotel (the hotel is another issue I addressed separately). So... finally... in the middle of the bed, he passed out. 

The entire night we got jabbed in the face and back and other areas with his legs or arms, he would wake up, sit straight up and look like he was going to start playing... then insist on laying directly on me. Needless to say, not much sleep was had. The next morning we had massages set up (part of the package), so I had to arrive around 8:30 to "enjoy the full experience" (hahaha!). Fed him his oatmeal the best I could, and set off in the stroller. The spa ended up not being open yet (apparently someone was running late), so I had least had a few minutes to read on my own if nothing else. After my massage, we switched so Dave could have his, and Chase and I took off for coffee... well, you know that couldn't be so simple- we did manage to survive through him eating a pastry while sitting outdoors, but then when I went into Gap (Dave needed a new t-shirt, he didn't believe in packing I guess- LOL), the whole crap started with him refusing to sit in the stroller, and throwing himself around. So, of course I'm walking around holding him and pushing the stroller- which is ridiculous. Nonetheless... I ran back to the room to try to get him to nap. It worked for a bit (thank God), but was short lived. 

After his nap we decided to just grab something "quick and simple" -like Chili's... they had a patio at Cocowalk, and sounded like a good idea. We order drinks and food all at once, and then I raced to grab some crayons. He insisted on climbing around again, trying to bang the utensils around, and the crayons and other toys were boring I guess. Our server passed by again after 5-10 minutes delivering food to another table and we still hadn't gotten our water. After the guy who walked in behind us was delivered his full lunch and drinks- I lost it and we walked out. Sorry- but a toddler brings out the shortest patience in a person I think. Foolishly, we decided to try Cheesecake Factory which was a floor below... UGH. Let's just say tons of silverware, dishes, and being stuck indoors... I felt like I was trying to pass a debutante test while wrestling with an eel. I did not taste any of the food and while Chase got to enjoy his, I just wanted to go hide for a while. 

We made it back to the hotel with a ton of food (and cheesecake- duh), and decided that the pool would be a great idea for him. Outdoors, water, freedom... yeah... so we suit up, get sunblock on, and head up. But, of course it's a rooftop pool with a poolside bar, so the people up there were likely not happy about seeing a baby arrive- but whatever. After we get situated- I daydreamed about being able to read my book while lounging in the chaise lounges they had- it was awesome. Until reality struck, and I realized Chase would not sit still, but would not go in the water with Dad, and when coerced into the water cried and fussed the entire time. I went in, but it was cold! So that was short lived. Came back out and he just wanted to push around the furniture- but the ground was burning hot, so then he cried about that. 20 minutes later I gave up and just decided to go back to the room. I cannot tell you how exhausting this kid is!

So back up to the room, we decided to play in the hot tub, but of course then he didn't want to be in there unless I was, and by then I was just done. So he followed us around- and I attempted to put him down for a nap in the pack 'n play again (ha!)... to which he just cried... and cried... and cried.... Eventually I was able to get him to sleep, and tip toed around while he snored on the bed for an hour... 

It was late, and we knew we were going to have to get dinner somehow. We had leftovers still, but... I just wanted a darn loaf of French bread, and crack open a bottle of wine. No way was I going to sit through another restaurant attempt. So, we found a local organic market that was in walking distance according to the web, so we set off on foot. Needless to say, we never found it- I don't believe it ever existed, and we were faced with what the heck to do again. We found a wine bar that had a menu advertising a french cheese with bread appetizer so we took it to go, and headed back. The rest of the evening was pretty much the same as the previous night- got him cleaned up and tried reading books to ready him for bed. Eventually I got him to sleep, and was terrified to move- it was around 8pm, so here we are, on vacation, and I'm stuck with my arm underneath him. I read- and eventually we turned on the tv- and that was the sheer excitement. 

Another restless night and awoke to water dripping throughout the room- I had just had it. We checked out by 9 am, gave up on the idea of having a nice breakfast, and just hit the road running... 

sigh... never again! well, at least not until he's older, or we have other people with us, or are on a cruise where I can send him to kids camp... This kid knows what he's doing- and if it's not all about him- forget it!!! 

I will say, as soon as we got home he was happy as anything- chased after the dogs, played on his toys, and ran throughout the house. So... I guess that's where we'll be from now on :)