Week Away

Jay & I spent last week in paradise. Also known as Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We left the little guy at home (heart-breaking), but he obviously was in good hands. Plus there was plenty of skyping to satisfy my need to see my baby.

The trip was perfect and just what we needed. Time alone, fun with friends, a week without a clock (seriously, I didn’t know what time it was most of the days) and lots of sunshine.

Picture taken by Photo Souvenir

Weekend Getaway

So after the craziness at work, I just wanted to hibernate with my favorite boys. So…we headed on yet another vacation!!
Over Labor Day weekend we hopped in the car and drove a couple hours north to Green Bay. We had a couple things in mind for when we got there, but the best part is that it was one of those last minute vacations where every minute wasn’t already planned.

We got there Friday afternoon for lunch at Lambeau Field and a tour through the Packer Hall of Fame. It was my first time, as well as Brody’s, and it was pretty fun. Obviously Brody will enjoy it more when he’s older, but he did a great time hanging out in the stroller while we looked around. He also didn’t sleep the whole car ride up there, so it was a miracle he wasn’t melting down. Waiting for lunch & playing his first arcade game

Checking out the Lombardi Trophy (Super Bowl Champions ’10-’11)

That night we just went out to dinner and headed back to the hotel to get Brody to bed at a normal time. There was also a pit-stop to get eye drops since Brody had developed pink-eye. Though he gets sent home on a regular basis for “pink-eye” this trip was the only time I actually think he had it. Let me tell you, classic pink-eye is actually pretty nasty. Luckily he was able to get medicated right away so that he didn’t spread it to us or anyone else.

We also learned the key to success in hotel-ing it with a toddler. Separate bedrooms!! We stayed in a suite (in the middle of nowhere, this was still a pretty cheap room), which had a separate bedroom, with a fridge/microwave/sink area separating it between the living room. We were able to put Brody to bed and we could actually stay up. He slept great both nights in that hotel room and napped as well. It made things so much easier.

Then on Saturday we headed to Bay Beach. This was actually our main purpose for picking Green Bay, so I was a little dissapointed when we woke up and it was raining outside. For those who don’t know what Bay Beach is (I just learned this recently), it is an amusement park directed at younger kids that is super cheap. You don’t pay to get in and each ride is about $0.25. The most expensive ride we went on was $0.75 per person (Merry Go Round). Many of the rides are geared towards younger kids, but children up to the age of 8 could easily be entertained there. And we struggled to spend $5 in about 3 hours.

At first I was a little nervous. Brody had never been on a carnival ride and the first one I saw didn’t have a seatbelt. I really thought he might try to climb out during the ride, so we went to look for one where he’d be belted in. Though, there really was no reason to worry. Here’s his first ride…

He LOVED it!

By the end of the morning, he was a pro. Jason even yelled out to him, “put your hands in the air!” So, he did…

The best part was, he wouldn’t put his arms down until Jason told him to. It was pretty funny.

The weather wasn’t ideal, but Brody didn’t mind at all. We headed back to the hotel for lunch and nap thinking we’d go back to ride more rides in the afternoon if the weather cleared up.

Unfortunately it rained all afternoon. There was no way I was getting stuck in a hotel room with a toddler on vacation. So we pulled out the laptop, did a few google searches and found an indoor place with inflatables to bounce around in. This also was another first for Brody. He was a little hesitant at first, but quickly got the hang of it. Especially when he figured out that one of them had a basketball hoop and ball in it.

Turned out to be a great couple of days and we loved the more laid-back vacation. Definitely think we’ll head back there again in the next couple of years.

Family Vacation

Every summer, my Dad, Stepmom and as many children that can make it, head to Grand Haven, MI for a family vacation. Between my Dad and Sara, they have 7 children, 2 extended children (Jason & my step-sisters long-time boyfriend) and 1 grandchild. So we end up with quite the crowd (all pictured above).

Last year, when Brody was about 6 months old, we took him for the first time. It was fun to bring him along, but there were a lot of things we couldn’t do with him. He was barely eating solids and couldn’t even crawl yet. So, this year, we had a lot of things we were excited for him to do.

First, we decided we were going to take a ferry across Lake Michigan, instead of making the drive around. We had to take a 6am ferry there and an 11pm ferry back to get the best deal, but it seemed worth it to save on sitting in a car for 6 hours. We were wrong…

The ferry ride to MI was great. Despite getting up early, Brody was happy and unlike an airplane, you could actually move around. It was rocky of course, but he was able to walk around and we even went on the top of the boat to get some fresh air and check out the water.

The ferry ride home? Awful! I’ll spare you the details, but it was stormy and the lake was choppy. Needless to say, it was 11pm at night, Brody was tired and seasick and I was on my own in taking care of him since everyone else on the boat wasn’t doing so well either. I’m never complaining about the 6 hour car ride again!!

Aside from the ride home, the rest of the trip was a blast.

There are several traditions we have for this annual trip. One tradition involves ice cream at a place in town that has a huge variety of yummy flavors. So, despite the fact that I generally don’t give Brody much for dessert, he had to have ice cream with everyone else. I did make the mistake of getting his in a bowl when everyone else got a cone. He ended up finishing my ice cream cone instead and I had to eat out of the bowl!

Second tradition is a place called “Pronto Pups.” They batter and fry corn dogs in a stand on the road and while completely awful for you, they taste great! Brody’s first experience with fried food was a good one of course.

We stay at a home a block away from Lake Michigan, so there is a lot of beach time while we’re there. Last year, Brody freaked out when we tried to expose him to the lake. The water was even relatively warm and he wouldn’t go near it. So we were a little unsure how he would do this year, especially when I wouldn’t go in because it was too cold (and this was in the middle of August!!)
So we walked him to the water….

He checked it out…

And within minutes he was laughing like crazy and loved running into the waves. This is the kid the can’t handle it if his bath is lower than 98 degrees. Yet he went running into a freezing cold lake with no problem. What a crazy guy.

We knew the sand would be his favorite part and it definitely was. He even let Jason bury him in it. All was fun, until he ended up with sand in his eyes…

The best part about vacations with the entire family is not only the fun we have together, it’s also a huge help when you have a little guy. Everyone there is more than willing to help take care of him and keep him entertained. And since we stay in a house, it’s easy for him to adapt to a “home away from home” atmosphere. It’s by far the easiest vacation with a toddler. And next year he’ll be able to do even more!

Our little traveler

We actually have quite a few vacations planned in 2011, so it should be a year of adventure. Earlier this year, we headed to Valparaiso, IN to cheer on our nephew JJ’s basketball team. Then this past weekend we headed to Kansas City, just the three of us. Later this summer we’ll head to Michigan with more of our family for our annual trip. Then this Fall the three of us will head to NYC for a friend’s wedding, with my older sister to help take care of Brody the night of the wedding. Then to end the year off, we’ll leave Brody home for a week, while Jason & I celebrate our 5 year anniversary / the wedding of a good friend in the Carribean. At some points all the vacationing with a toddler will be stressful, but I’m excited to start these trips early. By the time Brody is two he will have slept in 7 different states.

I’m excited to share these experiences with him, but even more excited to do more once he’s old enough to actually remember them. Needless to say, a lot of the trips this year and last have been about us, more than him. But we love having him along and showing him new things. It also helps this control-freak of a mama get out of her element every once and awhile.

So the latest trip? Overall I’d say it was a success! Though it did have it’s ups and downs. Pictures and stories to come…

We survived!

I’m happy to report that our first vacation with a toddler was very sucessful! After a couple in-town stops (including my necessary Starbucks run) we were on the road by 7am. Since we woke up Brody around 5:30, he was sleepy enough to pass out within 10 minutes of the drive. He woke up for the last half an hour of the drive but I sat in the back seat with him and he was happy as a clam. We watched our nephew’s basketball team shortly after arriving and like usual, Brody loved watching them play. Unfortunately they lost but the boys played hard! The girls team from their school was still in the tournament, so we came back Saturday night to see them play. And this is when we started to get way off of Brody’s normal schedule.

Normal nap time at our house is around 12:30, last weekend, Brody finally got a chance for a nap around 3:30. Then he ate a late snack since he didn’t actually get dinner until almost 8pm that night. And if you know Brody, you know that he’s usually long in bed by 7pm. I anticipated a major meltdown at some point during dinner. Aside from his sleepy eyes, there was no meltdown and he was amazing.

The next morning we decided to take him in the hotel pool. He hasn’t had any pool experience, so I was really excited to see how he’d react. Well….he cried. He loves warm baths so a 75 degree pool was apparently too cold for him. So he was one unhappy kid. We comforted him and tried to get him used to the water without giving up right away. He quickly got used to the water and started having fun. Luckily we had the pool to ourselves so it was fun to play with him.

After we watched another basketball game Sunday morning, we headed back on the road. Since we left after lunch, Brody was able to get his afternoon nap in the car. And so did his mommy!

As for all my concerns, I think they worked out well. And I learned a lot about traveling in the process. We were always able to find relatively healthy meals for Brody despite what we ate. Continental breakfast in the hotel was great and also allowed us to grab fruit for later! I will say I was a little dissapointed in the kids menu at the restaurant we went to Saturday night. There was mostly fried food options or burgers. We went with mac & cheese. Then for side dishes they offered cole slaw or fries. Really?!? No veggies?! So we asked to substitute veggies instead of fries. Not only did we pay extra for the vegetables but were charged for a glass of milk since we asked for that instead of soda. Apparently healthier choices will cost you! But we feel pretty strongly about getting Brody healthy options as much as possible and I’m willing to pay for it.

As for the hotel — while not completely baby-proof, Brody managed to stay safe and entertained just fine. Though as we’re planning our trip to New York in the fall, I’m definitely looking at an apartment style hotel room to give us more space. Not only to give him room to move around but to keep him separated from us when he’s sleeping. It’s hard for him to fall asleep when he can see us right next to him — wide awake.

It was a fantastic weekend & I’m so glad that Brody handled all the change and disruptions so well. He truly goes with the flow and it makes it so easy on all of us.

First Hotel Stay

In Brody’s 14 months of life, he’s never stayed in a hotel room. We’ve taken two actual family vacations. One we stayed at a friend’s house and the other was at a family vacation home. Though both prior vacations brought their own complications…

1st vacation: trip to MN to visit friends. We went to a Friday night Brewers vs. Twins game. How would Brody handle the late night? Would he sleep through well at someone else’s house? At 4 months old – he handled it perfectly.

2nd vacation: annual trip to MI with family. He had just started solid foods, so I was worried about working in his eating schedule with the busyness of a vacation. I also wasn’t sure how he would handle the beach & Lake Michigan. Of course – he did a great job. Not without a few hiccups along the way – but it was a great trip.

Now we’re off again, to not only stay in a hotel room – but stay in one with a TODDLER! Scary thought right? Hotel rooms aren’t baby-proofed. They aren’t entertaining to a 1 year old. Not to mention he’ll probably be staying up much later than normal…so hopefully he isn’t cranky!

Then there is the complication of what to feed him all weekend. We’re going to Indiana to see our nephew’s middle school basketball team play in a national championship tournament. So we’ll be at basketball games, grabbing food in between and possibly eating fast food on the road? So obviously I’ll be packing lots of food/snacks to take along. (And no, you don’t have to tell me I worry too much…that I already know.)

With every phase of his life comes new challenges. But I keep thinking…#2 will be much easier because we’ll know what we’re doing, right?