New Midlife Mommy

Summer Vacation 2006

Well, well.  We're back.  But it wasn't quite the vacation that we're used to.  We kind of liked to kick back, relax, read, and do whatever the heck we wanted to do on our vacation.  Yeah, right.  That was then.  This is now.  Now, we have a toddler.  And she doesn't like it when we relax.  Because we have to go, go, go! 

We took DD to a lakeside resort.  We rented a condo, and it was really nice.  It had a great view of the woods from a small deck.  I think that DD liked it too -- she kept calling it "home," and I guess she thought that we moved.

She kind of liked the beach.  Well, at least she liked the sand.  The water?  Not so much.  I think that she was afraid of the waves, even though they were very small.  And she didn't like the seaweed.  But then, neither do I.  So, I guess to her it was like a giant sandbox.  But, as DH said, we could have stayed home and used the sandbox without spending so much on a condo.  Still, I think DD liked the ambience of the beach, even if she didn't partake in all of its glory.

There were some sand dunes nearby, and we took her there.  She was really excited about going, and she kept saying "dunes!"  But when we got there?  Well, she took two steps, looked up at DH, raised her arms, and said "carry."  So, we walked about halfway up a large dune, with DH playing pack mule, and then DH said "enough."  We walked back down, put our shoes on, and never looked back.  Things were much easier when DD weighed 7 pounds; now she's over 25 pounds, and much more difficult to carry.

I remember when I was little, we used to feed the seagulls on the water from a passenger ship that we spent a lot of vacations on.  All you have to do is catch the eye of one seagull with some type of foodstuff, and within minutes, there are at least 25 more surrounding you.

Well, the gulls haven't changed.  This time, we used DD's goldfish crackers.  The gulls loved them, and DD had a blast throwing them all around and watching the seagulls fight over them.  We managed to attract a crowd twice, and I think that this was the highlight of the vacation.

Otherwise, we played with all of the things that we brought from home.  As for the packing, we really didn't know when to stop.  We packed two suitcases, four boxes, a Pack and Play, and various other things.  The SUV was full.  DD had plenty of DVD's, books, and her favorite puzzle.  The only downside was that we didn't think to bring a bathmat, and the condo had only a jacuzzi for a tub and a stall shower.  DH and I didn't get a chance to go in it, but that was where we bathed DD, since she is afraid of showers.  The jacuzzi didn't have a bathmat in it, so we had to spend the first day of our vacation traveling to the nearest town to find one.  And, of course, DD fell asleep on the way back, which really kind of screwed up naptime for the day.  And we don't screw with naptime if we can help it.

Come to think of it, naptime was pretty much a bust most of the time.  We did get a normal naptime in on two of the days, but one of them required that DH push DD in the stroller until she fell asleep.  She really only used the Pack and Play one time.  That was kind of a bummer for us, but we survived, and I managed to drink five bottles of wine! 

All in all, DD was quite a trooper.  She was a little bit of a PITA the last night at dinner, and toward the end of the long drive home.  But, it was much better than I hoped for.  Now, if we could just figure out a way to get her to go on a cruise . . .

We're Back!

Will update soon.

Pleasant Surprise

We were invited to dinner on Saturday by friends of my husband.  The male friend was one of our groomsmen, and I have to say, my relationship with him has been rocky.  He is at one of the far ends of the political spectrum, and in his world, there is no room for any other viewpoint.  In fact, his hatred for anyone holding another viewpoint is palpable, and it feeds similar emotions in the listener, or at least that is how I've reacted.

I don't think that I'm like that.  I do have a set of beliefs, some from both ends of the political landscape (but leaning more to one side than the other).  Despite that, I don't think that there has ever been anyone else in my life that I've had such a visceral response to.  Most of the time, I rather enjoy political discussions, because they are usually in good fun.  And we just agree to disagree (even if they're wrong -- just kidding).

So, when we would be invited to dinner,* it would not be a good time for me.  At one point, I decided to completely avoid any political conversation, or any discussion of current events (because that was an invevitable trigger for political discussion).  It was difficult, but I think we had one or two dinners that did not result in a twisting in my stomach (one time, I even got up in the middle of the discussion and left to go outside to have a cigarette -- one of the advantages that I miss, having quit smoking).  Fortunately, I love his wife, and I think she got the message too -- we would just move to another area of the room to talk after dinner.  But, when we are not talking about politics, I think the man can be nice as well.  He has had an interesting life.

Fast forward.  Now we have the little bean.  And these people have been very good to her.  The wife made DD a christening gown that was just gorgeous.  We had dinner with them when DD was about four months old, and it was pleasant (except for the fact that they don't turn their heat on very high, even during the winter -- I kept DD by the fireplace so she wouldn't freeze).

Dinner on Saturday?  Nice.  The food was excellent.  The conversation was pleasant.  And they were so kind to DD.  They have grandchildren, so they brought out toys for her to play with, and they even set up a high chair at the dinner table.  We'd brought ours, and it was a relief not to have to drag it inside and set it up.  DD didn't eat much, but she didn't fuss either.  After dinner, she played with a doll and a stroller, along with some small toys that the couple had purchased for her.  In other words, they were super hosts, even to our daughter.

I had been worried about this dinner.  Not because of the political discussion; I think we are past that.  But I worried that DD would act up and be a royal pain.  These people live quite a distance away from us, so it's not an easy escape back home.  And, honestly, since we've had DD, social invitations including her have been few and far between.  Let's just say if it's not family, no one has included her.  My fear was that we would ruin the couple's evening, since they do plan these things quite awhile in advance.  But DD was as good as gold. 

We screwed up DD's schedule though.  We timed the drive so that she would have her hour and a half nap on the way there, right at her usual nap time.  But then, she fell asleep on the way back for about an hour, because I wasn't sitting next to her poking, prodding, and singing to keep her awake.  That meant that she didn't fall asleep until around 10:00 or 10:30 on Saturday night.  And she got up a little earlier on Sunday, so we were both tired all day.

Geez, our social calendar is greuling -- not.

* -- They always invite us to dinner a couple times a year (aren't they nice?).  Since I am a terrible cook, with only one or two recipes that I can repeat, it works out better this way, I guess for all of us.  We did invite them down to go to a nice local restaurant once.  DD came along not too long after we had this reciprocation idea.  I'm sure that in the future, we will be able to do it again.  And, maybe when DD is a little older, I might be able to try my recipes on them.  But I can't hold a candle to the wife -- she is an awesome gourmet cook.  Isn't it odd -- I am so envious of people who can pull of the Martha Stewart-type events.  But then, they make me feel so intimidated that I can't bring myself reciprocate.  So, I just try to bring nice hostess gifts.  I know, pretty pathetic!