Daley Ponderings

Ah, it has been nearly a month since I posted anything. So here's a quick rundown. The boys and I went on vacation without Daddy. We drove to Philly, taking 7 hours, stopping every hour, once on the side of the road, once at a rest stop and three times at exits. If ever you need to stop on the turnpike, try really hard to make it a rest stop. You have never seen such long exit ramps as when you have a toddler in the car who needs to go to the bathroom.

Overall, Jonathan was great and we played some fun verbal games (his inventions) to pass the time. Noah slept ok, but was quite unhappy whenever he woke up.

We made it to Aunt Nancy's with much relief. Jonathan had a blast playing with the boys and their cars and legos, and this new frisbee/yo-yo thing. Noah, on the other had, was miserable. I think he was distressed at not seeing Mommy's face for such a long stretch. He really wouldn't tolerate anyone else holding him that night. He nursed like one who has been lost in a desert and then slept like a rock.

In the morning, we headed out once more for Connecticut. This time, Jonathan was more antsy and Noah was about the same. It was Aunt Nancy's brilliant idea to see if we could meet up with Mom, Dad, and Janet on the highway somewhere and transfer a driver to my car. I turns out I was 'way ahead of them until I made a wrong turn that took me about an hour (maybe hour and a half) to fix because I could not for the life of me get back to the correct highway. I finally asked an electrical contractor on the side of the road and he showed me the way.

Just after I got into CT, Noah needed to nurse, and I called Mom to check in. They were right at that exact exit, but in the left lane and there was too much traffic for Dad to get over. So they got off at the next one, and I got back on and off again. We found each other by cell phone, and it was a happy reunion!

Janet took over driving my car, so I could be in the back with the boys. It was so nice to be able to go the rest of the way with only one more stop. Here's a sweet story: Jonathan was sleeping when we met up, so he did not know that Aunt Janet had arrived. When he woke up, he looked at me next to him and at her driving. His face lit up and he exclaimed, "I didn't know you came!" (or something to that effect, Janet do you remember more clearly?) He was so happy to see her. We actually made that one stop just so they could give each other hugs.

We arrived at the Maggie P eight hours after leaving Philly. Whew.

The weekend was filled with family, food, and fun. The weather was perfect and everybody had a great time. Mom's side of the family left Sunday/Monday, and then the rest of us continued to have fun kayaking, sitting on the breezy sunny deck, fishing, swimming, playing.

Jonathan fell off the deck once, doing a face plant in the mud. It was startling for him and scary for me, but he recovered quickly since his only injuries were two small scratches on his face. He got to fly a kite all by himself, after Aunt Prudence showed him how. He got more courageous in the water, though still did not like it to go over his head or face. He loved to go "fishing" with a net or a wooden block tied to a fishing line. His favorite thing to catch was sticks.

Noah got a mild sunburn on his face the first day because we had him outside under the canopy all day long. Turns out the canopy doesn't have as much UV blockage as we would like. So after that, Noah always wore his sun hat outside, whether in the shade or not. I brought the bottom of our pack'n'play for him to lie on outside and he actually crawled one foot in 20 minutes once. He had never been happy on his stomach for so long before.

Grandma and Dad-o left on Friday, and with them went the nice weather and the great fun. It was rainy and cold after that, and it's really hard for a two year old to stay cooped up inside such a small space for so long. We managed to play some board games and definitely ate some more good food, but it was hard going those last few days.

Grammy and Great-Grandpa Daley visited for a short time on Monday, and Grammy and Jonathan had an adventure in the rain together.

Tuesday was leaving day and it took us a long time to pack up and clean up and Jonathan wanted to play instead. But we finally left and after a rocky start (stopping twice in the first hour) it only took us 6 hours to get to Philly.

We got to see Uncle Alan and family this time, and the boys all had fun together. Noah was a little better about other people holding him. The next day was completely relaxing and fun and a great end to a long and not completely restful vacation.

Janet would have loved to stay longer, but I really really really wanted to get home, so we left Thursday morning and arrived home after only six hours. The dining room table was all set and there was a note in my plate saying welcome home and that dinner was all planned. What a great guy! Jon came home soon after we did and it was so nice to be together again.

Since then, we've been playing and talking with Aunt Janet and trying to get back into the swing of things. I was not very encouraged about it until I got sick and was forced to rest. Now I have had three days of resting and I am feeling much better.

Noah is now about 16 lbs. He only nurses once or twice at night. He loves his big brother and gives him big ol' smiles, even when I think he might be too rough.

Jonathan can talk your ear off about all manner of adventures, real and imaginary. And he can tell you that he will be three on November 18, which is his birthday.

Pictures of our vacation can be found here.