24 hours in. We have questioned our decisions, our sanity, and the meaning of life.
We have taken our children on a vacation. Requiring a road trip. To Chicago.
We have learned many things in this, our first major vacation with four kids.
Our kindergartner gets carsick. The three things you should not do when trying to avoid car sickness? Do not ride in the back of a van, do not watch screens, do not ride with an empty stomach. Naturally, we started the drive with the littles in the third row while watching Elsa before we ate breakfast. Vomit followed quickly.
An hour later we had pancakes and Dramamine in the little bellies, moved them up to the middle row, and turned off all the screens. My genius husband had the idea to fashion blanket tents around them and they finally fell asleep three hours in. They both woke up in time to watch us drive into Chicago.
We checked in to our hotel rather uneventfully, although Jack almost had a heart attack over the cost of parking. Our room is huge - we could have smuggled twenty more people in with us. When booking, my main concern was we had room to spread out a bit and we definitely do. We have a two bedroom suite with two bathrooms and then an adjoining room which looks like a meeting room actually. But it has two table and chairs so we can sit down and eat together and it has a pull out couch in front of a big TV that our teenage boy immediately hooked up to his PS4. (Because the coolest thing about Chicago is obviously playing Fortnite in hotel room). We have two kitchenettes and three bathrooms total. It is way more than we needed, but the kids are having a blast so it all works out. There is a lounge on the second floor where all the drinks and snacks are complimentary - this includes pop and M&Ms. So again, the kids are very happy.
Unfortunately, our kindergartner's carsickness hung around all night. Also unfortunately, we found this out while sitting in a row at a concert at Millennium Park. We mall walked back to our hotel, ordered in huge family platters from Giordano's, and watched TV in between vomit turns.
Bedtime was early and easy. Except for Baby Girl, who wanted to go home at 9pm. Immediately. She wanted her pink elephant in her bed - that she specifically said she did NOT want to bring. Two hours later and she eventually crashed. Common sense says she should sleep in, but she woke us all up at 7am and is currently walking around the suite naked after her shower talking in a robot voice. Life is beautiful and totally off script. But still beautiful. Off we go for Day Two....
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Dancing In The Dark
When I read back over my posts through the years, the tie that binds them all is.....my five year old son doesn't like to sleep. Didn't as a baby, hated it as a toddler, hates it more than every vegetable combined now as a kindergartner. What is also true, but not mentioned as much in my blog world, is that this drives my husband crazy. He is one of those people that lays down and falls instantly asleep and doesn't remember anything about the next 8 hours. Or, as I like to call them, people I think about suffocating with their own pillow.
As maybe you can tell from my barely hidden viciousness, I don't sleep well either. I get my son. We are kindred sleep spirits. So my husband and I continue to half heartedly squabble over our kid in our bed, both knowing the other isn't going to change their mind and both figuring after five years this is going to end itself soon anyway.
A few weeks ago, both my littles started school. This created a need for a better night time routine where we actually slept on a semi-regular schedule. Baby girl - who is actually 4 now but will remain my Baby Girl - took to this schedule like a duck to water. Every night I put on a bedtime playlist, sit down next to her bed and rub her back, and by song three she is out cold. Her Daddy's child.
Our 5 yr old? Waiting to jump out of his bunk the minute I let him. At first, I tried making him stay up there, listening to songs - sure he would nod off. Ten songs, 14 songs, 22 songs...it didn't matter. He persevered and no matter when I turned it off, he popped his head up and asked to come in my bed. After a week of no sleep for him OR Mama...I just let him back in my bed. And once he is there...asleep in minutes. No songs required.
So tonight I get Baby Girl asleep and Baby Boy hops down from his bunk. We go into my room and I set my music down and tuck him in and then go get my pajamas on. When I come back he is up next to my bed, piroquetting and asking me to dance with him to Ed Sheeran 'Perfect'. So I did. And it was ...perfect.
Some of my best moments to with this child have been long after the rest of the world has gone to sleep. I have no regrets about following my gut on this. I can sleep later when, I'm told, he might not like me so much. We shall see. But for now, I am going to keep stockpiling as many sweet memories as I can, wherever I can find them.
As maybe you can tell from my barely hidden viciousness, I don't sleep well either. I get my son. We are kindred sleep spirits. So my husband and I continue to half heartedly squabble over our kid in our bed, both knowing the other isn't going to change their mind and both figuring after five years this is going to end itself soon anyway.
A few weeks ago, both my littles started school. This created a need for a better night time routine where we actually slept on a semi-regular schedule. Baby girl - who is actually 4 now but will remain my Baby Girl - took to this schedule like a duck to water. Every night I put on a bedtime playlist, sit down next to her bed and rub her back, and by song three she is out cold. Her Daddy's child.
Our 5 yr old? Waiting to jump out of his bunk the minute I let him. At first, I tried making him stay up there, listening to songs - sure he would nod off. Ten songs, 14 songs, 22 songs...it didn't matter. He persevered and no matter when I turned it off, he popped his head up and asked to come in my bed. After a week of no sleep for him OR Mama...I just let him back in my bed. And once he is there...asleep in minutes. No songs required.
So tonight I get Baby Girl asleep and Baby Boy hops down from his bunk. We go into my room and I set my music down and tuck him in and then go get my pajamas on. When I come back he is up next to my bed, piroquetting and asking me to dance with him to Ed Sheeran 'Perfect'. So I did. And it was ...perfect.
Some of my best moments to with this child have been long after the rest of the world has gone to sleep. I have no regrets about following my gut on this. I can sleep later when, I'm told, he might not like me so much. We shall see. But for now, I am going to keep stockpiling as many sweet memories as I can, wherever I can find them.
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