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....
