P-P-P-Packing

A few weeks ago Mike gave me a choice: get my car fixed right away or go on a vacation in about two weeks. I miss my car a great deal, but my sanity demanded a break. I chose vacation without hesitation. We've got all our ducks in a row, but the kids don't know where we're going yet. It's so exciting! I started my least favorite part of traveling today: the packing!

Do you think the kids will be ok in there until Wednesday? It's super convenient that I have a suitcase that fits each of them. I'm just kidding! It's not like we're flying. I think the over weight limit fee on checked baggage was about 1/10 the price of a ticket last I checked.

Riley was helping me pack later in the day and every article of clothing she brought me she'd say "Here Mom. Now are we ready? Can we go on the vacation now?" My sentiments exactly, kiddo!

It reminded me so much of this:

Go Sox!

It'd been way too long since I'd been to Boston, almost 6yrs at this point. My plan for the trip was wedding stuff Fri-Sun morning and then Boston until we fly home at bedtime Sunday night. Good plan? Here's how it went stream of consciousness style, because it's appropriate and it's my blog and I feel like it.

Hike "up the road" to train, Nice day, Nature walk, Whiny boy, How far?, 3 miles, 3 highways, here!, hmmm..., just in time, no cash, no ATM, nice lady, going to the same stop?, loans us fare, phew, hard part's over, "Choo-choo train, Mama", quiet kids, last stop, reading monster story, fussing tired girl, we're here, wake up!, go up? get on the T?, Hungry.

Nothing here to eat, too grumpy x4, back to the T, look on the bright side, elevators!, where were these 12-8yrs ago jeez!, she's asleep again, ride until the last minute, above ground! impressed? no?, My campus!, Too hungry to care, Off the T now, let's eat here, finally.

Bathrooms!!, waiting, waiting, waiting for the food, you can see my old window from here, someone care!!, this is pretty good food, it was HOW much?, full stomachs, empty bladders, ice cream! Riley meltdown, changed your mind?, split up, meet up, new plan, the park, the ducks, let's go!

Excitement builds, Make Way For Ducklings!!, the soothing power of nature, tension disappears, everyone is happy, nice day. still., I used to come here...no one's listening, feed the ducks

Peanuts, be still, "look Mama! I found a fishing pole (stick)", pigeons bathing in the lake, willows, horses, the first other kids we've seen all day, hula hoops, music, "here, duckie", "shoo, pigeon!", Uh-oh!, Gotta go., Bye ducks, NOOOOO! I don't want to, there's no bathrooms around here, Parade?, pretty balloons, Found one, nope. Back to the T, Yay! Elevators. Wrong train, get off and switch, oops! other side, hold it, buddy, this is it., the card won't scan?!?, once every 15min?, Under 11 free, shoot, now we're headed back the right way, We're here, she's asleep again, bladder emptied, puppy sitter gift obtained, the store will be closing in 5min, perfect.

Dinner?, So many good options, EEENY MEANY MINEY MOE, Yay!, Don't eat it it's play dough.

Fun, sticky when you handle it too much (that's what she said), good food, nice place, more potty trips, standing in highchair, checking time, no way to take leftovers home, So full, gotta go!, Ok, green line to blue?, No elevator there, take silver, silver?, huh, two stops switch to red, red to silver, silver to plane, "I rode in a lot of vehicles, Momma!", Car to Shuttle to plane to SUV to commuter rail to T to bus to plane again, yup!

People flew in for the Red Sox game?, yup, boarding started early, cool, ready to go, Lights!, she's asleep, headphones, animal crackers, bathroom, home.

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

This morning was...less than ideal. Somehow I managed to load the kids, their stuff, the dog and her stuff into the car and get the puppy dropped off on my own. Go me! Then we collected Daddy and everyone was in high spirits as we got to the airport. The kids thought everything was amazing, which I thought was the way it should be.

After a quick snack at our gate Mike and kids went up and down the wall of windows watching the planes. It was so sweet. It was also the last peaceful moments of the trip. We had a whole row and an aisle seat. I had planned that Isaac would get the window, Riley the middle and I'd sit on the end. Leaving Mike on the other side of the aisle so we could switch. We sat that way for about five minutes.

Isaac discovered the little TV and drew the shade to prevent a glare. Mike insisted Isaac switch seats with him so Riley and I could watch the plane take off. It ended up being a good call because we needed two parents in Riley's row. I picked a nap time flight thinking she'd be more likely to sleep. Personally, I blame Mike for jinxing it by saying "Yeah, that's how Isaac was. He watched take off and then slept until the last 5min."

Maybe, it was too different or she was too tired, but she screamed and kicked and cried most of the flight. As I thought "Oh, no we're those people" in horror I glanced over to see Isaac coughing. And we're two for two. Awesome. Riley slept the last ten minutes which is the worst thing she could have done because we had to wake her up to get out of the airport and into the ride the bride sent for us.

It was longer in the car than I anticipated, but we managed to keep Riley calm and entertained for the most part. It was all worth it once we got there. It was beautiful. There was dinner, dancing and good company. Followed by s'mores.

P-P-P-Packing

So, today (day two of antibiotics) I had to get us packed for a weekend in Boston. Well, technically we were flying into Boston, but the wedding we were attending was in Harvard, Mass. I was excited because two of my favorite people in the whole world were getting hitched and I was going to get a chance to show Mike and the kids where I went to school. I got my BFA from Boston University in 2004 (OLLLLLLD I. Am. OLD.). This is our second family trip ever and the first time we'd ever flown as a family. There are a lot of logistics, but as usual I am most concerned with packing.

Partly because well I hate the chore of packing myself let alone my family of four, but also because all the pain put me two weeks behind on laundry. TWO WEEKS multiply that by four people and factor in the half full hampers before the pain started. It looked a little something this. I started out optimistic, I had a load in each machines and all the hampers rounded up by 8am and help was due within the hour. Everything took a lot longer than I thought so it took me until 8pm to end the process with an impassable living room full of baskets of clean clothes and everyone packed.

The other obstacle to packing was that because we were taking public transportation throughout the trip we had to able to carry everything we brought. Since being a family of four with a wheelchair already makes things tricky in general and in this regard I was very concerned about luggage. I packed each kid a backpack. They got a weekend's worth of clothes, one spare outfit and dress clothes for the wedding. We dealt with dresses and dress shirts by folding them carefully and placing them in slightly inflated gallon size baggies. They each had a toothbrush, a pair of PJs and entertainment (DS/Coloring Books & Crayons). Riley also got to bring her dolly, Penelope. I packed myself much the same way careful not to forget my antibiotics, blanket and phone/Kindle charger. It's been so long since I flew I reread all the rules several times and I'm afraid to bring Riley snacks or her sippy cup in case security takes it away.

I didn't pack Mike, I just made him show me his dress clothes and then left him to it. Backpacks are good because everyone carries their own (go team!) and we get through check in faster. I also much perfer keepin our stuff under the seat in front of us and accessible during flights. Once the humans were packed it was time to gather doggie debris: bowls, food, toys, treats, bed, brush, crate, etc. I'll be dropping her off before 10am at the puppy sitter.

Ready, Set Go! (in the morning).

Big Family Trips

Perk number one of a big family vacation (as in a large group of relatives attend) There are lots of adults all too happy to supervise and entertain the kids. Which is especially true when you have the only kids on the trip and your toddler is potty trained. Don't get me wrong I didn't peg our nearest and dearest as free babysitters or Suckers, but when I got to eat a meal and the opposite end of the table from my kids it was a huge treat. Don't worry I'm pretty sure that isn't Riley's beer.

Isaac sat between his aunt and his uncle and did pretty well considering I wasn't giving him dirty looks from across the table for breeches of etiquette. It was surreal to just eat. I could converse with other adults without rushing through my meal to tend to someone else. I didn't have to share it with a demanding toddler, not one bite. Woah!

It was incredible, really. It was like being on a date. I know that being in a party of 9 makes that comment weird, but not having to worry about my kids really is a change of pace. I'm always on high alert in restaurants and self conscious of their behavior. Not last night. I look forward to them growing and mature so that it doesn't take an army of family to make me relax in public.

ICE! & Snow

We arrived at about 9:00pm Friday night with a wired 9yr old and a sound asleep toddler. We were pulling around the curves of the expansive driveway that led to the lobby of this castle aglow with white Christmas lights when Riley woke up begging for her own bed. We tried reassure her that we were at this pretty castle and she'd have a big princess bed (to share with her brother)to no avail. She was cranky and tired until she saw the afore mentioned princess bed and then she was gitty and awake.

After a reassure from Daddy that Shrek was sleeping too she finally fell asleep. In the morning we went to Shrek Feast. Riley enjoyed waffles with whipped cream and fruit. Isaac heaped a whole mound of breakfast food on his plate. They even got to wash it down with neon green swap juice in Shrek cups. While we ate and waited for the characters to make the rounds someone came and administered the Ogre Oath. All honorary ogres received Shrek or Fiona ears.

We met Puss in Boots first. Mike and I enjoyed Puss the most, he was by far the most animated of the bunch. Then we met Shrek. Isaac showed off his fart noise effect skills, having just taken the oath. Riley was star struck, but a little overwhelmed by his size in person. It reminded me of the old Disney commercial where the older brother explains to the younger one that even though Goofy is only a few inches tall on TV in real life "He could beat up dad!". We also met Fiona in her human form. Isaac got all bashful it was a preview of adolescence for sure. Riley was happy to stand with Fiona for pictures, she even hugged her!

After a wonderful breakfast experience we suited up for the ICE exhibit. It's 9 degrees in there. I don't care where you're from that's cold. They loan you parkas (and sell gloves and scarves). This year it was Shrek The Halls themed. As you can see from the photo that's Mike I in front of a giant ice Shrek. We're actually standing behind a book called The Village Idiots Guide to Christmas. All the Shrek stuff was big and colorful. Near the end of the Shrek story there were huge Ice slides. Even Riley took a turn on those (with Grandpa). After the Shrek displays there was a room with a huge Christmas angel and a Nativity Scene made out of clear Ice. It was really impressive.

After a break for hot chocolate and perusing the gift shop we went to play in the snow. Snow was just a big room with a playground and snow on the ground. Riley made a tiny snowman with lots of grown up help. Isaac went down the big slide on a burlap sack and threw snowballs at targets. I was very proud of Riley she stopped in the middle of all that fun and asked Grandma to take her to a potty. What a big girl. We didn't have a single incident the whole trip. She burst back through the doors ready for more snow play. The best part was coming out into the warm weather. We went from jackets and hats to swim suits. Ah, Florida Christmas.

Packing

The last time I packed for a family trip it looked like this.

That was last November when we went on a cruise. This time I was thrilled not to have to consider diapers or cribs. Also this trip is only a weekend and we won't be at sea so if we need something we can run to the store. All that being said I despise packing. My ex used to say "When you pack, Evil Katie come out." He wasn't wrong.

I enlisted my mom for 48hrs of laundry, folding and packing. I packed the kids and myself. I then proceeded to pester Mike until he packed his clothes too.

I knew I could manage the car ride and the hotel would be a nice one so I had good odds of maneuvering in the bathroom. I was just nervous about everything else. I read the website site over and over looking at the pictures of the exhibits carefully. I was pretty sure I'd be ok, but I had to call Mike's Dad (trip organizer) for reassurance.

It's just packing that does this to me. I love to travel, hate to pack. I'll be thrilled once we hit the road, but the potential to forget things is stressful. So many logistics and the worst part is now that we're packed all I can do is wait. Wait with impatient kids.

Have Toddler Will Travel? Step Three

Have you ever noticed that the way there always feels longer than the way home? This particular trip home, starting out earlier in the day and not squashing myself into the back seat added to that feeling. I can't be sure how Riley perceived the distance on the way home, but a freshly washed car seat and a nicely timed nap may have given her the same impression,



We stopped at a gas station where lumberjack Riley woke up hungry. With a full gas tank (thank you mom for doing all the driving!!) and empty bladders we perused the snacks. Armed with animal crackers and an apple juice with a Mickey Mouse head on it we hit the road again, It's interesting to note that Riley wasn't thrilled about the animal crackers until I explained holding up the little elastic strap "Look Riley, it's a purse." At that point she dropped the sippy she was holding, squealed with excitement, and put on the "cookie purse". Where does she get this super girlie side?



We sang songs and read books all the way home. Riley was so happy to see Daddy and brother she tried to bust through her car seat buckles.  You would have thought we were gone for months watching the joyous reunion.

Every time I think I'm better "enough" to travel back to my past life to see "my family" from before I had this one, I take a short trip like this and realize I'm not.  If a weekend away wrecks me there are no 2,000mile trips in  the near future. This is more crushing a blow because I'm so sick of being here. I'm tired of not going anywhere. Traveling was a big part of the before life and the world shrunk down to an occasional 20min drive from home. The universe is centered around my living room, for now...

Have Toddler, Will Travel? Step Two

Now being on vacation for a few days was an unpredictable adventure when I was single, but with a toddler the trick is to make things as familiar as possible. Luckily for me Riley sleeps in a pack and play at day care. For extra security we also had her piggy pillow.

I remember glancing around the veritable toy store that was the "grandchildren's room" and thinking Riley was going to wake up and rush the wall of her pack and play, tip it and charge the toys. There was a fully equipped play kitchen, baby dolls aplenty and all the accessories for baby care, animals enough to fill a zoo and even an Elmo easy chair. She was asleep in the middle of her personal toy heaven.

Unsurprisingly, Riley rose at 6am I was able to talk her into going back to sleep, thank goodness. At 6:50am she was up again and this time she'd gotten a good look around. I let her out and grabbed my camera to document the ensuing glee. She raced around the room from toy to toy yelling "Yeeeee!" It was adorable. I laid in the bed snapping pictures and laughing. She found a whole bucket of baby bottles and rushed around the room feeding every baby and stuffed animal she found.

It was nice to lie down and watch her play. I fantasized about putting a bed in the center of her room. Although, on second thought it may just make me depressed about all the sleep I'm missing out on. Speaking of which, I had Riley dressed, shoes on, and hair done  (Riley had fed every toy in the room) an hour later when we heard people stirring.  She'd already had a busy morning so while the adults shuffled around in p.j.'s with cups of coffee she had fruit and yogurt. Luckily for me they still had a highchair because I had a travel one that didn't make it to the car.

Once she'd put something in her belly she was off to explore. We used to have dwarf hamsters they were sweet little critters and the thing they loved most was to explore. They would dart about their freshly cleaned cage noting everything that had changed. Riley went into full on hamster-mode. She squealed with delight at the ceramic cow collection, the chickens in the yard, the Valentine's Day decorations and all the toys!

Riley's investigation was winding down when breakfast was ready. My little lumberjack ate eggs, grits, and bacon regardless of her snack an hour before. After mentioning Riley's love of dinosaurs my aunt produced a Dora and Diego dinosaur movie from her extensive collection. Riley loves Dora almost as much as dinosaurs so the movie was a big hit. After the movie and some jacks lessons from grandma it was nap time.

Nap time went off without a hitch despite me pushing the wrong button on the unfamiliar CD player and causing only one song rather than the whole CD to repeat. After the nap it was time for Walmart (gulp). I wanted some organic whole milk for Riley. A cooler and snacks would have been a welcome addition on our trip. Somehow I left town with a bag of cut up apples as the only snack option which is ridiculous considering on any given trip to the park I pack more snacks than that and Riley's been eating alot lately.

It was packed of course so it took a couple trips around the parking lot to get a handicapped space. I didn't have my wheelchair because there wasn't room in the car so it was a huge bummer when all the electric carts were taken. See Kati's blog on the subject of electric carts she pretty much hit the nail on the head Kati's Blog So, shocker not an electric cart to be had. I reasoned I could push the cart long enough to get the milk and the big brother gift I needed and then we'd find a bench or something. Needless to say I come out with more than two items, like $70 worth of more.

Some of it was practical like suction cup bowls and milk, but most of it wasn't and none of it was for me. It was the first time I ever regretted bringing Riley down the toy aisle. I'd like to believe it was low blood sugar and too much excitement, but it was bad. She used to just point and babble excitedly until she had something to hold and then all would be quiet. Not this time. Oh, no. She grabbed things I showed her out of my hands hoarded them until her arms where full and cried when I put things back. We were headed out of the toy aisle, mission accomplished and then some, when she spotted a set of Mickey and Minnie Mouse cars. It was ugly. I will admit I made a bad call and let her "look at it", rookie mistake what can I say.

When all was calm again we went to check out where Riley announced with polite, but insistent signing that she was hungry. I gave her lunch before we left, but so goes a growth spurt. I let her choose between Cheetos and crackers because that's what that had at the check out besides candy. I opened the bag and thrust it at her, but she had apparently decided this was not what she wanted after all. Annoyed and wearing down, myself, I passed her to grandma who deposited her in the now empty cart and that's when I spotted a pouch of applesauce, score! She sucked it dry and then started on the Cheetos before we had gotten out the door.

When we got home grandma plucked Riley down in the front yard and ever cautious my Roo stood silently watching the chickens for a few moments. When they came closer she proudly held up her new bath baby doll. It was really cute until she was screaming, really screaming. My mom yanked her out of the dirt gave her a quick look and put her in my arms. She hadn't seen any sign of injury. She told me that Riley had tripped and scared the rooster. After a minute I saw a red puffy area on the side of her face. Every mom knows that cry, the one that turns your blood cold because they only use in when they're really hurt and terrified. My panic spread to my mother who ran insdie the house. By the time everyone rushed out I reassured them that it was a pretty minor injury. "Oh good!" my aunt exclaimed "Because I was screaming for him to get the shoot gun."

In the end after a few terrifying moments it was clear they had scared each other and in his haste to get away poor Mr. Rooster had stepped on Riley's head and broken the skin. It's moments like these I miss breast feeding the most. I used to be able to make it all better so easily, but no more. She was washed and Neosporin-ed and off to play shortly. I felt guilty that she'd scared everyone. My aunt explained that roosters can be very overprotective husbands to their hens and once they attack they become dangerous to people. I reassured her yet again that niether Riley or her rooster had been aggressive.

After dinner Riley took her new bath baby in the bath tub. Their bath tub and all it's fixtures are so shiny and new they were reflective. Riley thought it was hilarious to be able to watch herself splash and play. I wish I had video! It totally over-shadowed the dolly I got her thinking bath time in a different tub would be easier with a new toy. Silly me.

It was a long day and she went right to sleep and I wasn't far behind. I hadn't really recovered from Friday, had done alot more walking than I intended and it was a rainy day so my joints were aching. I was also aware that it would be another early morning. Vacationing with a toddler is remarkably similar to staying at home there's no extra sleep and minimal TV that isn't animated.

Our hosts were truly amazing they made us feel right at home. I aspire to be a gracious host in a spacious house. It was lovely not to have to worry about meals or what the boys were up to, and I didn't.

Have Toddler, Will Travel: Step One.

Whoever said a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step did not have a toddler. I ran away this weekend. We went on a three hour drive to visit a family friend up north. I thought it would be relaxing, but in general I didn't think too much, logistically or in general.

I got help to straighten up the house this morning because Mike was sick in bed. These are the worst days for me since my back surgery. Even if Mike isn't being helpful there is the potential that at some point in the day he will be. It's worse than the days he works at the office because at least I can plan ahead for those. When all the sudden I'm on my own I have alot of anxiety. The house was of course was wrecked.

I put up the Bat Signal and I was soon delegating tasks from the couch. The floor got picked up and vacuumed, the garbage went out, lunch got made and Riley went down for a nap. It was an amazingly productive few hours. When Riley woke up we were headed to a play date where we were promised brownies.

It was when I was on the way there (an hour later thank you, toddler time) that I was invited to get out of Dodge with Miss Roo. I came home from the play date hours later and rushed around getting us packed. I know a weekend is no big deal when you're single, but taking a 1yr old to house that doesn't have one requires extra packing. I was worried about her having a place to sleep. She could eat in my lap all weekend if it came to it,but she's long since passed the days of sleeping with mommy. She needs her own space to flail and roll. Our pack and play was a must.

When my mom was ready to hit the road our dinner was almost done cooking. It was already dark so we opted to go, leaving behind a home cooked meal for some fast food  on the way. This also meant squishing me in next to the car seat in the back to feed Riley. This as it turns out was unbelievably uncomfortable undertaking.

We hit the golden arches before we got on the highway. I have gotten Riley Happy Meals before and usually chicken nuggets are the best bet, but lately whenever we feed her something different and Mom or Dad has a burger she goes nuts until we give her a bite. She's been eating like a lumberjack lately. I suspect another growth spurt. I ordered her a cheeseburger with apples instead of fries. Low and behold, they actually gave me apples for the first time ever (I've been requesting them for big brother for years and the ONLY time I make it home with apples is when I've had the wherewithal to check and swap).

There I sat  feeling regretful about my busy day, my squished position and the fast food I had just ingested when my back decided to inform me it had had quite enough today. I was busy trying to get my body to relax a bit and save the new car seat from Riley's chocolate milk and there wasn't much I could do. My first tip for a car trip with a toddler bring extra sippys I wish I had thought to bring some of our take and toss cups. She was doing beautifully and I was swelling with pride that she was such a good girl.

Just like Boston weather the toddler is a changeable creature. I think that the novelty of a Happy Meal in the back seat wore off and the burger's excessive rather than absent onions become a problem. I also think fatigue was getting the better off both of us. I supplemented the over-onioned burger with some chicken and apples. She ate well and by the time she flailed and spilled a significant amount of chocolate milk on the side of her body I couldn't reach (of course) we were both ready for bed.

At that point my pain was unbearable and I was biting my lip to keep myself from tears. We stopped at a gas station so we could get the baby situated and I could move up front. More tips: put the baby in pajamas before you put her in the car seat and only stay in the back seat for brief periods. It was much easier and more comfortable to entertain her from the passenger seat and it's too exciting to sleep with Mommy right there.

Once my pajama-ed Riley-pie was settled and I was in the front knocking back more Advil things calmed down alot. Of course I had no idea that while she slept her white pajamas where soaking up chocolate milk. It was dark so I had no idea how bad the spill was. Mother of the year, I know. I was in the front seat shallowly breathing through the horrific spasms my back seat time had wrought and wondering when I became one of those "I don't sleep on the floor/sit  in the backseat" people .

We were winding back through the dark woods when Riley started wailing. Not whimpering or fussing, but wailing like a Banshee. It was impossible to tell whether she was really awake or sleep crying. I talked to her, squeezed her foot, sang a song and adjusted her piggy pillow to no avail. True to some baby union bylaw Riley screamed until we got the end of the driveway and then as soon as we were no long looking for street signs in the dark woods she resumed soundly sleeping.

Somehow the sleeping baby and pack and play made it inside, but more incredibly I was able under my own power, barely, to get to the bed. At which point I discovered it was a foot taller than I was and sent everyone searching for a stool. Once I was in (and knew I could get out) I held back tears of pain and overwhelming fatigue long enough to call Mike and tell him we made it. After I hang up the phone I rolled over to turn off the lamp discovered some books that belong to my honorary aunt's 8yr old granddaughter. I had no choice but to read the Amelia Bedilia book (don't you love her?) cover to cover. Ah, memories. I was out cold by 10:30.

For those of you who were brave enough to try, what are you're best car trip tips?

Cruising on Wheels with Babies

I was new to the whole cruise thing so a lot of things came as a surprise to me and traveling with a days away from being 8yr old and a 1yr old had it's own set of nuances. I found the ship super confusing. It was like the first week of college. There were three sets of elevators and if you took the wrong ones you simply couldn't get where you were going. Sometimes getting somewhere would mean taking one set of elevators up a floor to get to another set and then going down. Also like college a ton of people piled on to take the elevator even if they were only going one floor and none of them batted an eyelash at squeezing past the lady in the wheelchair with the kid in her lap. Jerks.

One of the places we went most was the kid area. Floor 17, the elevator farthest from our room. It was ages 3 and up so Isaac could hang out and play, but Riley was only allowed to go in if I stayed with her. Isaac won jumping contests, built roller coasters and competitively stacked cups among other fun goings on. He loved it up there. One of the child activities staff was his favorite "Kenny Ketchup" he wrote about him all over the vacation journal his teacher had assigned him. I had been banking on being able to take Riley to the pool during the day, but they didn't allow children under 3 in or even near the pools or splash pad. One day I tried to entertain her by the pool (which had a short wall surrounding it) by letting her splash in puddles on the deck. I was swiftly reprimanded.

She found ways to amuse herself mostly with pen and paper. This trip was all about drawing for her. She also played with the room phone, hid from her brother under the bed, opened and closed the tiny fridge and tried on our clothes. On the whole the staff was very accommodating. They provided a crib, took special food orders for the baby and brought highchairs. It was incredibly difficult to get Riley to take a nap if her brother was in the room. I spent a lot of time reading in the room while Riley slept and Mike ran around with Isaac. At night the seas tended to get rougher and once or twice the rocking knocked her crib against the wall and woke her up.

We also picked "late dining" so we could eat with the rest of the family, but it would be well past the baby's bedtime before we got served. If we ate early we'd miss seeing everyone and if we split up one person would be stuck in the room with the kids. I wouldn't bring a child under 3 on a cruise again. It wasn't much of a vacation for me because she had to be everywhere I was. Mike took the kids to Princess Cays for a day to the beach where Riley Finally got to swim. Mike's dad took Riley for a walk around the ship one morning, but other than that she was tiny shadow.

In general, despite the popularity with the septuagenarian set, cruise ships are not very wheelchair accessible. I grew up around sea faring vessels and I never encountered one that was, but this was my first time on a week long cruise. The hallways are super narrow and 2 or 3 times a day there would be cleaning carts in them. Crossing from one end of the ship to the other with the wheelchair and the baby in my lap or pushing the stroller was quite the chore. Aside from that the room was small so with the roll away cot the steward originally brought for Isaac I couldn't get around in the chair. We did have a spacious bathroom with accessible shower though.

The staff was very friendly about carrying things and moving chair for me, but overall I found getting around challenging and exhausting. Off the ship things were hit or miss. At some ports there was no way to get off in a wheelchair because they weren't pulling into a dock. They were ferrying people to and from the ships on tender boats. We decided to do an excursion to some Mayan ruins in Mexico and even though we were warned it wasn't "recommended for those with limited mobility" I was determined.

I hoofed it on crutches up the looooooooooong dock through the touristy drop off spot down another long dock and onto a little boat which took us from Cozumel to the mainland. The ride on that boat was one I wish I could forget, one word folks: Dramamine. I've never been seasick before but there's a first time for everything. We got off the little boat and onto a bus were we heard all about Mayan culture. When we got to the site we hired a "taxi" (a bicycle attached to a bench) to take us around. It really amazing. Tucked away in the trees there was a huge pyramid. I sat at the bottom and took pictures while Mike and Riley climbed to the top and back down again. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of life my daughter would lead having scaled a Mayan pyramid before the age of two. I hope there is always beauty and adventure for her.

I was understandably spent on the way back, but it was so worth it. We also got off in Honduras, but I used my wheelchair. I watched people zip cording through the trees and wondered what the rest of my life would hold now that that exact type adventure was out of my reach. Instead we went on the "magic beach chair" aka sky ride. It was gorgeous there, so green. Other than those to adventures I stuck to the ship.

It was good not to be home. It was nice to have some else in charge of cooking and cleaning. I was in no hurry to get back to reality and the hip surgery awaiting me. It was an adventure for sure, but by the end of the trip I was tired of our room. I was tired of rocking (which doesn't immediately stop when you get back on dry land) and tipping people. I'd seen enough out stretched hands to last me awhile. Alot of folks really earned their tips, but after awhile you start feeling like a human ATM, or is that just a bank teller?

Disembarkation was a serious undertaking. You had to have your bags packed and in the hallway by dinner time the night before. You were assigned a color and corresponding leaving the ship time. We got 8:30am and sure enough we were whisked away just like when the we got on. A very nice man helped us and our bags to the curb and Mike went for the car. It had been an entire week since we'd parked and after 10ish minutes my cell phone was ringing because he couldn't find it.

After that auspicious start we were off and limping. Actually loading the car was hardest part. The four hours home (plus time to stop for lunch) passed really quickly even though we finished our audio book on the way there. I think it always takes longer to get somewhere than to get home.

Hopefully this was the first of many vacations to come

Embarkation and Nuptials

Away we went...

It had not occurred to me that setting sail to Mexico would mean no Internet or cell phones for a week, but that's what Mike is for. He reminded me, by entering our cabin and immediately (like before the baby was unbuckled from her stroller) logging on to the Internet one last time. He turned the laptop towards me and said, "do you want to blog or anything before we leave?" Ha! Guilty. That's what I was doing in the last moments in port madly typing notes into my blog and saving rough drafts. Priorities...

On the topic of cell phones I did completely forgot to turn mine off and the first night a text reminding me to change my clocks cost me roaming charges, oops! It's too bad about roaming charges because it was a huge boat and we had a ton of family on board and it would have been easier to keep tabs on people with cell phones. I recommend walkie talkies. Although, scrawling down room numbers on a napkin to call people gave me warm fuzzy freshman year of college memories.

Overall that was the vibe for me. Small living quarters, lots of roommates, expensive "tuition", sprawling confusing "campus", dining hall style eating, visiting room to room, planned activities, party vibe and the cabin steward was pretty much an RA. Except for the sizable elderly population and having kids with me it was a lot like college.

The wedding (aka reason for the cruise) ended up being on the ship on the second day instead of on the beach in Mexico later in the week. The first night everyone met in this bar with a loungey feel before dinner where Riley blew kisses to the handsomest little baby boy. The next day the wedding was in the afternoon. I had my "sea legs" enough to do a decent job of makeup and hair. It felt good to get dolled up for the first time in oh...14mo. I hadn't realized until I saw photos that my beautiful charcoal dress reveled most of my brand new spine length scar (aka the zipper). I have the impulse to write "enough about me", but really it's nice to feel like me again and not just "Riley's Mom."

The wedding was in the ship's chapel it was decorated in white (white candles, white flowers, etc). It was an intimate room especially compared with the rest of the ship. The groom wore a white linen shirt with a white rose boutonniere. The bride who I've rarely seen in a dress looked stunning. It had beautiful sparkly embellishment under the bust line and she carried white roses. By far my favorite was her veil trimmed with sparkle, gorgeous. After a brief, entertaining and emotional ceremony we went to the piazza deck for pictures.

We took a brief intermission back to the room. The idea was for Riley to lay down but instead she discovered the room phone. We headed to the reception at a bar so exclusive it couldn't be found without a search party. There were plenty of drinks, laughter, cake and pictures, but no dancing. We had a really good time...some more than others.

The rest of the cruise was their honeymoon. Sigh...

Getting to the Ship

I've said it before and I'll say it again I hate packing! But with the right help it can quite entertaining...

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I packed a family of 4 for a one week trip (including formal wear and baby stuff) in 1 suitcase and 1 backpack. Pretty impressive, I think. I'd never been on a cruise before so it was all new to me. We had to get to Fort Lauderdale (4hr drive) to get on the boat. I knew 4hrs in the car was not going to happen with my back still healing so we decided to stop 1/2 way in Naples and drive the other 2hrs in the morning.


First of all with the stroller, the wheelchair, suitcase, backpack, jackets, entertainment for the drive, two kids and two adults it was a little crowded in the car. Second the "pillow" someone handed me as I was going out the door was only slightly larger than a postage stamp. We bought "The Sphere" audio book for entertainment which was surprisingly engaging. I switched the pillow between my low back and hip trying to take the pressure off, but a full day getting ready to go and 2hrs in the car did me in. We got to the hotel around 10:30pm at which point my breathing was shallow from the pain and Riley promptly woke right up.

I promptly got flat on the bed, but Riley ran the length of the room 3 or 4 times opening and closing the empty cabinets while squealing with glee. She loved the tiny fridge that was just her size! It was like Disney World, so many new and different things to discover. It was a different experience for the adults. I had to share my bed with the baby and Mike had to immediately get back to work. Between everyone being in the same room, the light, the computer and mommy in the bed with her Riley did not want to sleep.

We were up at 7am thanks to our tiny human alarm clock. Riley decided to write some notes about the trip like mommy was and walked around the room with the hotel pad and pen scribbling away. She also found the plastic cup to be fascinating (I really don't know why I packed toys). After continental breakfast we hit the road again. It was more fun this leg of the trip freshly rested, Mike's work behind him and knowing when we got out of the car we'd have reached our destination.

We arrived just before noon and sat in traffic reminiscent of my LA days pondering the various we have the right to search your vehicle signs all around the pier. We muddled through unloading the car, the stroller, the wheelchair and the kids. We happened to run into the people loading checked luggage who took pity on our ridiculous attempt to carry our all of our belongs and checked out bags right there. We headed into a winding theme park like line a lot lighter and started getting excited. Especially Isaac who heard from one of the disembarking passengers that there was a free unlimited ice cream bar. We were only in the line about 10mins before a nice gentleman whisked us through the crowd to the wheel chair line just like at Disney.

Ready, Set, Cruise!!