So life has been uber duper crazy lately. El Hub is working all the time (like, right now as I type this at 11pm on Monday night), my parents' lives are in a state of flux right now, throw in some health issues because those are always fun - that kind of crazy.
You know what's nice when life gets crazy? A vacation.
Thanks to a very kind friend of my mom's, we got to spend a week at the beach near where I grew up. El Hub even took off a couple of days from work to spend the first part of it with us. George and I were originally slated to go with him middway through the week, but then I smacked myself silly for not thinking to take advantage of staying the whole week. Hope my mom actually wanted us to stay the whole week, because that's exactly what we did. I also hope she wanted my oldest nieces camping out in the condo's living room, because that's exactly what they did. Basically, it was like my childhood on steroids with a kid of my own in the mix, just a three minute walk from the beach.
Lots of playing in the sand.
Lots of goofiness.
Yes, that is El Hub working on vacation. Go see the first paragraph about him working all the time.
Lots of family photos.
Lots of hanging out at the beach during sunsets.
Now it's back to the busy life and the temptation to get caught up in it all again. I'm grateful for these photos, and for the memories of George running into the surf, laughing with the girls and my mom, a couple of lazy days with El Hub, and the feel of the breeze at the beach. I'll try to remember how it all felt on this trip the next time I feel that pull of life's craziness.
It's been a rough week. And an even rougher day. The kind of rough that I want to write about but can't bring myself to write about publicly, since it's the complicated sort of story that's not really mine and involves health which never seems like a good thing to write about publicly on the internet and oh man my head hurts. You get my drift.
So I could really have used a victory today. I would have taken just about anything. So I decided to reinstall our bathroom cabinet doors, which I removed three weeks ago when I spontaneously decided to stain them. The idea came to my head on a Sunday and I started making it a reality on a Monday. And then didn't reattach them for three weeks. ANYWAY. Reinstalling them should have been an easy win, especially since I was obnoxiously detailed about putting each hinge in its own little labeled baggie, "Left Cabinet, Right Door, Bottom Hinge." I am not joking. I was a cabinet door newbie.
Can't say that anymore! Because when I went to reattach the doors, I got to the very last hinge...
And a spring popped off just as I was about to screw it in.
Are you kidding me!?! Where's my easy win?!?
In case you want to see the ridiculously tiny piece that popped off, here, let me show you:
See it?
Here, this should help:
Yeah, that spring. Popped off. So I did what I know best, googled it. This part hasn't existed for a long time. So long, that the manufacture doesn't even list it on the discontinued parts section of their website.
Then I thought, well, it's not broken broken. Maybe I can fix it. Hah! That spring needed to not only be wedged in a tiny spot, but it also needed this little metal dowel-like thing that was already attached to the other side forced under it as well. To make a long story short, picture me 1) fighting with my needle nose pliers and all these teeny tiny metal bits and realizing I need another set of pliers, 2) not being able to find my other pliers in our sty of a garage, 3) running to the grocery store 10 minutes before it closes to buy another pair because THAT'S HOW MESSY OUR GARAGE IS, 4) wrestling with these little parts and two pliers and cursing and agonizing and then winning. Yes, that is the short version of the story. I didn't include part 2.5 which is when mentally seething at an unnamed individual who treats the garage like a dumping ground. Now you know the long version too!
The most important part of all of this is that I won. I fixed the hinge. I have beautiful stained cabinets with doors actually attached to them that I may someday post photos of when the bathroom a mess. I didn't get my easy win, but I got the win I needed.
Happy birthday to me! Or, happy birthday to me last Saturday. I was too busy celebrating to actually write about it, which is the best kind of birthday.
It is absolutely wild to think about how different this birthday was from last year's. Not to go all drama llama, but last year may have been one of the worst birthdays of my life. I had a particular rough day of feeling like I was failing my miserably sick newborn, and I was lonely over El Hub working past George's bedtime. It was also the last day we breastfed (which, let's face it, probably hormonally added to my memory of it being one of my worst birthdays ever).
But looking back I can also say it was a positive turning point. That day I spent lunch with a wonderful friend and her awesome baby, a woman I am grateful to still be friends with today. In the past year, I've been lucky to make even more friends since then. In the time since then I have gone on to make other awesome momma friends who make me laugh and help keep me rolling with the punches. And making friends as we get older is hard and scary and feels way too much like dating except without the benefit of clearly spelled out hopes and expectations a la online dating. (The whole making friends thing probably deserves a post of its own.) And by going exclusively formula-fed, we were able to rule out certain factors and get a step closer to getting George healthy. Finally, that day was also a reminder that if I want to have a good day, whether it be a birthday or a weekday or any day at all, it's up to me to make it happen.
So I made it happen this year. I asked my parents' to watch the kiddo overnight so we could go to dinner without worrying about when to arrive home (...or to be hangover-free in the morning). I made a dinner reservation. I decided on the Science Center as a George-friendly place to have a little fun before taking him to Mammaw and Grandpa's for the night. And I asked Rob to take some photos of us.
George is trying to say, "You better be getting my good side, Dada."
Then he goes, "Just joshing, I look cute no matter what."
But then he's like, "No, seriously, make sure you get my adorably chubby cheeks."
This was Rob's first time coming with us to the Science Center. Having another person to help wrangle the baby means I have enough hands to bring the DSLR along.
Unsurprisingly difficult to take a decent self-portrait in a dark, gigantic kaleidoscope. But it didn't stop me from trying.
SCIENCE!
George wanted to bring this hedgehog home and love it and squish it and maybe throw it. What can I say, he's 15 months old and recently enamored with throwing small things.
I'm pretty sure this stingray was mooning us.
And then we took this incredibly cute, beloved child and ditched him at his grandparents' house. Later tater! Don't worry, he didn't miss us at all because his Mammaw lets him watch all the television he wants and walk around with her nail polish and play in her kitchen cabinets. Toddler paradise.
Momma-on-the-evening-of-her-birthday paradise looks a lot more like this:
That is a s'mores martini. It tastes uncannily like a s'mores. With vodka. Good job, bartender.
This is the point in the evening where El Hub pulls out the big guns. He gave me two red roses, had restaurant take a photo of us, and then handed me a card. The card is a big deal - El Hub would happily live the rest of his life never receiving or giving another card. Whereas I love them and have saved every single card I've received since I was about five years old. So he gives me a Mickey Mouse card...
...with this printed inside it...
For the unfamiliar, those are the lyrics to a Disney happy happy birthday song I have fond memories of from my childhood. It goes a little something like this:
I listen to this song every year on my birthday. I send it to Disney geek friends on their birthdays. I cross my fingers and toys that maybe Disney will someday bring this song and accompanying show back to the parks someday. (This will never happen. I am a delusional Disney fan.) But just as El Hub isn't a fan of greeting cards, he's not a big fan of Disney either. So for him to get me a 1) Disney 2) card that he 3) printed lyrics on 4) from my favorite Disney birthday song might be the best birthday card I've received yet. I cried.
And then I drank more of my martini.
After dinner, we were off to a 9:10pm (!) movie downtown to see Snow White and the Huntsman. These were my tweeted thoughts:
Saw Snow White & the Huntsman. KStewart, why doesn’t your face move? Charlize, I luff you. Thor, you HOTTIE!
[SPOILERY SPOILER FOR SPOILSPORTS] Also, if she was locked in a tower for a decade, why did she have shoes to run away in? And since people saw her escape method, why didn't they put bars over it so people couldn't use it in the future? And why did Greta get her youth back? Lame. Lame, I say. But delightful for making fun of and for admiring the prettiness of Charlize and Thor. Good times.
And then we went home and still managed to go to bed before midnight. I'm old, I admit it. And I'm okay with it because life is pretty awesome these days.
George officially switched to one nap a day a few weeks ago. Around 12:30pm each day, we need to be ready to put him down for a three hour nap, or the world ends. It's been interesting learning more about this stage, but it hasn't been fun for George on the days in which he doesn't get enough rest. (Or for me either. SLEEP CHILD SLEEP.) Sorry, butternut.
Today he had a bit of a meltdown right before I began putting him down for his nap, a sure sign he was veering into overtired territory. I anticipated a terrible fight trying to get him into a fresh diaper and sleepsack (I was right), reading him a book (I was right), and singing him a lullaby (I was wrong).
George snuggled up against me and laid his head in the crook of my neck in a way he lately only ever does in the middle of the night when he's not feeling well. I sang to him and caught his little smile out of the corner of my eye. George lifted his head and pursed his lips in the way he does when he is asking for a kiss. I obliged, and then he laid his head down while I continued singing. Then he lifted his head again for another kiss. We repeated this at least a dozen times, with him smiling a little smile each time.
Happy Father's Day to my dad, who helped teach me the value of being curious and how magical the world can be...
...and to the loving and clever father of my child, who is going to teach George so much about the world as well. (I can take care of teaching him about the magical part. Thanks again, Dad.)
The Mommarazzi approaches the subject, having been tipped off to his whereabouts by the sound of blocks being banged together.
*snap*
*snap*
"Whoa, hey..." He gets up and toddles over to the Mommarazzi to investigate the situation.
*snap*
"Dude, that flash is a bit bright, ya know? You've already gotten your photos, could we maybe lay off a bit so I can go back to my blocks? Or you could feed me. That's always an option."
Our day at Disney began with me losing the tickets. I start wracking my brains for where it could have gone and cursed myself for putting them in my back pocket. Amateur move, I know better. While I was panicking and seeing my visions of George standing in front of the castle fade away, El Hub kept calm and found the tickets in my shirt.
Apparently I cannot feel paper against my skin. Or maybe it was the panicking. Let's keep it real, it was probably the panicking. But DISNEY!
First visit button.
I have three or four of those nametags in my closet. Ah, the good old Cast Member days.
DISNEY!
Our first stop was straight to the Baby Center. I knew the Baby Centers existed, but had never been in one and had no idea how awesome they are for parents and their kiddos. They have decked out diaper-changing rooms, a quiet nursing/bottlefeeding room, a little kitchen, and baby basics like formula, bottles, purees, diapers, and products along those lines for sale. But we went there to take advantage of the room with high chairs so George could chow down on breakfast. He even got to watch a Disney movie while he ate. I think he was thinking this place is better than home.
Even the bananas taste better at Disney.
Then it was time for my top priority of the day, our photos in front of Cinderella's Castle.
Next we walked on over to Tomorrowland for a few rides, including my favorite Magic Kingdom ride that happens to be George-friendly: the Peoplemover.
Handsome El Hub on the Peoplemover. Disney is very serious business for him.
To infinity, and beyond!
It was George's naptime at this point, and we began keeping a closer eye on him. We headed to a nearby quick-service restaurant for lunch, and the manager came to see us personally to help us find something that George could safely eat due to his allergies. Again, huge fan of Disney customer service and concern for the health and safety of their guest. DISNEY!
A tip to anyone bringing a toddler to the parks is to bring a couple toys from home. The fan accidentally doubled as a toy, but the cat George picked out before we left the house. That cat saved a bit of our sanity in the line for Dumbo, when George was truly beginning to suffer from lack of nap.
George's Dumbo ride face, aka OMG GUYS I REALLY NEED A NAP.
After that, we wanted to take a chance that George would maybe possibly consider deigning to sleep in his stroller. He hasn't done that since he was a few months old. But after being awake for nearly seven hours straight, George was in need of sleep. We decided to let him loose to burn off some walking energy before trying for a nap in the stroller. Spoiler alert: this strategy worked.
During this time, I sneaked on over to the Haunted Mansion to see all the changes from the past few years. The change to the Hitchhiking Ghosts? Awesome. I just about lost my head laughing. Wink, wink.
When George woke up, we made our way over to the 3 o' clock parade.
Neither did I, actually. Why did the dancers look like time travelers from the 70's? Sorry Disney. Still love you. Mwah!
Friends recommended the teacup ride as being amusing for kids George's age. This was less of a DISNEY! and more of an urrggh. Anyone who knows me enough to have traveled with me, even on just a short car ride, knows that I am prone to motion sickness. Going on the teacups with my family was an act of love. And nausea.
Our undocumented adventures included the Enchanted Tiki Room (which worked out fabulously because George is fascinated with birds lately, but unfortunately probably now wonders if any of them will break into song), the carousel, a ride for me on Space Mountain while El Hub let George burn off some running energy on a quiet walkway (thanks, El Hub!), and a walk through the future Storybook area. When we go back, I would like to do It's a Small World, the Carousel of Progress, the Jungle Cruise, and take photos of George with Mickey Mouse. Someday. DISNEY!
But there was one more thing we got to cross of my list...
So there you have it. Our family's magical day at Disney. Sometimes, when we have long-standing high hopes for a moment, it can be so easy to feel disappointed if things don't go perfectly. I wasn't looking for perfect this day. Let's be real, George didn't even know where he was in the slightest. But he had fun. I had fun. I think even El Hub had a few moments of Disney magic. It was a wonderful day for which I will always be grateful. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for instilling this love of Disney in me. It's brought me a lot of joy over the years.
