We just got back from our annual beach week at Oak Island. While nothing beats watching the little ones have fun, it suffices to say that vacations just aren't what they used to be. I have recent memories of sleeping to 9:00, then eating a giant bowl of cereal before heading out to the beach for a leisurely day of reading, swimming and playing games. A couple of adult beverages before dinner and heading off to bed whenever the mood strikes. No more. We hit Long Beach like a freight train. Joseph is up every morning before 6:30 (sometimes before 6:00) and its non-stop until naptime. At which time one or both parents crash for a couple of hours before round two. It's a different kind of enjoyable. And, as nuts as it sounds, perhaps even more enjoyable. The pleasure of carefree relaxation by the ocean pales in comparison to the pleasure of watching Joseph take such joy in splashing around in the tide. Anyway, we return unrested but nevertheless fulfilled. Oh, by the way, Drew got awful bronchitis the first half of the week and had to go to urgent care. I came down with
Things are moving around here. We got the house mostly unpacked and are working on a plan for getting things painted, getting some built-ins made, etc. Little Joseph has moved from his crib to a toddler bed. This process began while we were at the beach. We decided to leave the portable crib at home and take Joseph's toddler mattress and have him sleep on that all week at the beach. That way, his crib would be in baby sister's room upon our return and he could continue sleeping on his toddler bed at home. Parenting genius! It worked out perfectly. The first night was a little rough because I kind of had to restrain him from getting off the mattress. (By rough I mean 10 minute struggle, which really isn't rough at all, but I felt horrible dragging him back on the mattress while he fought and cried). But, lo and behold, it worked like charm. The next night and every night thereafter we've just told him that it is time for bed and to get on his "mat" (daycare terminology) and he plops down. He seems to have totally forgotten the crib and doesn't even give it a second glance when he goes into baby sister's room. It has made for some funny instances. The other night I went to check on him and found him standing in the middle of our bedroom holding a green ball. He looked at me, somewhat alarmed that I had found him there, and said, "I get up. I get up." I told him to get back in his bed and he marched his little Sesame Street pyjama clad self right in there and went to sleep. The other day he was supposed to be asleep and ran into the bathroom where I was taking a bath and said, "Mommy. Where's my shirt? Where's daddy? I pooped."
And, as you can tell, Joseph's little mouth is moving as well. He is actually starting to become somewhat conversational. My favorite thus far:
Me: Joseph, daddy is not wearing his glasses? Where are daddy's glasses?
Joseph: Dey bwoke.
Me: Why are they broken? Who broke them?
Joseph: I bwoke daddy's gway-shesh.
Me: Did you say you're sorry.
Joseph: I sowwy.
Me: It's okay. It happens.
Joseph: It happens.
He's also singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, ABC song, Jesus Loves Me, and Bah Bah Black Sheep.
Little Maggie is moving too...a lot! She wiggles and squirms much much more than Joseph did. The next project is getting her room ready, which includes picking paint colors, a very daunting task! Plan to start that this weekend. About 9 or 10 weeks till she'll be there and the nesting urge starting kicking in the last few days.
