weekend pics

Finally got the pictures uploaded from this weekend. Enjoy.

the passage

we took Caleb to "the passage" for his birthday. if you havent heard, this is the coolest part of the new waterfront stuff, as it's a big staircase with water coming down. it's hard to describe, but very, very cool. it's perfect for kids to splash and have fun, and for a certain age, it's also educational and whatnot, as it's something of a sculpture and tribute to the Cherokee.

Caleb absolutely loved it. he was splashing and having a grand time, and then figured out he could crawl around, reach up the stairs, and go up and down some of them too. I think he would have stayed in all day if we let him, but he was tiring out, starting to stumble on the stairs a bit. he also enjoyed watching the big kids run up and down.

so if you've got kids (or even if you dont), do go check it out. it's right next to the new aquarium, and I think it's a little more parent-friendly than the Coolidge fountains, as it didnt require us to get soaked. anyone care to meet us there for a "play date"?

the boardwalk

one of the major differences about "the beach" (which is ususally found in FL) and "the shore" (in places like NJ, DE, and MD) is the boardwalk. there simply werent boardwalks in FL where I grew up, but they seem to be common in the north.

the beach we went to in DE has a small boardwalk. no games or rides, just food and candy and hermit crabs and such. so one night we packed everyone up and headed to Ocean City, MD, where the boardwalk is rather large and indeed exciting. it's quite the carnival on the sand, with lots of rides, lots of games, lots of t-shirt shops, and lots and lots (and lots) of people.

so we did the ferris wheel and carosel and whatnot, and whack-a-mole is always a must. it sure seems like we did a whole lot more than that, based on how tired I was, but I think I get easily overwhelmed at crowds and such hubbub. Caleb did extremely well for being out so long past his bedtime. he would just suck his thumb, eat his snacks, and look at all the lights as they went by. I daresay he did better than I did, as I started to fade quicky near the end. I hope I wasnt grouchy, but I know I was at least withdrawn for a while. maybe it's my love for the ocean and all its beauty, which was being completely ignored by 99% of the people who are only 100 yards away. I could just sit and watch all night. or maybe it's because I'm a jerk sometimes.

it was still a good time with the whole fam. later in the week Michelle and I went to yet another boardwalk, which is somewhere in the middle of quiet and chaos. still fun stuff to do, but not complete madness. and best of all, it had the horsey game, which we could unfortunately never manage to win.

outnumber them

one lesson we learned at the shore (and not "beach" as Jeannette correctly pointed out) was that parent-types should outnumber kid-types at all times. usually this wasnt a problem, with Gramma and Grampa around, but they had a party to attend in the next state for a day. Gramma tried to warn us, but we decided that we'd rather have chaos in a nicer setting than the living room.

we headed to the sand, surf and sun with 4 adults (the 3 sisters and me) and 4 kids: 3 infants and 1 toddler (who picked that day to be terrified of the water). it was indeed chaotic. first, we forgot to aquire quarters to feed the ever-hungry parking meters, and then I forgot my camera in the car. so Liz went for quarters and I went for the camera, leaving only 2 moms and 4 needy kids. the twins were hungry, Casey was acting like a 3 year old (which is only natural, since she is 3) and Caleb was clingy, so things broke down rather quickly. soon one of the twins had a face-full of sand, kids were screaming, and it didnt take long for the folks around us to find a different patch of sand to claim.

things got a little better when Liz and I returned to even the odds. so we brought the boys down to the water, leaving Casey to throw sand whereever she pleased. Caleb and Julian didnt want much to do with the chilly ocean, but Chase, the bold one, had a grand time.

it wasnt too long til we packed up all the junk (and there was a LOT of it), retreated back to the house, and waited til the grandparents showed up to improve our odds.

early b-day party, books

one of the things we did as a family in DE was have an early birthday party. figuring the dates were close enough (July 31 for the twins and Aug 11 for Caleb) and this being the only time we were all together, we had a little celebration complete with their first cake. Caleb was definitely interested, but it was late evening for him, so he didnt last long. then a well-meaning aunt tried to get him to try some more icing, not realizing he doesnt like to be forced to do anything, especially when it comes to eating. so that was the end of that, but it was indeed fun while it lasted. his cousins definitely showed him how it was done, but I'll let their dad show them off if he'd like. maybe next month when we have his regularly-scheduled (and relatively low-key) b-day party, he'll know better how to attack the cake.

oh and if anyone is so inclined toward gift-giving, NO MORE TOYS PLEASE (THIS MEANS YOU GRANDMA). the kid has enough for a long, long time. but we're of the mindset that it's hard to have too many books, so I've set up a little wish-list on amazon for Caleb. we especially like the "Bright and Early Board Books" which are small versions of Dr. Seuss and whatnot. perfect size for his little hands, and slips easily in the diaper bag, etc. I got him The Eye Book a while ago, and it's his clear favorite these days. we of course have it memorized by now, and it's super-cute to see him toss aside his other books and go after that one. he's also WAY into the "Touch and Feel" books. and Sandra Boynton is great. and Eric Carle and Margaret Wise Brown. and you cant go wrong with Spot. I could go on and on. I guess I already have.

at the beach

Caleb's first view of the ocean was here at Bethany Beach, DE. since I grew up near the ocean, loving nearly everything in it and about it, I hope that our kids will come to at least appreciate it. living in a land-locked state doesnt help that much, but I guarantee we'll have a membership to the big fishtank soon enough.

Caleb loved to watch the waves come in, and he was a little interested in the sand, but he didnt much care for the cold, cold water. and neither did I, since in my experience, one never goes in the water unless the temp is near 80. I remember marveling at the tourists in south FL who would brave the chilly waters of January. mama was brave enough to swim a little, but Caleb wasnt interested, to say the least. so we saved our family spashing time for the lake in VT, which we'll get to in a little while.

so here we are enjoying the quiet boardwalk at Bethany for the first time. we made it to the beach a bunch of times during the week, and most of those were quite adventurous, having 3 babies and 1 toddler to look after. more details later.

baby roadtrip results

after 2700 miles within the past 2 weeks, I now feel qualified to offer a little baby roadtrip advice, but of course every kid is different. here's what we learned about traveling with Caleb.

the first 2 legs of the journey were quite bad. we started early but not super-early, and hoped not to resort to the Baby Einstein videos for a while, and we wanted to hold off on the benadryl until necessary. Caleb started fussing and crying before the first hour, so on came the video. many, many thanks to the Cooleys and Kennedys for supplying the DVD player and discs. simply amazing. we must have played those 6 videos at least 6 times each. of course I've got little tunes in my head even now, but it's a small price to pay.

but after many hours, Caleb started freaking out. we took long breaks, spreading out the blanket and having a good time of it in some shady spot, and the weather was beautiful. but still he didnt do well, mostly because he would only sleep for about 1/2 hour at a time, and less than 2 hours total for the whole day, which makes for misery for all. a potentially 13+ hour journey took 17. that was the first leg (TN to DE).

the second was a week later (DE to VT), which started out OK, but a little late due to family times. it would have probably been a good trip if it wasnt for the huge delays in the NY thruway, as well as the downpours that followed. the friday of the 4th of July weekend is a bad time to travel those roads. it took us 13 hours to travel what would otherwise take 8.

on the way home, we were traveling from VT to PA and then to TN the next day. we knew we had to try something else. so we gave him benadryl before we left, and took off before sunrise (which in New England is REALLY early). this proved to do the trick, as he got a really good nap first thing, and then another decent one later. the weather was bad, but the roads were good, so that helps. a 6 hour trip took 8. not bad at all.

the final leg was the next day, from PA to TN. it usually takes 12 hours. we ended up leaving early again, giving him the drugs early again (for a 2 hour nap), and then once more in the middle of the day (for a 3 hour nap). the roads were good and the weather was beautiful. we made it home in 14 hours, in time to unpack a little and cool down the house before bed. beer is seldom a more welcome sight after such journeys.

and so we thank God for answering our prayers, and we also sing the praises of benadryl and baby einstein videos. who knows when our next trip will be, but we'll now no longer fear the road. details of actual adventures between the roadtrips coming soonish.

back

we're back from our travels and adventures to DE, VT and PA. 2+ weeks of family and fun and non-compy relaxation. lots of pics and stories to come. now we're trying to transition back to "normal" life. it was so good to have such a good vay-kay, but we're certainly happy to be home. thanks to all for your prayers and well-wishes.

travel note

when traveling through western NC, be aware that route 64 has two distinct personalities. heading east from the TN border, the road is a little curvy in spots (especially along the Ocoee river), but it's mostly gentle climbs and descents, often with 4 lanes, making for scenic yet speedy travel. but once you hit Franklin, everything changes. suddenly you're doing violently sharp switchbacks and steep ascents and plunges, on roads that are little cared for. makes for scenic yet extremely slow travel. pouring rain doesnt help either. but once you get over the fact that you chose a poor route to get home quickly, there are some nice places to stop and enjoy the view.

arrived safely, but late, in philly

we're in philly after a long day of traveling and waiting. we're so thankful that Caleb did great for both legs of the flight. the bad news was that our 7am flight from Chatty was delayed due to weather and whatnot, so we had to wait a while to get the Memphis, and then of course we missed the connecting flight, so we had to wait something like 4 hours in the Memphis airport to catch the next plan to Philly. it actually went by rather quickly, and Michelle talked them into giving us food vouchers, so free food always helps matters.

again, we're so thankful that Caleb did great. thanks to everyone for their prayers. his ears didnt bother him and he was generally happy the whole time. he ate relatively well, and caught naps when he could. even though from door to door it took about the same time as it would if we drove (without the baby at least), we're glad we flew. Caleb did his best to charm all the folks in the rows behind us, smiling and giggling more often than not. he definitely gained a few members of his fan club.

the meeting of all the cousins was a lot of fun too. many pictures and videos were taken, so we'll post them soon. it should be fun to see these kids interact this weekend, and Casey definitely enjoys her only cousin.

wedding festivities start tomorrow. should be a crazy fun time.

first flight

very soon we will take to the skies as we head to PA for Michelle's brother's wedding. please pray for us as this is Caleb's first flight, and we're not quite sure how it will go. we're excited to be able to fly out of Chatty, which is oh-so-nice and quaint compared to atlanta madness.

we're staying with family which should be a crazy good time. there will be 7 adults, 1 preschooler, 3 infants and 1.5 bathrooms under one roof. should be, umm, interesting. pray for love and patience for all.

we're excited about the wedding of course, and especially about seeing all the family we havent seen in a long time. we havent met caleb's twin cousins yet, so we're looking forward to seeing them and having the kiddos interact a bit.

and here's yet another clip, this time of Caleb doing his latest tricks and being just about as cute as humanly possible.