Well hello there! Long time no… see? Anyways, I’m here on my last morning in Florida, packed and very much ready to return home. I’ll miss the warmth, but I can’t wait to be back in my own space. Not to mention back with M, who went home on Monday while I stayed for the week. We all miss Daddy.

Anyways, a few notes from our trip for your reading enjoyment.

Sleep: Awful to almost awesome
Our first day here, I really wasn’t sure I’d make it. We had an early morning flight, which I thought would be good. And it probably was as good as anything, but it kicked off a day in which neither child seemed to nap AT ALL. By the end of the day, Rebecca was more hysterical than I’ve ever seen her, even in the tub, which usually works magic. They were restless all night long, and Daniel ended up in the swing for the majority of the night. The only thought that kept running through my head was: “this was a bad idea.”
It stayed mediocre at best for several more nights at my in-laws’. It was a new space, different cribs, a very echo-y room… not good times for anyone. Then M went home on Monday and I headed to my mom’s place a little further south. A little more fresh air and a clock radio set to static seemed to help. Rebecca had a hard time getting all the way to sleep, but there was slight improvement. I went to the bookstore and picked up Dr. Ferber. The time is rapidly approaching, but that’s another post.
Then they both went back down to one feeding, two nights in a row. And on Thursday night… Daniel slept from 6:30pm until 5:30am. Not so much as a pacifier replacement. Yes, that was a heavenly chorus that you just heard. Rebecca is still somewhat restless (I think needs to ditch the pacifier), but they are oh-so-ready. Awesome.

If you can’t take the heat…
Holy crap. My in-laws are delightful people. But living in Florida and getting older has totally thinned their blood. M’s grandmother graciously let us use her condo for ourselves and the babies. It was like a damn sauna. Hot, stuffy, muggy. It was nearly 80 degrees in there (only 72 outside!). And she kept offering us her electric blanket. I’m not kidding. We finally made the command decision to turn on the a/c the first night (maybe to 74?), and for the rest of the weekend she was freezing anytime she walked into her own place. In the meantime, I’m sweating bullets. And M’s parents’ place was no cooler. Yowza. I was glad to get to my mom’s place at the beach, just for the breeze.

Mr. Gross Motor
Daniel has had several big leaps in gross motor skills while we’ve been down here. Monday afternoon, after being painfully close for several days, he rolled right over from his back to his belly. So proud of himself! Also, while on his tummy, he’s started pushing up with his arms (used to rely mostly on neck and back strength to lift up), and even reaching out to manipulate toys! I sense forward motion is not far away. He has also finally started grabbing his own feet. Again, he’s been close for a while. But now he figured it out, and he just can’t stop. Too much fun.
And, in late-breaking news, Rebecca decided not to let him have all the fun. After being in the same “I could roll over at any moment” position since THANKSGIVING, she unceremoniously rolled from her back to belly just this morning.

Nice trade
Monday or Tuesday, Daniel was kind enough to give Rebecca his cough, which she’d avoided for over a week. And after finishing her antibiotics on Wednesday, she returned the favor and Daniel woke up with two goopy, crusty eyes on Thursday morning. How nice. Good thing the pediatrician made sure to prescribe me extra medicine.

The Pool!
Every day at my mom’s place, we took the kids in the pool. Too much fun! I’ll post pictures of them in adorable swimsuits and hats (and other pics) when I get home. Rebecca, like many things, was uncertain at first. Eventually she decided it was, at best, acceptable. Daniel, on the other hand, was splashing around within five minutes. He loved going back and forth across the pool with my mom, chasing after a ball. It was really great just to get all of that fresh air.

Help, I need somebody
I must admit, any complicated family relationships aside, it was delightful to have all of the extra hands. Especially once M had to go home (so sad!). M’s parents were great, had a wonderful time with the kids, and we even got to go out to lunch on our own. And then, while at the beach, my mom and stepdad came over every morning around 7 or 7:30 and took the kids and the strollers. They went visiting great-grandmothers, went for walks along the beach, and had a delightful time. And I got to NAP! Wahoo!
And now, back at M’s parents’ place, my mother-in-law is being kind enough to fly back to Boston with me. Certainly, she also gets some extra baby time out of the deal, but she’s flying back after only one night. A wonderful thing for her to do, just so I don’t have to fly with two babies on my own.

Anywho, that’s most of the updates from down south. In the end, a good trip (as all you parents know, once there are kids in the picture, it’s not a vacation anymore, it’s a trip). Grandparents and great-grandparents got to visit with the babies, who were of course a huge hit. We all got a break from the cold and snow, into the fresh air and sun. It wasn’t easy, but eventually things settled down. Hopefully today’s plane ride will be uneventful and the kids will have an easier time re-adjusting to being home.

Coming up…
-Introducing Dr. Ferber
-Six month birthday and pediatrician visit
-Pictures, pictures, and more pictures!

Tags: Florida, Gross motor, in-laws, Mom, Overnight

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm and is filed under Child Development, Family, Illness and Injury, Infants, Sleep, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.