I've learned that vacation with a toddler isn't very restful, but always interesting! Here are some highlights of our trip.( I had to cut out a few things to keep it not so long)
This week we are in Fort Worth. Neal had a training class, so us girls came with him and stayed a few extra days. The first night, we checked into the hotel, and started to get Katie ready for bed in her pack & play. She slept for about an hour, then started screaming and crying. She would only calm down when I was holding her. This made things difficult for me, like sleep, and going to the bathroom. Finally, an hour later, after the desk clerk stopped by because of noise complaints (at 8:30 at night?!), we called Grandma to see if Katie and I could crash at her place. She said yes, of course, so we threw stuff in suitcases and loaded back up and headed over. Even though it was late, Katie slept pretty good that night. Plus we were already at Grandma's to play.
The next day, Katie got to go out on Grandma's porch, picked some mint leaves and a katydid, and tried to pet the kitty. The kitty at Grandma's is mean, unlike our kitty, so Katie was absolutely crushed when we said she couldn't pet her. I mean sobbing, slobber falling out of her mouth, heartbroken. But there are doggies there, so that helped console her. After that, we went to get lunch. When she was done eating, Katie walked around the entire restaurant pointing to the pictures on the chairs, and socializing. She is so funny about art and color! Her Daddy stopped by after we ate, too, and got to give her a hug and a kiss before he had to go again. She gets so excited when she sees him, it's so sweet! Later we went swimming at the hotel. She LOVED it! There was a long step she could walk on in the water, and she loved jumping into our arms and "swimming". We were in the water for 45 minutes with her, and she was sad when we had to leave. As you can imagine, that night she slept REALLY well!
We were spending time with Grandma the next morning, and Katie came up to me with a jar of peanut butter, and already had the lid halfway unscrewed. I took this as a sign that she was hungry, so I started looking for a spoon and her cereal. When I came back, Katie had gotten her placemat out of her diaper bag, laid it out on the couch, and set the PB jar right in the middle! Girl knows what she wants, and how to get it too! We got to spend time with Aunt Desi that day, too. We had lunch together, then went to Target. Katie immediately ran up to the giant red concrete balls out front. She would hug one, pat it, then run over to the next one. I think she went to three total. I was a little worried we wouldn't even make it into the store! Aunt Desi bought her a ball, and let her run around the store a bit...not always a great idea, but Katie is so sweet looking that she doesn't look like she'll be much trouble. Let's just say it was a good thing there were three grown ups there to catch her! Katie got to go back to Grandma's (also Aunt Desi's) and play with the doggies. I heard that they licked her and she got to pet them. I think they are friends now.
Finally, the 4th of July!! Katie's Daddy was off, and we were going to spend the afternoon with Desi's family. She was quite the charmer with a crowd of new people, giving smiles freely, and even wearing her headband with the sparkly stars on it. It didn't take her very long to be comfortable enough to break free from me and run around the house on her own. At lunch, she was so excited I had to do "run-by feedings", where she would take a bite, run off, then come back and get another bite. I've decided this is a good weight loss method: take a bite of food, run a lap, get another bite, etc. We knew Katie would need a nap soon, so we got her changed and into the pool. She spent most of the time on a ledge of shallow water, playing with toys and splashing. Every now and then she would jump into one of our arms. I thought she was never going to get tired, and it was getting pretty late for a nap, so we got her out among protest and got her dried off and dressed. We brought her pack & play, and she slept almost two hours! By then, we were all exhausted and headed back to the house. I think all the grown-ups fell asleep before Katie that night!
Saurday, Grandma and I went to an antique mall, where I saw some interesting decor for our future home. Too bad we don't have anywhere to store it! Later, we went to a wedding, which was very sweet. There are a lot of women in the bride's family, so there were lots of tears and red noses! Also, some mosquitoes at the indoor/outdoor reception. Sunday, we packed up, met Mamaw and Papaw for lunch, and headed home. Katie did much better on the trip home, once I remembered to use Peace & Calming on her. She didn't get fussy at all after that!
So, after the trip, I realized that it was somewhat relaxing because Grandma and Daddy would take care of Katie in the morning so that I could sleep in. Very much appreciated!
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