Vacation - The New Jersey Adventures

Yep, that pretty much sums up the travel portion of our vacation.  No, seriously, the trip there was pretty damn flawless.  No delays, no major issues...although we did almost miss our flight thanks to ZERO boarding calls.  We finally asked the desk 30 minutes before the departure when they were going to board and they said, we already have...we're getting ready to leave.  We were like, WHAT?!?!

But the kiddo slept the whole flight AND we had an extra seat, so I was able to lay him down for the second half.  That freed me up to get a drink, let some blood flow to my tush and relax.

Our first stop after the drive to the shore was to take little man to the beach.  It's New Jersey beach so the sand is soft (no crunched up shells here) and the water was a tid bit nipply for our Florida blood.   I'll let you go ahead and guess if that stopped a certain toddler with an affinity for all things involving water.

Joe's nephew Damian is an incredible piano player and he's 7!  So, the grandparents have this old keyboard at their house for whenever he comes over, and Nash noticed it right away.  After we disabled the volume slider (how does he find the worst buttons to push??), we let him bang away to his hearts content.  I think he's got good form...

The majority of our time in Brigantine was spent hanging in the yard, playing with Grandmom and Grandpop (Joe's parents) and, of course, more beach time.

Many evenings were spent in the yard burning off toddler energy.

On Saturday, all the family came down to the shore to visit.  We needed to celebrate Damian and Nico's birthdays, which are both right around the same time.  Cupcakes were eaten, margaritas were chugged sipped and lots of good times were had.

Stayed tuned for more vacation posts, including Nash's first rides, a Phillies game complete with REAL cheesesteaks and getting back to nature in New Hampshire!

Wrapping Up This "Distance" Thing

Last night was the first night I truly slept well.  I woke up to the sound of my alarm and couldn't have been happier to not recall any wake ups the night before.  I was still tired as all get out, don't get me wrong, but at least I am headed in the right direction.

Thankfully, my boss here told me I could have the afternoon off, so I went back up to my room and took a much-needed nap.  I slept for 2.5 hours, but it was not the easiest sleep.  Again, at least I am feeling more rested.  Tonight I am hanging out in the lobby, cruising blogs, checking emails and facebook, and updating my own little bloggie blog.

Tomorrow I finally fly out of here...I've had so much time to just sit and think and re-evaluate, so I feel ready to head home.  I feel like I've gained a logically understanding of my emotional state over the last few months, and I'm ready to make the changes necessary to better myself, my family, and our home.

Hungry Baby!

Baby has been doing really well for everyone, although he is still waking up too much.  I am not sure why he suddenly went from sleeping from 8 pm - 7 am with only one wake up at like 3 am to waking up every 3-4 hours.  He also needs to be picked up every time.  We used to just give him a quick bottle, then maybe the binkie, and he would drift back to sleep.  Now he needs to be held.  We are currently working through strategies to eliminate the wakings and the need to be held, but I imagine it will be a long road.  He's always been a baby who needed to be held...lord knows I spent a month pretty much attached to him 24/7.  I was so grateful he was over it, but now it seems to have returned.

Also, we are approaching his 4-month mark!  In just a few short weeks, he will be heading back to the doctor.  I'm excited to see how much he's grown, check in with the doctor about his milestone development, and ask her some questions I have.  I am a bit nervous to admit to her that we have already been feeding him rice, but in my heart of hearts, I knew it was what was right for him. 

Am feeling the need for some dinner, so am going to take a walk, take some pics maybe, then head back up to my room.  Will write some more to be posted tomorrow (since the only internet in my room casts $13/day) and pass out early.

Home tomorrow!

Distance Accomplished.

I’ve done it.  I’ve put 800 miles between me and my baby.  Feels weird.  I spent so much time thinking about how great it would be to have a break, take a breather, see my friends…that I never really grasped how difficult it would be.  I literally had to bite back tears in the airport every time I saw a baby…even started to tear up when they made the announcement that families traveling with infants could be seated first.  I instantly imagined what our first trip would be like…we’re already planning a trip up north in August to see our families, and it will be the first time we REALLY travel with Nash.  Today, I realized just how much I need him.  Even when I am sleep deprived and praying for just one more hour…please, just 30 more minutes…I can’t deny how much I love him.  It truly is amazing.

I can’t believe I have 7 full days away.  Although, that is not entirely true, as I will be flying into Melbourne on Friday before driving up to Jacksonville, so I will surely be able to see my husband and our little muffin, smell his amazing baby smell, and fight back those same tears as I prepare to depart again.

I can’t even imagine what I will do for these next few days.  I know it will go by quickly and I will not get to do everything I would like to, but I fully intend to make the most of them.  That way, I am assured to go home rested, refreshed, and really in need of a cuddly baby body at 3 am. 

My dear husband…he now faces his first night alone with the baby.  He has never had to take care of him on his own…give him a bath, make sure he naps, makes sure he eats.  True, his parents will be in town by noon tomorrow to assist, but he is on his own for almost 18 hours.  I truly hope it is simple, and everything comes naturally to him.  The last thing I want is for him to feel like there is a “certain” way to do things…even though I did leave him 4 pages of notes, I only did so to put his mind at ease.  Like a cheat sheet, in case he has questions.  If I know anything about him though, he will completely blank that I did this and where is that notebook anyways…and will emerge on the other side of this week battered but smiling.   I hope this brings him closer to Nash…that they truly have an opportunity to bond in a way that can only happen at 4:17 am when he smiles as if to say, ok daddy, time to play. 

More than anything…I hope they miss me as much as I miss them. 

Even so, I plan to spend the next week sleeping – first and foremost.  But also shopping, hanging out with old friends, having a drink or two, and maybe even going all out with a mani-pedi (my last one was the day I went into labor!).  I will also be working, sadly, but at least that work comes with a paycheck – something that I have been lacking regularly since November 2009. 

Note to self:  Live in the moment.  Stop and notice every thing around you and relish every little thing that makes you happy this week.  It will be over before you know it.

Keeping Up with Myself

I began to think about the possibility of doing some maternity modeling while I am sitting on my behind doing nothing.  Not sure if anything will come out of it, since it is kind of a small industry and who knows if I am even a good candidate, but it's worth a shot.

I submitted my info and photos to the one maternity modeling agency I found online (several websites said this was the only legit site) and my application is pending.  I think they have an office in Florida, so that would be ideal since NYC and CA are kind of far to travel.