Other Vacation Stuff

We're planning a (late) summer vacation, and I have to say that I learned a lot on this mini-trip. It helped me see that I need to restructure at least one day I had planned because my son gets overstimulated to the point of panic. I also need to remember to take the noise-canceling head phones I bought him; those will help block out some stuff.

It's interesting. I had kind of planned stuff based on D at Mal's age, and am reminded constantly that they are two very different children. D is a lot like Mal NOW, in terms of being overwhelmed by too much activity, and mainly noise. Actually, James is the same way. So I'm glad I've chilled out since my 20s, and can enjoy a quiet, slower-paced vacation.

Coming home today, we stopped FOUR TIMES because Mal needed to "pee in the grass." I'm glad he's telling us he needs to go. But we stopped once maybe 5 minutes after we'd stopped at a gas station. Still, better than using the car seat as a potty

Although Mal has definite opinions about how we spend our time, he seems very easy to please when traveling. He was cheerfully awake our whole drive home today, having slept maybe 15 minutes on the way over. And he woke up ready for breakfast and adventure.

His favorite thing to do at the hotel was to go to the landing on the second floor of the stairwell and play with his cars there. He also liked going next door to the CVS to look at and play with cars there.

D did great as a house-sitter. The bed frame fell apart while we were gone (pressed wood, exploded), and D didn't bother to mention that to me while we were gone, which is cool because I'd have worried about it, and couldn't do anything about it until I got home.

Back to Mal and the learning curve (this post is going to be all over the place; it's just thoughts I want to jot down to remember), Mal begged to come home the first night. This was because we scared the crap out of him on the Tilt-a-Whirl thing. Plus, he had to poop and he doesn't like any toilets but his. But he finally took care of Number Two the next day, and ended up really liking the hotel.

This morning (I started this Saturday night, and how it's Sunday morning), Mal woke up asking to go back to the hotel. I told him we'd be going on another trip soon(ish) and staying at an even cooler place. I tried to explain some of the amenities, none of which impressed him. Finally, I said, "It has a pool, one that's even bigger than the pool at that hotel! And I'll for sure remember your swim suit this time." His eyes widened. "Even BIGGER?!" I guess that whole "swim at the hotel" thing is pretty standard across the board for kids. When D was little, we'd always pick a hotel that had a usable pool, which meant in cooler months, finding one with an indoor swimming pool.

Mal was officially 3.5 yesterday. He has not gained a single pound since his 2nd birthday. He's still holding strong at 38 pounds. He's grown at least 3.5 inches since 2, and at least 3/4 of an inch since his 3rd birthday. But no weight gain. Which my back and arms appreciate, even though I convey him significantly less frequently than in the past.

This morning, Mal was replaying the Tilt-a-Whirl, He was spinning in little circles, and then walking in bigger circles, saying, "Mommy, this is how the spinning machine does." We talked about how he might like going around and around some other time when I told him I'd bring earphones for him so it wouldn't be too loud. He said, "And also a thing on my hair, so I won't hit my head." I asked, "A helmet?" "Yes." So if you see a family getting on a ride with a kid wearing a bike helmet and earphones, that's just us doing the best we can.

I think that's it for now. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday afternoon!