Oh my g0d, we are finally home! It only took us 8 hours in the car including a 2 hour stop for lunch and for Matthew to stretch his legs. Ha! EIGHT hours! Had I realized it would take 8 hours (with a break) before we booked the trip, I may have found somewhere closer to visit. The drive up was just fine (very little screaming from Matthew) but holy hell, poor Matthew did not enjoy the drive home. Not.at.all.
I still stand by my assessment that 4 nights was perfect for traveling with a baby. The problem we had was that Matthew got up an hour earlier each.and.every.morning. By the last night, he got up at 2:00 AM and that is just insane. The first night was 4:00, then 3:30, then 3:00, and then 2:00. I did not sleep well on this trip, but I still had a good time. We let him come into bed with us when he woke up because, quite honestly, that was easier than trying to coax him back to sleep – but he just does not sleep well with us so that means that I don’t sleep well.
We are re-thinking our trip out west in July. The main issue that I see is that I would be bringing Matthew back with me by myself while B stays out in the Seattle area for a week of work. I just cannot handle Matthew screaming in his car seat on a plane for 3-4 hours, which could realistically happen. I also don’t think it’s fair to do that to anyone else on the plane. Another reason we’re rethinking it is that it was really hard getting out and about with a baby because of his eating and napping schedule and I want us to relax on the trip and that’s hard to do when you’re living in 3 hour increments. And finally, we would be in a hotel room instead of a house, like this last trip, and I just don’t see how that will work. We’d put Matthew to sleep at 8:30 and then we’d go to bed too, or at least hang out with our laptops not making any noise because we have a sleeping baby 5 feet away. It is just sounding like a bad idea. Maybe the fact that we haven’t bought plane tickets yet is a sign to not go.
So this trip was a success, in my opinion, but I’m pretty good at making lemonade out of lemons. I don’t need to be super busy on a trip to be happy. B likes to be busy and going on adventures all the time. You can see where there could be some incompatibility 😉 I enjoyed the views, the cottage, the pool, just being away from home. It was nice! We had some glitches (like the weather, the schedule, the sleeping), but all-in-all, I think it worked out well and would do it again – but somewhere closer.
We had a major glitch… and it is still not 100% resolved. I mentioned the ER a couple posts ago. Oh my, what I’m about to explain made for a terrible night (night 2 of the trip) and I think this ruined the entire trip for B.
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a VERY relaxed mother. If Matthew wants to try something new, like walking, I just stand back and let him do it. If he wants to play by the fireplace, I make sure it’s off and let him have at it. I don’t hover. B is not like me. 😉 On Monday night, Matthew was walking all over the cottage and I just let him do it because – hey – that’s what I do. Yes, it was a tile floor, but so is the floor at home. I let him explore and get content in his new surroundings in his own way. B was very nervous about the tile floor and the new skill of walking and was right behind Matthew as he was checking things out. At one point, Matthew started to run just a bit and B followed closely – too closely. He tripped and landed his heavily-shod foot on Matthew’s left ankle. He heard a pop. Matthew screamed and screamed. Nursing wouldn’t calm him, and he wouldn’t put weight on that leg. So.. off the ER we went. By the time we got there, Matthew was happy and putting some weight on his leg, but not walking on it. The doctor didn’t do an X-ray because he believed he was fine and that they do too many X-rays these days (I agree – and it would have scared Matthew). We headed home.
He hasn’t walked much since. The most he can do is 4-5 steps, and he was walking almost 100% of the time 😦 We are getting an X-ray tomorrow afternoon. Poor baby! Poor Daddy! B is just beside himself – and said that it’s all he has thought about since it happened. He keeps saying he broke Matthew, and that he took walking away from him. I know that Matthew is going to be just fine – and that he likely IS just fine – he’s just needing to learn how to trust his feet again. But it is hard to watch when he was off and running just 3 days ago.
Even with all of this, I still consider our trip a success. Maybe I’m just an eternal optimist – I don’t know. But I really did have a great time! I wish B had as well, but there’s nothing I could have done to change anything. I do think Matthew had a great time (aside from the long car trips) – although he sure is happy to be home, with his kitty cats, and in his own bed!
All the Sun For You 
June 7, 2012 at 11:34 pm
OH goodness – poor baby!! Accidents happen, but it doesn’t make them any easier.
So far flights have all gone well with Stella (I think b/c she’s in my arms and not the hated car seat). Have you taken Matthew on a plane before?
June 7, 2012 at 11:41 pm
Yes – when he was 8 weeks old. We came to Colorado Springs! It went really, really well! The flight to Seattle will be super long and he won’t let me hold him the entire time. I just don’t know what we’ll end up doing…
June 8, 2012 at 8:00 am
Oh, poor Matthew! (And poor B!) I hope everything is okay and he’ll be back to his walking self soon. You could get Matthew his own seat on the plane without the car seat–it would give him a little more freedom, which might to do the trick–and just hold him for take off and landing.
June 8, 2012 at 8:02 am
Are you able to get a larger hotel room, maybe with two rooms or a large bathroom? We ended up having to put Chloe in the pack in play in the bathroom when we were on vacation and it worked great! She couldn’t handle sleeping in the same room with us and this gave her a quiet place so we could still watch TV or talk in the bedroom. I’m so sorry to hear about the trip to the ER. It’s probably nothing like you said, but better to get it checked out. And poor B!! I bet he’s just beside himself with guilt, but he was just trying to be a good daddy.
Being on vacation living in three hour increments like you said was tough for me too. I don’t know if we’ll go anywhere else this summer either just because I like to be on the go and do things, not sit in the hotel for two hours while my baby sleeps. I don’t know, we had a good time and I want to be able to take Chloe places, but maybe it’s better to wait until they are down to one nap a day?
June 8, 2012 at 8:52 am
Good suggestion on the bathroom for sleeping. We will check with the hotel. I also like the idea of buying a seat but not using the car seat. The car seat is so restrictive.
I think you’re right – once he’s on one nap a day (no sign of this yet!), then maybe it will be better.
June 8, 2012 at 6:21 pm
Poor baby! So glad it wasn’t more serious- and good for you for being a relaxed mom.
June 8, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Your poor nerves! B must feel so awful, but it’s just an accident and you’ll all be okay. When it comes to kids, anything can and will happen! I truly wonder how HGB is not concussed on a daily basis. But there is always the odd time, like B tripping that really makes you hold your breath. How did the xray go today?
I can’t even watch the whole slideshow – I’m so jealous of your trip!