Jackson's Dad
10-10-2004, 12:15 PM
Hey there everyone, I'm back. Miss me?
My wife and I decided to try a little vacation with out 4-month old. And what a trip that was. Oy. It had been forever since we went anywhere, and we wanted to do something while he was still relatively portable ("portable", right -- his stuff filled the car!). Well, we were partially successful.
We decided to spend a couple days by the ocean, in a small town of Ogunquit in the south of Maine (hi Rem!). The town is filled with ocean-side walks and nice little restaurants, so we figured it'd be a good casual trip. Surprisingly, Jack was great during the 5.5 hour ride up -- he slept the whole way except when we stopped to all eat. Perfect! And the first day was a lot of fun. We strapped him in his new big-boy front-facing stroller, and walked along the ocean, had some lobster and scallops, and an overal nice day.
The problem was we underestimated how stressful sharing the hotel room could be. The first two nights, he was up every hour or two. Not screaming, but up, and waking us up. Since we were only two feet away, we heard every little sound, so we did not get much sleep. Then, during his evening witching hours, he'd just scream (he's starting to teethe... ah, the joy) and we'd get even more stressed worrying that he'd annoy all the neighbors, and the seals, and the moose. Being in such close quarters with a crying baby rally gets to you! Then, every time we tried to eat, he'd start fussing and complaining. We realized that we usually love to spend our vacations eating, but not anymore.
So on the second morning, when he melted down yet again, we decided to pack it in a day early and head home. We felt like losers a bit, letting the stress get to us. But on the way home I called my mother, and she laughed -- they had done the same thing when we were kids, but they never even made it to the destination. They got half-way there and turned around! So I guess we aren't losers after all.
The irony of course was that he again was an angel on the drive back -- even when we got stuck in two hour-long jams. And then when we got home, he slept throught the night for the first time in a long time.
I think the next time we plan a vacation, we'll have some new criteria. First, find a place that is only 1 or 2 hours away (just to make it easier). Then find a place where we can get a condo or rent a small house, so that we have some breathing room, and he can get his own room. Also, a place with a kitchen so that we don't have to go out for every meal.
What do you guys do for vacations?
My wife and I decided to try a little vacation with out 4-month old. And what a trip that was. Oy. It had been forever since we went anywhere, and we wanted to do something while he was still relatively portable ("portable", right -- his stuff filled the car!). Well, we were partially successful.
We decided to spend a couple days by the ocean, in a small town of Ogunquit in the south of Maine (hi Rem!). The town is filled with ocean-side walks and nice little restaurants, so we figured it'd be a good casual trip. Surprisingly, Jack was great during the 5.5 hour ride up -- he slept the whole way except when we stopped to all eat. Perfect! And the first day was a lot of fun. We strapped him in his new big-boy front-facing stroller, and walked along the ocean, had some lobster and scallops, and an overal nice day.
The problem was we underestimated how stressful sharing the hotel room could be. The first two nights, he was up every hour or two. Not screaming, but up, and waking us up. Since we were only two feet away, we heard every little sound, so we did not get much sleep. Then, during his evening witching hours, he'd just scream (he's starting to teethe... ah, the joy) and we'd get even more stressed worrying that he'd annoy all the neighbors, and the seals, and the moose. Being in such close quarters with a crying baby rally gets to you! Then, every time we tried to eat, he'd start fussing and complaining. We realized that we usually love to spend our vacations eating, but not anymore.
So on the second morning, when he melted down yet again, we decided to pack it in a day early and head home. We felt like losers a bit, letting the stress get to us. But on the way home I called my mother, and she laughed -- they had done the same thing when we were kids, but they never even made it to the destination. They got half-way there and turned around! So I guess we aren't losers after all.
The irony of course was that he again was an angel on the drive back -- even when we got stuck in two hour-long jams. And then when we got home, he slept throught the night for the first time in a long time.
I think the next time we plan a vacation, we'll have some new criteria. First, find a place that is only 1 or 2 hours away (just to make it easier). Then find a place where we can get a condo or rent a small house, so that we have some breathing room, and he can get his own room. Also, a place with a kitchen so that we don't have to go out for every meal.
What do you guys do for vacations?