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June 25, 2001
Good morning,
I hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was full of highs and lows and was very busy!
First, I'll start with the lows. We could nickname this section: Why we rarely travel.
Jake is a great child. He's laid back, easy going, and he usually (unless he's tired or hungry) just goes with the flow. Six hours in the car, however, is far more than he can take.
The drive to Mark's parents' house (our first stop in The Tour of Grandparents)usually take about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. With traffic around the D.C. area and bad weather, it took us closer to 6 hours!
Jake was ok for the first couple hours. Then he started to fuss and finally he fell asleep. He woke up only 30 or 45 minutes later, and started screaming. I'm he was thinking, "I'm still in this stupid carseat?! Get me out!!!" I climbed into the backseat and tried reading to him (despite the fact that it makes me carsick!), playing with him, stroking his hair, anything to make him calm down. Everything I tried work - for about 5 minutes - and then the screaming would start again. Needless to say, we were all delighted when we reached Harrisburg.
We ate dinner with Mark's parents, his sister, and three of Mark's grandparents. (By the end of the weekend, Jake would visit 3 of his grandparents and 5 of his great grandparents, hence the tagline for this entry!)
I love Mark's parents. They're hilarious, caring, and very supportive of their children. I always have a lot of fun when we see them.
In the middle of the night, Jake woke up screaming. It turns out that he had a dirty diaper. I also think he was quite unhappy to wake up in such an unfamiliar place. I tried to put him back into his crib, but he would cry.
So then I decided to let him sleep with us. I don't know why I bothered with that. It never works. Jake lays down for a while and then decides to play. And even at 4 AM, it's so hard not to laugh as Jake zooms in close to Mark's face and squeals, "Da!" over and over again. Then we swear the little Jakester said "pillow".
I tried to put Jake bak into his crib again, but he started crying. (If we were home, I probaby would have let him cry for a few minutes, but I didn't want to wake everyone up at the in-laws.) So I asked Mark to give it a try. Apparently Daddy had the magic touch because when Mark put Jake down, Jacob didn't even whimper.
After breakfast with the grandparents the next morning, we were off for New Jersey. On Saturday afternoon, we totally surprised my Grandpop with a surprise party for his 80th birthday. He was delighted. The party was fabulous; Jake was a social butterfly; and everyone had a great time. (One of the more amusing parts of the party was my grandfather and his other 80 year old friends sitting around a table talking and drinking. It was like they were in college. Someone would say something and they'd all raise their glasses and shout, "I'll drink to that!" It was hilarious!)
On Sunday morning, we went to breakfast with my Mom and my grandmother (my Dad's Mom). Before breakfast, my grandmother gave me her antique cedar chest. It's beautiful, but need a little work. The finish on top is slightly dull and roung in spots. I tried oiling it, but I think it's going to need more than that. And yet it's in pretty good shape so I'm hesitant to refinish the entire thing. Do any of you know anything about refinishing antiques? Any advice for me?
My grandmother also gave me lots of dresser scarves that she embroidered or made herself. (I had no idea Gram could make lace!) In addition, she gave me a couple baby blankets that belonged to her first child, a daughter who died when she was only a couple months old. I've spent a good part of the morning trying to wash the mildew/musty/dirty/cedar smell out of these linens. (My Gram's house isn't the cleanest place in the world, but can you blame her? She's 92 and still lives alone in the same house she's had for 57 years!)
After breakfast, we headed back for Harrisburg for lunch with Mark's folks. And finally, after that we came home. (The drive home also took much longer than it should have - about 5 1/2 hours!) It is so great to be home.
On the drive back, Jake also whined quite a bit near the end, but it wasn't as bad as it was on the way home. In addition, he'll scream rather obnoxiously (and then smile when you look at him) if he gets tired in the car. I think he's trying to ask us to put him into his crib for his nap. He rarely sleeps in the car.
In about a month, we're going to the Jersey shore for a week at a beach house (in Avalon - has anyone been there?) with Mark's parents. I'm so looking forward to it, but I already dread the drive...
Do you have any advice for long drives with a 15 month old?
The only other really exciting event in Jake's life is that he seems to be talking more and more. He nows says "Night night" when you put him to bed. And he'll say "bye bye". This morning I swear he said "bug".
I need to get back to my laundry... :(
Hugs,
Dawn
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