Ocean City MD

Ocean City was our choice for a family holiday this year, mainly because it seemed close and we could combine vacation and home comforts without breaking the bank. I really just needed to relax a bit and I knew the kids would be fine with sand and water all day for 6 days so it seemed perfect. The twist to the vacation was we rented a four bedroom condo right off the beach along with my brother ( whose younger and single) and my sister who has two kids a bit older than mine. I wasn't sure how the week would go with so many of us in one house, I sometimes get a bit antsy having to coordinate so many different personalities but this time actually not bad. We started out as as a group of nine then my brothers friend joined in and then we were ten. By the third day we had added 9 more people in form of my cousins, their kids, my mom and aunt. 

We spent most days buried and sleeping in sand, listening to music, eating sand sprinkled sandwiches and soaking up the sun. It was nice to really feel relaxed, the kids were mostly well behaved, no one got overwhelmingly cranky. The first night we attempted to go out to dinner but it was such a popular place and we went out a bit late, my kids started to melt down by the time we were seated, so I had to ride the bus back with the two of them by myself. That was a low point because I had a crying 2 year old and a crying 5 year old on a bus full of drunk people! I learnt my lesson from that, feed the kids before we go out or go out earlier.

At first, Arielle would not even go near the water, in fact when she saw the first wave she ran away crying and wanted to leave but eventually we coaxed her closer to the water and eventually by midweek she wouldn't get out of the water, so much so that she was making everyone nervous because she was so daring. Evalie, napped every single day we ware there, either on me or on the beach towels which allowed her to maintain enough energy to wake up every morning at 6:30 screaming and running down the halls waking everyone else up. I'm used to that but I think my brother was alarmed by her busting into his room and jumping on him!

I actually haven't ever spent that many days in a row on the beach (well maybe I have..but not in the US) and I realize that I really enjoyed it, the weather was perfect, not too hot and humid but warm enough to make the alternating between wet and dry pretty pleasant. We usually all packed coolers of food and drinks so we didn't have much need to walk back too the condo except for the occasional need to go to the bathroom or charge the phones. We would get to the beach at about 10 and stay until 6. The day we had more people than expected we just ordered pizza to the beach. They also had a beach bar fully stocked with food and drinks so there really was no shortage of supplies. 

Most of the time, Arielle was happy to have her best cousin there with her but they had some spats as well, when the other cousins joined in or other kids on the beach tried to play with them, things got a little complicated, "threes was a crowd" and of course they wouldn't let Evalie play witht them so she made her own friends or played with Shaina (my 11yr old niece) when she wasn't in the water which wasn't much of the time.

I was also especially happy with the opportunity for my kiddies to bond with my brother, he's been away for most of their lives although he does visit and attend their birthday parties, baptism etc, they really only got to see him for a day or two at a time on holidays. Its better now that he's moved to the city because he's closer to us but I was still excited for them to really get time with him. 

On our first night, we didn't go out to eat so we took the kids for ice cream and treats after dinner at the candy kitchen which is basically a store filled with tempting chocolates, candies and toys. Its basically a little girls paradise. Within minutes of us getting in there, Evalie got so excited she knocked over a box of jawbreakers! The staff was not happy. 

The tides were pretty high and got progressively higher each day so we (well I didn't)  built a fort to protect us from getting flooded. Everyone else on the beach just picked up and moved back but we were relentless, we wouldn't move back. We just kept building the wall higher and higher..each day we'd return and reclaim our spot and continue building up the wall. We had a dolphin sighting too! It was really about 30- 40 dolphins 

We did have some decent dinners out, like the night we went to Phllips, even though we waited on line for a while, we eventually got in and I think everyone had a good time, the kids stayed out of trouble and ate all kinds of things. For a buffet style dinner, it was pretty good food and drinks. 

We had a nice time sitting out and watching the sunset from our balcony and an ice bucket challenge or two were completed up there! I was too chicken to do it though. Although the condo was nice, we really didn't spend too much time indoors. Maybe one or two nights we ate at home but otherwise we showered and slept there. It was decent though, more than enough space for everyone, my only problem was I didn't like having to clean up after everyone on my vacation so next time I would definitely hire a cleaning service to clean the place everyday like a hotel would...or just stay at a hotel/ serviced flat on the beach.

On our last day, we had to be out of the place by 10am so we decided to spend the day at the boardwalk and drive home at night. There was a little amusement park, Ripleys, tons of food and vendors so we bought all our souvenirs and spent the day down there. The beach was nice over by the boardwalk but very crowded with a very different type of crowd than we had at our beach. We put the kids on some rides, had some lunch and then as people started getting tired we decided it was time to go. Its always sad to get the end of a vacation but I do think it ended just in time. We all got some food for the ride said our good byes and that was it. The drive home was quiet and seemed quicker than it took to get there and we were all happy to be home. 

Until next summer!

Sesame Place.for Evie's 2nd Birthday

 

We did Sesame place..again..as a gift to Evie for her Second birthday (really from her dad to himself). We have been there in the past, about2 years ago soon after she was born we took Arielle during her “Abby Cadaby” phase and I was a bit overwhelmed that time but this time it was actually quite fun. The weather was perfect, we rented two cabanas (we had invited some friends and family to join us) and we chose to go on a Friday instead of Saturday this time. What a difference! Although the park was still pretty full of patrons, it was not overflowing and it was a different kind of crowd on Friday. Let’s just say Saturday was bit less PG than Friday. Anyway, when we got in we immediately spotted Zoe, and at that moment I knew if Evie was going to be receptive to these characters or not..this time she was cautious. She stopped and looked at her quizzically but did not want to get close at all!  Not a problem I figured when she got a bit more comfortable with the surroundings she would open up..which she did to “the count” of all characters. On our way to the cabana though we ran into others, Ernie and Bert, Big bird being rushed over to some other activity. We checked in, go our water shoes and changed…Can I just digress for a minute..water shoes are the most unflattering thing ever, they don’t look good on me, they don’t even look good on cute little girls..and they are horrendous on grown men! I amy hate them just as much as I detest crocs! But I admit, after paying twenty five dollars for them, I remember thinking how worth it they were every step of the way! There's something to be said about being in water and mingling with hundreds of other peoples feet..I don’t maybe its me..but I was quite happy having a barrier from in my hot pink water shoes!

Okay. We started out by a jumping into the pool at the counts castle which you can see from my last trip to SP. And since last time I had a little baby, I barely went into the water so this time, I jumped right in and stood square under the bucket for a good lashing..there was no going back after that, once you’re soaked, the water fun just becomes second nature.

Evie is a little fish, she loves the water and if you’ve been to Sesame Place before, you know the water is extremely crisp, freezing, but she wouldn’t get out even while she was shivering. She was running up and down the stairs at the counts castle water slides and even went down a windy slide several times..she wasn’t nervous at all. This particular pool, has slides and was filled with kids and adults, has water falling from every location and every few minutes has a huge bucket of water dumped on the swimmers! My baby Arie (almost 6 years old) was terrified and cried because of the loud thunderous sound it makes before the deluge but Evalie wanted to stand under the deluge! They are so different. It was a bit hard to negotiate because we were first so if Arielle wanted to go somewhere else, we would have to separate.

We were also looking out for my sisters and their kids so we didn’t want to go too far until they got there. What I realized that day though was that SP is a pretty compact park, it seemed much larger the first time.

When the others arrived, we ordered lunch and jumped back in the pool, hit up a few slides and then rushed back for our personal visit with the count..at non other than the “Counts cabanas”! Last time we were amateurs so we missed all the perks of the cabanas but this time we knew, we could get food delivered, we got one on one visits from the count and we got to bypass the lines on the rambling river!

While we ate lunch and relaxed for a moment, the count came in. We took a bunch a funny pictures with him, he laid out for a bit on a chaise and Evie even with him. He was the all out best most friendly character there. Kudos count!

We had been advised by an insider when we arrived that morning that around 2pm people would start leaving their towels down on the sidewalk to save the prime locations for the parade so thought we’d do the same because last time that was something I missed, I was too far back with my stroller and Austin just threw Arie on his shoulders so she could see. This time, we did as the Romans did but we were a bit late, by about 2:30 all the spot were taken so we were at the end of the line. The parade kicked off at 3pm and it was a blast. Evie wouldn’t get off Sesame Street, she wanted to run and down with them but the guards are very strict about keeping the kids on the curb because of the moving floats. Anyway, the 30-40 minute parade was lots of fun. The kids were screaming out and waving as all their favorite characters rode by on floats and came into the street to dance. It’s quite lively and very colorful.

The rest of the time was a race to get on as many rides and slides as possible but still make it to the hotel in time to wash up for dinner. We took the little ones to the wave pool (it was filled with little babies and the water was quite a bit warmer than the other pools! yuck.) Arie and Evie made friends, and really had a good time there, in that regard, they are both quite similar, they like to have one friend and they are happy to stay.  

I knew that if we waited too long Evie would melt and although we left the park at 6:30ish, and she slept for about an hour, she woke up very cranky and hard to deal with which is what I was afraid of. She eventually snapped out of it, when we go to the restaurant around 8pm. We had the usual Teppanyaki table hijinks which my kids like and the food was quite nice. They brought her out a cake and sang and then gave her a porcelain cat cup (a bit bizarre but its the thought that counts!).

Day 2 a SP was a bit more low key, I was grumpy to start but eventually lightened up. We split up in three groups for most of the day! My sister parked herself on a chaise lounge under an umbrella with a good book and her visor, the guys and older girls went off to ride the more daring rides and my other sister and I along with the two year olds did ice cream, got caricatures, met Elmo and Super Grove, rode a slow Elmo ride..etc. We even got to see a part of the parade again. We spent some time at the kiddie area but unfortunately the wave pool had just been evacuated..word on the street.. the Sesame street..was that one of those babies pooped!..ewww. We left he park around 7 and drove home, kids in PJ’s and fed ( NJ turnpike food..) but at least it was food!

Two Years Old

My dear Evalie,

Happy 2^nd Birthday my love. As I even begin to write this I am tearing up with an intensity of love I never imagined I could feel for another person. I have had the great pleasure of watching you and your personality develop unfettered over the last year(since your first birthday). It has been quite an adventure, as opposed to the first year year where you physically transformed from a squirmy newborn to a more stable walker by One, the last year has been a whirlwind of so many milestones and you have not only achieved them but you have surpassed all of them and done it with such humor! 

You have become an even brighter light in our lives than you had been last year. You are funny and honest, sharp and thoughtful, you love and play with all your heart, you are sweet as they come and have yet to encounter any hurdles you won’t dare to traverse. You love to sing and you often do, everything from nursery rhymes to tunes you hear on the radio and somehow are able to retain the words or some version of them. You are bursting with enthusiasm for life and have had no problems learning the lessons you need in your second year of life, the alphabet, counting to 20, primary colors and good manners. You often respond to my requests with a snarky “of course” and are always able to get a laugh out of us when you pretend to answer the phone in your funny accent “halllow?”  

I never tire of hearing your high pitched little voice asking me all sorts of questions with such cadence, one can’t help but smile. You are truly unique, I regularly ask myself why I was so nervous to have another baby girl. On the contrary, you make me wish to have another one just like you but I know it’s not possible because you are like no other and that is what I am most proud of, you will always be something special to me and, I am confident you will to the world in the future.

From the moment I met you at 3:49 am on July 11^th 2012, I knew I could not imagine my life without you but now 2 years later, you have compounded those feelings in my heart. You are such a lovely and funny little girl, you leave me wondering everyday where this comes from. Your ability to love and take care of your sister and daddy is also so uncanny for a person your size and age. Over the last year, you have marveled everyone you meet with your outgoing, witty boisterous personality, I’m regularly asked how old you are because of your vocabulary, your ability to process concepts and your profound ability to express yourself. Some of the funniest moments remain in my mind but some we have caught on video and shared with many others who also take part in the pleasure of watching you grow. You are still walking on your tippy toes at all times (even on the balance beam during your gymnastics class!) You love to play outside and are very daring and brave, conquering the highest windy slides and running up and down as fast as you can. I love your sweet smile and how squinty your eyes become, I love how you make yourself laugh, I love your chubby little feet, I love your spunky nature, I love the little dance you do (when you bend over, pull your elbows into your belly and wiggle), I love how friendly your are, I love your big belly, I love that you still need to cuddle up to me at night to fall asleep. I love you little girl. Happy Birthday.
Love mum.

So I knew Evie’s birthday was on a Friday and she had been talking about it for days already so I felt bad that I wouldn’t be there with her like I was last year. But I decided that if we could at least come home from work a bit early and have her two favorite people (her cousins) come over and have a little cake then she’d at least feel like we did something. We had all planned to go to Sesame place for her birthday the following week but I still wanted to do something without doing a big party and getting completely frustrated like last year. So I planned to get pizza, make the cake myself and have a fun evening. I then decided to ask my sister and my nephew if they could come over even though it was kind of late on a Sunday and she accepted, I then felt bad because my uncle and his kids were visiting and I had to invite them as well. This little get together turned into a party of sorts.

From the moment I got home from work, she was wearing the felt crown I made her and saying “happy birthday mommy”, “happy birthday to my little daddy”..it was so funny! I could tell she had a good day, her nanny had taken them to the park and they had time to play in the sandbox as well.

I ordered some finger food for dinner and I made chocolate devils and a three tier birthday cake (which tasted better than it looked). I served cookies, donuts and watermelon slices. I made little favors of shortbread..because Evie loves shortbread cookies and that was it. I did get her the giant balloon I got last year because she had so much fun with it last time.  

The party turned out much better than I expected, we even opened quite a few gifts and you got to blow out your two candle twice (because your sister and cousin blew them out the first time), by the end of the evening, you were exhausted and went to sleep even before everyone had gone home. 

I am still reeling from Friday, I can't beleive my baby girl tuned two years old! Its amazing how fast year two has gone.

Parenthood. Motherhood. - written soon after Evie was born

When I first had my daughter, I was unsure of what to expect, I was nervous about everything from baby care to weightloss. I thought once I got through the hard part, the birthing process, then I'd be fine, I'd snap back into things and everything would be great. I had a great job, with a flexible schedule, I had gotten myself into good shape, I was healthy, I was on the waiting list for daycare, I had even timed my pregnancy down to the semester schedule so I had the entire fall semester off and would return in the Spring for 16 weeks and have the summer off affording me the opportunity to spend most of the baby's first year with her. Personally, I had always struggled with my looks so once I got over the amount of weigh I would gain while pregnant, I even enjoyed being pregnant.
Arielle was 7 days late and at 11:56am on October 3rd, she was born and my life would never be the same again. Although my older sister had two children, my close cousin had 2 sons also and my mom was close by, I still felt like I had no clear idea of what it would really be like to have a baby and I was right. It has taken me many years (and having a second child) to really reflect on how it affected me but I did, seriously. Obviously, the immediate postpartum adjustment period which is not actually longer than 6 weeks for most women, was messy in many ways. My body was still very much trying to reconcile the loss of something it had nurtured within for the last 9 months while my mind was also engrossed with that loss,  I was feeling a kind of love I had never felt before. I was trying to adjust to nursing which seems simple but its not. I was tired all the time and I was overwhelmed by emotion all the time.
All of a sudden I felt everything become overshadowed with a grayness that wouldn't go away. My husband had taken a month off to be with us and it was great to have a companion but once he returned to work, I both welcomed the time alone but began to feel resentful as well. I was caught in the conflict of motherhood that only multiplies as the years go by. I knew I was doing the right thing to be home with my daughter but wanted so badly to feel that pride of being in the workplace. I didn't want to leave my baby with a stranger so early but I wanted to be able to go to work and stimulate my brain. When I decided I would return to the gym, which had always been my way of maintaining emotion stability, I got excited but unfortunately, Arielle would cry the minute we got there, she was only used to being with me. I was trapped or at least I felt trapped. I could not go anywhere without my baby and I didn't want to but I knew I needed to to get myself feeling better.

going back to work..

Now with my second daughter at 4 months old, I feel like I have all the same issues all over again but I am better equipped to deal with them. I am more confident that I will come out of this just fine even with happy little girls who love the mommy and daddy. I even may try this again!