Tuesday, April 15, 2014

A Weekend in San Jose

We just got back from a wonderful weekend to visit my parents in San Jose. The last time we went to them, Lucas was only five months old. That trip had its moments too, but Lucas and I slept about 3-4 hours per night on average while we were there, so I mostly remembered feeling so exhausted and stressed out. This trip went, for the most part, much more smoothly!

As long as you discount the airplane trips, of course. Lucas is not what you'd call a happy traveler. He thrives on routine and familiarity; airports provide none of those things. So he's very on edge the entire time we're in the airport and on the plane, which means for him that he's liable to tantrum at any moment. On the way there, we attempted to have him ride in his car seat. That didn't work at all; about five minutes after takeoff he started violently kicking the (occupied) seat in front of him. He spent the rest of the flight on Brandon's lap as we desperately tried to find something to entertain him. I swear I brought a ton of options, but when he's already in a bad mood, nothing would please him. My poor dad met us at the airport with an exhausted shrieking toddler and two extremely cranky adults. The trip was all uphill from here!

My mom was brilliant and rented a full-size crib for us to use instead of a cramped Pack'n'Play, so Lucas slept through the night all three nights we were there and took about an hour long nap each day. So much better! He didn't eat that well, but the dogs and grandparents provided too much distraction to focus on unimportant things like food. Luckily, the Tank can afford to skip a couple meals. But Brandon and I didn't have to! My parents made delicious meals for us to eat all weekend, which was wonderful!

A lot of the trip we spent just chilling in my parents beautiful, toddler-safe backyard. My mom found a Radio Flyer wagon on Craigslist that was probably Lucas's favorite thing ever, so we pulled him around the yard in that about a thousand times. There were also plenty of new trucks to investigate, plus the all-consuming excitement of splashing his hands into their bird bath. He was a little indifferent to their two Basset Hounds, Kaylee and Charlie, at first and never really liked being licked in the face. He did love getting Kaylee to chase him back and forth across the yard, which was really cute, as was his lifting up his shirt and giggling when the dogs sniffed and licked his tummy. The best part of the backyard was the comfy lounges for Brandon and I to lie on while Lucas ran his grandparents ragged, and also playing with Lucas under the fan sprinkler. Don't tell him, but I just bought him one for his birthday for us to use in the backyard this summer. He had so much fun running through it! It was really cute.

We did a couple very Lucas-friendly outings as well. Our first full day there, we went to visit Lucas's great-grandma, Grandma T., at her house. Then we all walked down to the nearby park for a little playtime -- well, some of us walked, some of us rode in a wheelchair, and some were carried by their dad and grandpa. The park was really nice and Lucas had a lot of fun, although his favorite part was when Grandma T sat on a bench so Grandpa could push him around in her wheelchair while he ate Goldfish crackers out of the cupholder.

Showing off his cuteness to Grandma T.
The second fun outing was to a ritzy park in the rich neighborhood nearby. This park featured a working miniature steam train and a carousel! We got to ride both, and it made my heart burst with happiness to see how much fun Lucas had on the train and carousel. It was a little rough getting off the carousel because he wanted "More? More?" and didn't understand why we couldn't go again. It's such a joy to see your kid experience things you love for the first time. Taking him to Disneyworld this summer may well kill me.

The trip home was a hundred times better than the trip out. This time we gate-checked the car seat and just had him on our laps; the extra space seemed to keep everyone a lot calmer and happier. Although the good feelings were mostly ruined by the epic meltdown he threw in the car while we were waiting for Brandon to reinstall the carseat, we all came home feeling like we'd had a great, relaxing weekend.

Happy boy on the train
Selfie on the train! I swear I don't look this pregnant yet.


The ritzy park had a real fire engine to play in.


Fun at the park!
Carousel Excitement!






3 comments:

  1. What fun! Glad the trip was mostly wonderful, you mostly slept and ate and shared your Tank of joy with the fam!

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  2. So glad the trip went (mostly) well and that your little man got full access to a Radio Flyer wagon! The joy!! Also, 1) crazy jealous of your next planned trip to Disney World! and 2) you do not even look pregnant yet.

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