It always seems to take a bit of time to settle back into the routine of life after a trip away. My friend
Josie said, "I always feel a little melancholy after a trip out of town... coming back to the ordinary and predictable...". I would have to agree entirely. That being said...we both agreed there is beauty in the ordinary and joy in the small things of our simple lives.
Our trip to Portland was full of wonderfully fun experiences (see posts below). Lucas and I went without Matt, which really made that third week away a tough one. We wanted nothing more than to be home with the hubs. To add salt to the wound, Lucas slept terribly. His naps were short and difficult... resulting in constant crankiness. Nighttime consisted of multiple wake-ups. The hardest part was Lucas' refusal to just lay down and go to sleep. He was in a crib, but would not (repeat, would NOT) go to sleep, unless someone was there with him. I, being the not-so-patient mother at times, found myself becoming very frustrated that nap time and bedtime was the same difficult routine... day after day... for three weeks.
Thankfully, now that we're home Lucas is back on his normal routine. It took nearly a week to rid this habit of crying at crib time, but I think we're in the clear. I clearly realized how "trained" we had our child and to have to re-train him was a challenge for us. I'm amazed at how we forget the challenges of infancy in spite of it being nearly twelve months ago. To make things even happier for us... he took a three hour nap today. I think he's making up for lost time and frankly, I'm thrilled with it.
Other than Lucas' nervous/needy/manipulative tendencies, I would say our trip was a hit. It's funny how something so small can be so stressful on a person (on a mother)... but having a child who isn't as flexible as I would like really puts a dent in things. I found myself saying multiple times how I don't want to travel with that lil' critter for a long time again.
Just you watch... we'll take another trip in six months... and I'll remember it all over again.
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| Aunt Julie and Lucas... after a little cupcake. |
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| Grandma Judy and Papa playing in the backyard |
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| Grandma Lisa lets Lucas play nonstop... |
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| ...and jump off the stairs! |
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| Rashelle LOVES Lucas... and Lucas LOVES Rashelle! |
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| This picture is hilarious... because Brooklynn despised Lucas' presence... but Grandma Judy forced a photo anyway. |
Ugh, we have this same problem when we go anywhere too. It's so frustrating to be excited to spend time with family and friends and then have to deal with a grumpy toddler! I'm glad that Lucas is getting back into his normal routine, though and that you're getting some little breaks too!
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