Busy Weekend

Well, we did it... We survived our first overnight adventure with both kids in tow! And while I spent most of yesterday recovering, I think we'll call this one a success. Not bad for a first attempt, anyway!

On Saturday, we drove up to L.A. for Eraclis' (Nikos' godbrother's) college graduation party. We timed it so that we'd be leaving our house just as it was time for Nikos' nap. And, as luck would have it, Maya fell asleep at about the same time. The stars seemed to be lining up for us! We hit a lot of traffic, though, and the drive took almost exactly three hours. Nikos slept for the first hour and a half, but then woke up cranky and wanting out of his seat. We kept him happy by discussing everyone who would be at the party (pappou, yia-yia, thea, nouno, nouna, and a doggy!). He was especially excited about petting the dog, and quickly became upset that he couldn't do it RIGHT NOW. Toddlers don't exactly grasp the concept of "later"-- oops! So we quickly moved on to singing songs as a distraction tactic, which bought us some time before he mentioned the doggy again... and again... and again...

Anyway, we got to the party, and he was thrilled to get out of the car. He walked up to the front door, and... promptlydecided it was time to go bye-bye! He would NOT stay in the house or the back yard for more than a few minutes without screaming his head off and yelling "BYE-BYE! BYE-BYE!!!" It was loads of fun. Gus ended up walking him up and down the block in front of their house for a long time until yia-yia and pappou finally showed up. From that point on, he got better and eventually came in for the party. He even played with another little girl who was there. I will never understand what goes through his cute little head, but he did end up having a great time and eating a ton of strawberries (his favorite).

Meanwhile... Maya's tummy was unhappy. I'd go into a bedroom to nurse her, and she would spend half the time bobbing her head around, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. Needless to say, she ended up swallowing a lot of air and getting pretty uncomfortable-- even spitting up quite a bit. In the end, though, she was relaxed and wide awake, and a lot of people got to hold her. :)

About half an hour past Nikos' bedtime, after saying all our goodbyes, we loaded everyone in the car and headed part of the way home. We decided to spend the night at Gus' parents' house, since it was only about a 45 minute drive from the party. Miraculously, both kids fell asleep on the drive. When we got to the house, we had to set up the Pack N Play for Nikos to sleep in. Normally when we visit, he sleeps in a crib in the room with us. But with Maya, we wanted him to be somewhere else where he wouldn't be woken up by his sister. The transition from the car to the Pack N Play made for a very groggy and miserable toddler, but he crashed after a few minutes of crying. Meanwhile, Maya slept in her carseat in our room until 3:30am. That's when I fed her, and she decided not to go back to sleep. After an hour of us taking turns holding and rocking her, she finally gave in and allowed us to sleep until 7:30 or so. Hallelujah! Nikos had woken up at 6:15, but Gus' parents had gotten up with him. Double hallelujah!

After we went out to breakfast on Sunday (and Nikos spent the entire time stealing food off of everyone's plates), we packed up again and drove another 45 minutes to my parents' house. Nikos fell asleep in the car, at the entirely wrong time of day for him, so we knew he had to be exhausted. Once we arrived at my parents' house, he was in a weird, groggy sort of mood. And Maya, who had slept all through breakfast and the car ride, had woken up in an interesting mood, too. It was a shame, really, because my aunt and grandma were visiting from Northern California, and they didn't get to see how the kids really are on a normal day. But that's okay. Everyone has an "off" day every now and then, right?

Anyhow... We took Nikos to the pool, but he wouldn't do more than sit on the edge and kick his feet. We really do need to get those swimming lessons! Maya enjoyed the ride in the stroller to and from the pool, but was fussy for the remainder of the day. That is, until she had an explosive poop during dinner, which went all up the back of her clothes and onto her carseat. Joy! Luckily, I was prepared with several changes of clothing. I learned that lesson the hard way with baby #1. :)

Finally, at Nikos' bedtime, we got into the car and headed home. Maya, who had been asleep after her diaper explosion, decided to wake up and be unhappy. Which made Nikos unhappy. Which meant that we pulled over, and Gus squeezed into the tiny seat between the two carseats so that he could soothe the kiddos. Good thing he's so skinny! Anyhow, we finally got home, and Nikos settled down happily in his bed. I fed Maya, and we finally got her to go to sleep by 10pm. And everyone slept through the night, happily ever after! :)

So, in short, we survived. It was exhausting, but we made it. And I don't think we will be doing it again any time soon, because that was a LOT of work!