Well, we’re home. We drove from Atlanta to Jensen Beach, FL to visit with my MIL. She’d had total knee replacement surgery a month ago and we went down to help her get back on her feet (sorry, bad pun). She’d already spent 2 weeks in a rehab facility and then a week at home with a friend helping her out. By the time we got there, she was already pretty mobile. She started the week on a cane and by the time we left, she was only using the cane when she was out of the house and she was just starting to drive. Or maybe she’s using the cane to beat off old men in the grocery store, I’m not really sure. I’m not sure we were much help (although, I did do her laundry and some shopping and a little cooking). I mean, she was even making her own ham sandwiches. What more does one need?
As far as vacations go, it wasn’t really very relaxing. I spent 1/2 the week completely paranoid that some toy Courtney was playing with was going to end up under my MIL’s foot and she was going to trip and fall. And I felt guilty that we’d completely trashed her house. Courtney was playing with newspapers and magazines and her mail and there was paper everywhere. And then there’s the part when you aren’t even sleeping in your own bed. Sleeping in your own bed is SO much better than almost anything on the planet.
And then, there’s the whole bit about traveling with an almost 12 month old. You’re a slave to the schedule. Courtney takes 2 naps a day. And they’re two hours each. And then she eats. So if you figure that she wakes and then eats, there’s only a finite amount of time to do something before the next nap time strikes. Consequently, after Courtney would be done eating, we’d rush rush rush to our activity of the day and get in as much as we could before she’d need to nap again. There’s only so much one can do in a 2 1/2 -3 hour window. And I know, we could skip a nap or push it back, but sometimes that’s just worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.
Now, having said all that, we did have a good time. We went to the kids museum, the park and to the beach a few times. We also went to the Pineapple Festival (where there wasn’t a single pineapple to be found) and got to visit with a friend of Paul’s and his little boy. We visited with my cousin, her husband and her youngest (who’s a senior in high school – shoot me now) over a fabulous dinner. And, we got to visit with my mother-in-law and she got to spend time with Courtney.
Lastly, Courtney and I flew home. It was so much easier. Courtney didn’t have to sit in her car seat for 9 hours, screaming and crying. I didn’t have to entertain Courtney for 9 hours all while yelling at Paul to slow down and asking whythehelldoyouhavetodrivesofastwhat’stherushanyway. And Paul didn’t have to listen to his girls scream/yell/cry at him for 11 hours. It was a win win for us all. And, of course, Courtney was a rock star on the plane and everyone around us thought she was adorable.
I’m so glad to be home.
