Summer Vacay!

The boys and I visited Michigan last week for 5 whole days.  It was Courtney's and Jessica's birthdays as well as the 7th Hemlockapalooza.  We also decided to get family photos taken!
 
Our most memorable moments - or a rundown of the weekend:

• Oliver rode on his first (through fourth) airplanes and did excellently!  I had read that in order to minimize plugged ears (and hence - screaming baby), I should nurse him or give him a pacifier during take off and landing.  I tried...but usually I started nursing him too early and he'd have fallen asleep by the time it was supposed to happen.  A sleeping baby during a flight is fabulous as well, so we didn't wake him.  I did take to apologizing immediately t0 seatmates upon sitting down and asking if they would be offended with breastfeeding. I had my "hooter hider" but Oliver can be a bit loud! The hooter hider (on a separate note) gets really hot underneath and when Ollie passes gas - hoowa, be prepared for STANK.  The last two flights we think he just wanted to let everyone know of what he was capable - he screamed while we were finding our seats.  The passenger in front of us on the way to Chicago looked back and goodnaturedly asked, "What is going on back there?"  I just apologized and told him that Oliver is a very good passenger...and hoped I wasn't lying.  Eee.  Here's Ollie in Court's shower gift.  And would you know - no one noticed!  Shame.

And lookit how happy he was to finish traveling?!?

• Unfortunately, we weren't able to meet up with Terri, Dave and unborn baby/ Salsa / or Abbie, but we did get to hang out with Ellen, Layla and Sophie/ and Colleen, Elliot and Amelia.  Which was such a blessing, because I hadn't met 1/2 of those delights.  It took a minute for the older girls to warm up to me, but they all LOVED Doug.  He has that kind of smile that makes everyone fall in love, so he's got that going for him.  I fell for Sophie and wanted to hold her for the rest of my life.  I wish I had gotten more pictures!  Here's the one we did get, however: I tried to hug Layla when we were leaving, but she didn't want any of it.  I give Elliot a hug on the chair and who shows up on the backs of my legs?  A suddenly cuddly (and a bit jealous) Layla Bear.

• Mom and Kenzie waited patiently back home for us to all travel up to the lake cottage.  Mom sat with Kenzie and Oliver in the back while Doug drove and I navigated.  Poor Mom!  Kenzie doesn't like her car seat, the stroller or being restrained in any way.  She ran Grandma ragged.  Oliver slept, but Kenzie screamed.  Towards the end, O started fussing and wouldn't keep his pacifier in (he doesn't generally like them), so Mom was like a grown-up, unselfish version of that Alanis Morissette song: "I've got one hand calming Kenzie and another one holding his paci in."

• On a related note, at one point while we were at the lake, Court and Dad left to grocery shop for the Hemlockapalooza party on Saturday.  There were 3 adults and 3 children.  We were sorely outnumbered.

• Oh, I can't believe I haven't mentioned this yet.  A couple of days before we left, I came down with a case of itchy, scaly hives!  I was home with Oliver, sitting a lot on the couch and packing us up when I started itching on my knee.  Then my leg.  Then my elbow.  Then my ankles and feet, then face and ears.  It was horrendous and I thought we were infested.  The apartment two floors above us had a small case of bed bugs last month and I was sure we got them.  I vaccuumed the couch and the living room, I jumped in the shower, I even went down the street to where the Lutheran Medical Hospital ambulance was sitting and talked with the EMT there for about 20 minutes.  Nothing helped.  I came home and realized that neither Doug nor Oliver were itching.  I looked up postpartum allergies, and guess what came up?  POSTPARTUM HIVES.  What in the what?  Upon further reading, I learned that many women come down with hives after giving birth - for no reason at all.  AND NOTHING HELPS keep the hives away if you're breastfeeding.  Apparently most antihistimines/decongestants diminish milk supply, so there's not a lot of drugs to take.  AND they seem to flare up when you're stressed and they last for months.  Upon further reflection, I think I must have been stressed out thinking about Oliver on the plane and packing for him and myself.  I also am worrying about going back to work and Oliver refusing the bottle.  I didn't sleep for 3 nights, and finally, I got to the lake and my brother-in-law (THANK GOD FOR HIM) called in a prescription for an antihistimine that would curb the scratching, which would decrease the itching...and dad went to Three Rivers and picked it up for me.  Glorious.  In 2 days the rash was gone.  Until today - when I started thinking about going back to work and noticed 3 bug-like bites on my elbow.  You can bet I slammed one of Brian's pills ASA I was able.  There was a mosquito flying around so it may have been him, but I wasn't taking any chances.
• Speaking of bottles, Mom tried giving Oliver a bottle at the lake but was unsuccessful.  Yesterday, however, Doug gave Oliver two bottles and he took them like a champ!  Thank goodness because I had a beer on the second bottle.  My first alcoholic drink in a year and pardon me for saying that it tasted a bit like Heaven.  That is until Oliver decided to go CRANK on us and eat like there was no tomorrow and cry and scream until he was satisfied.  Nothing says "worthless mother" like an empty beer bottle and a screaming baby.  I have to be easy on myself, though.  He took the bottle, Doug was a little frazzled but made it through, and the kitchen was skkkkeeee-rubbed in my anxious state.  But this is about our Michigan vacation.
• Grandma came by the lake on Friday afternoon to see the kids.  she didn't stay for our family photo shoot, but we had a few pics taken anyway.  It was pretty cool to watch Grandma and little Ollie (Ollie being named after her late husband).

• Arnie, Rachel, Will, Clint and Jon came by to help us take family photos and to get their visit in with Oliver on Friday night.  And for pizza.  Lotsa pizza.  Rachel was spectacular as our photographer, Lori and Courtney were amazing child wrangler/entertainers and we got some good shots.  I hesitate to show any here just in case people choose to use them for Christmas cards, but here are a few non-professional shots.

• On Saturday, Doug and I took Oliver on his maiden voyage to Holland, Michigan, where we met and went to school.  Primarily, it was a trip to see our friends, the Hogans and the Aupperlees, but also we wanted to show him around campus.  Lunch was wonderful and eventful...and tiring because, as my sister says, being around children now means it takes about 4 days to finish a conversation.  Really, discussions on current states consist primarily of the following dialogue:

Person A: How ARE you?  Seriously?  Everything good?
Person B: Good, good, everything's good.  How are YOU?
Person A: Oh, I'm just fine, thank you.  I just...
Person B: <INSERT CHILD'S NAME HERE>!  Get off of that!  Sorry, sorry.  You were saying?
Person A: Oh, no worries.  I was just saying that - should he be playing with that?
Person B: Oh shit.  <INSERT CHILD'S NAME HERE>, come over here and finish your hamburger.
Person A: Oh, I think I backed my chair over his toy.  Hey, little dude, is this your toy?
Person B: Don't give him that, he hasn't eaten his meal.  I mean, thank you.  So really, tell me what you were saying.
Person A:  Oh, no, it's silly.  You've got your hands full here!
Person B:  No, no, really.  (Sit down).  What was it?
Person A:  Oh.....I forgot.

That's obviously a dramatization.  Like on Rescue 911.  But it isn't all bad - it's kind of sweet and lovely to watch your friends parent.  And be good parents at that.  After lunch was completed, we went out into the pouring rain to walk downtown Holland.  Which - we must point out - has gone Fifth-Effing-Avenue on us.  Who can afford it, really?  With a college 3 blocks away?  How do they do it?  Needless to say - due to the rain, our walk was curtailed and the planned photo shoot with Oliver at the anchor changed somewhat...

• When we got back from Holland, Hemlockapalooza was in full swing.  Joe and Joyce were there and loving up on all the kids!

• O and I didn't go swimming at all, but went on the boat once. It was a bit chilly that night and poor Oliver was dressed to the nines. Doesn't he look all snuggly? There's something to be said about wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and socks/shoes after a warm day on the lake. You really can't get better than that unless you're dressed in your warm pjs just out of the dryer and you climb into the car so Mom and Dad can take you to Dairy Queen. Those two feelings are pretty dang high on the comfort scale.

• Sunday was a day of naps, hangovers (none for me, thanks) and leftovers.  It was glorious.  AND we got to see Biff and Jackie!  Who brought an amazing pasta salad and peach pie, the latter of which I am unashamed to admit I ate 4 pieces and would've had more had I not been concerned with my daily sugar intake and its ramifications on my son's diet.  No pictures of that, though, sadly.

All in all, it was a lovely weekend.  A bit stressful with visitors and visiting, but it was wonderful to see the whole family at once.  And Ollie-Gator told us it was his favorite vacation thus far!  

We got back and the next day we had the earthquake. 
Doug: "Maybe we should move when our kitchen shaking isn't cause for concern."
Oh - and PS - Ollie took his first bottle during the earthquake, which makes Doug fearful that an act of God is the only way our son will eat on his own.

Now we're getting ready for a hurricane to end all hurricanes. 
Me: "I don't mean to be Chicken Little, but do you think New York is going to fall into the ocean?" 
Doug: "That's California." 
Me: "Okay, then.  Do you think God is 'Sodom and Gomorrahhing' us?" 

We'll let you know how we fare!