Great Wolf Lodge

As a final hurrah before summer ended and the kids went back to school we drove up Rt 2 to lovely Fitchburg to check out the new Great Wolf Lodge. The kids were beyond excited, and while spending a gorgeous late summer afternoon at an indoor water park and arcade makes me break out in hives, I think their excitement was contagious.

We walked in and were immediately handed complimentary wolf ears and a lei. I remembered someone on Tripadvisor commenting how excited they were that the wolf ears were free. I guess I was too, because there's no way I'm paying for red, white and blue wolf ears. But the kids loved it.

Our room wasn't ready so off we went to the locker rooms to change and check out the water park! Can you sense my excitement? No, it was fun. Cam was able to go on almost all the slides, and there was a great slide that we could all go down together as a family.

The kids loved the Wolf Den in our room, and the food at dinner wasn't horrible. It was crowded, and you feel stuck there because there really isn't much to do around the area. The casino um, I mean arcade is open all night and is basically training for Vegas for when these little ones turn 21.

After checkout we emerged outdoors and I took a great gulp of fresh air. It was glorious after breathing chlorine for 24 hours. The kids had a blast, and I'm glad we went, though as you can probably surmise we won't be rushing back there anytime soon.

Success!

Well, for now.... but I'm taking it! Cam slept through the night last night. Finally. I realize it's just one night, but it's felt so good to know that maybe we're on the right path. The first words out of his mouth were, "Did I wake you up?" So it's clearly on his mind too.

It was an enormous adjustment to our usual schedule to put him to bed at 8:30 instead of 7 or 7:30. When in the world will I get to watch TV with my husband? But it's worth it if it means we can get Cam to sleep well throughout the night.

Our visit to the sleep clinic

Like most parents, we are sleep deprived. However, I had thought once our kids got a little bigger, oh, like 5 and 7, we could count on a good chunk of uninterrupted sleep. Well, I was so very wrong. Every night Cam wakes up at 12:30 and 2:30, like clockwork. Sometimes he will go back if I just rub his back or scratch his hair. But other times that doesn't cut it, and there's a lot of screaming and crying and not a lot of sleep. We had finally had enough and I called the Children's Hospital Sleep Clinic, home of the famous Dr. Ferber, at the recommendation of his pediatrician. I was dreading the ride into Longwood at rush hour, but I was so excited to finally have a professional weigh in on our increasingly ridiculous situation. We met with a nurse practitioner, who was great, with both me and Cam. She gave me a concrete plan to work on and spoke with Cam about what he needed to do to as well. While I'm not psyched to take on some her recommendations, I would basically do anything right now for all of us to sleep through the night at this point. So, starting tonight we are:

-Putting Cam to bed a full hour later than usual. Typically he goes to bed around 7-7:30. But now we need to keep him up until 8:30, so that he is very sleepy and can easily fall asleep on his own. Jen, the NP, thinks he probably needs 10 hours of sleep and we were putting him down too early, causing a lot of bedtime drama. Eesh. I've been known to put my kids down at 6:30 and lie about the time. I really enjoy our evenings alone, this is going to be a tough one. But it's all in the name of sleep.

-If Cam asks me or Tim to come in, we just stand at his door to check on him. We don't go in to rub his back, give him a bad dream shot, or a head massage (you see how ridiculous things have become?) This is also going to be a tough one. I anticipate a lot of crying and whining.

-Wake him at 6:30am if he's not up. What? Wake him up? Blasphemy.

We return to the sleep clinic in a month to report on his progress. Fingers crossed!

House Love

Complaining about our house has become somewhat of a past time for me. We bought it 3 years ago from an elderly couple who stopped maintaining it sometime in the late 80s. Picture it-- different patterns of wallpaper in each room. The bathrooms were crumbly and mildewy. The kitchen was dark and closed off, the list goes on. But it was on the end of a cul-de-sac, and it was next door to the brand new elementary school. It's our little money pit, but at least our kids can walk to school! I think I complain because deep down I think we are really lucky and it's easier to make conversation with someone by griping about how expensive new windows are, instead of telling them how in the evening the sun slants through those windows and takes my breath away and gives me a quiet moment in the dinnertime/bedtime chaos.

Our neighbors just moved yesterday, and it strangely affected me way more than it should have. They lived there for 16 years. We only knew them for 3 years, but we will really miss them. They were a sweet family with two grown children. The mother would complain about the maintenance and upkeep of the house, and she said and her husband were done with taking care of the house-- they wanted a condo where it was all taken care of.

Their house sold quickly, and I spoke with her a couple days before the move. She started crying and was occasionally regretting the decision. My heart broke. I saw them drive away yesterday for the last time and she briefly paused in front of the house. She raised two great kids there. They learned how to ride their bikes on the driveway, she took pictures of them on their first days of school on the front steps, they had wiffle ball games and cookouts in the front yard.

I am of course, projecting. Our kids are still so little and we have so much more time in this house, but it just made me appreciate our life here. It's not perfect, but we have made it our home. It's easier to complain, but we are very lucky to be here.

Due?

Just when things are going so well, an old lady at the pool can knock you flat. The Fourth of July weekend was approaching, and there was a sense of excitement and anticipation that only comes with a long summer weekend. 

I had just finished my first triathlon the weekend before, and was feeling pretty good about myself. It was the first thing that had given me a sense of achievement in a very long time. Not only did I finish a triathlon, but I also remembered to bring my kids’ pajamas to the town pool, so after they went swimming I would stick them in the shower to rinse off, put those pjs on and we’d be halfway to bed!

Feeling pretty proud of myself, I walked over to our chaise by the pool to get the kids’ towels when this older woman with a big smile came up to me. I was so preoccupied with the kids that I didn’t immediately realize she was talking to me. But then I realized she was, and what she said registered in my brain. “You look so cute, when are you due?”

Rudely, I responded, what? Because I truly couldn’t believe she was asking me this. So, she asked again, just to make sure she got her point across.

“You look so cute.” (Ok, this part I can take. Thanks, strange lady!)

“When are you due?” (Ugh. Just take that exposed nerve that I so desperately try to hide or ignore and yank on it for everyone to see!)

I was so flustered. I just muttered a “thanks” and ran as fast  as I could to my kids in the locker room. 

At times like this, I actually feel badly for the person making the faux pas, even if it’s at my expense, and I don’t want to make them feel worse. However, I’ll admit I’ve fantasized of a million different comebacks five days too late.

The thing is, she's not totally off base-- I do look pregnant sometimes. After the birth of my son five years ago I’ve had diastasis recti. I run four to five times a week, go to boot camp classes at the gym and the occasional yoga class, so I’m not fat by any stretch.  It’s just that I look like I’m four to five months pregnant all the time. I look like Gru from Despicable Me—skinny legs and arms and a big torso.

My Gru-ness is something I’ve struggled with for five years, but had come to some sort of peace with recently. I’m a mother, and after you have two kids your body changes. But I’m fit and I’m proud of what my body has and still does accomplish—especially after finishing my first tri. But one comment from a stranger at the pool can easily knock me back years.

Heading North

We just planned a trip north, up to Storyland. This will be our third year going. It's such a sweet, manageable park and the kids love it. They ask to go back every year and I love that it's a family tradition.

We've learned a few things after going up for three years. Such as:

-Don't stay in a regular, two double beds hotel room. Or if you do, don't expect to sleep or stay sane. Our kids don't do well at all in one room with everyone.  The Red Jacket Mountain View has alcove rooms with a small bedroom off of the main room. It was a life saver for us last year.

-Don't drive up late Friday night. You'll hit massive traffic and no one will be in a good mood once you arrive. Then all you'll want to do is go right to bed, but after 5 hours in the car, that's the last thing the kids want to do (see above)! Good times.

-If you get there early on Friday, go to the park for a couple of hours and you'll get free admission the following day! It's a great deal.

-Stay away from the twirly rides. Last year my husband and I went on several twisty-turny rides with the kids and became SO NAUSEOUS. The kids were fine. We had to go find a bench in the shade and lie down for 15 minutes. It was not pretty. I remember a Modern Family episode when the same thing happened to Phil Dunphy on a roller coaster. I have heard that when you get older you can't ride the same rides you used to. It looks like we're not  alone.

Birks?

Summer is always tough for me when it comes to footwear. I love the ease of the flip-flop, but lately have been turned off by them for several reasons-- mainly because they are just awful for my feet. I have non-existent arches and my feet kill after wearing flip-flops for too long. Also, I'm over wearing flip-flops everywhere. I'll wear them on the beach and around the house, but I think I can slip on a more substantial sandal any other time. That being said, I bought these:

They're Birkenstocks. They're so comfortable, but when I first tried them on, I wasn't sure. They're not really my style-- I've never been a Birkenstocks girl. But then my sister sent me a bunch of blog posts about how they're back! For me they were never really in, but we will see!