Baby beach bums

We just got back from a quick trip to the beach. My parents were in town and my mom still is. We made the 3.5 hour trip for one night. It was a tricky task with a newborn and a two year old, but we managed and did have some fun.

My parents rented a mini-van to carry all of us and our stuff. I admittedly nursed R in the backseat breaking the law in the process, but I didn't feel like stopping every time he wanted a snack.

Q loved the beach. It was windy and chilly, but he was fascinated by the water and loved throwing rocks and watching dogs chase Frisbees. We even dipped R's little toes into the Pacific Ocean for his first taste of the sea.

Of course, being out of town requires a lot of restaurant meals. Q had many meltdowns and T and I were frazzled much of the time. It was nice to have a few more sets of hands to keep him busy.

This was our first experience with two children in a hotel room, and it wasn't pleasant. We attempted to put Q in his crib and go next door to my parents' room, but Q flipped out. He seemed to actually think we were abandoning him, and he panicked. We went back to our room and ignored him while he stood up in his crib and chattered at us. R of course was up every three hours and that would wake up Q. We got very little sleep! Thankfully it was just one night.

Monday was Q's second birthday. I felt a little stressed planning the weekend away and then Q's celebration as soon as we got back. Having visitors to see R is not actually helpful. It just piles on more responsibility! We got Q a shopping cart and a lawnmower to push around. He loves them. It feels like it has been much longer than two years and much shorter at the same time.

Having my mom in town is a mixed blessing. She is an amazing cook and is great with the kids, but she has very exacting standards. I feel a bit like my house and my parenting are under the microscope. She is quick to offer advice about how I am handling things with a screaming Q or a fussing R. I feel self-conscious and defensive, but am determined to raise my kids the way I want to. There are some things about the way I was brought up that I don't want to repeat, but I can't just come out and say that obviously! I love having her in town in a lot of ways, and it is nice to have a little help now that T returned to work, but it will be nice to have full control again in a few days.

--MM