It was a short trip, but Emily did fantastic for her first trip. We are going camping for the 4th of July so we had to go up north this weekend to get our camper and bring it back down here to put in storage since our campsite for the 4th is south of us. We left yesterday morning, Emily was still sleeping when we were ready to go, so I tried to give her a bottle but since I had to wake her up for it, she said no way Jose.
So we left her in her PJs and off we went. She slept most of the ride, we stopped about halfway for a diaper change and then I rode in the back and gave her a bottle. While I was back there I took advantage of the tinted windows and pumped. I tried giving her that when she woke up again but it was the Nuk nipple that came with the pump and she seemed to dislike it.
We arrived around noon and decided to go into town first. We went to a few new shops that we'd never been to before. Very cute, the first one was a children's store, not much there for her now but in a year or two she'll love it. In the other section of the store they have a children's theater (puppet show). The whole room is decorated to match the book that they do the show from, and the walls have murals on them like the pictures in the book. It's a kids dream come true. I can't wait to take her there when she's older.
The other store was a Michigan Tshirt shop. We got her this cute onsie with a cartoon-like Michigan glove with the upper peninsula. It came in handy when we stopped for lunch next since it was getting warm out and she was still in her fleece PJs so I put her in the onsie. After lunch we headed to see my grandma so she could meet Emily for the first time. That was fun (sarcasm). I've written before about my grandma and how we're not close. I never saw her much as a kid, she has a lot of grandkids and she's just a tough woman. Doesn't show emotion, isn't nurturing, isn't warm and friendly. I'm sure she has a lot more emotions than what she shows, but it's tough to be close to someone that really resists it and doesn't give it back.
But, she'll be 90 next week and she is my only grandparent left. I wanted to make sure she got to meet Emily, and even though she likely won't live long enough for Em to remember her, I at least have a picture of them. I love my grandma, I just don't really look forward to visiting with her because it's so awkward. So when we got there I handed Emily over to her and she held her. She didn't talk to her, didn't say how cute she is...just none of the usual stuff people say when holding a baby. Oh, she did talk....to complain about the fact that Emily had mittens on. She told me to take them off her but I ignored her, so when Ryan came out of the bathroom she told him and he took them off. No idea what the problem was with the mittens. Probably because they weren't around back in 1812 when she was raising kids therefore they weren't necessary. Well I'm sorry, my baby has scratches all over her nose, so the mittens go on.
So then Emily was due for a bottle so I made one and went to put it in her mouth, assuming my grandma would take the bottle and feed her but no. She practically shoved her back in my arms and said I don't feed babies, that's your job. Uh, ok. Most people love to feed her, my niece and nephew fight over who gets to feed her. So I took her back and fed her, and then attempted to make awkward conversation for ten minutes. I'd try to tell her some news and she'd just nod, I'd ask her a question and she'd answer with one word. Come on, throw me a bone here, I'm trying!
So finally I couldn't take it anymore and said we had to get going to open up the camper and get it de-winterized. I've come a long way since my childhood shyness, but I just can't deal with other people who are quiet. And my grandma is so not shy, I really can't describe her....woman of few words I guess. So we got the camper opened up, unpacked our things and got Emmy's pack n play set up. Then we went back into town to meet some of my aunts and cousins for dinner. That was nice, it was good to see people and they all had the normal reaction of seeing a baby, she got passed around the whole table. As we were leaving the restaurant some more of my cousins and aunt showed up, but since we already ate they got their food to go and went to the beach to eat. We were planning on going anyway, as were my cousin Brian and his wife and their daughter so we walked with them.
We usually hang out with them when we're in town, go to ride go carts and arcade games and stuff. But since we had limited time we settled for the beach. So we all walked down there and met my other family and went down by the water. It was nice that they had installed a walkway almost all the way down to the water so we were able to take her stroller down there and then Ryan just carried it the rest of the way. So we stayed for a bit, chatting and dipping our feet in the ice cold water. Such a beautiful beach though, Lake Michigan is amazing.
After that Ryan and Emmy and I walked out on the pier and then headed back and got ice cream on the way. Emily was starting to fuss for a bottle so we headed back to the camper. I knew I would be expected to stop in and see grandma and say goodnight, but I just couldn't go through more awkwardness so when my dad called and asked if we stopped, I fibbed and said Em was melting down and we had to get her back and get her to bed. Eh, it was sort of true. I told him we were leaving around 7 or 8 in the morning and he said she wouldn't be up yet by then so I didn't even plan on stopping by in the morning.
Once we got her down, we watched a movie but we both passed out before it was over. I don't normally sleep well away from home so I was pleasantly surprised that I fell asleep easily. Of course it helped that this time we got a memory foam topper for the bed. The bed in there sucks and this topper made it soooo comfortable. I was hesitant to spend so much on it, they had a cheaper one, but this sucker was worth every penny. Emily woke up around 4 for a bottle....they say babies tend to get off their schedules on vacation but I think she did great. I gave her a last bottle at 9:30 when she usually gets another one around 11:30. Had she gotten that later one I am sure she would have slept till at least 6.
This morning we got up early and got packed up and hit the road around 9. It took forever to get home. Without many stops and pushing the speed limit a bit the drive is about 3.5 hours, but with stopping for diaper changes, and to check the camper and driving slower because of the load, it took 7 hours to get home. Of course part of that was driving past home to storage and unhooking, and picking up lunch. We tried to eat there but she had a poopy diaper and the bathroom didn't have a changing table so we got it to go and went home. I don't get it, a changing table is essentially a baby's toilet. They wouldn't have a public restroom with just urinals and no regular toilets, so why not a changing table? It takes virtually no maintanence, God knows they are never the cleanest things.
When a place doesn't have a changing table I think everyone with a baby should change their kid out amongst the rest of the people, especially where people are eating. Maybe the place would think twice about not having a changing table. If the counter is big enough I'll use that no problem, I have a travel changing pad in my bag, but this bathroom had absolutely no place to change her and there was no way I was putting her on the floor.
It was good to get home. She was a little fussy for the rest of the evening and she didn't care for her bath tonight, but she conked out pretty quick after. So my dad called me earlier and said my grandma was dissapointed we didn't stop by this morning, she thought she would get to see Emily again and even stayed home from church to see her. My aunt had called my dad to give him a heads up. You know my grandma is mad when she goes through the grape vine to let people know she isn't happy. She's like a mob boss that puts out a hit.
,
As I've gotten older, I've stopped caring as much what people think. We do what is best for our family and if that means pissing other people off, well it happens. We knew it would be a long drive with Emily and the camper, and I really didn't feel like lugging her out of the car and out of her carseat and then back in. Besides, church was at 9 and we left at 8:50. My grandma doesn't have a car, someone always comes to take her so how were we to know she didn't go to church when we went by. So my dad said I should call her and apologize for not being able to stop.
Sigh, the only thing worse than visiting with her is calling her. I didn't want to, and I was going to just keep putting it off until my dad stopped badgering me, but finally I decided to get it over with. She must have been out in the garden though cause I got the machine. Score! So I did what my dad said and didn't have to talk to her. I do feel a little bad if she truly did want to see her and was sad she didn't get to, but honestly I sometimes wonder how much of what my dad says is what she really feels and how much is what my dad projects on to her. She certainly didn't seem like the person my dad has said has been "dying to meet that little girl". I also think it has less to do with her being upset that she didn't get to see her, and more to do with the fact that she just likes to complain about what she thinks people should do.
So I've only got four days of maternity leave left. I'm so sad to leave her. My dad can't watch her on the first day he is supposed to since he's going up north to celebrate grandma's birthday so my stepmom is watching her Friday. She's soooo excited, 10.5 uninterrupted hours with her Emily. She text me today and said "111 hours till Grammy wins an Emmy". Ha, so cute.
My tennis starts in a few weeks, but I wasn't sure I would be able to do it this year afterall. It's two nights a week from 7-8:30 in the same city my dad lives in. It would be a pain to go pick her up after work, drive home and then basically turn back around and go back for tennis....plus there is a good chance Ryan won't even be home from work by then to watch her. I also don't want to leave her at my dad's during that time because 7 am to 5:30pm M-F is already a long time he has to watch her, I don't want to add another 6 hours a week to that.
But he told me today my aunt has offered to come over during those hours to watch her so I can play tennis. I had thought about asking her since she lives down the street from him, but I thought that was asking too much, but my dad said she's thrilled to come spend time with her a few hours a week. I may not have the relationship with my grandma I want, but we're very lucky to have the rest of my family that is so generous.
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