Crash and Burn

Less than 24 hours after the grandparents left, I have determined that perhaps I relaxed too much, enjoyed too many dinners and movies out and basically forgot how to be a mom. An emergency call to the advice nurse as we got back from the park with a swollen lip the size of a golf ball and a rag drenched in blood shocked me back into reality quickly.

He's fine. All teeth are accounted for. Looked worse than it was. Nothing a few popsicles didn't cure. But going down the curly slide back first instead of feet first will do that to you.

As for the first camping trip - it went well - once we figured out that the "Mommy, go potty" was really masking a good case of carsickness and altitude sickness on the way up and back. He figured out if he asked to go potty, we'd stop the car. Who am I to question the bathroom needs of a newly potty trained toddler, so we would stop. We figured out he was car sick when he actually threw up on the way to our first hike (we promptly turned around). And despite packing what seemed like half his closet, Ben was stringing up a clothesline for me as I washed out clothes in the faucet by the second day.

Once on solid ground though, he was in his element. He ran and yelled and pushed his cars in the dirt and got ridiculously dirty and ate marshmallows (though sadly not a fan of smores - I don't know what kind of kid I'm raising). And then it got dark. Since he usually goes to bed early he really hasn't been exposed to dark but we let him stay up until about 9. And he loved it. He had his own little headlamp and spent long amounts of time trying to chase the little light. He looked at the moon and stars. We put neon bracelts in our shoes. And then he crashed at night and had no problem sleeping. Though he is a bit of a pillow and air mattress hog.