Oliver, Emme, and I just got back yesterday night from a week-long trip to visit my sister Laura and brother-in-law Reid near Savannah, Georgia. It was quite an adventure, as expected. I drove the trip down in two parts -- Wednesday morning to my parents' house outside of Atlanta (with a brief stop at a gas station to let Oliver use the potty and let Emme nurse), then Thursday morning and afternoon to Laura and Reid's house with lunch at a rest stop. It was an okay trip down. There was definitely some crying along the way. Oliver was a great traveler. He likes to look out the window and can spot any tractor in the vicinity. Sometimes I even thought he was asleep, and then, out of nowhere, I'd hear, "Tractor!!!"
Thursday afternoon we took both kids to Laura's neighborhood pool. There's a shallow area where Oliver can stand and play, and then a deeper area where he would play with one of us. The water was really temperate, and Emme enjoyed herself too until she needed to nurse and nap. Friday afternoon we had a great afternoon out. We visited Babies 'r Us, took Oliver to a bounce house (hurray for Monkey Joe's!) where he had a ball, got him a summer haircut, stopped for some groceries, and treated ourselves to ice cream at Loving Spoons (hurray for an ice cream buffet!).
Saturday was spent at the beach in Hilton Head. It was an interesting choice of location since Wes's grandparents used to own a house on Hilton Head, and he probably swam at the same stretch of beach that we did at some point in time. Oliver loved going out in the waves and even let Reid take him far out to a sand bank where he could see a big group of dolphins swimming by. He loved making sand castles (though preferred to tear them down than build them up) and having fruit and Pringles under our umbrella. He went into the ocean with each one of us while Emme switched back and forth between the umbrella (where Uncle Reid worked his jiggle magic to get her to sleep) and the warm pools left behind when the tide went out. The car ride home was sandy, but everyone had a good time (except my shoulders, which got burned and are now bubbling up).
Sunday morning sent us all to church, which was great for everyone until Emme pooped all over me while nursing after service. After a quick trip and change at the house, we had lunch at the Cracker Barrel. Through some extraordinary efforts by Laura, Oliver got a nap late that afternoon after exhibiting the behaviors (hammers toys so they would fly at me) that suggested he was tired. Well, that and rubbing his eyes non-stop. We had to wake him up (never pretty), but he came around when he saw corn on the cob for dinner. We also got him to the pool before bedtime, but he was ready to go when it started getting dark.
On Monday, Laura had the great idea for us to go out on a dolphin tour since Ollie had liked them so much at the beach. We were on the boat for about an hour and a half and saw lots of dolphins, which delighted Oliver to no end. At one point, when several dolphins came up close the boat, Oliver let out an "Oh my goodness!" and made everyone on the boat laugh. It started raining towards the end of the trip, so we had to skip the planned trip to the "big playground" and taking some family pictures (theirs and ours).
After spending so much time in the car, I decided to do some night driving on the way home. We left Laura and Reid's house at 1:30am and arrived at my parents' house around 5:45. Ollie slept almost the whole way but was awake through downtown Atlanta. He liked the "tunnels" (big underpasses) and said the tall buildings were like his Legos. We spent the day playing with toys, napping (mostly me), and went to the pool after dinner before loading up and heading back home. We hit some construction and other delays on the way home, and Oliver had trouble sleeping, but ultimately I was really glad to have finished the trip so we could all wake up at home this morning.
There's lots of unpacking still to do. The car desperately needs cleaned (though it's sitting in a beautiful, newly organized garage even in its less than stellar state) and gassed once again. And I don't plan on putting the kids in their car seats for a few days (thank goodness we can walk to Ollie's daycare!). But I am so glad we went. Oliver absolutely loves his grandparents and aunt and uncle, and I love getting to see all of them get to know Emme as she develops so quickly. And of course, I love seeing them all. Laura and I hadn't had a true "sister visit" in years, and this definitely fit the bill. Fortunately for all of us, we'll see everyone again in a few weeks when we gather at my parents' house over the Fourth of July, with the full cast of aunts, uncles, and cousins in tow. And likewise fortunate for all of us, that trip is still three weeks away!
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