Return from Vacation

Oh, vacation.  How I love thee.  We spent last week at the beach with my family, and we had a wonderful time.  We swam, we played games, we ate fried food and drank lots of beer, we relaxed.  If it weren't for my kids being very ready for a return to normalcy, I would have been extremely hard pressed to leave.  But alas, the real world was waiting for us to come back to it.

So in order to feel better about the end of vacation, I thought I'd make a little list about the good that comes with vacation's end:

The shower.  I can't be the only one who is disappointed in nearly all showers that are not my own?  They either lack the acceptable water pressure, or the shower head disperses water too much or too little.  Perhaps there is not enough room to reach my arms out to the side as I shampoo my hair?  Or maybe there isn't a proper ledge on which to set the soap or prop my legs up to shave?

Soft-yet-strong multiple ply toilet paper.  Chuckle if you will, but you are a LIAR if you don't take issue with hotel toilet paper.  This is what was stocked in our vacation home.  Isn't it nice to return home to your brand of choice?

Familiarity with the remote.  Whenever I try to veg out in front of the boob tube when away from home, I always struggle to figure out how to work all of the electronics.  How do I turn the system on?  Switch from TV to DVD player?  I like to set the sleep timer at night- help!  And don't even get me started on trying to figure out which channels are which stations.  PBS Kids is of vital importance in the mornings.  WHERE IS IT?

The grocery store.  I am an admitted grocery store snob.  I just love my Harris Teeter.  I know where to find everything.  I am confident that the meats and produce are of high quality.  They carry the brands that I like to buy.  I feel like my fellow shoppers are my people.  I don't have these warm fuzzy feelings about my fellow beach-going Piggly Wiggly shoppers.

    

And the clear cut winner is sleeping in your own bed.  I love my bed.  I did not love my vacation bed.  It was pure bliss to crawl under my fluffy down comforter and lay upon my expensive, plush-yet-firm mattress, and sleep through the night (kindasortathankyouverymuchMargot) with proper lumbar support.  

In all seriousness, I didn't really want vacation to end.  But, you know, silver lining and everything.  Already looking forward to next year!

Margot: 5 Months

Please forgive my tardiness- we were enjoying a fun-filled family vacation on the little lady's actual 5-month birthday.  But have no fear- I remembered to pack my camera and the required sticker and legwarmers for the monthly photo shoot.

Margot at 5 months suddenly seems so big!  It's like in an instant, she is no longer a tiny, needy thing, but rather a growing, moving, girl.  Although she is not yet sitting up, crawling, or walking, she is certainly moving herself from one place to another to reach whatever has caught her interest.  And yes...things are definitely catching her interest.

This month, Margot has been introduced to the exersaucer.  That's right, she stands up and plays with toys.  Her little feet reach the bottom now, and she can turn herself around to look from one toy to the next.

She has begun playing on the floor.  Rolling over from front-to-back, and back-to-front.  Rolling this way and that, inching her way across the blanket that has become useless, as she won't stay on it for long.

She enjoys playing with stuffed animals, links, rattles, and most especially, anything that belongs to big brother.  She is fond of Gabe's cars.  For this moment, he's okay with it.  We'll see how long that lasts...

Her most favorite thing to play with is her feet.  She can pull her little legs right up to her face so she can suck on her toes.  Yep, she likes to suck on her toes.  Babies.

My pretty little lady had her first ponytail this month, sticking straight up on top of her head like Pebbles.  Her hair has lightened up a bit.  We still can't quite tell what color it is, although I'm starting to lean toward strawberry blonde.  Her eyes are the most beautiful blue.  I'm waiting and watching to see if they will change in the coming months.  She's a beauty, this one.

She's also a bit of a beast.  She is the worst bottle-drinker ever, fussing and fidgeting the entire time.  And she has decided that sleeping through the night is a thing of the past.  She doesn't need to eat overnight, but that doesn't stop her from waking up and whining or crying several times a night.  If I hop up and pop the pacifier into her mouth, she goes immediately back to sleep.  But this is not a habit I wish to encourage!  We are going through some sleep changes, including ditching the swaddle (out of necessity, not choice!) and trying to get back into the crib after a brief hiatus in the Rock n' Play.  Being away from home for the past week certainly exacerbated our problems.  Hopefully I'll have a sleeping (through the night) beauty again in the next few weeks.

The next time I post about my little ladybug, she'll be a half-year old.  Gasp.

Please slow down, time!