Rough nights

Logan is at the end of his first cold and struggling with a cough that wakes him up at night. And when he wakes up... so do we. This week has been brutal. Last night he was up three separate times for at least half an hour each instance. This morning Jacob and I were zombies, but Logan was happy as can be- alert and smiling.

Finally, a family vacation!

It's been over a year since we last took a family vacation. We decided to skip the Plummer family beach trips this spring and summer because travelling with Logan would be tough while he's so young. Jacob and I were itching for a beach trip and in August we finally decided to make plans for a weekend getaway to Ocean City. Brody was as excited as we were, telling everyone that we were going to the beach even though our trip was still a month away. He knew that at the beach he was going to play in the sand, eat pizza and ice cream, and ride rides. He also knew that he would get to wear sunglasses.

This past weekend was our long-awaited trip. The car ride was a surprise. Logan was a dream. Even with a cough and cold he slept or sat quietly in his car seat for almost the entire trip there and back. Brody was... talkative. He wasn't cranky, although he missed his nap both travel days. He was just very, very chatty and rather demanding. He wanted certain toys that he couldn't reach or he wanted me to hold onto some of his toys when his hands were too full. Every time he heard the crinkle of paper, he'd quickly say "Mama, what are you eating?" He caught me every time I tried to sneak some candy or road trip munchies and asked for some of his own. Brody's mile-a-minute talking caused the car ride to be tiring but it could have been much, much worse.

Once there, both kids had a great time. Logan was happy to be pushed around the boardwalk, carnival, and arcade in his stroller. Brody was everywhere and did everything. He played in the sand. He ran from the waves. He walked the boardwalk like a champ, checking out the sights. He rode a ton of rides at the carnival. He ate pizza, boardwalk fries, chocolate covered oreos, and caramel popcorn. He tried to win tickets at the arcade then watched as Mamie and Jacob cashed in dollar after dollar for more quarters in their attempts to win him tickets that he could turn in for prizes. He had a blast and we had a blast watching him.

This weekend was also Brody's first time sleeping in a big boy bed. We took a twin mattress off the frame and laid it on the floor next to our bed. The first night he seemed a little confused but didn't consider wandering downstairs to find the rest of us. By the time we came to bed, he'd passed out and slept soundly through the night. Nap time was interesting as he didn't immediately fall asleep and was left to wander the room. We listened to him talking to himself through the monitor then he eventually fell asleep on the floor next to his mattress. We're starting to look into getting him a big boy bed at home and this weekend showed us that he's ready for it.