Home again, home again, jiggety jig

TGIM! K is at school, X is napping in his crib, and all is right with this little corner of the world. Our 10-day trip was fun, but it's good to be home. A quick recap:

Friday: Drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house, stopping on the way for lunch. K stayed awake the whole way, a first. X did not, thank goodness. (We have to time our trips around X's naps. If he is awake in the car, he screams and screams. I had several conversations with members of JW's family in which I revealed this fact and they kept repeating, "But babies love the car!" Throughout the 10-day trip, this refrain kept echoing in my head as X screamed so hard that he made himself sputter and cough. Babies love the car.)

Saturday: 4th of July parade in town, K's favorite event of the summer because the passengers on antique cars, floats, and fire engines throw candy to the kids. Our last time having prime seats on the porch, since the house on the corner is being sold after 100 years with the same family.

Sunday: Big family dinner. I can't imagine not having these one day, even though JW's parents keep making noises about retiring somewhere warmer.

Monday: JW returns to Boston, I stay on with the kids. Before he leaves, we hang around JW's grandmother's house for a while, and then go to a cousin's beach where K forgets he hates being wet and has fun splashing around.

Tuesday: With much protest, K goes with me, X, and Grandma to Adirondack Animal Land, where he feeds goats and deer. (K is such a pain in the ass about going anywhere, even though he has a good time once he gets there.) I cook dinner and Grandpa actually likes it, instead of just politely eating it and declaring it "interesting". Yay!

Wednesday: I ditch K and take X to town for a trip to the antique store with JW's aunt. (My first time driving by myself up at the in-laws'!) We all get soaked in a sudden thunderstorm. JW returns at night, after the kids are in bed.

Thursday: Drive to Dida and Dadu's house (my parents), stopping to visit JW's grandmother on the way. When we get there, we find a family of rabbits in the backyard (once we saw a fox!). K rides his scooter around, helps water the flowers and fill the bird feeder, and tracks ants.

Friday: JW and I get to have a date night! We do our usual: dinner, bookstore, bar (coffee place was closed). I observe many perfectly gym-toned women who have nevertheless squeezed themselves into short dresses a size too small for them, along with five-inch heels, and men who use "fuckin'" several times in each sentence. It's Long Island all over.

Saturday: Into the city for my niece's third birthday party! In preparation, my mother obtains about forty pounds of fruit from Costco and spends the party pushing fruit salad to everyone who walks in.

Sunday: Four destinations before we finally leave for home: two friend and new-baby visits in Brooklyn (one with my HLS buddy PBB, and one with an old friend whose baby is one week younger than X but has about three inches and three pounds on him); a trip to the Central Park Zoo with my brother's family and a high school friend (who just set his wedding date for next spring!), where K is terrified by the 3D Dora and Diego video; and one more visit with Nonna in the Bronx. K is a trouper through all of this, and X doesn't do too badly either.

The kids got some quality time with both sets of grandparents and other family members. And I'm glad we got in multiple visits to both great-grandmothers, who are having some health problems. JW's paternal grandmother had unwittingly been taking a double dose of her medication, resulting in nausea and disorientation. She was feeling better by the time we left, but everyone was concerned about her mental state and what dose she should be taking, if any. JW's maternal grandmother is recovering from a major heart attack. When we rushed to see her a few weeks ago, we all thought we'd be attending her funeral. The doctors said it was a miracle that she survived after her heart stopped for twelve minutes. But each time we see her, she seems markedly improved both mentally and physically, and now there's even talk of her going home this weekend.

And now it's the middle of the afternoon on Monday and I've been grocery shopping and playing with X and catching up on my blogs. Less than two months of maternity leave left. For now, life is good.