Ready or Not

Well, vacation is upon us... tomorrow. So today we're packing up, loading up, cleaning up, and packing up some more. You know how Tuesday I was SO excited and SO looking forward to a vacation and just SO thrilled? I can remember that a little. But only a little because things went downhill after that post. For some reason blogging about stuff also leads to a jinx. Guess I need to remember that. Just kidding.

Anyway, Tuesday afternoon Austin started with a rash on his face. Just a few little, light, red spots. That eventually spread. Oh dear.

Then, we spent the day Wednesday in B'ville with AnAn. We got the jeep serviced so we'd be good to go for vacation and we went swimming with AnAn. Since I have to have a "helper" if I'm going to ever take the boys swimming, it worked out perfect. Except that Austin's rash/breakout got worse and started resembling chicken pox. (Although he didn't have a single one on his chest or belly and didn't have any other symptons.)

And except the part about finding out that our jeep may or may not have some serious issues and may or may not be going downhill fast. Great. We were planning on keeping it for another 2 years at least, maybe longer. Hopefully it's nothing but it's still concerning to hear you might need to brace yourself for a new car before you're ready. It's stressful to even think about. BUT, we're not going to fret over it just yet. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

So back to Austin. Bright and early yesterday morning I took him to the doctor and it was determined that it's definitely an allergy/allergic reaction. Which was a relief. But still kind of scary since we're not 100% sure what exactly he's allergic too. We were thinking blueberries since that was the only thing new he'd eaten... but the thing is, it's not clearing up. We're giving him Benadryl (and we have an epipen we hope we never have to use) but there's still no real sign of the rash going away. I'm thinking it maybe, might be, sort of fading.

I tried to make a picture of him but my camera doesn't do it justice. Poor baby has them all over his little face, arms, and legs.

 

Then yesterday I had a really rough day with the boys and it sort of hit me that vacation was going to be a lot of work. Garrison won't magically become well behaved and obedient 24-7. Austin won't magically not get into stuff that's unsafe and he can't have. Naptimes and bedtimes and our little routine will remain. And we'll be in a new place away from home. And the realization of it all got me overwhelmed and stressed out. And emotional. Ugh. Add to that the new "weather model/tropical whatever" in the Gulf and I've been a stressed-out mess the past 2 days. Good gracious.

I've had to accept that while this vacation will be a break in the sense of getting away and spending time with family and getting to play in the sand and ocean (hopefully!) all day versus chasing down and entertaining my boys on my own, it's also going to be work. And busy. And even exhausting.

We'll still have some behavior issues with Garrison. We'll still have to make sure Austin doesn't eat sand or crawl away from us on the beach. We'll still have to make sure Austin gets at least 1 good, long nap everyday and that they both get in the bed at a decent hour. And we'll still have to make sure they are fed and bathed daily. Haha!

This is the season we're in. While it's frustrating and exhausting on a regular basis, I know it will go by fast and once it's over I'll be kind of sad. Because even though my babies getting older means having to pack a little less and relax a little more on vacations, it also means they're growing up. Boohoo!

And changing the subject now...I'm torn about blogging and picture taking next week. Part of me wants to really live in the moment and soak everything up as much as possible. And if I have my camera nearby, great. If I don't, I don't. Because I want to live it. Not just look back at pictures and remember but to actually live it.

But there's another part of me that wants to snap pictures and write blogs about every single little detail because I know I'll appreciate and treasure it. One day I'll LOVE reading and looking back at pictures and remembering vacations from years past.

I've just got to find a balance. Which I think means making sure I'm not the only one with the camera every single day. And maybe planning a time for taking pictures and then putting the camera away. And maybe blogging about the highlights, but not if it takes me away from my family and our vacation. Guess we'll see...

Ready or not, vacation is upon us and I'm planning to embrace the craziness and make the best of it!