Florida. Christmas. Croup.

My favorite time of a vacation is the day you leave to go on it.  Everything's neatly packed, outfits are planned, hopes are high.  We always start off strong with an airport breakfast and now with our new, improved walking version of Brixton, a few laps around the terminal. 

 

The first few days are fun too, as you realize you still have x amount of days left to enjoy before having to go home.  We've spent our first few days eating too much delicious food, playing with cousins, and wondering why Florida feels so cold when it's, well, Florida.  

And, naturally, since it's Christmas and all, we had some family time around a rowdy dinner table, children running everywhere, and gifts.  Lots of gifts.  

 This kid is a blur, even when he's just standing still.

More books?  But I wanted a Snuggie!

Towards the middle of the trip, you realize that time is no longer on your side.  The neatly packed suitcase looks like a bomb went off,  your daily outfit list is used for old gum because the temperature is about 15 degrees colder than you expected.  And so you panic.  You go to the beach.  You feed pelicans.  You try to cram it all in, because vacations never last long enough.  

On our car trip down to Siesta Key Beach, we noticed Brixton had quite a cough.  The kind of cough that makes parents meet eyes and a mother say, "Maybe we should skip this whole thing."  

But it's the beach.  The waves.  The sand.  The sand?  Ugh, I hate sand.  That would have been enough to turn around right there.  

Alas, the beach.

We didn't end up staying long.  Florida vacation times include sleeping in every day till at least 9am.  Which is fantastic.  But lunch was calling, and then closely thereafter, nap.  And that cough was ever present.

Later that evening we discovered that Brixton was developing croup, probably an early Christmas gift from the sick little boy sitting behind us on the plane from Tampa.  So that meant Saturday was spent sitting indoors, doing laundry, cancelling our New Year's day party, and dreading our next day flight.

And then, something amazing happened. Brendan had a thought.  Well, that in itself isn't newsworthy, his thought was that since we cancelled our NY day party, there was no reason for us to climb onto a plane the next day with a sick child and go home.  So, with a little bit of maneuvering on Southwest, we extended our trip.  By 4 days!  Hooray!

Which means now that Brixton can recover here, and so can I, since I am sick now too.  I have my first earache in about 25 years.  But don't feel too bad for us, we were sitting poolside this afternoon while I basked in my Tylenol Cold & Sinus high.  It's the little things, right?

Thus concludes my blogging for 2012. I hope for your sake my 2013 gets a whole lot more interesting..

A Quick Christmas Recap

It all started off well enough.

 We opened gifts at our house early, since we were leaving for Florida on Christmas Eve day. So Brendan and I got our mugs of coffee ready, I put on our Big Band Christmas CD, spread out a quilt in sit on in lieu of our dirty floor and got ready for some Christmas magic.  
 

Maybe next year.  Brixton was painfully slow at opening gifts, clocking in at an inch of wrapping paper torn per minute.  Even a turtle opens gifts faster than that.  

 Mid way through gifts, someone let his diva side come out and started hitting and throwing.  Hence a holiday timeout on the stairs.  

 Once he'd recovered from his tantrum, he launched into gift opening again.  He'd become pretty peeved if we helped him or encouraged him to open things faster.  There was one thing that he was getting: the sharp inhale of breath and the look of awe at a new toy. 

Maybe next year?


 

2012 in the Rearview

That fresh year we started off celebrating on the couch, while our then 7 month old slept, in a house that we ended moving out of just 2 short months later? It's done.  We packed a lot in, that's for sure.  2 moves, a trip to Seattle, a trip to New Jersey, a trip to California, a trip to Florida, lots of sushi, new babies, new friends, a growing boy to match the heart I have for him.  

In January and February, we dressed in funny hats, hibernated, played in the short-lived snow, and packed for our move into Chicago.  We said a sad good-bye to our dog, Lola, as she went to live with someone that had all the time in the world for her.  I still question our choice.  

In March we moved into our city condo and immediately started taking in the sights, sounds, and restaurants that Chicago had to offer.  It helped that spring started so early this year, in fact, it didn't snow again after our move--we never had to deal with digging out while being parked on a city street! Hooray!

This is when we discovered Brixton had an inexplicable love of Jamaican food.

One of my favorite days and one of my favorite posts.

In April we got our bike trailer and as you an see, it was an instant "go" from Brixton.  It was a "go" for me too after I realized it bought me 45 minutes alone in the house.  Hallelujah! 

In May, my parents came for a visit.

Mostly just to see this guy eat his first birthday cake..

But maybe also because they wanted to let Brendan and I escape for a night of big person food, a quiet hotel room, coffee in bed, and the ability to repeat, "This is so weird!  We're alone!" several times. 

In May I also copped to being diagnosed with Major Depression and anxiety.  It's been a while, but I'm seeking treatment again and working on things.  It's a journey.  

Sometime in June I thought wearing a bikini was a good idea and we went to the beach.  The only time I wore this bikini this year.  Also the only time we went to the beach.

Summertime brought lots of opportunities though for ice-cream cones. 

In June we traveled first to Washington, for a beautiful lakeside wedding.

And more good times with friends in Seattle. 

 At the end of June we ventured the opposite direction--to New Jersey to see family.

In July and August, it felt like we did a whole lot of nothing.  Avoiding the heat, going to playgroups, eating watermelon, and playing on the patio seemed to dominate those long days.

 Watermelon face.

 Afternoon snack on the patio.

 Discovering super fun adventure skills.

Visiting boring farmer's markets.

 In September Brixton and I flew (alone!) to California where he got to meet his Uncle Kurt and play with his cousin Aiden. 

Brixton got plently of Oma and Grandpa time in--he won't see them again until May!  :-(

 We then flew to San Diego for a few days to visit old friends, like the beach.

On our flight home, Brixton's thermos exploded all over me when we opened it.  It was a highlight of our year, for sure.  Brixton still remembers it because when we push the button to open the thermos now he goes, "Pssssssssssssssssh!" Which was the exact same sound it made when it shot smoothie directly into my eye.

October, the best month.  Leaves, the cooler temps.  

We packed up yet again, said goodbye to our new friends, and moved about an hour west of the city.

Halloween was interrupted by a mean old stomach flu.

 But we were in our new/old house.  And we were much happier.

 I was even happier when we got a chicken.  However temporary.

 Brixton felt sad in November waiting for the snow that just wasn't falling.

 We still bundled him up to go out, which meant yet another winter of this hat. Yessssss!!

Brixton discovered that sometimes Christmas does come early. 

I hadn't really planned on actually getting around to 2013, since the world was supposed to end and all, but now that we've passed the Mayan days of doom and we are all still here, I guess I'd better put together some plans!