Park Delights with Little Ones

Favorite chill spots at Disneyland Park

While you are waiting for rope drop, mobile order something to pick up later in the day at Jolly Holiday. They sell out of some treats early!

If you Rope Drop Fantasyland, you can do all these things in the first hour

Carousel

Snow White

Pinocchio

Mr. Toads

Dumbo

Casey Jr Circus Train

Canal boats

Mad tea party

Alice in Wonderland

Peter Pan

Red Rose Tavern

Go to the left at the entrance. There's a back room. It's quieter. There is a water bottle refill station. The restrooms are great. We chill here with some tater tots until everyone poops

Outdoor nap spot

Between Fantasyland and Frontierland. There's a Guest Relations kiosk. Great people watching. There's a shaded bench for you to sit and great ambient noise.

New Orleans Square

Harbour galley - Soup in bread bowl, cookies

Tiana's palace - open 10am-9pm

Mint julep bar (Beignets) - open 8am-10pm

I love the restrooms here. There is a drinking fountain you can use to refill water bottles

You could ride Haunted Mansion or Pirates

Pirate Lair on Tom Sawyer Island

Mobile order something to eat and take the ferry over to the island

There are restrooms and a bottle filling station but no food (bring your own)

Rivers of America

I’ve never seen Fantasmic! but there are some dining packages

Mark Twain Riverboat

Sailing Ship Columbia

Davey Crockett Explorer Canoes

Ship to shore marketplace = Breakfast chimichanga and frozen lemonade

There's a little view of the river from the marketplace where there used to be tables. The fresh cool air coming off the river is really nice to stop and snack.

Frontierland

Restrooms at Rancho del Zocalo, but there’s usually a long line there

The chill thing to do here is watch the ducks

Albert got a kick out of playing with the cannon

You can find a shady bench

We’ve never eaten at River Belle Terrace, Cafe Orleans, Plaza Inn, Blue Bayou. Pretty much any place that requires reservations.

We’ve never eaten at the Golden Horseshoe, but I heard they have a root beer flight right now which sounds really fun

Royal Theater

we’ve never done, I just don’t think Albert has enough patience to sit for a show

If you bring quarters, you can do the shooting gallery at Frontierland and some other fun stuff in Adventureland inside the Bazaar.

Hanging around the Hub

Food from Quick Service / Food Carts

Maurice's Treats - open 8am-9pm

Churros near sleeping beauty castle - opens 8:30 am

Little Red Wagon Corn dogs - opens 8am - midnight

Pretzels near big thunder MTN - opens 11am - 11 pm

You can ride the Main Street Vehicles.

Toontown

Cafe Daisy

Bottle filling station near Chip & Dale gadget go coaster

Also low stimulation cave and picnic area way at the back of Toontown

These restrooms are so crowded

You can sometimes see characters like Goofy and Pete

We’ve never waited in line to see Mickey and Minnie at their house(s)

Disneyland Railroad

Good for an afternoon nap

Or if it’s really hot, we take a nap inside the waiting area of Great Moments with Mr Lincoln

Main St characters (we usually catch them in the afternoon before the 3:30PM parade)

We get popsicles if it’s hot from the food carts on Main St (strawberry sugar-free) and sit at the train station. We get popcorn from the cart for the walk back to the hotel

Troubadour Tavern

(near Toontown and the Fantasyland Theater) has good, kid-friendly food

Baked potato

Chicken nuggets and mac

Prince and Princess restrooms (we love these)

Adventureland

Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, be prepared to climb it at least 6 times

Tiki Room + Dole Whip (you have to mobile order it)

Jungle cruise

Bengal bbq You can mobile order and then sit inside, it’s shady

Restrooms are closer to the Tiki Room and castle

Tomorrowland

(this is pretty at night when all the neon lights are on)

Autotopia

Galactic Grill (good to mobile order and sit outside)

Pizza Planet (one pasta dish can feed two people for sure), Albert does a good nap here too

Inside the restaurant is dark and air-conditioned & there’s ambient sounds that put him to sleep

Nemo

Monorail

Buzz Light-year

Restrooms are behind Autotopia and usually not crowded

Small World

you can get a lightening lane for this I think

Parade - find out when it is and plan to be somewhere to avoid or watch it.

King & Queen restrooms near Alice in Wonderland. This is my fav parade-watching spot

Main St near Tomorrowland

Baby care center - you can get diapers here if you run out. They will give you a sticker. If your child gets lost, this is where you can find them.

Silhouette studio - 8am- midnight

Usually we get ice cream at Gibson Girl on the way out

Galaxy's Edge

is another great nap spot. It has ambient noise that puts my kid out!

If he’s in the stroller and getting fussy, we get a blue milk and walk through Batuu until he falls asleep. I think you can also watch the fireworks from back here now. You can mobile order food and drinks here that’s good for adults. Kids might not like it because the food is all weird

Droid depot the robots will interact with your kid.

Milk stand

Ronto roasters

Docking Bay 7

Water bottle refill stations at both restrooms, rarely are these restrooms too crowded

Critter Country

*I think most of this is closed at the moment

But I wanted to say that the Hungry Bear was great for kids, we enjoyed sitting on the second level overlooking the train, the riverboats, and they have some ambient nature sounds that are very relaxing. I love the bathrooms on the ground level, closer to the river.

Favorite chill spots at Disney California Adventure Park

Fiddler, fifer & practical cafe (Starbucks) in Carthay Circle. 

We love getting a snack while waiting for rope drop.

Paradise Gardens Park

Rope drop The Little Mermaid and ride it for a while. They will let you circle around again and again if there’s no line. The line gets long later in the day, so we usually do this one first.

There's a cappuccino cart near the bridge to Sanfransokyo square if you need a coffee

Pixar Pier

restrooms by Paradise Garden Grill and Goofy’s Sky School are okay

Jesse’s Carousel (there are nice restrooms behind the ride)

Toy Story Midway Mania (if you can get a Lightning Lane)

Pixar Pal A Round (do the NON SWINGING)

Sanfransokyo Square

The Bakery Tour - 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Get a Baymax or Mickey Vampire Bread and feed the ducks

Restaurants open at 10:30 AM - Aunt Cass Cafe takes mobile orders

They have mac & cheese in a bread bowl that is kid-friendly and big enough to share

The Baby Care Center is next to Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop and across from The Bakery Tour. There’s a nice spot to change a diaper, a family restroom with a tiny potty, high chairs for feeding, etc.

The bathrooms here have a water bottle filling station

Grizzly Peak

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - make sure mom & dad have on sturdy shoes or be prepared to lose your child for a while. This is a ropes course with lots of stairs. Great to get wiggles out.

Our best nap spot in DCA is in the Grand Californian Hotel Lobby

It’s cool and quiet and pretty. You can get snacks right there at the Grand Californian Great Hall Cart or you can get food from the GCH Craftsman Grill. You can order food from the poolside GCH Craftsman Bar even if you’re not a hotel guest. But that’s going to take longer.

There are so many little courtyards within the hotel grounds for kids to toodle around. It’s shady most of the day. You can access this from Downtown Disney too so it’s a great spot to know about whether you have a park reservation or not.

You do have to go through security to re-enter the park from the hotel but it’s worth it.

There’s a water bottle filling station in the hotel gym.

Another great nap spot is the walking path behind Grizzly River Run. Apparently it used to be the smoking area, but it’s not anymore. There is a unique sound of the flume ride that provides enough white noise to get a kid to sleep. Plus the humidity from the water ride makes that area significantly cooler. You can park the stroller on a bridge over the splash zone and whoever is not sleeping can watch people doing down the drop

Sometimes you can find a photo-op with Goofy or Pluto near the airplane near Soarin’

There’s a really quiet spot near the restrooms across from Soarin and Smokejumpers

It’s like a closed alleyway that goes nowhere but there’s a bench there. Great spot for breastfeeding or eating a popsicle and avoiding the crowds and noise

It’s between the gift shop and the restrooms.  I think there might be some lockers there.

Going back through Carthay Circle and down Hollywood Blvd

Hit up the Disney Jr Dance Party. It’s quite loud but short and fun for the kids

Animation Academy is a fun place to chill out. It’s cool and dark. I’ve never got Albert to nap in there but it feels like it could work for some kids. You do have to park your stroller and leave it outside, so that’s a drawback. 

We've never done Turtle Talk with Crush but that's also in this building

Turning the corner to Sunset Blvd

It’s a good spot to watch any DCA parades. 

There’s a Shawarma Cart that you can get breakfast or lunch. Really yummy

There’s an open courtyard behind the shawarma cart and the Hyperion theater that sometimes isn’t used for anything. It’s a nice place to sit and eat and you can sometimes find shade there

Avenger’s Campus

We usually get some food at Pym test kitchen and watch a show at Avenger’s Headquarters

Black Widow and Black Panther do a thing on top of the building near the quinjet

Spiderman does a thing at Web Slingers, it’s short but the kids get a kick out of it

Starlord does a thing in front of mission break out, a dance-off

The Ancient Sanctum is a garden that is nice and quiet (low stimulation). I heard Dr. Strange used to do a magic show there but I don’t think it’s running now. Still nice to see

The restrooms are by Web Slingers, but they tend to have long lines

Cars Land

It’s hard to love Cars Land because my kid always wants to buy something and he’s not big enough to ride the Radiator Springs Racers

If it’s winter, I try to do Cars Land at sunset because you get to see the neon come on and people do a funny dance to the Sha-boom song. It’s worth trying to time it that way.

If it’s hot we eat inside Flo’s V8 Cafe. 

The tables and theming are really cute and the food is definitely kid-friendly. 

The restrooms are there in Flo’s but sometimes they have really long lines.

I think there’s a drinking fountain or water bottle filling station there.

Cozy Cone Motel

is hard to navigate but they have some fun snacks

Cone 1 = churros

Cone 2 = ice cream

Cone 3 = queso (mac & cheese in a bread cone)

Cone 4 = chimichangas and frozen adult beverages

Cone 5 = popcorn

You have to know which cone you want in order to mobile order food, but it’s worth it.

Definitely mobile order because if you do walk-up it can take over 10 minutes for your food

It’s worth waiting in line for the photo op with Mater, Cruz or Lightning

You can ride Mater's Junkyard Jamboree or Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters but they're very jerky

Hollywood Backlot

It’s nice if they have entertainment on the Hollywood Backlot Stage

That whole area is chill because there’s only Monster’s Inc as a ride.

We usually get food from the Studio Catering Company (a food truck)

There are sometimes tables right there or you can sit in the bleachers for the stage

I like Mickey’s Philharmagic. It’s dark in there and the show is music so the kids love it

There are some little tables right there and that area is mostly shaded

We usually hit Trolley Treats on Buena Vista St to get some Churro Toffee for the ride home

Night Stuff and Fancy Adult Stuff

If you know anyone with a Magic Key, the magic key terrace is nice

I’m sure you could enjoy dinner at Wine Country Trattoria, but I’ve never eaten there

We’ve never eaten at Carthay Circle Lounge or Lamplight Lounge or Storytellers Cafe

I’ve never seen World of Color, but there are dining packages you can get

For dining reservations, you want to grab those 60 days before your trip and I just never remember. You can ask to be put on a waitlist for walk-up and they may or may not call you

Disneyland Hotel

We love to order the sweet potato fries and sit out by the pool at Tangaroa Terrace

They have low chairs that are good for kids and the music / vibe is nice

I heard the Coffee House at the Disneyland hotel just reopened with a good menu

The Adventure Lawn Gazebo is a great wiggle spot for kiddos. As long as there’s no wedding

Pixar Place Hotel

Small Bytes is a bodega type store

Sketch Pad Cafe is a quick service

Great Maple is a sit-down, I think you need reservations

I've never been to any of these because they've only recently opened.

summertime

The longest days of the year are here. We are weeks away from the solstice and I feel my energy peaking. Tomorrow is the full strawberry moon. 

I have enjoyed filling my time with visiting friends and family. Even though I said I would never volunteer at another consignment sale, I am working tomorrow at Burbank and then skating at Moonlight Rollerway.

Kiddo is becoming a more independent sleeper. It's noticeable. Sometimes he nurses like crazy, sometimes he's just too busy. We put up bunk beds in the house and they're fun but now we have an excess of furniture and we need to downsize again.

I actually got out my sewing machine today. 

December 2021 thoughts

12/3 - Tried oatmeal today, toddler did not enjoy. Hey, they serve it at daycare and it's easy to make so I thought it was worth a shot. He is good with utensils and can self feed stuff like applesauce, cottage cheese, chia pudding.

The other day my husband asked me, "what's wrong with your face? Is that a rash?" Ummm no. It's "I have a busy toddler, I don't get to shower often enough, my hormones have been jacked up since giving birth and I haven't had the time or money to correct my skincare." Am I wrong?

I just dropped another wad of cash on a baby carrier. Anyone else into Toddler carrying? It's like I'm addicted to buying this stuff. I can't stop myself from thinking about it. I used an Ergo and a Lillebaby SSC until my kid didn't fit. His upper half of his torso was above the top of the panel so he was at risk of falling out. I got the baby Ergo for free and the baby Lille on sale for $37. I got a ring sling for $40.

Fast forward to now. I got a Wildbird double-linen sling for $95 around LO's 1st birthday. I got a toddler Lenny Lamb SSC for $50 the following month. I got a toddler Tula SSC in October for $85. And now a toddler Lillebaby SSC for $75. I justify it because we still breastfeed. My kid likes being worn. It's a good core workout for me. And I will pass along the baby carriers more willingly when I know I have the Toddler-sized replacements. Maybe I'm just trying to hold on to the snuggles for as long as possible knowing I will never have a 2nd baby.

I would love to continue using the baby sized Ergo but my kid is strangely tall. I'm not tall. I wear him while working out sometimes so I need him to be seated comfortably and deeply. I do this to be strong enough to wear him hiking. I got Deuter and Kelty hiking backpacks. To be fair, I live in Los Angeles and we have several huge consignment sales as well as an active Facebook marketplace so I get lots of things used. Like 20-50% of full price (50-80% off). And I also feel like the pandemic caused me to spend on things instead of experiences. Because for so long, we weren't allowed to go anywhere or see anyone.

I got to go to a babywearing meet-up (the 1st in-person since the start of the pandemic). It was so good to reconnect with the babywearing educator who fit us for our first Lille carrier when I was still pregnant in Jan 2020. The fit-check reassured me that my kid is in need of the Toddler-sized carrier. He wears 3T clothes and size 8 shoes now.

The tip I got was to tighten up the shoulder straps on the top when back-carrying, then let them out if kiddo is eating in front. There's an adjustment on Toddler carriers that doesn't exist on baby ones and it was a mystery to me when I transitioned. Not sure if that is clear. It's on top of the shoulder pad, not in your armpit.

Being a working mom is like trying to run up a hill with a parachute and bungee cords wrapped around you. I keep trying to get up that hill, despite all the forces acting against me. And I have to repeat this insanity day after day, week after week. But with modifications! And optimization!

I was induced on my due date. Ended up with so many interventions and an unplanned C-section. Make sure you have VERY patient support people. My mom was with me and she thought it would be a 4-hour process. My husband as well. After 22-hours I wanted to toss both of those bozos out the window and labor alone. Also my OB was MIA. There were lots of stressful factors. In the end I felt like I gave up. Wish I had hired a doula.

12/7 - Remember when we thought if we got vaccinated we wouldn't have to wear masks? haha. I wish that were true. I wish my LO could be vaccinated against COVID-19. I'm going back to in-person teaching for all my classes next semester which means I'll be lecturing to a group of ~80 people while wearing a mask. And LO will turn 2 and he'll have to start wearing a mask in public. This is the pandemic that keeps giving. I know decades from now, we will look back on this time and it will seem brief, but for right now it is dragging on.

I explain infertility to people like going through puberty again. I can't know exactly what it was like for anyone else, of course. I think I stayed on progesterone for the first 10 weeks after my FET. I still have extra syringes and hormones stashed in my closet that I need to figure out how to safely dispose of.

For me, my son was born March 2020. We retrieved 14 eggs that became 4 embryos that were PGS tested, 1 euploid, 1 FET and that's our kiddo. I think I was so traumatized by infertility that I didn't really prepare for parenthood. I took 10 weeks of birth classes, infant CPR, breastfeeding class and a hospital L&D tour but also I thought there was a possibility that I would not end up with a live baby.

So I wasn't planning to formula feed or breastfeed. Luckily my BFF sent me a box with a ton of bottles, nipples, lids, tubing, valves, pacifiers, etc. I opened it one time before my son was born and had a tiny panic attack then closed it back up. Thankfully my mom stayed with us for 10 days around my son's birthday. She helped us get all set up with a bottle washing station and workflow.

I ended up with an unplanned C-section after laboring for 22 hours by induction at 40 weeks. The trauma of all that was something else and my son didn't latch for 7 weeks. If I has known I would still be breastfeeding at 21 months, I might never have started. The hospital insisted that we have several months supply of formula before they would discharge us. Maybe they were worried about COVID-related shortages or maybe they do that to everyone. I don't know.

If you have additional embryos, which I didn't, you may appreciate the freedom to do your next FET without having to wean. I support your decision to formula-feed and I wish you the best. Some days I wish my body was my own. Even though my kid can eat and drink other stuff, I am still responsible for night wake-ups and several times a day for 30 min daytime feeds. We nurse to sleep and cosleep for naps and bedtime.

12/9 - LO has an ear infection, but we got antibiotics at urgent care. Alternating Tylenol and Motrin to reduce fever and relieve pain. Last day of teaching for the semester. Amen.

12/10 - My mom says I created a monster by letting LO cosleep. I'm kinda anxious because I haven't had a great relationship with my mom. This baby (now toddler) has given us a common interest, so I don't tell her when stuff she says is hurtful.

I don't mind cosleeping. It's a great way to slow down and enjoy chill snuggles. Part of me is wanting to stand up for myself and my parenting choices, but the other part is like, who cares? It's not worth convincing / educating her because it's not like she's gonna have any more kids.

12/12 - Self-Care Sunday - I have one of those garden windows in my kitchen and I rearranged it to accommodate some real candles. It was nice to light them while preparing dinner, since it gets dark so early now. Like a mini-fireplace.

12/13 - Milestone Monday - New word: CoCo. As in CoComelon. New sound: hoot hoot. As in a train whistle. Adorable. 

One week away from the winter solstice and it shows. These days are so short! We decorated our stroller with battery-powered lights (Wheel Brightz) and we had to turn them on around 4:30pm on Saturday. LO is still sick so we're staying home and driving each other crazy.

12/15 - Wondering Wednesday. How to reduce weaponized incompetence in husband? Mine is driving me nuts! LO has been sick for two weeks, daycare won't take him, DH has caught LO's sickness and is acting like he's on death's door. I also have it but I'm doing childcare, meals, housework and my actual paid job.

These are the nights when LO and I are up coughing, we go into the guest bedroom so DH can get a good night's rest. I'm keeping up the medication schedule for LO around the clock. DH plays with LO and says, "my what long nails you have!" But then doesn’t cut them. This is just one example. Other things are snot sucking, diaper changes, meals for LO. Why am I the only parent doing these things?

I wish I had a partner with more energy. We fight constantly about me not sitting down for meals. I'm doing chores! Why does it take me 10 minutes to eat and DH takes 90 minutes? He can't help with things because he's "still eating" or insert other things he does slowly like showering, pooping or reading. Yes, I would like to read for fun. No, I don't have time.

DH doesn't really play with LO. When the 3 of us are home together, DH will be reading on his phone not interacting with LO. So kiddo starts bothering me or doing stuff he's not allowed to do just to get our attention. I can't work like this and I can't hire a babysitter when we're all sick.

I am NOT looking forward to Xmas at MILs because I know I'll be doing all the watching and DH will be relaxing with his family. TLDR: Send advice about training husband.

12/16 - Sometimes I miss the simple joy of tracking LO's sleep, feeds and diapers on Huckleberry. I had a really sweet 6 months with my newborn. It was such a rewarding feeling to get a nap in the sweet spot. I feel like toddlerhood has been kind of a sh*tshow. With daycare colds, one nap days and WFH it's been chaos. I'm looking forward to winter break. A month to rest, reset, play, organize, prioritize, and reconnect.

My spring schedule is tentatively two full (9 hour) days Tues/Thurs 8-5 and two short (2.5 hour) days Mon/Wed evening 5-7:30pm. Anyone want to weigh in on sending LO for 5 half-days or 3 full days? I don't know the price difference. I only know the price goes down when LO turns 2.

12/19 - Self-care Sunday. Meal prepped. 120 g or 170 g chicken per meal. Plus vegetable and a carb. Got more to make (beef and pasta and grilled cheese) but progress is progress.

I have learned over the past few months what encouraged us to eat at home and when we chose to get take-out (even when we had food at home). I haven't quite worked up the motivation to start logging in MyFitnessPal again, but I may.

We got a meal prep service once and it went so well the next week we reused their containers but made the food ourselves. DH suggested alternating like that to get us through to the end of the semester. The meal prep service makes 15 meals for $120. Alternatively you can buy cooked meat or vegetables by the pound, which is cheaper, between $60-80 depending on what you get. But it takes about 2 minutes to buy and less than 30 minutes to pickup.

Before we were doing Mashup Mom which is $65 per week at ALDI. You buy everything, but some items are pre-sliced, pre-washed, etc. It takes about 5 hours to cook everything. Let's say 1 hour for shopping and hauling groceries. But eliminates the time for planning and making a shopping list. And the recipes are different each week. And they are planned so you use everything with no waste.

Then when you want to eat, just turn out the container onto a plate and microwave 2 minutes. I don't put anything in the freezer except burritos. We do breakfast burritos with eggs, cheese and a hash brown patty. We also do meat, beans, cheese and sometimes rice burritos. Sometimes we get the eggs pre-made from our meal prep service. Sometimes we get the rice and meat premade from a grocery store deli.

Mashup mom is designed for you to cook every day but I prefer to do it all on Sunday because dirtying dishes and washing all them and cleaning the kitchen makes me feel ready for the week. It is designed to feed a family of 4. Sometimes we have to throw out what we don’t eat. Since we are a family of 3. Kiddo is a super picky eater so maybe if your LO is more adventurous, you might be able to just offer them what you make for the adults.

Mashup Mom (https://www.mashupmom.com/) is free. Our meal prep service is called Fitlicious (https://fitliciousmealprep.com/) and it's a local business. They focus on food for gym rats, like bodybuilding, so you might be able to find something like that in your area if you start looking at a gym. [ The containers (http://50-Pack Meal Prep Plastic Microwavable Food Containers For Meal Prepping With Lids 28 oz. 1 Compartment Black Rectangular Reusable Storage Lunch Boxes -BPA-Free Food Grade -Freezer & Dishwasher Safe https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079M174TQ/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_VSDFXBZ21JHEG5H0EFYD) you could get from Amazon. They stack really small when you aren't using them and become pretty compact in the fridge. I use a kitchen scale to weigh the meat.

Trying to clear clutter since MIL and BIL are coming here mid-week to celebrate DH's birthday. Praying we are all healthy by then.

12/20 - Milestone Monday! New phrase: my doggie.

12/21 - Bought cheese fondue for DH's birthday. He's too sick to eat. Went for a COVID test and now we wait. Birthday party canceled.

Me (falling asleep last night): my new years resolution is to spend less money. No more toys. No more clothes.

Me (waking up this morning): I deserve a spa day because my bathtub is too small for a proper soak. I better get LO a Hanna Andersson pj in the next size up. I want to go to Disneyland with LO and DH. I want to go to IKEA and buy more stuff to organize the house. 🤣

12/24 - Holy crap. Is it almost Christmas? LO started running a fever on Dec 3rd and he has been sick since then. It's like the entire month of December didn't happen. DH and myself have been sick too. Every time I think we're getting better, we get worse again. DH tested negative for COVID but we have been staying home anyway. SIL and MIL are sick too (independently of us) so our family Christmas get-together has been tentatively rebranded as a new year party. Fingers crossed that we are all well by the middle of next week.

I am legitimately running out of ideas for activities. When I'm feeling well, I pride myself on my programming. I plan lots of things to do to keep the family busy and not bored and bickering. But I'm not feeling very energetic and I am happy our LO seems to be getting his energy back. But he is ahead of DH and myself. We got this from daycare so LO had it first. It's hard seeing the family lacking stuff to do but I just can't right now. And it's raining outside.

12/25 - We walked a couple miles in Anaheim. Passed through Downtown Disney. It was in between rain storms so there were very few people. Went to SIL's and played with wooden blocks for 4 hours. LO took a sling nap and then woke up hangry. We made some noodles to go and let kiddo eat on the way home. All in all, it was 1000x better than I imagined.

Oh that wonderful moment when family members asked if we're going to have another child... we explained why not. Then they asked why we can't just have one "the natural way." Then they asked why we don't want to go through IVF again. It's understandable that they want to ask these questions, but so painful for me to answer. 💔

12/26 - This holiday my SIL said the ring sling was smart, as opposed to Thanksgiving when MIL called my SSC, "that contraption." We will see MIL for a NYE or New Year's Day event, so there's still a possibility of hostility, but yesterday we had a lot of fun with SIL and LO's cousins who are 18 and 20 years old.

Trying to decide what to do today. LO was up at 4am because he fell asleep last night at 6pm. I've already made strawberry Jell-O and chocolate Jell-O pudding, breakfast, and a load of laundry is in the wash. Usually we pickup our meal prep service OR do grocery shopping and a week's worth of cooking. Strange that DH doesn't want to cook today. I guess we are just getting over being sick.

Trying to decide if it's worth it to drive 1h to the beach for a walk, stroll or bike ride. We have a cargo bike that I am in love with. But the weather is cold and it might rain. And we could do a walk, stroll or bike ride in our neighborhood without the 1h drive.

12/27 - Counting. When moving stuff from one area to another he counts in an exaggerated slow sing-song voice. He's not saying actual numbers but the intent is there. Same for doing laps across the house. He lines up. Looks to us. Barks a countdown like 3-2-1-go and then starts running. Then he turns around, does the countdown and runs back. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Just noticed this last night during a zoom call. LO was showing off for his grandparents.

12/31 - Two nightmares last night. 1st was going somewhere with a group and having to keep everyone together. It was five adults but I kept losing everyone. Why was it my responsibility to keep track of these other adults? No idea, but probably I was carrying residual stress from going to the science museum with DH and LO yesterday. 

2nd dream, I was attending a conference. Giving a talk. Wrangling luggage. Had LO with me. Couldn't do everything. Couldn't check in to hotel, couldn't find the room for my talk. Kept dropping stuff. Not enough hands. Stuff was heavy. Didn't have slides prepared. No babysitter. Clock was counting down until my presentation time. Thought I could still make it. Missed my talk. Time ran out. So stressful.

It may not seem baby-related but I think it was. Tomorrow we will see MIL and SIL even though FIL has COVID. I don't understand this. DH says if we get it, we'll be healthy by the time classes start on Jan 24th. I'm so conflicted. I just found out 1 hour ago. Kinda freaking out.

We have been staying home since Dec 8th. To be healthy for Christmas. But FIL was sick on Christmas so we didn't see them. This is a do-over. But I have no actual medical assurance that FIL is healthy. They are vaccinated but not boosted. I don't believe a negative COVID test has been done. He was positive on 12/26 but is "feeling better" now.

Thank goodness we modified our get together to a walk outside. No dining. No indoors.

Mom hack: Johnson's Baby Shampoo is a pretty good face wash.