Last week, my mom came to stay with us and help me out while Chris had a guy's weekend away. I had just returned to work the week before and although William is in preschool half days now, I still felt I needed help to get through it.
She arrived on Wednesday afternoon and got to work right away cuddling Stephen and helping me get him to sleep during the day. She has some amazing skills in that area! And after William's nap each day, she got down on his level and played for hours. She also helped me with meals, cleaning and baking! And she took us shopping! I would never have gone to the mall with my kids by myself, but with her help I was able to find some great clothes.
Although I really needed to focus on work and needed her help with the kids, I wanted to make sure we did some fun things too during her visit. On Thursday afternoon we all went to the California Academy of Sciences so she could experience some of William's very favorite things - fish, sharks, and an albino crocodile.
On Saturday we went to William's swim class. Usually Chris goes and I stay home with Stephen, but since Chris was out of town and I had mom to help, we all went! William is always a little hesitant to jump in the water but this time he screamed and screamed and refused to get in. I hadn't seen him like this before. I took him in the water briefly but he still didn't calm down. So we sat on the bench and watched for a while, William demanding to go home. Eventually something caught his eye that he wanted to try, so we got in! And then he had so much fun (for the five minutes left of class time!).
On Sunday, we had a tiny early birthday party for William. Complete with a donut tower with candles and lots of gifts!
When Chris returned we ventured out to the beach! We never go to the beach but Sunday was hot and William had been begging to play in the wet sand and Grandma loves the water. The boys built a sand castle, mom and I took photos of the water and put our feet in (and then got surprised by the tide and got our pants soaked). This was Stephen's first time at the ocean!
On Monday, my cousin Sarah came over for dinner and we got to catch up.
There were a few nights that we had her stay with a friend of ours so she would have her own space and a better nights sleep. This meant that a couple of times, she had to brave public transportation to get to our place. She was nervous, but brave and did it! Even when the bus missed her stop, she didn't miss a beat and found her way back without too much trouble. The city can be overwhelming for us who grew up in rural areas and never had to navigate city streets and bus systems. I think if her visit were a little longer or she had to do it more often, she would have felt comfortable with it all. Baby steps.
She did a lot of babysitting for me while I worked and had a few medical appointments. The boys did great for her and I was grateful for such amazing help.
The week went by so fast and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. I am so glad she could come and be with us. My boys don't get to see her often enough, and neither do I for that matter. It's the worst part about living so far away. We had seen her just a few months ago for my brother's wedding, but we really didn't get to spend much time together when there were so many people to visit with. Having her all to ourselves was so great!
Last week, my mom came to stay with us and help me out while Chris had a guy's weekend away. I had just returned to work the week before and although William is in preschool half days now, I still felt I needed help to get through it.
She arrived on Wednesday afternoon and got to work right away cuddling Stephen and helping me get him to sleep during the day. She has some amazing skills in that area! And after William's nap each day, she got down on his level and played for hours. She also helped me with meals, cleaning and baking! And she took us shopping! I would never have gone to the mall with my kids by myself, but with her help I was able to find some great clothes.
Although I really needed to focus on work and needed her help with the kids, I wanted to make sure we did some fun things too during her visit. On Thursday afternoon we all went to the California Academy of Sciences so she could experience some of William's very favorite things - fish, sharks, and an albino crocodile.
On Saturday we went to William's swim class. Usually Chris goes and I stay home with Stephen, but since Chris was out of town and I had mom to help, we all went! William is always a little hesitant to jump in the water but this time he screamed and screamed and refused to get in. I hadn't seen him like this before. I took him in the water briefly but he still didn't calm down. So we sat on the bench and watched for a while, William demanding to go home. Eventually something caught his eye that he wanted to try, so we got in! And then he had so much fun (for the five minutes left of class time!).
On Sunday, we had a tiny early birthday party for William. Complete with a donut tower with candles and lots of gifts!
When Chris returned we ventured out to the beach! We never go to the beach but Sunday was hot and William had been begging to play in the wet sand and Grandma loves the water. The boys built a sand castle, mom and I took photos of the water and put our feet in (and then got surprised by the tide and got our pants soaked). This was Stephen's first time at the ocean!
On Monday, my cousin Sarah came over for dinner and we got to catch up.
There were a few nights that we had her stay with a friend of ours so she would have her own space and a better nights sleep. This meant that a couple of times, she had to brave public transportation to get to our place. She was nervous, but brave and did it! Even when the bus missed her stop, she didn't miss a beat and found her way back without too much trouble. The city can be overwhelming for us who grew up in rural areas and never had to navigate city streets and bus systems. I think if her visit were a little longer or she had to do it more often, she would have felt comfortable with it all. Baby steps.
She did a lot of babysitting for me while I worked and had a few medical appointments. The boys did great for her and I was grateful for such amazing help.
The week went by so fast and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. I am so glad she could come and be with us. My boys don't get to see her often enough, and neither do I for that matter. It's the worst part about living so far away. We had seen her just a few months ago for my brother's wedding, but we really didn't get to spend much time together when there were so many people to visit with. Having her all to ourselves was so great!
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