A weekend of "firsts"

I left Ethan with my parents for the weekend and went away to the mountains. This was the first time I have been without him for any length of time and it was hard saying goodbye and not calling every 4 hours. Once we arrived at the Homestead (http://www.thehomestead.com) though, I started to unwind and we had a wonderful time. We hiked, swam, and horseback rode on 15000 acres. The views were incredible and the resort was so relaxed. There are championship golf courses, an incredible spa, and formal dining in rooms dating back to the 1700s. They also have their own bowling alley and nightly movies. We mostly just relaxed and enjoyed the views and the full moon in the evenings. And maybe had a drink or two in the pub. I missed Ethan though I heard Uncle Michael came to play and that Grandma and he had some fun playing with his bear. Ethan was decked out in his Sunday football finest and she took pictures to share.




Hearing about all the fun we were missing at home, we decided to head out about 11 on Sunday. Check out time was 12 but it was already getting to be crazed in the great hall so we took our leave. We took the Blue Ridge Parkway home and routed ourselves through some great mountain back roads and towns. We even stopped for lunch and still managed to be back by 5. This left plenty of time for catching up with E.

We decided to be daring and introduced some cereal for the first time. He has been teething so badly that he just cries and bites on the nipple of the bottle and was not getting enough to eat. We have been freezing washcloths and teethers but they don't seem to help much and I am hesitant to use too much Tylenol. It was touch and go when we first offered the food as he was getting frustrated since he was hungry. We then got him to drink some formula first to fill him up a little and then with Grandma's help, he managed to eat about a tablespoon. I only wore an eight of that but his bib had seen better days. I really want him to use a spoon and am not a fan of putting the cereal in a bottle.


Once eating time was over, Ethan went to bed and the adults decided to play some poker since I wasn't feeling too well and couldn't do much else. I felt a bad cold coming on and couldn't stop sneezing. Sleep was out of the question so we made some decaf and started dealing. Ethan woke up about an hour into the game so he got to help me. He loved the bright colored cards and proved to be very good luck. I forgave him for the lack of a poker face and for throwing my cards on the floor in disgust for all to see. However, I realized the entire theory that cereal makes them sleep longer seems to be out the window since he only slept for an hour after his meal. We are still at 4 hour clips overnight and hour cat naps during the day, regardless of whether he drinks 4 or 6 ounces and if he has some cereal.