Hanging out with the in-laws

A few hours after Jon got home last week my in-laws pulled in to join us for the long weekend. We had a fantastic time together! I was hoping for a small break from 'round the clock mommyhood and I wasn't disappointed! Just to illustrate the extent of my break, in addition to all the fun stuff we did I still had time to start and finish an entire book! Bliss! And you want to know what was one of my favorite parts of the weekend? Waking up at 8:00 on Saturday morning, shocked that Jack was sleeping in so late, only to find that he was already in the kitchen with Nonnie, enjoying his breakfast. I think the last time I slept until 8am was when Jack was a newborn ... and waking up at 1, 3, 4:30 and 6. *Sigh*, my preggo-self thinks extra sleep is so fantastic!

But enough about how much fun I had, Jack had a great weekend too! He found Nonnie to be highly entertaining, I don't think he stopped giggling the whole weekend! On Thursday night we had shish-kabobs on the grill and I ate about half of my special treat - a bag Middleswarth BBQ chips that you can only find in Central PA. I polished off the other half the next day (don't worry, Jon got a few chips himself.) :) During dinner Jon leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Should we tell them?" I thought we had already agreed not to tell anyone this early so I quickly shushed him up and tried to go on with the meal despite that awkwardness that always follows whispering at dinner tables. The next night we ate out at Dockside. I was sitting there, enjoying my blackened salmon and steamed vegetables when I suddenly got slammed with a wave of nauseau. I spent the next five seconds figuring out how I would explain myself if I suddenly got up and got sick over the side of the dock. That was right about the time when Jon leaned over and whispered in my ear AGAIN, "Should we tell them tonight??" I was starting to feel bad, that was two awkward dinner table whisperings in two nights, what did my in-laws think of us? And so, I suppose to help alleviate the uncomfortable silence, Jon went ahead and told them anyway. The one advantage about people knowing you are pregnant is that I now feel free to whine about how sick and tired I am. And in turn, everyone is concerned with how I'm eating and suggest that I be first in line for dinner.

After we left Dockside and bought the materials needed to make Jack's shirt, we decided a round of mini-golf was necessary. We hadn't planned this ahead of time so we didn't have any arrangements for Jack. The mini-golf place is on a hill, and involves a number of steps, rocks, bridges and streams ... not really conducive to a stroller. So we decided to take turns holding Tank. Surprisingly, it worked out quite well. So well, in fact, that we had a tough time prying Jack off Nonnie when it was her turn to putt!

The next day we spent at the beach ... well, the ladies spent the day at the beach, the guys joined us after the football game, and brought Jack down after his nap. He loved splashing in the waves and playing in the sand. He has changed so much since we first started bringing him to the beach this year. He doesn't eat sand as much (although I do have to watch for seaweed and seashells) and he loves the waves and water. In fact, he will crawl across the sand and right up to where the waves meet the shore, completely unphased by the crashing water. I haven't yet decided if this is a good or a bad thing...

That night we went out for a sunset/dolphin cruise. It was a beautiful evening! The dolphins weren't as "playful" as I was imagining but it was cool to see them jumping right alongside the boat. And of course, the sunset was impressive! Poor Jack succumbed to the motion of the ocean before the boat even left the dock. But awoke just in time to see the dolphins.

On Sunday we went for a 13-or-so-mile bike ride at the State Park. This is the bike path that we used to live next to at our old apartment, and the path that I spent many, many hours on during our first year of marriage when Jon was out to sea. It was a splendid bike ride, and some much-needed exercise after all that good eatin'. Jack missed his morning nap because of church that day, and didn't take a great nap in the afternoon, so he began to get a little cranky during the second half of the trip. I was starting to worry that he would cry the entire hour it took to get back, but it soon stopped. And then I realized he had fallen asleep, his helmeted-head bouncing from side to side everytime Jon hit a bump or root in the path. Do not ask me how he managed to catch a nap while riding a bike in the woods. All I know is that I was very thankful, and that he woke up a little later in a much better mood.

Monday ended up being overcast and rainy, the perfect compliment to our mood as we waved goodbye to Nonnie and Poppy. Jack had a hard time letting go for the last hug, but we'll be seeing each other again soon when we make our next trip to Pennsylvania!