September 1, 2017

Dear Babies,

Another summer has come and gone and while this one felt exceptionally weird given the weather and newborn baby aspects, it was a summer nonetheless that is now over. We finished up the season with 2 weeks in Muskoka together and learned some valuable lessons about our new life with 2 babies. Will we ever travel again? Of course, but this time we will be armed with some knowledge that perhaps we should have had before such as…

1. Someone will get a cold. This time it was toddler baby who came down with a common cold that somehow did not get spread amongst us in spite of best efforts. Also good to know that a thermometer makes for an excellent 10 minute distraction game called “put the thermometer in your armpit.” You were wholeheartedly delighted.
2. Bring the world. Our first time away earlier this summer we only brought you tokens from your room. We packed one stuffed animal, one sound machine and figured they would represent the other items you usually have. HA. We learned the lesson that when we forget to pack your Dracula stuffed animal, it will be all you want and need to sleep. This time around we devoted an entire bag to your 7 stuffed animals, 3 sound machine/ light things and brought 25 of your favourite books of which you read about 2.5 and asked for the random ones you haven’t read in about 6 months that we left at home.
3. Don’t bring the world. Confusing? Above I mentioned bringing as much as possible and then I say the opposite? Weird. Well, in this instance I mean clothing. I may not have brought you the book I thought you had long forgotten but I sure packed dresses you have never worn and would have zero use for in cottage country because… you never know… I seriously packed more than one dress for a newborn baby to wear. WTF is wrong with me?
4. But in an effort to fully confuse you, BRING THE WORLD because you never know when out of nowhere summer will cease to exist and you will be in full fall mode with not enough warm weather clothing (but an abundance of dresses).
5. Expect that if the resort you are staying at basically has nothing to do but play in the water, this will be the time that your kid no longer wants to be in the water. Not only will they not be excited by it, they will downright scream bloody murder if you pop their toe in it. Because, of course.
6. Finally, expect to never sleep, and yet still “wake up” in the am feeling excited to begin the day because watching you kids as the blossom and grow amid a backdrop akin to paradise is just fucking beyond and I would trade 10 nights of sleep, 100 tantrums and 200 poo explosions to do it all again.

xo

Mom