Christmas Vacation: Part 1 Reiss family

Our KY Christmas trip was our longest since we moved to California in 2013. We left Oakland for Louisville on Dec. 17th and returned January 5th. It was much cheaper to fly on these dates during the week and not as close to Christmas, but it required Emily to miss four days of kindergarten. (Basically, Emily is a "delinquent" now. The school sent us our first truancy notice when we arrived back into town. Yikes!) The flights went as well as possible for that long of a trip with three children five and under. The hardest parts about a Christmas trip (vs. summer trips) is packing and managing gifts to/from KY and packing a winter wardrobe which takes up a lot of luggage space. I buy as much as I can and ship directly from online stores to KY, but we still have to get things back home. It really cramps Santa's style to have size limits on what we can reasonably do.

Christmas is the one time of year that so long as we live in California, I can never make it "as it should be" in my mind. At this point in my life, I pictured us owning a nice home in KY somewhere and the kids waking up in their own house to the wonder filled joy that SANTA came to our house!!! I see myself making fun breakfasts for them and having plenty of time to do special celebrations locally with each set of grandparents. I see us crashing in our own beds at night. Nowhere in my mind, does my ideal Christmas include packing and/or shipping loads of luggage and gifts, sleeping in our parents' homes, stressful times with three kids at the airport, flying cross country, illnesses contracted from the flight, managing time zone differences and the havoc that causes with their schedules, and spending as much as a good vacation on travel just to "go home." I realize that I may sound complaining and ungrateful, but this is the reality of traveling so far at Christmas. Our parents are wonderful hosts. I know they work tirelessly to put us up for a week and buy beautiful, special gifts for us all. They are generous and always helpful with the children. We are grateful and thankful and lucky. We want to see them and our extended families. Of course we do! We miss them and love them so much. It's just that I also want to make memories with my little family in my own home. Do our own little traditions. When we travel for Christmas, I feel like I'm just trying to survive it all. I realize that this year was especially difficult because Anna Kate was just a couple of months old. It will be a tiny bit easier when I don't have two in diapers! 

And so there is no way to make Christmas "right" in my mind. If we stay in California, we avoid the stress and hassle and expense of traveling, but then I think we would feel sad to not be with our loved ones. We either deal with the downsides of traveling and not being in our own house or we deal with missing out on the special times with our loved ones. That's the choice. And I wish I didn't have to make that choice every year. I would say that for most of the year, I LOVE living in California. I love our climate, all that there is to do and see, the beauty of coastal living, our friends and church and neighborhood and that my husband is so happy and fulfilled with his job. But, I really miss that we no longer live in KY at Christmastime and Derby week. I miss the peak of autumn color and country little pumpkin patches. I love a few weeks of hot summer fun and swimming at Lakeside. The homesickness is worse for me at those times of year and at each child's birthday when we want to share those special early birthdays with grandparents. 

Even with the very real difficulties of traveling, I would be remiss not to say that we were blessed with the gift of time with our families and friends and many memories were made. We are thankful that Jeremy has a generous vacation policy at work and I'm able to be completely flexible while staying home with the children to allow for these long trips home each year. During our Louisville visit, Jeremy and I were able to attend a Christmas party with his former co-workers. We had appetizers and drinks one evening with Jeff and his new girlfriend. Dinkney, Poppy, Emily and Jeremy enjoyed a special IMAX movie treat to see The Polar Express. We were able to attend a regular Sunday church as well as the special candlelight Christmas Eve service. Jen, Ed, and Elizabeth also were visiting from NC during part of our time in Louisville and it was great to see them, too.

We took lots of photos. Here's a few highlights from our time in Louisville with Jeremy's folks and I'll make a separate post for our time with my folks in BG. 

Decorating Dinkney and Poppy's tree

Their reward for being good little decorators. 

Caleb called the apple cider "apple spider." It was so cute that we all adopted the saying!

Dinkney with her little kitchen helpers

Celebrating my birthday with my three littles. I chose a dutch caramel apple pie from the Homemade Ice cream and Pie Kitchen store--a Louisville original!

Sweet sisters and morning bed heads. :)

Chilling with cousin EB after church

The kids were all dressed up for Sunday church, but of course it was nearly impossible to get a good photo of all three together. 

This was the best we could get...

And it quickly went downhill from there!

Christmas Eve jammies

Christmas Eve with the family and the ONLY photo I have of all five of us over the whole break? What? 

Santa came for Elizabeth, Emily, and Caleb! Lucky kiddos! Anna Kate got a stocking, but beyond that Santa didn't leave much for her this year. ;) 

The kids loved their tent. Luckily, it could break down easily and fit in one box for travel back home to CA.

Morning coffee and a sleepy baby girl Christmas morning

Caleb loved going through his stocking. 

Emily practicing her reading skills with Poppy 

Peek-a-Boo!

Oh, look at that face! She was so happy and pleased with her "Emily" American Girl doll from Dinkney and Poppy! Her grandmother bought it years ago and was just waiting for her to be the perfect age to take care of it. 

Caleb requesting for us to open his new toy for him to play with

"Reading" together

Caleb loves his dress-up outfit so much!

Sweet baby girl with grandmother! 

And with Poppy

And with Aunt Jen!

Bodega Bay

When I found out that Jeremy would get ten weeks of fully paid paternity leave, I felt like the luckiest mama in the world. TEN WEEKS! With both Caleb and Emily, Jeremy had to use a week of vacation time and then he was back to work. I had some help from my mother and mother-in-law, but I was mostly on my own. That's not too bad with one child or even two, but I could simply not even imagine Jeremy returning to work so quickly now that we have three. I knew the first few weeks would be rough, but I also remembered feeling much better after a couple of months. I really hoped that we could possibly take a small trip. I hated to think of completely "wasting" ten weeks and not do anything but be home with the kids. So, my mind started thinking of where could we possibly go?

After reading my friend Carissa's blog about her favorite things to do in the San Francisco area, I decided we had to go to Bodega Bay. We had done nearly everything else on the list! :)

http://www.carissagraham.com/2014/07/our-top-ten-san-francisco-favorites.html

Carissa's blog is just beautiful. Truthfully, I'm a little jealous of her photos because we've been to pretty much all of the same places and our photos look nothing like hers! So, check out her blog if you want to see some of the beauty of this area.

I had very little time to research the trip. I actually finalized the details when Anna was just a few days old. I found the perfect place for our family to unwind and relax through the VRBO website (vacation rental by owner.) It was a small 2 BR, 2 BA house six miles north of Bodega Bay. The home had all of the necessary amenities for us to be quite comfortable. (I'm through with staying in hotels without a kitchen if I'm bringing the whole family.) It was right off of the scenic Highway One and had floor to ceiling views of the Pacific Ocean and Wright's Beach. The price was kind of high, but I felt that it was too perfect to pass up. I knew we wouldn't be able to get out and about all that much, so it was important for me to be really comfortable at the vacation home. Sometimes, a change of scenery and a break from a difficult baby routine can make all the difference in keeping the baby blues at bay.

As we loaded up the van, I was nervous that it wouldn't be worth it, but my fears were quickly quieted as we drove down country winding roads and down the coast to our vacation house. The views were stunning and that was just from the van. I was giddy when we turned the key and walked inside. Even if I did nothing but hold and nurse the baby, I could do it with a fantastic view right in front of me. We learned that this home had been passed down for several generations among the same family. You could feel the cozy warmth of the place. There was a gas fireplace, hot tub, lovely garden, deck and chairs for watching sunrises/sunsets, cozy couches for snuggles and watching movies, large collection of games, and a beautiful updated kitchen with all the essentials. We stopped in Petaluma for groceries on the way there.

The Sonoma coastline. This was the view we had whenever we drove to/from Bodega Bay to our house.

Our first full day was spent playing on Wright's Beach and exploring the area directly around us. We drove into the small town of Bodega Bay and ate lunch at The Birds Cafe that overlooked part of the Bay. Jeremy and the kids walked to a little shop for saltwater taffy and a new kite while I nursed the baby. We played games at the house that afternoon and ate dinner there.

Playing at Wright's Beach in front of our house.

The waters are dangerous and cold in this area, but beautiful. We enjoyed walking and playing on the beach in November, but we didn't dare go into the water!

My little girl 

On our second full day, we decided to head up to Bodega Head for a mini hike. Everything I read said that it was easy hiking and fantastic views, but to be extremely careful with young children due to the high rocky cliffs. I was worried that it would be too unsafe to take the kids, but I knew Anna and Caleb would be completely safe. (I wore Anna Kate in the Moby wrap and Caleb was carried in a toddler backpack by Jeremy.) We stopped at a local place to get hot clam chowder and sandwiches and you can see our view below as we ate at picnic tables. After lunch, we walked about an hour in one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. We did not take our best camera though since Jeremy was walking with Caleb on his back. That night we ate at the house again and then enjoyed movies and popcorn with the kids that evening by the fireplace. Jeremy and I managed to get all three kids to sleep long enough to enjoy hot tubbing under the stars that night. :)

We were able to park the van at Bodega Head and get out to do easy walks with the kids. 

This photo makes me so happy. I love to let my kids explore nature and climb. 

View of Bodega Bay from our car as we drove back into town from the Head. 

Caleb and Emily shared a queen sized bed for the first time. He's getting to be such a big boy! Here he is all sacked out after a morning and afternoon of fun. 

Our cozy cottage. 

We had lots of fun and we hope to be back again! It was an easy 1 1/2 hr. trip from our home and totally worth it. Three nights was a good getaway. 

One month old Anna Kate

Anna Kate is now six weeks old! Hard to believe. Honestly, I'm ready to move on from this stage. I know, I know. I should be "cherishing" this time. My opinion is that the newborn days are best as an aunt or grandmother. All the cuddles and snuggles without any of the responsibility (or leaky breasts or sleepless nights that go on and on and on and on with no end in sight for weeks and weeks and weeks.) So, yeah, not particularly cherishing this "stage" right now. That's not to say that there aren't some beautiful moments that I'm soaking up whenever I can. I am. Like Emily's infatuation with her and Caleb asking to "kiss the baby head" and wanting to hug her every day multiple times a day. I love how peaceful she is when she's asleep with her mouth agape and how she is almost immediately calmed when I pick her up and hold her close. But, I can not live in this stage for much longer and so I'm thankful that I know that this too shall pass. My beautiful, needy newborn will grow up and smile at me soon. And laugh. And coo. And I can't wait. I read recently that "six weeks is the height of the awake, fussy stage." I concur.

I am thankful that Anna settles well. She doesn't have colic where she cries hours on end without any way to console her. No, I can always console her with milk or swaddling or wrapping her tight to me with the Moby. Thank goodness. Problem is, I CAN'T PUT HER DOWN! She prefers to be held and to rest on a warm body for most of her waking AND non-waking hours. This, my friends, is an issue. Because I have two other children and a husband and a house that desperately need me, too. Well, the house and hubby aren't all that desperate, but you know what I mean. Oh, and everyone wants to eat at least three times a day and there's groceries to buy and meals to make (or at least serve and clean-up even if it's not "made." ) Anna eats all day and night at least every three hours. Oh, and there's Christmas coming up, too. You know, that time of year that is insanely busy even if you don't have a newborn? Trying not to stress, but at this point, I only have a couple of gifts bought and I will have to start packing up soon. Obviously, going home to KY this year will not be easy.

This month we've tried a million ways to get Anna to sleep some on her own. We have tried the baby swing. We get a few happy awake moments out of this. She has maybe fallen asleep in it three times. We've tried Caleb's crib. This seems to be the best option. I try daily to let her nap in it as we will be transitioning her to this bed really soon. We've tried the pack n play with little success. We've tried swaddling and not swaddling. We've tried sleeping on her stomach. (I know, don't judge. Both of my other kids slept on their bellies after one month or so.) She sleeps on her stomach much better than her back, so maybe this will work better in time. We've tried swaddling her and propping her body up with the boppy or pillow. Sometimes, this works for a couple of hours. Most of the time, not very well. What works? Holding her. Rocking her. Wearing her. These are the only things that you can count on for having her sleep for more than a few minutes. The rest is just sheer luck because usually she wakes up as soon as you take her out of your arms. Jeremy and I have a little routine going where he will hold her after we get the big kids to sleep. Sometimes he will hold her from 8pm-11pm while he rests at the end of the night. Sometimes I can go to bed early. Most of the time, I have dishes or laundry to do or just want a few free moments to myself after a non-stop day. We each take a shift at night or early in the morning so that we can put together a few hours of solid sleep. It's rough.

Anna and me resting during our vacation to Bodega Bay (11/26/14)

Early days at home

We were blessed that both of the grandmothers were able to fly out to spend some time with us after Anna Kate was born. I don't think we quite realized how much they were helping until after they left! While they were here, they helped us get the big kids their breakfast and helped Emily get ready and off for school. Jeremy was able to get a shower and get ready for the day at that time. Since they left, I'm not sure if either of us have been able to be showered and completely ready for the day by 8am!

My mom came first and was here for about ten days right after Anna Kate was born. Obviously, we didn't get out much as I was recovering and nursing all the time. Mom had good quality time with the kids at the park, walking Emily to/from school, attending our church with Jeremy (Anna Kate and I rested at home), trick-or-treating, and many other every day special moments.

Nancy came when Anna was about three weeks old and stayed a week. By then, we were able to do a little more. We spent one day at the Bay Area Discovery Museum and another at Children's Fairyland. I went to church with Anna for the first time, but it was still probably too soon. Sure enough, I spent the whole time in the mother/baby room (aka the "cry" room aka the "nursing" room.) Both of their visits feel like a complete blur to me. The time passed so quickly! Here' a few photos of our early days with Anna Kate and the grandmothers.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from the Reisses! We did this little photo shoot a week or so ago. Aunt Jennifer made their matching shirts. Anna's shirt says "Lil' Pumpkin" since we didn't know if she would be a boy or girl before she was born.

We just got back from our Bodega Bay trip yesterday and had the best time. I'll do a blog post about that soon. I feel more energized and optimistic that the worst of the newborn sleep deprivation is behind us and things will improve from here. This evening we are having dinner in San Francisco with the Stevens family from church. We are so thankful for the kind invitation and look forward to a wonderful meal and fellowship. Major holidays away from family can be hard sometimes, but we try to stay busy which helps distract us from what we are missing (thus the Thanksgiving week trip.) Knowing that we will see our families in a few short weeks also helps.

My heart is very full of thanksgiving for our many, many blessings.