June Lake

We headed to June Lake for a long weekend away with Ryan and Chiara. I took way too many photos...it was just so pretty there. Unfortunately there was a fire in Yosemite, so the air was a bit hazy, but not too bad. Not enough to stop me from taking a jillion photos. I didn't even come close to capturing how pretty it was. Ah, but it was nice to get away and relax. And in such beautiful surroundings. June Lake is where Zach spent many weeks each summer as a kid, so he really wanted to get Beatrice up there. It is pretty amazing to drive through one of the most beautiful national parks in the US (Yosemite) and still end up somewhere just as pretty, with enough civilization mixed in.

We hiked, we played in the park, we played cards, we read, we walked, we ate great meals, both in (steaks, yummmm) and out (Mobile Station and Silver Lake Resort) and boy oh boy did we eat PIE! People in the Eastern Sierras like their pie; we ate some everyday we were up there - at the Tioga Pass Resort (www.tiogapassresort.com), at Rock Creek Lake Resort (www.rockcreeklake.com), from a vendor on the side of the road. Yum. I will say the Eastern Sierra definition of 'resort' does not quite match the East Coast version of 'resort'...bit more rustic out here.

The other big difference between CA and GA mountain vacations is the altitude. At 8k+ feet, hiking (walking/breathing) takes on a whole new meaning. Especially, I discovered, while pregnant!

The Corvette club from LA also drove up for the weekend. 20+ Corvettes in the June Lake Motel. Quite a sight.

Our first 'hike' was just a little walk around Silver Lake. Zach packed great lunches every day, so we ate like kings. Beatrice enjoyed the ducks and watching people fish.

After our very long hike in Rock Creek, Beatrice became fascinated by the backpack again and carried her dolls everywhere. Wonder why?

Great trip. Can't wait to do it again...with Baby #2 on the outside!

Rock Creek Lake Hike

While up at June Lake, we hiked the Rock Creek Lake trail. Well, hiking may be a strong word for what we did, but at an altitude of 9k+ feet, with a 2.5 year old, and a very pregnant me, I'm going to call it a hike. Beatrice hiked 1.5 miles in. At 1.5 miles we had to stop for lunch (did I mention I'm pregnant?), and then she caught a ride on Daddy on the way out. Luckily Ryan and Chiara are very patient!

We took the obligatory kid-in-front-of-sign photo (even Baby #2 got in on the action). I'll have to dig up the photos of Zach as a kid in front of this sign. I'm sure there's one of him at this age.

It was such a gorgeous walk. And I did enjoy all the commentary from passersby..."Wow, that kid looks heavy in that backpack...Whoa! Did you see that lady? She's really pregnant!"

Post hike we enjoyed a slice of pie each at the Rock Creek Lake Resort. The lady that makes them runs 50-100 mile races (seriously), so the pies were absolutely scrumptious (she's not scrimping on butter, sugar, the good stuff). We also stuck our feet in the stream, and I laid in the grass for a long while trying to catch my breath.

"Pop! goes the weasel"

We don't talk about the new baby all that much with Beatrice. At this point, I figure we cover it plenty, and we'll talk about it more and more in the coming months. We pretty much just let Beatrice bring it up when she wants to talk about it.

So I was a bit surprised when she said to me out of nowhere, "Mommy, when the baby is born it is going to say, 'POP! goes the weasel!'"

I tried my very hardest not to laugh and said, "Well...babies can't talk when they're first born...but it might making some popping noises."

Then she wanted to know if it was going to be born in a hospital. And why? (Everything these days is "Why?") Zach and I explained that both of us were born in hospitals, and she was born in a hospital, and that lots of babies are born in hospitals. That seemed to satisfy her.

Then she wanted to know what color the hospital would be. Yellow or silver? That one took a bit to decipher, but we finally figured out the hospital Zach was born in was silver (he pointed it out from the road one day) and Oakland Children's Hospital is yellow, with a yellow rubber ducky on the roof. So...

We're going to do a field trip to see the outside of the hospital sometime soon, as I'm not 100% sure of the color, but it's important to Beatrice. "Pop! goes the weasel"...too much, it cracks me up everytime I think about it.

Sleepless nights

So I'm stretching it a bit to say we've had sleepless nights. Certainly nothing compared to the kind of sleepless nights we'll have with a newborn again. I certainly know that. But Beatrice is putting us through the ringer.

She's two and a half (plus) and does not want to go to bed at night. Seriously, she's doesn't want to go to bed. Crying, screaming, kicking doesn't want to go to bed. Zach has taken the brunt of this, as it seems my very presence (or the baby's?) sets her off even more. Plus Zach can physically restrain her if needed. The other problem is that she seems to have finally realized when we give her a "choice" (e.g., "Beatrice do you want to have Mommy or Daddy put you to bed?") there is actually another "choice" for her - "NO! I no want to go to bed!! I'm not super tired." Ugh.

In daylight, non-exhausted hours I think both Zach and I realize this is all for the best. She's growing up, maturing, etc. But oh, at 9pm when she is still battling to stay awake, Good Heavens...

In better news, Beatrice and Jessica are still having a blast together. They went to the teaching garden the other day and picked tons of food. Beatrice, of course, wore her overalls.

And we got in a last visit with Will before he left for France. Bea is definitely going to miss his weekly babysitting afternoons!

Reentry

We've played a lot of "airport" since we got back. "Mommy, take your shoes off for security!"

All in all, it's been a relatively smooth transition back into 'normal' for us after vacation. Though Beatrice has had her moments. The other evening turned out to be one of them. A doozy of one.

Me (after her 8th meltdown): "Who do you want to read to you tonight?"

Beatrice (in sing-song): "My-Daddy, he's-my-favorite"

Another evening Zach and I traded off getting her to bed duties; we were essentially just watching each other so that Child Protective Services didn't need to be called. 45 minutes of screaming and crying until 9:30pm, then up from 11:30-1:30. Ugh.

On the bright side, Beatrice has been having a fantastic time with Jessica. They've played and gone to the market and to the library. Beatrice still misses Sarah B, but she did get to see her (and Becky!) this weekend on Saturday for the afternoon and dinner. We convinced them to stay and see us over dinner too. It's amazing what Zachary's Pizza can do for luring guests.

But she's definitely readjusting - to Mommy and Daddy working again and Sarah not being here and not having a minimum of 5 adults watching her every move, as she had in Georgia! Or maybe she's just being two and a half.

Luckily she's pretty adorable, even in the midst of her two-year old tantrums. Especially since she insists on wearing her new overalls every day.