Maryland 2016 Cont.

Sunday, we decided to walk around downtown Pittsburgh.  Our hotel happened to be on Market Square, which was the cutest area surrounded by shops, restaurants, and buildings.  We quickly found a Starbucks and ordered our usual bagels.  After that, we wandered around until it was time to head to the baseball game.  A and I are huge Cubs fans.  Back in the early spring, A checked the schedule and was happy to find out the Cubs were in Pittsburgh around the time we typically visit Maryland.  We mentioned the dates to my aunt, who was fine with them and we scheduled our trip accordingly.  A and I always love to check out different baseball stadiums together and PNC Park did not disappoint.  The stadium is surrounded by rivers.  You get to the stadium by crossing a bridge.  Very very cool.  Everyone in Pittsburgh was so incredibly friendly.  As we were walking into the stadium, S fell asleep in the carrier.  A guy remarked that the sight was precious.  I even asked A if he was being sarcastic – Chicagoans are definitely not as outgoing (sorry Chicago).  We found our seats and nearly everyone around us struck up a conversation – also something I’m not used to.  The lady next to me told me not to worry about bumping her or intruding on her space (which is easy to do when you have a wiggly 1 year old and 3 year old) because she had grandchildren and understood.  The people in front of us were Cubs fans and we talked about the team and Wrigley Field.  We also chatted with the people behind us – the lady explained that Pittsburgh had a large Polish population hence the Pierogi races.  At one point, S was standing on the chair next to me.  I looked over and he was gone!  Turns out, he was sitting on the lap of the man behind us.  I know most moms would have freaked, but it was obvious that everyone around us was kind (and we were in the middle of the row so I wasn’t very concerned about anyone running off with S).  The man’s wife leaned over and said, “Don’t worry, he loves kids – he’s a pediatric cardiologist.”.  I wish we would have exchanged email addresses or something – everyone was just so sweet.  We ended up leaving after the 7^th inning.  I honestly couldn’t believe W lasted that long – he’s made it pretty clear that he does not like attending baseball games (hope he eventually changes his tune).  I absolutely loved Pittsburgh and hope to return.  The ride home was a bit better, but S puked again.  Uggh.  So we’re fairly certain he gets car sick on long trips.  Awesome.

Monday was another pool day.

Tuesday we headed to downtown Fredrick, Maryland to explore the shops and restaurants.  I loved the area.  We had a yummy lunch and I found a couple outfits for the boys.  A explored a vintage record store and my mom purchased some chocolates at a candy store.  All in all, a fun day.

The remaining days were spent playing badminton, enjoying the pool, taking walks, and I even finished a book! (something I haven’t done in YEARS).  We also enjoyed my aunt’s and uncle’s amazing cooking – marinated chicken, lasagna, mini hamburgers, taco bar, a ton of fresh salads, etc.  It was an incredible trip and I’m sad it’s over.

We headed home on Friday.  Once again, the boys were wonderful travel partners.  The trip back was a tad more challenging, but only because S didn’t nap and needed to be entertained.  But not one tear was shed!  However, once we got home, chaos erupted.  I think it was a combination of S teething, traveling and being cooped up nearly the entire day, and being back home.  The boys were wild – slamming doors, emptying the dog's water bowl, throwing their plates and bowls in the garbage, screeching.  I ordered a pizza for delivery and I think the pizza delivery man was overwhelmed by us when he arrived.  That night, S woke up at 11pm, W at 2:30am, S at 4:30am, and S was up for the day at 5:50am.  I was beyond exhausted.  And each time they were up, it took 30-60 minutes to get them back to sleep.  More of the same craziness on Sunday.  S threw my phone down the stairs, W filled S’s crib with dog toys, S threw a toy truck, W kicked S while on the stairs, S pooped in the bathtub – twice!!, W would run away from me when he needed a diaper change.  They were awful.  And I never say that.  I was texting A about everything that was occurring and was sure he was questioning my abilities as a mom (he definitely wasn’t – he would never, but I felt like a complete failure).  By 11am, both boys had pooped a total of 5 times.  It was just crazy.  My mom came over so I could take W to swim lessons and I think she was a bit shocked at the state of the house, but a few minutes with the boys and she understood.  Swim lessons provided a change of scenery, I stopped and got a Venti iced coffee on the way home, A arrived home at 4:30 while I was at the park with the boys, and all was right with the world once again. J