Vacation

Isaac and I aren't going anywhere this summer. Craig, however, just spent two weeks working in Europe -- the first week in Amsterdam and the second in a fishing village in Portugal. We originally considered making it a family trip (last summer we flew three places -- New Mexico, Minnesota, and Montana) but with the extraordinary rise in the cost of airfare, it just didn't seem possible.

Actually, Isaac and I did go somewhere while Craig was in Europe. We drove to my parents' house, about 100 miles away, on two separate occasions. (After the first four nights we had to go back to our own home for a few days to take care of some business, but we returned as soon as we could.) Out of the 13 days Craig was gone, Isaac and I spent 11 days with my folks, only sleeping in our own beds three nights. Now that's a vacation!

I'm not kidding, either. A friend of mine, when I told her my plans, wondered how long I would be able to "stand" staying with my parents. I told her that wasn't a concern at all. My parents are always a pleasure to visit, friendly but undemanding, and they strike the perfect balance between socializing with me and being involved with their own projects. I'm not sure how long they would have agreed to put up with just me (I was a pretty lazy houseguest, seldom helping with meals or doing dishes, although I did buy some groceries and wash our bedding) but I came as a package deal with the real reward -- Isaac.

And my parents and Isaac really enjoyed each other. Isaac didn't even want to come back home! Opa and Oma read books to Isaac, invented crazy new games with him (anyone for Hide the Mallet?), and took him on long walks around the property to visit the tractors and the pond. We were there long enough for Isaac to get very comfortable with both of them as caregivers, and for all of us to develop new routines and habits as a family, and it made me realize that with small children, quantity time can be as important as quality time.

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That's one of the things that makes me glad I'm able to stay at home with Isaac -- nothing says "I love you" like a hundred thousand instances of just being there, whether to pour a cup of milk or share a joke or give a hug. I guess as he gets older it will be increasingly important to make sure that we also do special and significant activities together, but sometimes all Isaac wants is to snuggle in the big bed and pretend to be foxes. (Jeez, I'm sounding a lot more sentimental than usual!)

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Unfortunately we don't get to see Craig's parents very often, since they live on the opposite coast, and I feel bad that Isaac is missing out. But we talk about Grandpa and Grandma, and we look at pictures, which I guess is the best we can do right now.