This Week in Mommyhood

The big event this week was our first family vacation. We went to Tampa and spent some time at Busch Gardens and touring the city's different breweries. We went to Busch Gardens every day we were there, but each time we went we did something different. On the first day we went to have dinner at Crown Colony because I wanted to dine with a view of the Serengeti Plain. On the second day we walked around the entire park and spent some time in Sesame Street Safari of Fun. It was on this day that Cati rode her first ride. She didn't really get the rides but she wasn't scared either. She was just kind of serious the entire time. On the third day we went back to Sesame Street Safari of Fun so that Cati could play in the watering hole and so that we could catch one of the Sesame Street shows. Cati had a blast playing in the water and she was hilarious during the show. She was obsessed with trying to touch the characters and she danced and clapped along with them. We didn't stay the entire show though because Cati got fed up with me holding her back from going to the characters and she walked up the stairs to where Alex was standing. That is one of my favorite memories from the trip. Big Bird was her favorite character and we left with a stuffed animal of him.

Dinner at Crown Colony

Cati's first ride: a merry-go-round

The ultra-fun watering hole

We also toured the Yuengling and Cigar City Breweries. They were so cool and so different and definitely an experience with a toddler. Cati was not to happy with being held but at least she didn't tantrum or cry. If you are ever in the Tampa area and a fan of craft brews then I recommend you do these tours. Cigar City was my favorite because it is such a small brewery and it's great to see the beginnings of a brewery where almost everything is done by hand and there are no conveyor belts.

 Yuengling Selection

Checking out the Yuengling Factory

It's amazing how a plastic cup can keep a toddler entertained.

Jukebox and Mr. Yuengling himself

Cigar City beer sampler

Cigar City Selection

I love these people

We ate a lot on the trip and I easily gained 5lbs from all the stuffing of my face. Continuing our tour of breweries, we ate at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company and had the most delicious beer cheese soup. We also ate at Columbia and Tijuana Flats. Mealtime was by far the most interesting time with Cati because of how cranky she was. During our dinner at Columbia I had to walk out with her at one point and we were literally struggling with what to do to keep her calm and entertained. Columbia was our nicest dinner and Cati was on her worst behavior. We didn't blame her because we both understood that she was tired both physically and from being in the stroller, but it was still frustrating.

After Tampa we drove down to Marco Island and stayed at my in-law's house. This was the most relaxing part of our trip and we fully enjoyed it by taking a walk on the beach, having a drink on the waterfront, and eating bar food at the Marco Island Brewery (more beer!).

Bye bye Tampa!

Hello Marco Island

My favorite picture of Cati

Best meal of the week: pina colada and chips with blue cheese

Beach fun

All in all, the trip was great but it was so tiring. We won't be doing another driving trip with Cati for a while. The car rides were too much for her (our trip to Tampa took 5 hours because of an accident), even with stops and toy and book assortment that would make any Toys-R-Us Express jealous. Being thrown off her everyday schedule was too much for her and she barely napped (her longest nap the entire trip was 45 min). The furthest we will drive with her will be 2 hours and I think most of our vacations will be beach-oriented trips.

Also, planning and packing. Oh my. I took veggies and chicken nuggets for Cati with the intention that she would eat whatever meat I had with my meals. Getting her to eat was a struggle and I couldn't tell if it was from being thrown off or from teething (one broke through this week). When Alex and I used to travel pre-baby, we would take one bag and that was all we needed. I promise you, we had five bags with stuff for Cati plus her Pack N Play. It's amazing how much a person as small as Cati needs (really the truth is how much I feel she needs).

So yes, we had a good trip. It was fun and I loved getting away and having Alex all to us for a week, but I was sooo happy to be home. I was happy to get back to normal. Cati felt the same way because the minute we got home, she started rolling around the floor with her toys.

Other than the trip, here are some other fun developments from this week:


Moco aka Boogers. I don't even know when Cati learned this but if you say "moco" to her she will pick her nose. It's hilarious and gross at the same time.


Little Hitter. Ugh. My biggest mommy-guilt thing of the week. Cati has started to hit us. She does it when angry or frustrated and it first started on the trip. I read that hitting could happen if there is a big change in the child's life so I'm assuming it had to do with being in a new environment and not sleeping enough. I feel like I have done something wrong or haven't disciplined her enough even though I know this is something that is normal among toddlers. I have tried praising good contact, have spent more time touching her and snuggling with her, and have been more in tuned to her emotions (thank you Dr. Sears!) and I have noticed that she isn't hitting as much but I still feel like such a bad mother.

Music Class, Part Two. Cati has moved on to the next age group in her music classes and I have the same feelings about this class as I did after the first class of her last age group. Things went over her head, she was one of the youngest in the class, and she didn't really seem to enjoy herself much. I'm hoping, like with the last class, that things get better. I hate feeling like I am pushing my daughter too much to fit in or be a certain way.

Here's to the week that was full of vacation fun and mommy guilt. I am ready for a new week!