By Cara Gambill
My husband and I have always enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July with friends, family, and fireworks. This year, however, we missed that, well at least the fireworks part. This year as we left a celebration early I asked my husband jokingly, “Do you remember when going to parties were fun?†We both laughed and smiled about that for the rest of the drive home, as Nolan cried until he fell asleep and Aedan cried about being wet and how he didn’t want to go home.
Fourth of July Party
The day started out very well; however, I knew that for the boys it may be too long or too much. We decided not to go to the local parade, because it would be too hot for Nolan and too long for Aedan’s limited attention span. Instead, I took the boys swimming at my parents’ house while Ryan got some things done around the house and went for a run. We had a blast swimming. Nolan was able to stay inside with my dad while Aedan and I swam for a few hours with his cousin. Unfortunately, I forgot to watch the clock and this made for a very late nap. He was probably only asleep an hour before we had to go to a party that night.
Ryan and I knew when we woke him up he was still grouchy, but we decided to go anyway. We were obviously thinking positive, because we even brought his ear protectors for him hoping we would get to see the fireworks.
When we got to the party everything went well for the first full hour. We ate and visited with our friends while we watched Aedan play. Unfortunately, that only lasted an hour.
Nolan began to get fussy and wanted to nurse, so I went inside the house with my cover and found a comfy spot on the couch, hoping I wouldn’t be there too long. I was—Nolan wanted to cluster feed and I quickly realized there was no getting around it. He was extremely fussy and just kept latching and unlatching the entire time. After about forty-five minutes, I looked out the window only to see my husband carrying Aedan across the yard, neither of them looking very happy. I picked up Nolan and went to investigate.
Turns out while I was inside dealing with a fussy, crying baby, Aedan had decided to play tug of war with his friend over a net by the pond. Since the other boy was slightly larger than him, Aedan of course lost and was thrown into the water. Don’t worry, I knew there was a pond and had packed his swimming vest in case he ended up in the water, and Ryan immediately ran over to help him out. Unfortunately, this didn’t keep Aedan, being very tired and grumpy, from becoming hysterical because his feelings were hurt and he was now wet and covered in sand. We decided the best course of action was to call it a night and go home.
Home Sweet Home
By the time we got home, Nolan had fallen asleep, and after a bath and a good scrub, Aedan went straight to bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Ryan and I spent the rest of the night cuddled up on the couch watching a movie and laughing about the occurrences of the day. As we laughed we realized that sometimes we are going to decide to stay home and that’s ok. Right now sometimes it’s easier and more fun for everyone to just stay in and do something as a family. The boys will only be little for a season, and when they are older and naps and bedtimes become less important there will be plenty of opportunities to go out. For now, however, we hope our friends and family won’t be offended if sometimes we stay home.
DISCLAIMER:
Ameda strives to present you with accurate and useful breastfeeding information. This article may contain information and ideas that are not necessarily the views of Ameda. It does not constitute medical advice. If you have any questions please contact your healthcare professional.
