The Maine Event

Our week of vacation was not without its challenges but in the end it was a good break. We got everything packed up on Thursday evening and headed up to Baltimore to spend the night with my parents. This would save us the hour or so it would take to navigate out of DC in the morning. Upon our arrival Jake stopped to fill the gas tank. In the back seat the dog stood at the window watching him and as her tail repeatedly brushed Declan in the face he giggled. It was one of those kind of priceless moments especially now that he has decided the dog is one of his most favorite things ever.

We got on the road on Friday morning around 5:45am. This gave us roughly 11 hours to make it to the South Freeport marina to catch the 5:00pm boat to Bustins after a quick grocery stop in town. We made excellent time hitting no real traffic snags and making only 2 1/2 hour stops. Declan was a great traveler. He took a couple of decent naps, babbled and watched what he could see out the windows. He got fussy a couple of times but it never lasted long and ended in him falling asleep. I was so grateful he traveled well.

As we got closer to Maine it got foggy and damp. We squeaked into Yarmouth right around 2:30pm which meant if we were quick with the last bit of shopping we could catch the 3:00pm boat to Bustins. This worked out perfectly and gave us more daylight time to get things set up in the cottage once we arrived. The ferry ride over was quite pea-soup-like and cool. Once settled though Jake made a nice fire and we enjoyed our evening playing cards and eating s'mores.

The next 4 days were mostly a wash weather-wise. It did get a little clear and drier but then more fog and dampness would roll in. We lit up the fireplace a number of times to dry out the inside of the cottage. Even worse though was Sunday morning when Declan woke up early, fussy and warm with his first fever. I'm not sure how we made it almost all the way to 8 months without him getting one but it certainly was the worst possible timing. I had brought some baby Tylenol with us but we forgot to pack a thermometer. The little guy also seemed a bit constipated and seemed to be struggling with it. He spent Sunday glued to one or the other of us, poor little guy. Jake made an unexpected trip to the mainland on Monday morning for more baby Tylenol and a thermometer as well as some prune juice. By mid-Monday though he started to seem more like his old self although he still needed some comforting in the night on Monday night. By Wednesday he was back in good shape, happy and playing as usual. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious.

Friends of ours began to arrive the middle of the week and we had fun catching up. The warm weather gave way to hot weather by the end of the week and I was ready to head home at that point. I did get out on one walkabout with my camera and hope to get some photos posted soon. I also got some really adorable ones of the kiddo to share.

We left on Saturday evening stopping in Portland for dinner with Jake's grandmother on the way home. Then we drove overnight making record time, a little over 8 hours, home. Declan's internal clock was right on spot. The darkness probably also helped. He slept the whole way home with the exception of one fussy spell during the one stop we made for gas in New Jersey. I couldn't have asked for better from him and I suspect that eventually we will look back and realize this was our easiest road trip with him, before he was old enough to ask "are we there yet?". I think out of the 4 of us the dog probably had the best vacation. She loves the island and spent much time later in the week sunning herself on the porch and in the front grass. She met a bunch of other dogs too.

On the 4th of July we were serenaded by the sounds of numerous firework displays from various parts of the mainland over Casco Bay. It was pretty cool and much more relaxing than being here in DC for the holiday.