Mike suggested Portland for Mother's Day since it's only a few hours away. There isn't a ton to do in the city, but enough downtown and the surrounding area to make it worth a weekend trip, so I eagerly agreed. In the weeks leading up to our trip, I pictured a few different scenes.
1. Us strolling down very hipster streets with our smiling one year old looking out from his stroller.
Reality: Mike and I walking down the street, Finn trying to escape from his stroller so he can crawl around and a homeless guy begging for money.
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| This is not a bad selfie. It's me taking a picture of a man WITHOUT HIS PANTS ON. Why????? |
2. Mike and I sleeping soundly in a king size bed as Finn slept soundly in his pack n play.
Reality: Finn waking up multiple times throughout the night. I should have known that this would be the reality because he never sleeps well when we travel. Actually, he never sleeps well, but that's
another post.
3. All three of us enjoying a nice, leisurely Mother's Day brunch full of mimosas and savory breakfast foods.
Reality: Us waiting in line for 45 minutes to get in to a brunch place, which meant Finn had used up all of his patience before we even got seated, so Mike and I spent the entire brunch rotating walking around with Mike. I did get a mimosa though.
4. We would arrive home and Finn would be happy to play with his toys and stretch his legs after a few hours in the car.
Reality: Finn screamed anytime I put him down or tried to let Mike (his father who he normally adores) hold him.
My peaceful and relaxing weekend that I imagined never happened and I think we have both realized that traveling with a one year old is not relaxing. There is a difference between a trip and a vacation and this was definitely a trip. That being said, it wasn't all chaos. There were a few moments of fun and funny, which were much more appreciated after lots and lots of crazy.
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| It was colder than I expected and I had left Finn's jacket back in the hotel room. I wrapped my sweater around him thinking he would last two seconds before he pulled it off. Instead, he rode around like a little old lady with her sweater wrapped around her for about ten minutes before it fell off and I wrapped it around him again. Repeat. |
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| Mini Stonehenge |
There were some pretty streets and the weather was gorgeous.
My best friend Karen's boyfriend (did you follow that?) recommended Powell's bookstore and it didn't disappoint. It's a huge bookstore with shelves and shelves of books. Mike was less than impressed and just kept saying "I've got my kindle," while I was restraining myself from buying every book in sight. In hindsight, I should have told him I would just spend the rest of the weekend there. Peace and quiet and books. What more could I want for Mother's Day?
We did buy Finn a few books, though. One was used, one was on the banned book list (Moo Cluck Baa), and this one. Guess who picked it out for Finn? :D
Brian, Karen's boyfriend also recommended VooDoo Donuts, which has all sorts of donuts made fresh. We went Saturday morning and were so hooked we returned for a second bite on Sunday!
We passed by Finnegan's Toy Store. The toys were a little too old for Finn, but still exciting!
We went out to dinner one night and Finn spent the entire dinner staring at the baby girl at the table next to us. It cracked us up!
We spent Saturday afternoon wine tasting which was as wonderful as it seems, especially since Finn napped through most of it!
And, despite his poor travel behavior, Finn had many moments that reminded us how much we love him and how lucky I am to be his mom.
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