We eventually went down and made ourselves some waffles and watched Law and Order (which was on the TV in the breakfast lounge—the obvious choice for a morning show, especially with a one-year-old). Then we headed down to Megan’s apartment in San Diego, which is where everyone had stayed the night before. Ben showed off for his aunts, uncles, grammie, and cousin while his Grandpa Carl had what was probably a mild heart attack. Yep, you heard me. Poor Carl had just had an appendectomy a couple of weeks prior, and now his poor body was just putting him through the ringer. So Megan and Bev took Carl to the ER while the rest of us went to the zoo.
We spent Friday at the San Diego Zoo, which, as previously mentioned, is a Miller family favorite (particularly with the midget set). This time it was extra special because Ben got to go with his five-year-old cousin, Fynley. It’s pretty ridiculous how cute they were together. Despite the exhaustion we were already feeling and the anxiety over what was going on at the hospital with Carl, we managed to have a good time. When we got there we immediately went to the new polar bear exhibit so we could see it before it got really crowded. That turned out to be a really good idea for a couple of reasons: 1. After going back this last weekend not at 9:30am, we’ve learned it does indeed get really crowded later; 2. We got to see Mr. Polar Bear get fed. And when I say we got to see him get fed, what I mean is that we got to see him stand upright, lean against a moving grate, and tower above the woman feeding him. In case you were wondering, the sensation you get is that the bear is fully attacking you and will, in fact, eat you right then and there. After watching our lives flash before our eyes, we watched the polar bears play, and the kids played in a fake helicopter.
We spent the rest of the day meandering and looking at all the animals. The kids loved the zoo. But more so than the animals, Ben loved pushing his cousin around in her stroller. He loved it so much, in fact, that he refused to sleep at any point. He protested loud enough for the entire zoo to hear. He made it quite clear that he did not need to nap, thank you very much.
We left around 3:00 and went to Megan’s so everyone could get their things and check into their hotel. Ben fell asleep before we left the parking lot. He slept in the car while we waited for Megan outside her place, and he slept for the duration of the drive to our hotel, for a total of about an hour. For those keeping track, he’s now five hours short on sleep. But at least he slept. We played at our hotel for a bit then joined up with everyone for a late dinner in San Marcos, but not before driving in a big circle from our hotel to their hotel to the restaurant. I heart driving. But the dinner was delicious and we had a great time enjoying a meal together and laughing about our day’s adventures. Carl had to stay in the hospital overnight, so Bev and Megan were with us, and they finally got to spend time with Ben. He and Fynley were a hoot at the restaurant. I really loved watching them together the whole weekend. What a blessing cousins are.
We got back to the hotel around 9:00 (!?!?!); Ben fell asleep around 10:00 (!?!?!?!). Oy. Then he obviously woke up at 5:45. The count: one very overtired toddler and two stressed out parents. Of course, as those of you who have children know, Ben was an absolute angel around his fan club. But once the company was gone his sweet little body was taken over by a demon from the pit of hell. Saturday morning he was a mess. He threw himself face down on the floor of the hotel room, then screamed because he hurt himself. He yelled and screamed eat, but then refused to do so. He threw his toys and food around the room. Clearly he knows best when it comes to his sleeping needs. Poor little man. It’s no wonder he conked out in the car on the way to Legoland on Saturday morning (it’s a good thing we got lost on the way there—then he had more time to sleep).
To be continued…
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