Hell is two beds and three children

Downtown Tacoma, 7 am

When we flew out for the wedding, we didn't stay with Rachel's parents for the first three nights because we didn't want little kids underfoot for the pre-wedding prep. And we didn't stay closer because even as early as December all the rooms in every hotel anywhere near Puyallup were spoken for by attendees of some sewing convention. I had no idea there were so many people THAT into sewing.

Rachel has been burned before by airlines screwing up connections or cancelling flights altogether, and while going on standby and arriving at 2 AM is no big deal when you are single (as Jeremy in fact did Friday night!) it is serious business with three kids. So we flew out Thursday to be safe.

Andrea picked us up, dropped me and the kids off at our motel, and took Rachel off to a bridal shower. Matthew had been complaining bitterly and at great length about his ear (my sympathy was sorely tested by his desire to remind me every couple seconds that it still hurts) so after dosing him with ibuprofen Rachel asked her dad to drive the half hour up and check him out. When the drugs kicked in Matthew forgot all about his ear, but it was a good thing Dad was already on the way, because it really was red and infected. Dad wrote out a prescription for Amoxicillin, and even filled it for us in the morning. There are definite perks to having a family physician.

Then we went to bed. And by "went to bed" I mean "Matthew and Melissa bickered constantly until I pulled Matthew into my bed instead half an hour later." Finally they fell asleep, but the fun was not over yet. Any time one of the kids woke up, they all woke up. So there was a lot of not-sleeping going on for sure.

Then they got far too early in the morning, and by "far too early" I mean in particular that not even McDonald's was open. They kept trying to have the best of both time zones the whole trip: go to bed on Pacific time, wake up on Central time. Mommy and Daddy did not approve.

I tried to let Rachel sleep in for a bit after the kids got up like I do at home, but it was hard to find places to take them. Watching them in the room with Rachel was of course not an option. (The object was to let her rest.) The Sinden house was too far away, and Isaac in particular was getting more than his fill of his car seat anyway. I did discover that Friday and Saturday mornings the office building across the street was open, and it turned out there was a little reception area at the top floor with a nice view, clean carpets for Isaac to roll on, and a little magnet sand game with two kid-sized chairs.

So that was my refuge, but Sunday morning that was locked up and Isaac and I had no better option than to sit in the minivan while the rain came down. Fortunately Isaac went back to sleep quickly. Often he will do this when he gets up early; just don't try to put him down. But then Matthew and Melissa woke up too. The close McDonalds didn't have a play area so we headed to downtown Tacoma. They didn't have a play area either, and they didn't open 'til 8 besides -- an hour away. So we went back to Fife where at least Jack in the Box was open by now.

To add insult to injury, the "free wireless internet" didn't even work. Damn it. Even the iphone got crappy reception there and failed about two out of three page loads. Fortunately the Sinden dsl connection worked -- until today. Rachel tells me that's dead too now. Good thing I came home early.