Summer Vacation

We are a little more than half-way through the girls' summer break and it is finally time to head off on vacation. Our primary destination is Bar Harbor, Maine but we are going to take a big loop through New England to check out as many states as we can. Allyson and I went up to Maine several years ago, but to get there we flew into New York City and rented a car to drive the rest of the way. That was a good way to do it, but when we did that we bypassed most of New York as well as Vermont and New Hampshire. This time we will try and hit all of the states.

Earlier this year Allyson and I agreed that we should let the kids have equal say in the trips we take. So we threw out some options and got all the verbal family members to weigh in on them. The two options with any real backing were New England, and Banff National Park. Allyson was a strong proponent of Banff, and time permitting, who wouldn't be? However, looking at work obligations I wasn't comfortable taking off much more than a week, and we felt that you would need over two weeks to properly make your way up to Banff and back. As for Maine, Natalie was immediately interested. Maine was doable in a little over a week of time, and there is plenty to see both there and along the way, so Maine it is.

Our travel plans are as follows:

Day 1: Drive into New York and stay overnight near Buffalo

Day 2: Drive through the Adirondacks and up to Burlington, VT

Day 3: Drive through the White Mountains and stay in New Hampshire

Days 4-6: Bar Harbor, Maine

Days 7-8: Boston

Day 9: Rhode Island

Day 10: Connecticut

Day 11: New Jersey

Day 12: Drive home

We're hoping to leverage our practice of driving early in the mornings while the kids are sleeping in order lessen the burden on Nolan, and spare Allyson and I the whining from the girls. Fortunately, we only have a small number of days with long drives.

We've been looking forward to the trip for a long time now. The only thing that is making us a bit nervous is that Nolan is going through some ridiculous sleep regression. Yes.... a sleep regression. If you've talked childcare with me then you probably know my distaste for the labeling of things like "leaps" or "regressions". However, this dude - who is normally cool as a cucumber - is going on minimal sleep all dang day and then freaking out when we put him to bed. It was bad enough the other night that I conceded this could be what Google AI has told me is the "20-Month Sleep Regression" (Not to be confused with the dreaded 19-month or 21-month sleep regressions, which are also documented online 🤨). The great news is that it can last anywhere from a couple nights, to a couple months, which is perfect for a trip which requires us all to sleep in the same box!

Hopefully he snaps out of it quickly and can revert back to the guy who falls asleep peacefully with his feet hanging out of the crib.

Wish us luck!