Go West Young Maeve

On March 25th, the McNamaras took a much needed break, packed up the car, and headed out for an overnighter to see Auntie Jen in Western Massachusetts. We packed up the car, the kids (Maeve and Jake that is) and made a drop off in Providence so Jake could spend some "quality time" with his original set of parents, Nana and Gramp McNamara for an overnighter of his own. Then it was back in the car for a short two-hour ride West.




We arrived in Northampton, MA promptly at noon...


...and met up with Jen at Hayfields' (formerly Vermont Country Deli for all you Northampton-ers). Maeve ate a great lunch (1/2 a grilled cheese accompanied by some chicken and black bean soup). You can see Maeve enjoying not only her lunch but the atmosphere, the people coming up the stairs with their lunches, and the sound of her sippy cup banging away on the lunch table:



After lunch we decided to trade in the baby back pack for the stroller (following a quick diaper change):





...and then it was off to do some shopping - Chris took off for a couple of music stores and galleries and Jen, Maeve and I headed off to the mall-like establishment known as Thornes where I was on a mission to re-stock on some Weleda baby soap that Maeve uses at bathtime. The weather was absolutely beautiful while we shopped and then around late afternoon it began to cloud over a bit. We made the decision to dine at the Northampton Brewery (we had conveniently parked right behind it) where Maeve proceeded to pitch one of her many fits. Getting her to eat what you put in front of her is sort of like Russian Roulette. She'll eat a couple of things, then hurl a couple of things to the floor, then it's back to eating a couple and then hurling a couple. You get the idea...

Although we mostly kept the day free of any agenda, Chris and I did make it a point to keep one very important "appointment." About three years ago (yikes), Jen purchased for us, a half-hour hot tub submersion at East Heaven (http://www.eastheaven.com/), where we have visited before. Our first trip there was a well-deserved one after a day of skiing. This time around I suppose you could say that Maeve put us to the test mentally and so, yes, I feel like we (sort of) earned the right to unwind for a half hour in 107 degree water. So, following dinner, we stepped outside so Chris could brief Jen on getting in and out of our car, if necessary, while we made ourselves utterly unavailable for a full hour. Yipee!!! While Chris and Jen ran down the list of "tips" Maeve (as usual) made sure the stroller was in tip-top condition for their outing alone together:




As we walked over to East Heaven, it began to rain and as Chris and I submerged ourselves, the rain picked up. But we couldn't have cared less about what was falling from the sky as we indulged in a little R&R in our roof-top hot tub:







Chris and I rendezvoused with Jen and Maeve around 8 PM and we jumped back in our cars to head for home, Jen's place in Williamsburg, MA, which is only about 15-20 minutes west of Northampton. There, we kicked back on the couch for some leisurely reading, a phone call from Nana Moore, and a warm bottle...





Then it was lights out...for one of the most grueling nights of the past year with Maeve...EVER. Chris and I don't believe it had anything to do with her sleeping in a different environment and as a matter of fact, Jen was so accomodating, it was as if we were back at home in terms of comfort. I must have jumped up to respond to Maeve's complaints 8 or 9 times that night and as a result, never truly entered a deep sleep. In all, I'm guessing Chris and I got about 6 hours of sleep between us, thanks to Maeve, but as the sun rose, we shook it off and decided we weren't going to let it get the better of us. As soon as Jen put the coffee on, all was right with the world again...




Following our shot of Joe, we ventured to Hadley where Jen exposed us to one of Hadley's finest (in my opinion) eateries, the Esselon Cafe. It was breakfast burritos for all the adults and a scrambled egg for Maeve - her first. Much to my disappointment however, once the food arrived, it was time for Maeve to pitch her customary fit which led to Chris and I taking shifts outside with her in the rock garden. Unfortunate that it was not a relaxing meal, but it was still a yummy meal, nonetheless and Auntie Jen carried herself with style and grace admidst the chaos devised by her niece. Here are a couple of images before things began to unravel...




After brunch, it was time to bid farewell to Auntie Jen and Western MA as we reluctantly got back in the car for our ride home. Chris and I did resolve to make the hot tub indulgence an annual tradition, sans any rug-rats, which means we'll have to creatively bribe poor Auntie Jen this time next year. Here's to good family, good food and gigantic vessels of hot water!