Three boys and Buzzards Bay

I wrote a few weeks back about how to pack your car for a road trip, in our case, Martha’s Vineyard. We’ve yet to head out there, but we recently completed—rather successfully—a trip to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. A little beach (literally, the beach we went to was like 50 feet long), a lot of sun, a few trips over Nolan’s favorite bridge (the Bourne Bridge) and a lot of food.

We stayed in a hotel just across the bridge—a hotel that surprisingly had a rather large room with two full beds. We set up a pack ‘n play for Austin, and both Linds and I slept with one of the other boys. They thought it was the coolest thing, and it was. Breakfast was complimentary, so bagels and Belgian waffles were par for the course both days, as was a terrific view of the bridge. And even though it was almost comical around bedtime, we got it done. Austin fell asleep first, by a long shot, followed by Nolan, and eventually, Graham. There was a little balcony for Linds and I to have some drinks and help us unwind.

Nolan and Graham have been to the beach before, but for Austin it was a whole new world. Everything is really—he’s only 10 weeks old. But sun, sand and salt water were a brand-new combination for him. And as you can see, he wasn’t thrilled despite temperatures hovering in the mid-80s with 100 percent humidity. The other two, they were building castles in the sand, wading knee-deep in the calm water looking for seashells.

Austin was asleep most of the time at the beach, but true to form, it was around naptime. Which leads me to something else … this kid can sleep anywhere. And does.

When Linds wears him, he sleeps like a champ. When it’s time to go to bed after his final meal of the day, he does so without a fight (most nights). When 5:45 in the evening rolls around and he needs a quick power nap to get him through the rest of the night, he’s out. In the car when we drove two-plus hours to the Cape, he obliged. Of course, as parents, departure time almost always coincides with naptime.

He’s a monster though, physically. He’s eating plenty, doing very well getting his head up when we do tummy time, cooing and babbling more than the other two ever did at this age. He’s got red hair and blue eyes, neither of which is present anywhere in the family lineage, but it’s cool. We’ll have a brunette, a blonde, and a redhead.

And the best part is he’s happy almost every morning when he wakes up. His eyes light up as he babbles. When we head to the Vineyard, the sleeping arrangement will not be in one room but rather spread out across three rooms: Nolan and Linds in one room (and bed) with Austin in a Pack ‘n Play, Graham in a Pack ‘n Play in my in-law’s bedroom, and me on the couch with the dog.

Some people say it’s not a vacation with young kids—and they’re right. But it’s also something I wouldn’t change for the world.