Daddy day care mishaps
Florida, Miami - Day 7
The day started out like any other, the kids woke us up at dark o'clock. We were tired yet surprisingly functional. We fed them from our supplies and opted to try and catch the sunrise together as a family. Sophie got ready for her conference by packing her clothes so that she could wear her comfy shorts for the morning jaunt.
Our usual first order mission when we leave the room is coffee but today we superceded it with the beach and sunrise. Lola was particularly excited by the idea of going to the beach. She wanted to wear her bathing suit, which she did with a dress on top.
Once at the beach she wanted to rush towards the water, however we were traveling with the stroller which doesn't do well in the sand so Wesley, strapped to my chest, and I hung back while the girls chased the rising sun which was playing hide and seek among the clouds.
Even when the day is overcast, if you're willing to look a sunrise is still breathtaking. Makes you wonder why we don't catch more of them… then you remember that you have to wake up in the dark to catch them.
We then proceeded to operation “Black Water”. We also picked up 3 croissants. Lola and I had the Nutella infused variety however while I ate mine Lola vampired the chocolate out leaving a dry, dismembered husk behind.
After a nice little breakfast moment together we walked mom to her conference. Once there Lola dropped the bathing suit from her attire equation, we evacuated liquids, creamed up and said our I love yous to mom and headed out to a world of adventure.
Our first destination today was jungle Island, a zoo like place on an island. Our method of transportation was to be the 100 bus heading for Biscayne Bay. The bus situation here has been hit or miss for us. On some busses we were allowed to roll our stroller on while on others it had to be folded. Why is that a problem you might ask?
Well you see our stroller is a physical representation of how we travel, bulky and fully stocked for any situation that might arise. When we first purchased it you could easily fold it in two and fit it into most trunks. Since then however we've decked it out with a second seat for obvious reasons which requires a set of extensions. When you factor all of this it makes it difficult to fold. If that wasn't enough we also got a little boogie board in the back for when Lola doesn't want to sit but also doesn't want to walk, parents of toddlers will understand.
So to fold our gigastroller now I must remove the seats. Seems simple enough right? Well it would be but our stroller also acts as a portable storage unit. The underneath compartment can fit a 1200 square foot apartment and all its contents and when space is available space is consumed as per Cedric's law of negative empty space. So prior to dismantling and folding we must first host a moving day.
Why is all of this important you might ask? Well as luck would have it on my second day alone with the kids I get a bus driver who insists that I fold the stroller. I caution him that I have a lot of stuff beneath it that makes it difficult to execute quickly. I opt not to flag that I'm alone with two kids to do all this as the one strapped to the front of me looking at him confused should have been enough to send that message.
Before I've even decided what to do Lola has entered the bus and made her way to the back of the bus. Being one to comply generally I start unpacking the bags and stuff beneath the stroller as well as unlatching the two seats. The driver grabs my two bags and dumps them up front and tells me that I'd be better off entering the back.
At this point my years of playing Tetris start raising alarms. I've seen these busses, there isn't more room in back. For someone who drives a large moving Tetris game board his spatial awareness was quite abysmal. I could hear my little Lola at this point in the bus saying “Ye ou mon papa?!” So despite not being a fan of being separated from my bags I gave up and just capitulated. I did quickly think “play more Tetris FFS” but I let that thought linger and die in the ether of my mind and proceeded to the back. A kind spanish lady helped me carry the seats on board.
At the back glued against the door was a large man with a suitcase who acted like a Tetris piece who had already been placed. He was immovable and quite clueless as to the going ons around him. I struggled to get the folded stroller into the tight space that was apparently much larger than the front while not trying to harm Wesley attached to me like an extra useless but very precious appendage.
Another Spanish lady sitting in the bus grabbed the second seat and started lecturing the straight Tetris block to open his eyes and move out of the way. It might have been something like “You shall let him pass!” but I could be misremembering. He did and I got in but man did the stroller not fit the space very well.
At this point, the kids, the stroller, my stuff and myself were all in the bus but very awkwardly. I quickly asked aloud “where is my daughter?” After which everyone pointed to the very back. There was Lola smiling and looking at me. She asked me to come sit beside her but I couldn't leave the stroller situation be someone else's problem. At this point another woman got up and gave me her seat behind the stroller mess situation. I thanked her and sat down.
I asked Lola to come sit with me and she did. The guy beside me was an L shaped immovable block so Lola and I shared a single seat. We were far from our destination so every stop was excruciating as people struggled to disembark and embark due to us. At one point the kind spanish Gandalf lady was fed up of having a bag in her face from a dude standing up in front of the stroller with as much spatial awareness as the driver so she got off out of frustration. That left me to manage one of the seats and the stroller alone now.
The other spanish lady who had the other seat was sitting right across from me and she felt it would be good to pull the stroller up onto the stair however the stroller doesn't dit on the stair which means I had to bear the weight of it to teeter it on the edge of the stair. I couldn't put it back down cause people quickly filled the space. So now I had Lola's sand bucket filled with seashells, bathing suits, and the stroller in my left hand and my right arm and hand holding on to Lola as the driver made many sudden and hard stops leaving my right knee to take the brunt of the impact to stop all 3 of us from slamming forward.
Did I mention I also have severe tendinitis in both arms? This turned out to be a very painful bus ride. I couldn't access my phone to keep tabs of where we were and what stop I needed to exit at so I did my best to keep track of my surroundings. At one point when we were crossing a bridge I felt our stop was coming but both my hands were occupied so I asked Lola to ring the bell. She looked for a bell but couldn't find one. I tried to point out the wire hanging by the window but that didn't make sense to her. There are no buttons for easy access in these busses neither. I then turned to the dude beside me and asked him to ring the bell for me but he ignored me or didn't hear me and when he finally did it was too late. We missed our stop.
Next stop is downtown. So that's where we got off. I struggled just as much to get off and quickly ran to the front before he takes off with my bags only to be stopped by another lady who got on after me come out with her stroller. I got my bags and turned the page. Now to jet to the other side and catch that same bus but in reverse. That was a lot of action and our day hasn't really even started yet.
I assembled our stroller, packed our stuff and kids and caught the bus on the other side. This time I was allowed on in front with the stroller without a peep. I rang the bell right away. We got off in front of a colourful building, that must be it so I walk over to it. Turns out it's a kids museum. Ok, not what we are here for but could be interesting. In we go. I'm not a museum type but we do a lot of them for Lola so we've seen a lot of these attractions, they seem to repeat but this one seems to be a mix of exhibits and creative play pretend spaces. Lola particularly enjoyed the grocery store with working computer and scanner. I played the role of a patron and ran through a few grocery runs. She loved it.
The museum was hosting a Halloween day targeted at toddlers today which meant Lola saw lots of kids and staff dressed up. This meant she wanted to dress up. She started asking if we could go back to the hotel so she could dawn her butterfly costume we brought for her to come back and Halloween too. It was cute and a little heartbreaking at once.
In the museum was a Subway so I figured might as well get lunch out of the way. I walk in with the stroller and am greeted by a scowling employee who informs me no strollers permitted inside. Ok I reset and drop it outside, plant the kids at a table and then go order. Dude serving me barely speaks English which makes ordering very difficult especially when you consider that half the ingredients are hidden behind an opaque open cover. I order half a sub and a pizza, no tip.
We chow and ghost the place. Ok now where is jungle Island? It's on the other side of the island. Had I got off on the first bus I would have been right in front but now I have to trek beneath the bridge before being able to cross. An ordeal that takes 20 minutes which I'll have to repeat to go home later.
Finally we get to the zoo. Once there we roam the premises almost alone. Lola points out all the animals, Wesley Marvel's at life in other forms before him and I just chaperone my loved ones from one spot to another. In the back of my mind however I start thinking about how to avoid another morning bus affair. The solution? Leave before rush hour so when the clock strikes two, the kids and I must go.
As we trek back to the other side of the island it starts to downpour. I unfold the awnings on both seats so that my kids can be sheltered but I get soaked. In the heat however the rain and cooling effect was welcomed. Once at the bus stop we wait a few minutes before hopping back on the bus with the stroller and no issues. I sit down up front comfortably with Lola beside me and Wesley in my arms.
We land our dismount a short walk from the hotel room and make our way there. Once inside I let Wesley loose on the floor so he can get some energy out as well. I clean the beach toys and let the kids play with them together. They keep getting closer everyday. Wesley continues to grow a soft spot for his older sister. He follows her everywhere and wants to be with her constantly.
The poor little guy is still presenting a mild fever so I medicate him to help alleviate the discomfort. He gets pretty cranky I decide to lay down with him, he falls asleep on my chest, yayyyy happy daddy. Lola indulges in some screen time while I take care of her brother.
At this point Sophie calls and says she's coming back, Wesley stirs and wakes and sees his mom on the screen. He's all smiles and grasps at the screen. He wants her face here in the real. When she walks through the door her arrival can be seen and felt in his expression. Her presence brings so much comfort to him he rushes to her, she picks him up, he grasps her face tightly, they caress, all is right with the world.
Overall an eventful day and some might say not in the way you would want to be eventful. Normally I'd agree with them. When I told Sophie about my day she felt bad for me cause she knows this kind of friction drives me mad… but what have I got to be mad about?
I'm travelling in another country. I'm with my two incredible and adorable kids. They are alone with me. They are safe and happy with me. I am the king of happiness and their childhood is a memory I help create. I am trying hard to be my best me for them. Sometimes I fail and sometimes I succeed. Chalk today up as a +1 for the succeed side.
Life is beautiful
October 28, 2024
