Exhausted and Enduring

The past week or so has gone anything but our way. We knew that we were testing our limits with two trips on back to back weekends but we were still excited and eager to steal away from Seattle just the three of us for our first time ever. We had a quick week to gear up for our mini getaway to Portland after our time in Phoenix. We all worked and/or spent time with our friend Lottie for the four days that we were home but towards the end of the week Bryan started feeling under the weather again. He sat out of FareStart for the night to try to catch up on some rest while Reese and I dined in and was still set on going to Portland, hoping that whatever sickness didn’t kick in to full gear…

…but it did.

We had booked the train tickets back in May and little did we know that traveling anytime around bedtime is a recipe for disaster. Back in May, if we were to travel around the night time hours, Reese would most likely just fall asleep and never know the difference. Not now! Although she did end up sleeping the last two hours of the train trip, the first two hours were filled with chasing her around the train and trying to entertain her in our seat (the 3.5 hr train was delayed by about 40 minutes). I was relieved once she finally fell asleep and Reese and I proceeded to lay fully horizontal for the remainder of the train trip. We got to Union Station in Portland just after 10 pm and had about a 10 minute walk to the Embassy Suites downtown that we had reserved for two nights.

Bryan was feeling okay Friday night but as soon as we woke up Saturday morning he was feeling much, much worse. We took the day in stride, I brought up brunch for us from the hotel’s great free breakfast (made to order omelets are the best!) and we watched most of the lousy football game of Michigan vs. Wisconsin. After Reese got a good morning nap in, we left her daddy to sleep in the room to do our own adventuring and get some fresh air. I found a 4-mile loop on May My Run from our hotel that took us south along the waterfront park, across the Willamette River on the Tilikum Crossing Bridge, then back north along the Esplanade before crossing back over the river on the Steel Bridge. It was a great route and the weather was cool and overcast just up until we were back near the hotel to wander the Saturday Market when the sun came out and Reese was released from the stroller to head straight for the water fountain. She proceeded to get soaked, but had fun doing so and we headed back to the hotel to get into proper clothing to actually get soaked in, before hitting the hotel pool. We enjoyed a dip and a soak of our feet in the hot tub where we met other travelers, all from Michigan ironically, before heading back up to the room to check in on her daddy, take a good afternoon nap and get ready to watch some Texas Football.

Bryan had his own excursion to Urgent Care, where he was told he did not have strep throat but wasn’t told what he had. He came back to watch Texas beat Oklahoma State in a good wine and we got some snacks and a glass of wine down at the hotel’s free evening reception, where Reese began to make rounds meeting any and everyone she could meet. The Texas game wasn’t over until about 8:30 pm and Reese was in bed so considering the circumstances of sickness, Bryan and I took turns walking to the Pine Street Market next door to get our own dinner; bibimbap for Bryan and tacos for me, before ending the night with delicious soft server from the famous Salt and Straw’s own soft serve store Wiz Bang Bar. Sooo good! I was so tired from the day I was in bed early!

Sunday morning came I had fingers crossed that Bryan was feeling better. Reese was up by 7 am again so we had made our morning rounds of the hotel before coming back to the room where Bryan was up. Unfortunately, he was still feeling very low energy and feverish. I got our morning breakfast again and Bryan put Reese down for her morning nap. We were able to get a late checkout of 1 pm and we did a little sightseeing along the riverfront the three of us. We headed back to the hotel to rain as it was starting to sprinkle/rain. Reese had a good time in the Kids Korner and riding the elevator up and down. Bryan went to grab lunch and I grabbed two donuts from the famous Voodoo Donuts before we got our bag and headed for the train station. Our train ride home went better than on the way there but Reese didn’t sleep a wink. I did have the Ergo this time to at least keep her attached to me for part of the time. We were back to Seattle around 8 pm and Reese was in bed around 9 pm.

As much as I was looking forward to the trip it is good to be home and be home for a while. It’s a lot to travel with a little one, especially one who does not like to stay put. It is also a lot of fun to travel with her and see new things. We all were excited to take the train and it was scenic and interesting. There was even a Rails to Trails guide on our train ride back that gave very cool info all along the length of the route in the scenic car. But I think we will be doing a little exploring and venturing locally for the next few months; pumpkin patches, maybe some fall hikes, and the likes. And now baby girl is sick. Hopefully this is a quick recovery and I am very thankful that Bryan is home with her today.

Chelsea