A Week Vacation with Johnnie After All

I was just lamenting in the beginning of the week that a year ago Johnnie and I got to hung out in Santa Barbara, got to hang out at the LA Zoo, got to hang out with my sister and Maia and Alex. Johnnie and got to hung out and I wouldn't get to do all that this year. Or would I? As I picked him up this morning for the usual Lisa-Saturday-workday-thing I noted that I had a hard time getting up this morning at 6:30 AM to pick up Johnnie for the 2nd day in a row. And I mentioned as much to Lisa, that today I was actually tired. "Hey you wanted a vacation week with him" was Lisa's reply. She was right. Turned out that this week became a week spent with Johnnie. Today would be 6 days in a row I'm seeing him, and 5 days in a row I'm taking care of him for most if not all of the day. I actually don't remember the last time that had happened. Usually it is Lisa getting to take him someplace for an entire week like during the holidays. This morning, on that 5th day I was nearing empty. Let's face it Johnnie commands attention and more often than not, he has become a load. I wanted to go back to my apartment and sleep some more. Johnnie was already dressed and raring to go at 7 AM. My fault actually... that's when I have him ready to go most days. Today I did go back to the apartment since I didn't want to go to Elysee really early. But as I went back to my bed and tried to do some meditation, it took less than 10 minutes before Johnnie climbs into bed with me and starts rassling with me like he does when he wakes up during the week. How can I not let that go on? Eventually we headed on out to Elysee and we were actually the first ones to eat there, grabbing the only seat in the entire perimeter that had access to shade.  The usual scrambled eggs and sausage for $15. I know I know, it's cheaper to eat at home. But hey you know how I am with routine. And routine this morning meant that we went to Whole foods and then Target right after breakfast. It's our Saturday morning grocery run. Actually not the full run, just that we needed to go to Target to get some more drawing pencils for Johnnie. I mean the kid draws and draws and draws all day long :) When we finally got home Johnnie immediately wanted to watch the Octonauts. I talked him into watching something else. I mean he was going to be with me all day and I just needed a little break from Quazzi, Peso, and Capt Barnacles. I got him to watch Cat-In-the-Hat instead. I know out and about at Target and then videos isn't exactly vacation. But on Day 5 it was all I had. And for lunch we didn't go out either. I made him eat a Trader Joe's pizza from my freezer and some penne pasta in chicken broth. As for me, I had so much leftovers I needed to eat them. Spaghetti bolognese from Thursday, the Italian sausage that I didn't barbecue from Tuesday. But really all I wanted as a salad and some of Johnnie's pizza that I knew he wasn't going to eat LOL.

A nap after lunch would have been ideal, but it wasn't going to happen. Not with Johnnie no longer willing and able to take a nap in the afternoon. Not even when he is into his drawing mode. I settled for just sinking into the couch and going through my web stuff while Johnnie watched Octonauts. Yep, I had to give in and let him watch it. And so dad and son just chilled for pretty much the rest of the afternoon. If it's the last day of our "vacation" staycation together, unplanned though it may have been, and we don't have anywhere to go to... more like there's nowhere we could go, then hanging out at home is where it's at. The trick is how do I keep Johnnie from getting bored? Fortunately, he knows he's supposed to back sleeping at his mom's house tonight. And so whatever we do this afternoon doesn't make a difference.  All he really wants is just to hang with me right there next to him whatever he does.  In the meantime, with all the leftovers I ate for lunch and pretty much all afternoon, my stomach wasn't liking it. Still by 5 PM I was back in food mode... and I would find myself going to Pizza Hut to pick up a half cheese, half pepperoni pineapple for Johnnie and I. And then Lisa called asking me to watch him for just another hour so she could go home and take a nap. Apparently her parents were coming over tonight to bring over food and groceries and stuff lucky her. Johnnie would take up almost the entire hour eating his pizza. And then I drove him back to Lisa's house by 6 PM and that was it.. that was the end of 5 straight days together. I had spent the most time in terms of consecutive days with him that I have had in a while and I must say I do understand when Lisa just taps out and calls me. I'm right there at that point right then when I dropped Johnnie off. I didn't go right home after that. I parked in front of Walgrove Elementary and walked the mile-and-a-half left to get to 10500 steps. No need to do 11000 today, I had done so many the previous days this week i didn't want to tire my legs. I walked around the school before heading home and spending my Saturday night watching Amazing Stories on Apple+. It was back to ME time if just for the rest of tonight and tomorrow. And it is MUCH MUCH NEEDED.