Holy Civilization

After we dropped things off at the hotel, we went to Walmart where I nearly broke down in tears at the sight of the produce section. I didn't cry. Instead I took this picture so I can always remember to be grateful for fresh fruits & vegetables!

I bought myself a personal size salad, as well as some razors & shaving cream.  Choosing razors & shaving cream took way longer than it should have because of how many options there were. Holy cow!

Now keep in mind, I haven't set foot in a grocery store for nine months. I haven't been around large crowds of people, in traffic or listening to the radio.  So I will admit that any time we leave the hotel, I am on a bit of a stimulus overload.  It's overwhelming.

In the car I am also experiencing quite a bit of motion sickness.
I am hopeful it will go away in time.

The twins are hilarious in the car. Telling Josh if the light is red. Encouraging him to go faster, while at the same time telling him the police will get him if he makes bad choices.  

On Sunday morning Logan was sitting in his booster seat and from the backseat asks, "Does a red hand mean your hand gets runned over?"  I thought for a second, wondering what in the world he was talking about, then I realized he could see the crosswalk signs.  He thought the "Don't Walk" red hand meant getting run over.  I told him that it is a warning to wait to cross.  He seemed relieved!

I am not the only one have adjustment issues.  Wyatt is also having a really hard time.  I mentioned in my previous post that he struggled with the turbulence on the planes.  Once we got to our hotel (Quality Inn & Suites in downtown Anchorage) which I love, he had a hard time because it's a suite.  So the first room you enter is a "living room" with a couch and table and TV and mini-kitchen area.  The second room is where the beds are, and then there's a bathroom.  Any time the five of us were not together in the same area for the first two days, he would call for whoever was missing.  "Daddy? Where's Daddy???  Logan? Where's Logan???"

Then in the car it was the same thing. Jack was sitting in the way back, where Wyatt couldn't see him, and he asked Josh, "Where's Jack?" He is very concerned with where everyone is and keeping tabs on us.  I feel bad that he's having so much anxiety.

In the hotel "living room", he sat for probably twenty minutes on the floor, staring up at the ceiling fan, watching it twirl around in circles.  He was completely mesmerized. 

But the very worst thing is that he is TERRIFIED of the elevator. It sort of bumps along, and he HATES it. His whole body tenses up while we are waiting for it. Then the door closes once we're inside and he says, "Door open? Door open?"  It's just the saddest thing I've ever seen. And we've been so busy running errands that we are in the thing ten times a day!  We just hug him and tell him he's safe.  Once we get out he says, in a breathless voice, "We did it! Hooray!"

The twins, on the other hand, seem to be adjusting very well. Although last night at 7:30, Jack was like, "I'm tired!" and we never (ever) hear that from them. So I know all the stimulation is getting to them as well!

Mostly all the twins care about is eating at "Old McDonald's" and playing in the Play Place, which we have promised to do once we are in Vancouver.

Our first night of sleep in the hotel was awful.  Wyatt was really confused about where we were and he hasn't slept in a playpen since camping last year.  I think he was both scared and uncomfortable. Eventually I brought him to bed with us, but that didn't really do the trick either.  I think he just needed reassurance, so finally I held him, chest to chest, and he fell asleep on me, around two in the morning.  He had finally dozed off and was sleeping sound when Logan woke me up at 4:30am for a drink of water (Have I mentioned how DRY Alaska is???) and Jack got up to pee at 5:30am. sigh.

But Josh and I, troopers that we are, decided that despite not getting any sleep the night before that Sunday was going to be a great day anyway. So we packed up the kids and decided to head to The Alaska Zoo.

On the way to the zoo, Josh's girlfriend (AKA his sexy-voiced GPS) was giving him the strangest directions.  I was super confused, because it seemed we were driving deeper into the city, not away from it, toward the zoo.  But I am so mixed up and backwards here, that I didn't say anything.  Then I saw the Starbuck's sign, like a beacon in the night.

He surprised me by finding one nearby so I could get a *much needed* coffee fix before we set off on our next adventure.  

He stayed in the car with the kids while I ran in, and when the barista asked me what I wanted, I couldn't remember the name of what I wanted or the size options.  I laughed and she asked if it had been a while. I told her it had been nine months.

"Were you boycotting us?" she asked laughing.  I explained my situation while she made my drink, and then as she handed it to me she said with a smile, "Welome back to civilization."

Indeed!