Staycation

Last weekend, we took Greyson to Raging Waters Theme Park in San Jose. Greyson is mad about water play these days so we figured a water park was the perfect destination for this season of interest. We made a weekend stay out of it spending three nights at a local hotel. After much research, I found a hotel that had an atrium lobby with a koi pond, waterfall, fountain and glass elevators (you could see them going up and down, kind of like Lucky Plaza in Singapore). I will never forget the look on Greyson's face when we first arrived at the hotel. He was ecstatic, running back and forth yelling, "It's a fountain! It's a waterfall!! What's that, Ma Ma? (Pause) It's an elevator!! It's going up and down! It's a gold elevator!!!" From the huge baggage cart (It's a big shopping cart!) that we unloaded all our luggage on to the indoor pool, Greyson could barely contain himself. It's such a beautiful thing when children are happy. Their joy just gushes out, gets all over the place and you can't help but get some on you. Before we even got to our room, he was asking to swim, so before we knew it, we were in the pool. Greyson was beside himself with delight, and we hadn't even gotten to the water park yet.

















Raging Waters did not disappoint. Although the weather was cooler than we'd have liked, Greyson still enjoyed himself. It was like his two favorite things in excess, water and slides. I was impressed with how much there was to do for his age group, and how pleasant the landscaping of the park was with picnic areas shaded by trees, and clean pathways. We were able to visit the park twice while we were there, but we definitely plan to be back before summer is over. Greyson is already asking to go again.

Of course, as it always is, sleeping in a new environment was a challenge for Greyson. The first night, we put him down at bedtime, and he fell asleep but when we returned later to turn in ourselves, it woke him up and he stayed up for two and a half hours. He didn't cry, he didn't make a sound, but he just stood there, in his sleep tent, staring at me. At times, he'd lie down but the moment I moved, he'd be up again, staring. The excitement of being in a new place made it impossible for him to wind down. At one point I actually fell asleep, and then woke up to go pee, only to find him in the same spot, standing and staring. I finally took him into bed with us and it just upped his excitement to another level. He lay there, his face inches from me, and every two minutes I'd hear him whisper, "Mama..we're in San Jose sleeping." That's nice. Two minutes, later, "Mama...elevators are outside." Yup. (Siren) "Mama...that's an ambulance!" When he finally fell asleep, he spent the rest of the night slapping my face and kicking Roque in the ribs. I swear, I cannot understand how the family bed works. I always think sleeping with Greyson is a lovely idea until I do it.































I have to say, vacations have taken on a whole new meaning. Before Greyson, Roque and I used to take one big trip a year, to destinations like Singapore, Italy, Indonesia, Greece, and our favorite, New York City. For us, it used to be about exploring, seeing the sights, good food, long naps, and shopping. Now, I'll trade a four-star hotel any day for an indoor pool. The things that matter now are a suite room, housekeeping, and a breakfast buffet. Yet, I kid you not, I was literally giddy with excitement the week leading up to our trip. At work, I checked the weather almost every hour, dying with anticipation of seeing Greyson's reaction when he saw that water park. My child-less coworkers were bewildered by how someone could be so excited about a vacation in San Jose. It is hard to explain how you can get so much satisfaction from making your child's day.

My favorite moment from the trip was when Roque and Greyson were taking a shower together, and I opened the curtain to say something. Greyson was sitting on the bathtub floor, and he looked up at me indignantly and said, "Ma, can you close it please? We're taking shower!" My baby escapes me.