Weekend Getaway

This past weekend Derek and I took Drew up to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a long weekend getaway. We had so much fun in Columbus that we quickly decided our next stop of the "Northeast Tour" would be Ann Arbor, Michigan. The small city is only a couple hours away and we figured a weekend would be enough to enjoy this quaint college town.

Our first stop Friday night was visiting the Michigan campus and having dinner at Zingerman's Deli. I was told by numerous people as well as read on tons of websites that this place was not to be missed. With a HUGE selection of foods and some fun drink options, I'd say we had good sandwiches, but nothing spectacular. The potato salad, however, was absolutely scrumptious and I'm salivating a bit right now just remembering it.

After a bit of shopping we headed back to the hotel for Drew's bath and then to get him down. The goal was to enjoy the jacuzzi tub in our room of the suite with a movie on and a nice glass of wine in our hands. I will spare all of the details but after 90 stressful minutes of trying to get Drew to sleep in the hotel's crib and hopes of a relaxing jacuzzi soak fading, we gave in to hitting the hay around 10pm with a little one in our bed. Two things to note: A) Drew is normally an excellent sleeper so he had to have been terrified of something, and B) co-sleeping does not work for me. Derek has no sleep issues with it, but I wake with every movement/sound Drew makes. This means I woke up about 27+ times that night before Drew started to stir at 6:07am. Yes, I LOVE waking up next to my son's sweet breathing, but this mom needs her 8 hours of good sleep. I always have and always will. I wish I could co-sleep, but it's just not for us. But I digress.

We decided to punt another night's stay at the hotel and as I said goodbye to the jacuzzi tub, we set out for a packed day of a few places we wanted to hit. (And yes, my starbucks eventually helped me wake up for the day) First was this indoor play area called Jungle Java. For a mere $3, Drew got to climb, run and slide his little heart out.

Then it was on to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. So far I've been to the Cleveland, Columbus and Kansas City Children's Museum's and I must say that this one takes the cake. The building was huge, obviously backed with some of that University of Michigan wealth, and was almost 100% interactive with SO much for Drew to do. We could have easily spent 8 hours there had we not had other places we wanted to see. Where else do you get to touch a tornado, play a piano with your feet, go inside a huge bubble, and so much more?

I think the last stop of our trip was, by far, my favorite. After a quick lunch at the famous Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger, we headed out of the city a bit to the country. Just like I knew would happen, Drew fell asleep in the car about 5 minutes before we pulled up to our destination. Why do they always do that? As I gently woke him, I knew the cry I was about to evoke would be worth it once inside. We ran through the rain up to the entry gate where Derek took the camera and I excitedly plucked a still-upset Drew from his stroller. Just like I predicted, the first site of an animal quickly led to dry eyes and the squeals of delight that followed were music to my ears. We thankfully made the right decision to prolong his nap just a bit longer for a quick visit to Domino's Petting Farm. {Cue gospel choir singing "Hallelujah"}

We were given carrots to feed the animals and a private bunny petting since not many other people decided to brave the rain that afternoon. About 20 minutes in we realized we had the entire barn to ourselves and we happily bounced back and forth between the donkey, calf, sheep, chickens, bunnies, goats, ponies, pigs, peacocks and more. I'm pretty sure I had a huge grin on my face as I watched Drew trying to communicate with the tiny 2 pound baby piglet or moo back when baby Dixie mooed at him. He never stopped 'talking' and his voice would get so high with excitement as he proudly pointed to each animal.

Although I was absolutely exhausted and we realized Drew won't remember any of the trip, we're glad we made it up there for a visit. Ann Arbor has officially been checked off list of cities to see while living in Ohio!