VACATION, ALL I EVER WANTED.

Starting Tuesday we'll be on vacation, peeps, which might just be the best sentence I've ever written. We're greasing the palms of the relaxation gods and getting as close to heaven as we possibly can without a car: Mohonk Mountain House. We are going to go on hikes and see stars and eat our weight in crispy bacon while lying on the beach getting a massage with the scent of s'mores wafting to our room as we rock the baby to sleep in our Adirondack chairs on the balcony overlooking the mountains.

It's our first vacation in 5 years. I'm feeling pretty psyched.

Seriously, I'm too excited. Way too excited. Unless they hand me a basket of brownies and a leprechaun, it can't possibly live up to my expectations. But the anticipation is fun. We're taking the train which should thrill the Under-2 set. I'm getting a facial. Matt's bringing books. How bad can it be? (I'm gunning for awesome with a side of fist pump.)

In other, less spa-induced news, turns out Owen did NOT qualify for speech therapy. But I'm happy to report that the words are coming fast and furious these days. Today's top hits are bee (he saw a dead bee on the playground and is now completely obsessed. Helicopters, specks on the carpet. "Bee! Bee! Bee!"), oh peeeze ("please" with an extra "oh" to completely manipulate his parents), and the ABC song, which mostly consists of him singing "A, B, A, B" over and over, with a few C's and D's thrown in. (Hey, it's a start.) That brings the grand total to 12 definite words and several almost-theres, which is a HUGE leap from where we were a month ago. It's amazing how proud you can be listening to your son garble the word "shoe".

So much more to tell but it'll have to wait. 5 a.m. still comes at 5 a.m. 'round these parts. Regardless, I'll see you when I get back. IF I COME BACK! (Sometimes after I've had a glass of wine I imagine that we've won a contest and are allowed to live at Mohonk for free. That's usually when I know that it's time to eat something.)