Monday, March 5th. Iceland. We stayed at home on Saturday and Sunday. We wanted to recharge and cook and spend time with one another with nothing but Netflix and the stillness of the home… and a crying baby.
We don’t know why but for those two days, in the evening on Saturday and in the afternoon on Sunday, we couldn’t soothe him. We knew he was tired: his eyes were teary, he yawned a couple of times, and he constantly rubbed his face against our shirt or his hands. Yet, he was fighting the sleep, and not in a gracious way. Sean and I took turns to rock him, sing to him, entertain him. Sometimes he’d stop crying but then he’d start up again for no reason. I couldn’t help but wonder how some people have more than one kid. I was feeling helpless and a tinge of regret would seep through my running thoughts. Should we have traveled? I could be miserable at home and it wouldn’t expensive! Was I ready to have a kid? I mean, it’s too late now. It is a responsibility I now have to bear.
I don’t remember how we managed to put him to sleep, but we somehow did. It reminded me that the cries don’t last forever. Perhaps being a parent will teach me to be patient. And to be okay with feeling helpless. It will pass anyhow.
Other than those “challenging” events, the two days seemed to pass by quite quickly. Sean had his healthy breakfast, I made sandwich for lunch, and we grilled some burgers for dinner on Saturday and cooked mashed potatoes and red-pepper chicken for Sunday. Netflix and taking care of Arthur filled in the time.
Monday morning – we set our minds to visit Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon. It was a 5-hour drive from our Airbnb. Sean and I got ready first and Arthur slowly woke up from his sleep. My thoughts about having a baby earlier were balanced with the joy of Arthur’s smile in the morning. He was starting to recognize my face. I said, “Good morning, Arthur,” and Arthur responded by studying my face, and giving his biggest smile. And he started talking… perhaps about his dream last night? Sean also had just taught him the past couple of days to blow lip bubbles. We noticed he would do this when he’s happy. It was lovely to see him engage more and more with us. I could tell he was more aware of his surroundings.
We left at 10am and set out to Jökulsárlón. The drive there was amazing. Seeing the vast amount of open space just lifted up the heart. I was amazed at the stark contrast between the snowy mountains and the black sand beach, to the left of the High way and to the right. All within a couple of miles. I started thinking of how cool it is that people here in Iceland always have constant supply of hot water from the sulfur hot springs and cold water from the melting glacier. At our Airbnb, the hot water tastes sulfurish but the cold water tastes so refreshing.
On the way to Jökulsárlón, we passed by Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss but we didn’t stop as we’ve been there before. We did stop to fill up gas and to grab something quick from the supermarket, but otherwise, we kept on driving. Arthur slept from home to Vik and was awake from Vik to Jökulsárlón.
When we finally reached Jökulsárlón, we could see the lagoon just from the car.
We changed and fed Arthur and got him ready to get out of the car. I put on the carrier and placed him in it.
I got off the car. Very very very windy. Arthur was trying to catch his breath. I tried to cover him with my jacket. Not working. The wind was so strong. He started whimpering. It seemed like he couldn’t breathe. I got real worried and decided to get back into the car. Arthur burst into tears and screamed. We were out of the car for barely 5 seconds and it wasn’t working out for Arthur.
I think it truly finally hit me: we wouldn’t be able to do what we used to be able to do. We wouldn’t be able to hike around in this kind of weather. Not even with a carrier. Not even for a moment! The wind was just way too strong for a little baby. If only we could take the stroller then he’d be protected from the wind. Hike up a waterfall? No way! Glacier walk? Not even close! Ice caves? Impossible! Good thing we’ve done those before. In Iceland, Greenland, Switzerland. But if we want to do those things again now? Perhaps at Mýrdalsjökull? Not going to happen.
For the whole trip, Arthur didn’t even get out of the car, really.
Sean and I did take a quick picture outside the car without Arthur. We placed him in the car seat, stepped out of the car with him in sight, and took a quick selfie with the lagoon. We did this again later when we stopped to stretch our legs. It made me feel bad for not including Arthur in the picture, but at least he was safe in the car and we were never away from him.
Maybe this trip will help me change my mindset. Having a baby does change the lifestyle. We just have to find things that we would be able to do with a kid. It’s almost like when I was 21, I could stomach 7 shots of Irish car bomb, but now that I’m 31, I’d rather do champagne brunches. It would just be a change of mindset, purpose, and responsibilities. I could find the joy in it or be miserable in wishing for improbable things.
As we made our way back home, we enjoyed the beautiful sunset.
Then it got dark. This was the first time we drove at night with Arthur. It freaked him out and he wouldn’t stop crying again. He screamed and sobbed. Sean pulled over at a parking lot along the way to help me calm him down. He was successful. When Arthur finally stopped crying, he went to sleep and we once again made our way home.
Today was a great day of driving and sightseeing. We saw the glacier, enjoyed the lagoon, and admired the scenery. It was also a learning experience and maybe a change of viewpoint. Maybe traveling with a baby does have its positive- even if it is to teach me the hard way to mentally prepare myself about my changing lifestyle.
And here’s a quick video stitch of our drive:
two backpacks and a diaper bag 