Good Trip

It was a good trip. We got home last night. I’m still tired. Every day was filled to the brim. On Saturday, after my sister left, my cousin tried to talk me into going to a movie and my mom into going shopping. I told them, you go. I’m going to take a nap at my aunt and uncles. I got about 40 min. in which was enough. The rest of the time, I was pretty much on the go the entire trip. Max never really adjusted (and I didn’t even try) to the Eastern Time zone. This meant going to bed around midnight and getting up around 8 am, except that most days after I fed Max his 5 or 6 am ET ish snack, he would go back to sleep and I was up for the duration. My cousins house it a bit loud and I am a light sleeper. So, I ran a few hours short of sleep every day. It was worth it.

The best…The best part of the trip was seeing all my family for Thanksgiving and the Baptism. My mom flew in and stayed at my Aunt’s (her sister). My sister Cindy drove in with her husband and kids and stayed with my cousin Anna. Max and I stated with my cousin Terri. My mom’s sister and three out of her four kids and their kids attended both Thanksgiving and the baptism/party afterwards. My mom’s brother and his wife and three out of their five kids attended the baptism/party afterwards. I hadn’t seen a few of my cousins in about 20 years so it was nice. It is funny. Max has now met all of his cousins that don’t live in state and his second cousins. He has yet to meet my sister Julie’s girls who live much closer. It was also really nice to meet some of my colleagues that I have worked with for a few years now and never met face to face.

The worst…The worst part of the trip was when I was going from my cousin Terri’s house to my cousin Anna’s house on Friday night to visit my sister and her kids before they left on Saturday with Max and I didn’t see the neighbors car parked in the street as I backed out of the driveway and hit it. It was only minor damage, but I was really upset. It was a traumatic event and I was short on sleep making me even more emotional. This was the first time ever I have caused a collision. Then, Terri made some smart ass remark (in an attempt to make me feel better so she says) and made me cry all over again. The other bad part was yesterday when I was meeting with a guy that reports to me for lunch before I flew out and Max cried and fussed the WHOLE time. I kept apologizing and saying, he never acts like this. It was very stressful. I guess Max just didn’t like the restaurant because he was fine once we left to go to the airport.

Max was a great traveler and very interested and curious into everything around him. One of my most precious memories of the trip is of Carolyn (Terri’s 9 year old who gave up her bed/bed room for us) reading a book out loud to her mom on one side of the couch. Max turned and started craning his neck to look at the book. He did the same thing when football was on. He is just so cute.

We had all kinds of weather, except sun, while gone. Snow, Ice, and Rain. It wasn’t bad to visit, but glad I don’t live there. What a pain to have to bundle and unbundled a kid so much every time you want to go someplace.

The most useless thing I took and didn’t need/use was the base to the car seat. It was hard to install/uninstall from their cars and we never seemed to use the same car twice. Next trip, that will stay home. Otherwise, I did a good job packing and my cousins did a great job of having everything else I would need (bouncy, play mat, breast pump, car seat blanket, sleeper blankets, etc.) ready and available for me.

It was a great trip. I think Max has been a bit bored today with just our house and Niomi after all of the stimulation and new faces and new scenery day after day after day on our trip. His cousins were so thrilled to see him and wanted to hold him and be in his face all of the time. It was very cute, but I did have to make sure he got a bit of time on the floor/away from the kids a few times.

I never did get a period this month like I thought so I guess I didn’t ovulate like I thought I did. And, Max did not have one BM the whole time we were gone, lots and lots of smelly farts, but no blow outs. Hmm. LOL. My exciting life….

I took so many pictures. Or, I should say that so many pictures were taken with my camera that it is now full. Maybe this weekend, I will get a chance to off-load them and look at them.

I am glad that I went. I’m glad that I am home.