B is for Baby

Wowza - so where do I begin? I had a jam packed week last week, at a fun, but pretty technical, conference up in Seattle. However, the time I had getting to know my management and colleagues better was well worth it. I flew home Thursday night pretty beat but in time to see Logan for about an hour which was wonderful. It was the longest I had been away from him and I was really missing him after a couple of days. So, I was relieved and excited and choked up with motherly emotions, seeing him smile big and bright the minute he and Jon picked me up from the airport Thursday night.

I spent Friday morning cuddling and lounging around with Logan before taking him to school, so that I could get a few calls and work done later that day. I crammed as much work as I possibly could into a few hours before I spent the rest of the afternoon packing our family up to get ready for our trip down to San Diego.

In addition to the regular mountain of crap we bring with us anywhere we go these days, we also brought with us Logan's old infant car seat, two bases that went with it, and the stroller that the infant car seat snapped into. Eric and Jill are taking it off our hands to enjoy with their new little one, who will be arriving any week now! And we get to clear out a bit more space in the garage. It's a win-win for all. :)

None of us had quite thought through how much stuff it all added up to - especially when Eric and Jill drive a small 4-door sedan with not much room to spare! We somehow squeezed our two gigantic suitcases and backpacks in the trunk and laid the stroller bag across Jon, Logan and I in the back (I had thought ahead enough not to bring our own car seat, fitting Logan into the infant seat - barely - for the drive to/from the airport instead!). The stroller was so huge, however, that it literally covered me and Logan completely. Thankfully, Jon and Logan could see each other from Jon's side, since I don't think Logan would have been very happy could he not see either of us during the drive home. ;-)

For most of our visit, we just hung out with Eric and Jill, enjoying each others' company. Saturday afternoon we went to a nearby park to get some of Logan's energy out, however it was sooo ridiculously hot outside that we ended the excursion pretty quickly, stopping by a frozen yogurt shop on our way home. :) Saturday evening we drove to Murrieta to visit with Eric's family (some in from out of town) for dinner, which was very nice.

Both Friday and Saturday night Logan had a really tough time sleeping in his tent - I'm not sure if it was because of the heat, the new/different place, the fact that we were in the room with him, or what. But, it caused for some restless nights for Jon and I. Both nights when Logan woke up we brought him to bed with us - but because he's gotten so big now, he doesn't sleep well in bed with us and moves around constantly. Saturday night, Jon finally gave up and left to sleep on the couch, while Logan slept soundly, using Mama's belly or thighs as a pillow while he rolled around on the bed (and me!) all night long. Aiiieeee.


We spent the majority of Sunday at Jill's baby shower. Her family really knows how to throw a great party! There were a ton of women at the party and a few kids too - one, Anna, is a sweet 9 yr old (going on 16) girl that Logan has met before and really loves. When he wasn't chasing balloons around the house he was by her side. Thankfully, she's wonderful with kids and really puts up with Logan like a champ. When she finally had to leave, Logan actually had a meltdown at the door, throwing a fit, asking to go outside to follow her, and looking out the window saying "bye bye". It was pretty damn cute. :)


Jill (and Eric) made out like bandits with a ton of awesome presents - the best from us of course! ;-) They have just a few more weeks before Amelia joins their small family and I think everyone is getting very excited to meet her. It was so much fun being a part of the celebration - I remember exactly what it was like for me, exciting and overwhelming all at once, and very grateful for the network of friends and family around me. I know Eric and Jill are in the same spot and though we're hundreds of miles away, we are definitely going to be there for them every step of the way.

In addition to fond memories of my pregnancy coming back, Logan caught onto a new word in a blink of an eye.

BABY.

And, he loved saying it, repeating it over and over. He was even calm and quiet around another baby at the baby shower, wanting to touch her, but not using his jerky erratic fast movements that he does with the cats or the dogs. Somehow, without me saying anything, he knew he needed to be gentle and calm with her! He was also interested in Jill's belly - particularly after we told him there was a baby inside and when Jon tried to get him to feel the baby kick. Luckily, Jill was very agreeable and didn't mind my kid coming up and lifting her shirt to touch her belly every few minutes. :) It's moments like these that definitely make me want to have another some day - since I know Logan will be a wonderful, loving and fun big brother.


Today we had a nice breakfast at a new place Eric wanted to try - the food was tasty but more than that, they were next door to a little nursery which also happened to have a number of different animals as well. It became Logan's own little petting zoo - complete with chickens, geese, turtles, bunnies, fish, butterflies, goats and horses. We headed home so Logan could nap while the adults had another round at Settlers of Catan (I won, mwahahhahaha), and then it was finally time to pack it up and head out. We stopped by Target before the airport - buying Logan a couple new pairs of shoes (his feet seem to grow 10 times faster than the rest of his body!!), jeans and socks. We bid our goodbyes to Eric and Jill - the last time we'll probably see them childless (wow!) and headed into the airport to check in.


Our flight over and back home were both pretty uneventful, which is always nice. The only minor snafu was the ride home tonight, where neither Jon nor I were keeping a close eye on how many pretzels Logan was stuffing in his mouth. And, before we knew it, he was choking/coughing them back up, and then actually managed to puke two handfuls onto Jon's shorts, the seat/floor and mostly my cupped hands. Ahhhhhhh good times. :) We cleaned him up and the area around us - I didn't dare look at the gal sitting next to me since I'm sure she was freaking out being so close to VOMIT - and then went on our merry way enjoying the rest of the ride home.

All in all, a wonderful weekend with our dear friends, which is always much shorter than it really should be. Amazingly, I forgot my phone at home and somehow survived without it for THREE WHOLE DAYS (it was tough). So, now I've got to catch up on a bajillion emails, prep for a hairy work week, and sort through a couple hundred pics from the weekend too! Ah yes, never a dull moment.