So, we made it to Utah and back all in one piece! We had a great trip. I sufficiently obsessed about every little detail ad-nauseum (mental image: laminated schedule with details of every minute planned on departure day and more ziploc bags than anyone should ever use for one trip), but in the end I think it paid off. Noah was able to spend some quality time with his cousins and I had a blast hanging out with my SIL discusssing the minutia of motherhood -- everything from "the one-nap transition" to "how long is too long to let them sit in their crib after they wake up in the morning?" We left the kids with my brother (I'll call him super-dad/uncle) 3 different times so we could go to Art & Soup (a great SLC tradition), shop, and go out to dinner! It was so much fun. I was in heaven in their 4-bedroom home with a giant carpeted playroom packed with toys and their new mini-van. (ah, how your priorities in life change as you become a parent!) I also got to see some old friends and family that met Noah for the first time. It was so much fun to show him off. Noah did amazingly well on the trip.
Here are a few highlights from our travels:
1. my dad drove me brought us to the airport AND picked us up!!! (thanks dad!)
2. I couldn't seem to find the DVD player rental place at my terminal at the airport after I went through security, so after asking several people who said there wasn't one, I finally spoke with a man who told me there was one but that I needed to go back out of security and come through again if I wanted to get to it. So, I did! And soon realized he had no idea what he was talking about. I had to go through security again with Noah -- but this time I was in much more of a hurry! yikes. (I was able to rent a DVD player on the way home, which SAVED my life. Noah sat and watched baby einstein for a whole hour! It was awesome.)
3. on the way there we had our own row! (on the way home we were stuck in one of the only full rows, and then the guy in front of me busted his seat back! I almost had a meltdown. I really couldn't believe no one offered to switch their seat with me....arg! And our 3 hr. 45 min. flight turned into a 5 hour flight because of weather delays. Luckily, we had baby einstein to save the day.)
4. Noah became best friends with his cousin, Audrey (age 4). They played so well together and she taught him so many new tricks: like how to say "uh-oh", climb stairs, and how to play princess dress-up! It was really like having a babysitter because she was able to entertain him so well! (However, Noah and Andy (age 20 months) didn't seem to get along as well. Noah is practically double his size and found it amusing to head-butt and tackle him! I'm sure they'll get over their issues soon enough.)
5. We went to the Hogle Zoo. It was a fabulous day and the kids loved seeing all of the animals and riding on the safari train!
6. We went out to Macaroni Grill for my b-day. Gotta love those family-friendly food-chains. I had my favorite -- Pasta Milano, yum! And got the delicious complimentary chocolate b-day cake.
7. I enjoyed the perks of having a yard for a week. (It was funny because everytime we would go out to the yard, I kept thinking I had to pack the diaper bag and bring his jacket and hat just in case he needed it.)
8. I got to go to the mall... twice! Oh how I miss the mall. I definitely took advantage of it. From the carousel and the children's dino play-yard... to the fun little picture booth (we put all of the kids in and got some hilarious shots.)
9. tub-time with all 3 kids -- a mom's way of multi-tasking!
10. we had a chick-flick night and watched "The Holiday" which was actually much better the second time around. (who am I kidding? it was good both times... oh, Jude!)
Here are a few highlights from our travels:
1. my dad drove me brought us to the airport AND picked us up!!! (thanks dad!)
2. I couldn't seem to find the DVD player rental place at my terminal at the airport after I went through security, so after asking several people who said there wasn't one, I finally spoke with a man who told me there was one but that I needed to go back out of security and come through again if I wanted to get to it. So, I did! And soon realized he had no idea what he was talking about. I had to go through security again with Noah -- but this time I was in much more of a hurry! yikes. (I was able to rent a DVD player on the way home, which SAVED my life. Noah sat and watched baby einstein for a whole hour! It was awesome.)
3. on the way there we had our own row! (on the way home we were stuck in one of the only full rows, and then the guy in front of me busted his seat back! I almost had a meltdown. I really couldn't believe no one offered to switch their seat with me....arg! And our 3 hr. 45 min. flight turned into a 5 hour flight because of weather delays. Luckily, we had baby einstein to save the day.)
4. Noah became best friends with his cousin, Audrey (age 4). They played so well together and she taught him so many new tricks: like how to say "uh-oh", climb stairs, and how to play princess dress-up! It was really like having a babysitter because she was able to entertain him so well! (However, Noah and Andy (age 20 months) didn't seem to get along as well. Noah is practically double his size and found it amusing to head-butt and tackle him! I'm sure they'll get over their issues soon enough.)
5. We went to the Hogle Zoo. It was a fabulous day and the kids loved seeing all of the animals and riding on the safari train!
6. We went out to Macaroni Grill for my b-day. Gotta love those family-friendly food-chains. I had my favorite -- Pasta Milano, yum! And got the delicious complimentary chocolate b-day cake.
7. I enjoyed the perks of having a yard for a week. (It was funny because everytime we would go out to the yard, I kept thinking I had to pack the diaper bag and bring his jacket and hat just in case he needed it.)
8. I got to go to the mall... twice! Oh how I miss the mall. I definitely took advantage of it. From the carousel and the children's dino play-yard... to the fun little picture booth (we put all of the kids in and got some hilarious shots.)
9. tub-time with all 3 kids -- a mom's way of multi-tasking!
10. we had a chick-flick night and watched "The Holiday" which was actually much better the second time around. (who am I kidding? it was good both times... oh, Jude!)
11. 2 words... Cafe Rio.
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we're on our way... no turning back!
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cousin breakfast time
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audrey babysitting... oh wait, that's baby einstein!
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playing nice
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gotta get me one of these things!
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great gma A. and the boys-23.jpg)
great gma B. and Noah meet @ South Town Mall
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nothing like riding a rooster @ the mall carousel!
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a visit with great gma & gpa S.
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lunch @ Hogle Zoo
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the giraffes!
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mom and noah on my b-day
All in all, it was a successful trip. I had a little moment with myself as we landed back in NYC. (just a small tear shed...) I was grateful that we made it back in one piece (both physically and emotionally) and I think I just realized how much my confidence as a mom had grown by being adventurous and stepping outside of my comfort-zone to give Noah some new experiences. Good times.
2 comments:
I knew you could do it! Welcome home.
Great job and what wonderful times. All of those Great Grandparents. How cool.
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