I flew to Omaha on Sept. 18th with Elea. I was stressing out about the whole airport situation because I didn't know how I would manage to get through security while holding her. Something as simple as putting on and taking off a pair of shoes becomes a task worthy of some long nights awake stressing out. (I'm not the seasoned mommy yet who can solve world hunger, vacuum, do the dishes, and fold laundry all while carrying a baby in one arm and dealing with a toddler hanging on to her pant leg).
So yes, I was stressed about getting through security because I didn't take her stroller or her car seat because I just borrowed one of angie's friend's car seat once we got there. But then the wonderful lady behind the counter asked if Jeff would like a companion pass to go through security and wait with us at the gate. HALLELUJAH! I was so relieved. AND I didn't have to worry about not needing to use the restroom until getting to Ang's house. (If I thought security was gonna be difficult-- using the bathroom would have been IMPOSSIBLE).
I didn't even know that they were allowed to do that-- it was great because Jeff was able to go with us to the gate and he waited with us for awhile but then decided to head back to Cedar cause he was tired and it was getting late. Elea was a sweet little angel until about 20 minutes before the plane boarded. Which is when all the seats in the waiting area are full so there are all the people who will be riding the plane with you-- all the people who have zero qualms about staring at the crying baby and the mother trying to calm her down. But I figured that if nothing else, it will make them hesitant to sit by me on the plane, which it did, so I had a whole row to myself which was pretty fantastic. She'd stopped fussing before we boarded and didn't fuss again until we were in Omaha.
When I was boarding the plane, the flight attendant stopped me and started rubbing elea's head. He was an older guy and asked her name, and how old she was, and if she'd had a hair cut yet. I answered all 3 questions and as I was heading down the aisle I hear over the speaker "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Elea, she is 10 weeks old and mom's not cutting her hair yet." Okay, AWKWARD. Random people asking and making comments is one thing-- but having it announced while trying to maneuver down the aisle with a huge diaper bag and a baby wasn't cool because every seated pair of eyes looked up and stared.
So enough about just getting to Omaha.
It was really good to be with my mom & sister. But it was even better to get to see angie's new baby girl Alexis. She's a sweet little thing. Growing up, every time my family was around my cousin Teresa's family, we were always lined up back to back to see who was taller, who was skinnier, who had longer hair, etc. etc. etc. There was never any judgment attached-- no "winner" was ever declared, but it always bugged me anyway. Well, it took about 2 seconds of having Elea and Alex together before we started doing the same thing.
Case in point:
Elea's legs are the shorter ones with multiple rolls. Alex has been bless with long leg and long fingers. She's like Derek, with a
feminine flair.
Anyway, the first week I was there things were pretty hectic and crazy because they were moving from one townhome to the other. Traveling without Jeff was a lot more difficult than I expected. I have gotten spoiled by him bathing Elea every night because that is a guaranteed 45 minutes I have to do whatever I want. (Or at least it's 45 minutes that she's happy and occupied). She ended up sleeping on an air mattress with me because she WILL NOT sleep in a playpen. How the heck she knows the difference, I do not know. She got a stuffy nose a day or two after we got there so she woke me and my mom up a lot with her snoring and grunting. I don't know how parents do the "co-sleeping" thing-- I was so nervous about her being on the bed in the first place, plus her noises, it made sleeping difficult. But she did sleep in until 9 or 10 every morning because the basement was pretty dark-- so that was sweet.
My mom, Ang, and I were able to get away one afternoon for a couple of hours to go to lunch with just the 2 babies. It was good to spend time just the 3 of us because that hardly ever happens.
Jeff was supposed to come on Saturday morning (9 days after me) but Thursday night he called and it was all noisy. Earlier he had called angie and by the tone of her voice and her going outside to talk to him, I knew something was up. But he texted me and said that he'd gone gambling in Mesquite with his friend. So I asked why he called angie first and he said to find out if I was in a good mood or not so that he could decide whether to tell me that night or wait till he was home. He kept asking if I was mad that he went. I wasn't mad but I started getting riled up that he would act like I was his mom and going to ground him or something. Also, all day angie's laptop was missing and Derek kept saying he'd taken it to school. I felt like he was lying but couldn't figure out why he would lie about that. So then I was annoyed because I wanted to be able to check our account to make sure Jeff wasn't spending too much money gambling or to find out what else he'd been up to because angie was acting sketchy (he hasn't gone to a casino and gambled since we've been married, which should have been my first clue).
So finally I went to bed. My mom and I were staying at their old townhouse across the street. At about 1 or 2 in the morning I woke up to really loud footstomps across the floor upstairs. I was pretty freaking terrified because my mom wasn't back yet from Angie's house so I was alone downstairs with Elea. There wasn't a "fight or flight" response kicking in . . . mostly I just laid there and played dead, except my eyes were WIDE open. Then I see someone at the top of the stairs and hear Jeff say my name. Derek, the jerk, had walked over with Jeff and stomped across the floor on purpose to scare me. I was so relieved that it was Jeff surprising me and not some bad guy that I couldn't really FEEL surprised. If that makes any sense. But it was great to see him and I was pretty proud of him for pulling one over on me. Angie and I have this sick sub-concious determination not to ever let ourselves be surprised, we tend to ruin every potential surprise, almost by accident.
So that was why the lap-top had disappeared all day, Jeff knew I would check out what he was up to so he had them hide it. I thought for sure he would never miss a football game (which was why he wasn't coming until Saturday in the first place) . . . but he did so that was pretty cool. AND I was pretty pleased with myself for not getting upset with him about the faked late night gambling excursion.
Sunday was Alex's baby blessing. Her blessing was really sweet. It was fun for me to hang out with all the family. I don't think Elea was put down once the entire day so I am sure she loved it too. We flew home on Tuesday morning. This probably sounds random, but my favorite part of visiting angie this time was that we were both nursing. The babies were on similiar schedules so it was good for me that angie was forced to sit down and talk for 20 minutes (or more) multiple times throughout the day.
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