Thursday, November 24, 2011

5 Generations Trip

I have been meaning to post this for sooooo long, but time has just gotten away from me. We are so lucky to have five generations of women on my mom's side, and since my great-grandmother is not able to travel easily, we thought it would be great to go see her. In order to have everyone there, my grandmother met us there, and to help make it even more special, we went on my great-grandma's 90th birthday!

This was Maddie's first plane ride, and I was extremely nervous. Not so much for her health or saftey, but simply because I just didn't know what to expect. I consider myself to pretty much be a traveling expert just because I have always traveled a lot, but with a baby? Completely different story.
Like I said, I have been meaning to post this for a loooong time. We did this trip back in early September. That made Maddie a little over 3 months old. Our first leg of the trip was getting from Waco to Houston (an almost 3 hour drive.) She slept the entire way- Round 1= win! The next day we headed to the airport. We parked, took a shuttle to the airport, checked our bags, made it through security and to our gate with not a single problem from her- Round 2= win! The part I was most concerned about, the plane ride, was coming up. Here's a shot of her on the plane before take off. Look how excited she is!
So....the plane ride. Utilizing several tips from friends who have also traveled with babies (thank you Sarah and Jeni) we started the trip with a bottle that she drank during take-off. Then she napped, and napped some more, and napped a little more after that. This is how we spent the majority of the flight:
(no, that picture was not staged...how dare you ask!)
She woke up just in time for the descent which included a bottle for her to drink on the way down. Then we landed. Yep- that's how eventful it was. No crying.at.all. I was completely amazed- Round 3= total win!!
Once we finally made it to great-grandma's house, Maddie was ready to be done traveling and just visit. She got in lots of great-grandma time and great-great-grandma time.

We had a wonderful trip, and Maddie was so happy to get to know all her grandmas. She is one lucky little girl!! We of course took advantage of this amazing photo op! I can't wait to get these framed!

I was super excited to capture this last picture. Until this one, I didn't have a super cute pic with both of us smiling!
So, the beginning of the trip was a success, as was the actual trip itself...now for the plane ride home. Dun, dun, dun.... (is that how you spell the scary movie sound?) Check out the picture below. She either looked like this or like the one where she's asleep on me above.
No lie...the plane ride coming back was just as successful as the one going. She is seriously one great travel buddy!! She couldn't have been more of a joy on the trip, and it meant so much to my grandma and great-grandma to have been able to meet their new little bundle of happiness!!

Maddie loves you guys so much! She misses you and can't wait to see you again (same goes for me) Lots of hugs and kisses your way great-grandma and great-great-grandma!

Five Months Old!!

Dear Maddie,
Oh my goodness, time is flying by! You have been keeping me so busy, I almost forgot to post your 5 month update! Shame on mommy!!
You are continuing to grow on schedule. We took you in for a check-up because you had a little dry spot on your leg which I was obsessing over just a tad concerned about, and you weighed in at 14.5 pounds! Almost 2 pounds growth in 1 month. It was sad, but we finally said goodbye to the stage 1 diapers. *tear*
You love to sit up. You can't officially stay up on your own, but you do love to be propped up or sit in your bumbo seat. You still roll around, but when we put you on your tummy or back, you whine until we prop you up. I guess you just want to see the world or something. :)
Everything, and I mean everything, goes into your mouth. If there aren't toys around, then you try to stuff your whole hand in there! That combined with the jealous look you give whenever we eat food led us to start you on solid foods. You were a pro even on the first day! I couldn't believe how not messy you were- until you reached for the spoon or kicked the jar, that is. We started you on veggies, and if there was a sweet potato in the room I don't think it would survive against you! You LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! Now peas and green beans- that's a completely different story. Not your fav. We also started you on fruits, and though it appears you pretty much like them all, bananas are the enemy to your tummy, so we are saying goodbye to them for a little while.
You still very much love your toys, and are already a little picky as to which one you want to play with at times. It is so fun to watch you explore the world around you. Oh, and can I tell you one of the best things we are totally loving right now...you like to grab our neck and pull your face into ours- it's just like you are giving us a hug and a kiss! Awww! So sweet! We LOVE every single sloppy little kiss! Keep them coming...
I guess that's all the big stuff for now. Thanks so much for being such a happy and loving baby! You bring joy to us every single day! We love you!

XOXO
Mommy