We had our first family vacay on Thursday July 1st! We went to Dallas to see all our friends and family and introduce everyone to our little boy! The adventure started when we got to the airport. For those of you who don't know, we had Muppet with us (yes, I know, a 7 1/2 month old AND a dog-- this confirms we really are nuts!!). Now, anyone traveling with a small child knows there is extra gear like an umbrella stroller, bottles, diapers, toys, etc, throw in a dog and you really got your hands full! Just maneuvering through security was crazy! Not to mention how rude the people/TSA is at Fort Lauderdale International Airport! By the time we made it through security, there were so many people backed up in line behind us! I will never be impatient or annoyed when there is a family in front of me because now I know (and a word to the wise-- you will all be there someday if you have not already! That is unless you decide not to fly with a small child--I recommend not flying until your child is 5 years old....haha just kidding!). So, we get through security and grab a bite to eat then find a desolate place to sit. Already muppet was in a tizzy! I decided to let her out because I felt there is no need to keep her in her carrier at the airport. Bad idea! Shortly after freeing her, she got into a barking war with some pomeranion at the gate across from ours. Fun stuff! In her defense, the other dog started it. Meanwhile, Cory had the baby calm for the time being by pushing him back and forth in his umbrella stroller. I, on the other had, was already dreading the flight ahead. We were the first to board the plane with all the other babies and wheel chair people. As we got situated Chase seemed okay. Normally, my son has a very hard time sitting still, so as more and more people board he wanted to move around and be on the floor so he can roll around. His good mood went from good to very bad quickly. He was twisting in my arms then in Cory's - oh man and my nerves are pretty much racked already when I board a flight! By the time the plane took off, Chase fell asleep in my arms (talk about an arm cramp) and muppet was out like a light! Smooth sailing, right? Not so fast! The wonderful flight attendant woke Chase up by yelling -and I mean YELLING what we would like to drink. She must have been blind as a bat not to see the big baby sleeping in my little arms. The remainder of the flight I made sure to give her the stink eye for the distress she brought into my life. Chase was up another 45 minutes wanting to squirm and move around. Cory had to walk him up and down the aisles until finally I physically rocked him back to sleep and that he did until we got to the gate at DFW. Once we got to Dallas, the real adventure began! Cory's mom picked us up and we drove to Richardson for mid-afternoon lunch with Cory's Dad. Then drove all the way to Gainesville to his parent's lakehouse where we posted up until Monday. Friends and family came to see Chase on the 3rd and some stayed until the 4th. During fireworks on the 4th (their neighbors go all out), I thought for sure Chase would wake up but nope the little guy slept through the whole thing (it seriously sounded like WWII in his room). On Monday we headed back to Dallas and literally every single day for the next week consisted of us looking for properties to rent or buy and having lunch with a friend or two, then another activity with another friend or group of friends. We had two bbqs on the weekend and spent lots of time with family. I was sooo tired by the time we got back to Florida that I now need a vacation!! In other news, Chase now crawls. Oh yes, I couldn't wait for him to crawl (he started the day after we got back) and now I regret it (and believe me, I was warned)! LOL. It is really cool to watch and I am proud of him but I cannot get anything done!! He is the only one crawling in his mommy and me class. The other day, he moved all the baby furniture around the mat, kept crawling away from me and protesting when I would move him back. You can see the fear in the other moms' eyes with how active he is. I think they now realize that they should be happy that their little babies just sit there and don't move. HAHA!
