I'm so proud. You'd think he explained nuclear fission to me, I'm so proud. I'm not really sure why it's so exciting, but it's just another thing that wasn't there yesterday but is quite prominent today. My little boy is growing up. And now he has a tooth. I think the next one is almost through as well, so he'll be sporting a bottom teeth smile.
We also tried spinach for the first time this weekend. He has a real love for carrots and especially peas, but I'm not sure he's really wild about avocado or spinach. To be fair, with all of this tooth action happening this weekend, he wasn't wild about food at all, so we'll give spinach another try this week. Plus it makes for some nice photos.
Look at this guy. He seems different after coming back from vacation. His face is changing to look a little less baby-ish and a little more toddler. Even our daycare lady says he's changed so much in a week. He feels humongous, but that's just my tired arms talking.
Seriously?
Geoff the Giraffe is delicious
He laughs all the time, and sometimes he even cracks himself up. We can't help it; we're a funny bunch. He's unbelievably ticklish (sorry, Bug, you get that from me) and Daddy takes full advantage. Tummy time is going much better, and he can roll from front to back sometimes when conditions are right. He hasn't figured it out enough to replicate the process anytime he wants, but he can do it. His arms and torso are a lot stronger and he often looks like he's making early efforts to crawl. He can definitely sit up on his own and loves the freedom to grab at things within his reach (or just out of reach). My favorite new trick is the "high-five." That one is a crowd pleaser.
Solid foods are going well! Right now peas are his absolute favorite thing. He likes everything he's had so far, but peas are top notch. I'm liking the process of making baby food. I haven't done much yet with mixing, but I think we'll have introduced enough that I can do that fairly soon.
The Adventure Continues: The trip home
We were glued to the t.v. to find out whether we had a shot at getting home that night or not. The big question: do we take the first flight to Denver or wait at Gramma and Grampa's house in South Dakota? The bonus of having to stop in Denver is that we'd get to see Uncle Ken and Aunt Glenda. Despite finding out our second flight was definitely cancelled, we decided to take our chances in Denver.
After landing in Denver, we went directly to the customer service desk to find out our chances of getting a flight into the Bay area...anywhere in the Bay area. The next confirmed flight out of Denver wasn't for another 4 days, but we could try standby for the next night. We left the airport with the assurance that we were first and second on the standby list and we were already checked in and ready to go.
Luckily, Ken and Glenda had done some last-minute scouting and scored us a pack-n-play for our visit, and it was nice to see some familiar faces after the flight. Owen did just fine, but was pretty exhausted and ready for bed as soon as we arrived.
On our day visit, Owen discovered Uncle Kenny is almost as funny as Daddy is. Aunt Glenda took us on a beautiful walk around their neighborhood, and the day was just really lovely. Nick made a few attempts throughout the day to triple check our standby status, but both the phone and online approach provided no information.
Uncle Ken and Aunt Glenda
Nick and I knew it was possible that only one seat would be available, so we decided I would go home with Owen and we packed the bags accordingly. I would need the car seat as my checked luggage, but the big bag would have to stay with him in Denver if we were separated (I couldn't handle all of our luggage with Owen by myself). Upon check-in, we had to trust that our bags would be handled accordingly for our flight status despite the check-in lady's advice to send the bags regardless of whether we made the flight (I'm not sure she understood the baby car seat necessity). We also learned that we had somehow dropped from first and second on the standby list to fourth and fifth, and now the flight was overbooked. *sigh* What can you do? At this point, the airline is struggling to recover, people are upset and want to get home, and I knew we would be OK if we had to wait it out. Nick was quickly losing his patience, so we decided that I would go to the gate and try to make sense of our standby status while he went to the service desk to find out if there were any alternatives.
At the gate, I met a guy who had heard the same promises and had now been bumped to a lower spot on the list. I knew at that point our chances of making this flight were slim to none, and I had accepted that we might be staying in Denver for a few more days. While Nick was still at the desk, I went to ask the woman at the gate what she thought our chances were for making the flight, and she didn't sound very positive. We had now been dropped to seventh and eighth on the list on an overbooked flight. On a holiday weekend. After a plane crashed and cancelled a bunch of flights. Yeah, I'd say more like one out of a million.
Well, nothing to do now but wait. Nick didn't have much luck either, but we'd probably have to bite the bullet and purchase another ticket on another airline if we wanted to get out of there anytime soon. We waited until they boarded everyone and closed the doors. All right. Game over.
But wait! Our name was called over the load speaker followed by two other names. Hooray! It was like being on the Price is Right. Come on down! Holy crap, so we ran up there, quickly adjusting all of our things so we had our carry-ons, our stroller ready for gate check, Owen asleep on my shoulder, and we emphasized that we had two checked bags that definitely needed to be sent.
Our seats were not together on the flight, and both were near the back of the plane. No probs, we were just excited to be going home. We got to the first seat on our ticket and someone was in that seat. OK, so we went to the next seat and someone was in that seat as well. Duplicate tickets. Awesome. The flight attendants walked from the front and the back of the plane looking for other empty seats and none were available. I heard the stewardess say, "I'm sorry guys," and it was all I could do to keep from bawling in front of all those people. I made a focused effort to avoid guilt tripping the other passengers, but I'm sure they could read the expression on my face despite my efforts to avoid eye contact.
We had to wait in the front of the plane for the jet way to be wheeled back into place, and someone offered one seat so Owen and I could go home. Such kindness! So Nick and I did a quick recap of the bag situation...we'd have to make sure that the bags DO make it on the plane so I would have the car seat. It was probably too complicated to split the bags, so we decided to send them all and I'd figure something out when we got home. Probably would have to be magic.
When the doors opened and the woman at the gate saw that it was Nick and I standing there, she immediately said, "No, these guys are definitely going. The last two names I called are coming off." So now, the two guys who also thought they caught a lucky break had to gather their things and stay in Denver. We apologized to both of them, but I don't think it brought much comfort.
I settled in with Owen and Nick was actually seated next to the guy who was going to give up his seat for us. At least we had the chance to thank him for his offer when nothing else seemed to be going our way. Owen and I pretty much slept for the whole plane flight. Next question: did our bags make it?
No more suspense. YES. Our bags made it, we made it, and we finally crashed in our beds at 1 a.m. The cats rejoiced. Nick and I took Owen to daycare as usual the next day but took a half day off to just...sleep. And it was glorious.
Oh, the dreaded plane flight. I know it's a right of passage for parents who live far away from family, but I was really nervous about the whole idea. Of course, the trip already looked exhausting on paper. Nick and I made these whirlwind trips home trekking across Iowa to South Dakota seeing friends and family along the way. It's wonderful to get to see so many, but also sad that we can't spend more time at each stop.
We decided our long-term plan is to try not to do the whirlwind trips with Owen so we can spend more time in one place, but we'll have to figure out an alternating schedule so we can see each family at some point during the year. Nevertheless, we made an exception since this was the first time the whole family would meet Owen.
Much of the preparation is exactly as you'd expect; holy crap there's a lot of stuff to remember. We packed the necessities, and then had to edit down to what was REALLY a necessity. Thank goodness it's summer and our clothes are smaller. I can't imagine what Christmas trip luggage would look like.
Owen actually did pretty well on the plane flights. He fussed for the first 10 minutes or so, but then settled and napped the rest of the flight. He seemed to do OK with takeoff and landing, and we had a bottle at the ready if he was awake.
Denver airport fun
Sleepin' like a baby
First stop: Tony & Sandra Hooper
We have an annual gathering of college friends which is usually a trip to watch the Chicago Cubs play ball. This year, it was decided to do a BBQ at home instead, which suited our needs much better. Tony and Sandra also have a new baby boy, Tyrion, so their house was well equipped with the baby stuff we needed.
We truly have the most amazing group of friends, and seeing them makes me miss them that much more. We had such a great time learning about the new stuff happening in everyone's lives and also sometimes falling back into those good ol' college days. Owen was a bit out-of-sorts as he was trying to adjust to everything, but he did come around to show everyone his good side.
Band nerds reunited!
Second stop: Uncle John & Aunt Kristyn & cousins
Back to Ames! A quick driving tour of Iowa State proved that I hardly recognize some areas of campus. Many new buildings and lots of improvements, and then there's the Physics building...just as we left it. I think Nick teared up a little. :)
We finally had a chance to meet new cousin Lila, and she is such a doll. The Mostek cousins are always such a fun bunch. Emma showed us her Ripstik (a version of skateboard) skills, and Leah rode a bike without training wheels. Anna opened up a bit more with both Nick and I and she went with me on a stroller walk around the neighborhood. Thanks to the girls for camping on the couch so Owen, Nick and I could steal their room for a couple nights!
Dude, what's the matter?
Best attempt at a posed photo....ever. This captures so much about these amazing girls.
Third stop: Grampa & Gramma Lamos
By this time, Owen was starting to get used to the crazy schedule, but was still having some trouble sleeping. Gramma and Grampa had a pretty sweet setup for us in the room upstairs with a mini fridge and a pumping nook so I wouldn't have to disturb anyone with my overnight pumping sessions. Awesome!
Nick got in a few rounds of golf with my dad, and Owen and I spent some time with cousin Rileigh. We picked up with her crochet projects again, and drew some animals from a book she had. Finally Uncle Mark and Aunt Aleshia came with Brody and Logan. We spent the afternoon and evening outside with the grill and then a bonfire. It's my favorite kind of day.
"Hey you! Get off my lawn." ---Owen and Cousin Logan
Chillin' in the backyard
Fourth stop: Great Gramma McKenney
We were up VERY early (4 a.m.) to make the trip to my Gramma's house for the 4th of July parade. Aside from Grampa's speeding ticket (less than 10 miles from our final destination), the trip went pretty smoothly. The whole day was packed full of events and fun, lots of family and food. I think this was Owen's best day. I was skeptical that he would be able to make it through without an epic meltdown, but he did just fine. We watched the parade together (with him in the Bjorn) and gathered candy. We took stroller rides throughout the festival and park across the street. So many new faces, and he took it all in stride. I think he made it through the day on short power naps alone, but he slept pretty great that night.
Parade fun!
Owen chillin' with Gramma Lamos and Great Aunt Bonnie
Owen and Great Gramma
Happy First Birthday, Logan!
Bucket hat buddies
Fifth stop: Gramma & Grampa Mostek
It was nice to have a couple low-key days to unwind after the 4th of July. Nick golfed with his dad, and Owen got to spend some time with new cousin Breckin (who was very kind to let us borrow his toys for the weekend). Cousins Kadance and Camden spent the afternoons in the pool, and I had a chance to catch up with Aunt Krista.
Owen definitely enjoyed all of his Gramma and Grampa time, and I think he was good and spoiled by the end of the week. On the day we were set to leave, Nick's Uncle Duane and Aunt Dot drove up from Omaha to see us before we headed back to San Francisco. It was great to see them, but we didn't get to visit as much as we would have liked. Why? Well, a plane crashed at SFO closing the airport.
"Wait...what did you say?" --Owen and Cousin Breckin
