Our BIG Trip.

I have been really bad about updating this last month simply for the fact that we have basically been a sick house, passing back and forth viruses, colds, you name it. We are pretty much back to normal now and wanted to fill you all in on our, meaning Aidan, myself and my mom's, trip back East over the Labor Day weekend. I will say that we had somewhat recovered right before this trip - thank goodness! We flew out on the Thursday morning before and came back that Tuesday. It was fantastic and LONG overdue!

I, being a first-time mom, was extremely nervous about the whole plane ride with Aidan. Thank goodness my mother was with us because she was a HUGE help, especially when it came to getting through security. It just seemed that everyone was rushing us. We all had to take off our shoes, including Aidan's, take out any snacks, juice, medicines, portable DVD player (another must!) and put those in the bins. Then, I had to collapse the stroller and put it on the belt as well. It was a bit crazy - but manageable. I was also really concerned about his ears on the flight itself - what to do to help alleviate any possible problems. When they are really little, everyone tells you to either nurse or give them a bottle during the take-off and during the descent (something about the swallowing helping with their ears). Unfortunately, I had finally weaned Aidan two weeks prior, due to needing to take some meds. Plus, it was just that time. Anyway, he has not been drinking from a bottle for over two months and so I thought that drinking from a sippy cup would work just fine. I needed to make sure it was something he would be really interested in and continue to drink for as long as possible. Introducing . . . chocolate milk! Worked wonders!!!

After almost 3 hours, we finally landed in Philadelphia, where my Aunt Kathy picked us up to drive us to first pick up my grandmother at her new, fabulous apartment and then end at my Uncle Gene and Aunt Becky's house for the duration of the trip. I was blown away at how quickly Aidan adjusted to the new surroundings and to the new people. He pretty much went in the door and started running around. Of course, there were a few animals - mastiffs (huge dogs) - that helped to make it an interesting mix.

We spent the majority of the time playing cards, eating, watching movies, etc. It was really relaxing, which allowed us to be able to visit and catch up with everybody. It was a crazy bunch with a lot of jokes and laughter. They are always a blast to be around, if not a little crazy. It seems that when you put my mother and her siblings together, it makes for one interesting time. :-)

We were very fortunate that my Aunt had borrowed a high chair and pack'n play for Aidan, which helped make things much easier. Although, during the night, he ended up sleeping in bed with me. Hey, whatever worked. Sorry for those of you who are squeamish, but what was odd was that Aidan's dirty diapers were off. Usually I know when to expect them - not during this trip. In fact, for the duration, I think he would wait until I put him down for a nap or for bedtime because he was having so much fun. He would fuss and then start screaming. I would go, open the door and smell it right away. Picking him up and changing his diaper has never been conducive to easily getting him settled again. As you might imagine, this quickly got very aggravating. Other than sleep time, Aidan really had a blast and I was so happy for everyone to be able to meet him and see him in a pretty good mood. We had a wonderful time!

Towards the end of the trip, however, Aidan started to not feel good again. Uh-oh. This led to a pretty tough plane ride home. I later found out that he had started to get two ear infections and a cold, which caused the descent to be pretty painful. Poor little guy! Poor mommy and grandma! Poor other passengers! There were several other little kids who seemed to have the same problem with the descent. So, I guess there is security in numbers.

All in all, it was a great trip and I look forward to doing it again. We were welcomed home by Chris and a very excited dog. Ginger and Aidan had a very cute greeting (lots of kisses and giggles!)

There were a lot of great pictures taken and so I have made them into a slide show. So, enjoy!