Tommy did EXCELLENT on the flights going and coming. He actually slept most of the time, and I was able to hold off and give him bottles for take off each time. NO problems with his ears, thank goodness! I was a little frazzled going through security both in Newark and O'Hare, but survived without losing anything, other than perhaps some dignity in O'Hare. But it's too funny of a story to not share - I'm all about sharing the laughs when they are about me!
The nice thing when you are traveling with a young child is that you get priority and get to go on the "speed" line that the Elite Access customers use. It was not that crowded on Monday at the airport when we were coming home, but I don't like to hold people up, so I was trying to do things as quickly as possible. I had a jacket with me that I placed on the floor for Tommy to sit on while I folded up his stroller to go on the conveyor to be screened. He didn't move - I think he was too shell shocked with all the commotion to know what to do - same thing happened on our way out from Newark. I have the stroller and THREE bags to get on the conveyor, and as I bend down for one of the bags, I hear a ripping...a tearing....and then feel a breeze. Yes folks, I split my pants. My first thought was, "what underwear do I have on?" but I did not say that out loud. Instead, my comment was, "oh, now isn't that lovely!" I have no idea who heard me, or who SAW me and my underwear, but I quickly grabbed Tommy and my jacket (which had to go on the conveyor, NOT around my waist!) and headed to the metal detector. The screener would not let me through because I had forgotten to take my flip flops off. So I have to bend over AGAIN with my SPLIT pants now to get the flip flops on the conveyor.
I walked through the detector with my head held high and just laughed - honestly, what else could I do? I had no idea how bad the rip was, though I had a feeling it was really not good, so I recall clenching my but cheeks together hoping it would hold the pants closed or something. Of course my jacket is like the last of my things to come through the screening, and I could not get the thing wrapped around my waist fast enough. I headed to our gate and stopped in the bathroom to examine the situation. The rip - it was ALL the way up the back of the pants to the waistband! I must put a disclaimer out there that these pants were NOT tight, they WERE one of my favorite and most comfortable pairs to wear for flights and just knocking around in - I have had them a few years, but they are a 'thinner' material. Sadly, they have been retired and put out to pasture - the rip was so bad they were not worth salvaging. Nor do I sew. Well, I have, but it's not pretty. Oh, and as for the underwear...I'd gone for comfort that morning when I got dressed at 5:30am so they were white cotton briefs.
Anyway, enough about the pants, as funny as it was (and is). We really had a nice weekend hanging out with everyone. We watched a lot of World Cup Soccer matches, especially rooting for the USA and the Netherlands, Tommy met some cute girls, we grilled out on the patio, went for some nice walks in the beautiful neighborhood that Maria and Craig live in, went to the park, and just enjoyed seeing family that we don't get to see enough of during the year. Julia was so good with Tommy - she is a certified babysitter, so that explained why she was so amazing with Tommy all weekend! And Tommy loves watching other kids, so he really enjoyed Ethan as well.
I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story of our weekend, beginning Thursday morning:
Tommy giving Daddy his Father's Day presents a few days early since we were going to be in Chicago without him
Tommy in his new lightweight travel stroller, reading a book while we waited to board our flight to Chicago
Tommy meets his "cousin" Bella for the first time upon arriving in Chicago. This was one happy kid who felt obliged to perform for his family with smiles and laughs - this picture had to be taken around 11pm on Thursday when we arrived at Maria and Craig's house!
Tommy with his future girlfriend, Cora. Cora is about 2 weeks older than Tommy; her mommy is Aunt Maria's best friend Allison.
Looks like the kids are in a race to get something!
Looks like Cora got Tommy's starfish (his favorite bathtoy!) first, but that didn't stop Tommy from trying to nudge her out of the picture!
Tommy schmoozing another chick in the neighborhood named Adele, for a chance to ride in her car...
He's a charmer! He not only got to ride in the car, he got to DRIVE it!
Tommy LOVED this car - found out we can get it in red and blue!
Look how excited Tommy is about getting his license to drive! He kept standing up he didn't know what to do with himself!
I just LOVE this picture of Tommy - he was still so excited from his car ride and his eyes are still smiling!
Tommy's version of the downward dog yoga pose - he started doing this over the weekend on our trip!
Tommy pulling Opa's glasses off
While he didn't complain much about his teeth this weekend, he did spend an awful lot of time with his finger in his mouth - so much that Opa decided to try it out for himself!
Tommy hanging with Julia and Ethan, who made him laugh all weekend
Tommy with Aunt Maria
Oma and Tommy
Tommy thought he was a monkey and that Uncle Bryan was a tree for him to climb!
Tommy hanging out with Uncle Craig, who always made him smile
Special thanks to Oma and Aunt Maria who made sure we had all the supplies and equipment we needed for our visit so I did not have to lug too many things from New Jersey. It helped to make the trip that much less stressful than I was anticipating it to be. Special thanks to Allison for loaning us their extra car seat for the weekend - Tommy looked so much more comfy in the convertible car seat that I can't wait to install ours this weekend! Thanks as well to Oma who sent Tommy home with a whole suitcase of clothes (a little one, but with LOTS of clothes!). Maria and Craig have a beautiful home and made sure to roll out the red carpet for us with great food all weekend, so a special thanks to them for having us stay at their place. But the best part was just seeing Tommy spend quality time with Oma, Opa, Aunt Maria, Uncle Craig, Uncle Bryan, Julia, Ethan, and even Bella, who while a little jealous at first, I think was won over by the time we were leaving - especially when she realized she might get some of Tommy's table scraps to munch on! We love you all and miss you!
Sue,
ReplyDeleteYou don't know me, but I grew up in Charleston, IL with Maria and Allison...I follow their blogs and have taken a look at yours a time or two. I actually live just outside of Princeton and Maria had shared that she had family out in NJ as well. I just wanted to share a travel tip with you. I have 2 daughters, 25 months and 3 months and my oldest has been on 22 flights already! One thing the airlines don't tell you is that you can have your husband, or anyone for that matter, get a gate pass to help you out when you fly. For instance when you flew out of Newark, John could have gotten a gate pass to help you with Tommy. He can go through security with you and sit at the gate with you until you board the plane. It makes things so much easier trying to get through security with an extra set of hands. We fly in and out all the time to see family but I almost always go first without my husband and he joins us later. That extra set of hands can be a huge help...most definitely when you split your pants :) Happy travels to you in the future. Thomas is a cutie!
~Amy (Myerscough) Schultz
Okay, where do I get one of those cars??? Im so glad you had a great time and we were so happy to see you both. xoxo
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