The Road To Home…
Oh me, Oh my Baby Girl,
We have had some major adventures this past week. Our ten day stay at Abuela’s house was a complete success. We got to visit with old friends, you got to spend some much needed time with your family, and finally make friends with your cousin. Every day was filled with fun, love and excitement with a little bit of toddler mayhem peppered in here and there. You, my baby girl are growing up to be such a sweet, sassy, sneakily adorable and untamed little girl. Watching you discover new things, new foods and new people the last few days has been such a joy. You know what, you’re a little flirt too. Giving eyes and waving at servers and passerby’s no matter where we were. Your innocence and playfulness brings me so much happiness. Your Daddy and I stand in awe of you, trying to take you all in as quickly as you are growing. For all the new, crowded, and boisterous situations we put you in, you and your cousin were so well behaved. As behaved as two little girls can be. For being two tiny little toddlers, you both commanded a room and our full attention like Queens. Crazy haired, grabby, messy and wobbly little Queens. Every night there was a mess to be cleaned, we were all over fed, exhausted and to be quite honest a little buzzed, but we were all together and we were all happy.
Honestly, our entire trip was freakin’ amazing, from feeding the animals at the Lazy 5 Ranch, playing at the Discovery Place Kids, having lunch at the place where your Mommy and Daddy were married, to finding your way through the obstacle course your Abuela and Uncle made for you. It was such a sweet and exciting trip, but let me tell you a quick little story about our flight back to reality. On Mother’s Day morning we quickly cleaned up, packed up, cried, said our goodbye’s and headed to the airport. Your Daddy and I had decided to catch an earlier flight so we could be organized and settled for our upcoming work week. Everything, for the most part was going so smoothly. Besides being curious and playful you were doing great. The previous ten days of fun, freedom and exploration trickled into the airport and your Daddy and I were having a time trying to keep you close to us and quiet in the lounge. However, with some sweat and extra patience we finally made it on board with little to no tears. Your Daddy and I were pulling out all the stops to keep you occupied and contained on the flight back baby girl, you were a bit of a hot mess. You weren’t crying, you just wanted to be free and that isn’ possible on a plane my dear. We had books, magazines, snacks, drinks, a movie, and we even looked over the photos together of our stay in Charlotte. It was so adorable and a little sad that you signed that you wanted to hug your Uncle when you saw the picture of you two together. I had to fight back the tears.
Although we were using all the tricks up our sleeves, you were as amused as any toddler your age. Everything had about a five minute grasp on your attention. You switched laps several times, played peek-a-boo with the young woman sitting behind us, and the older woman in front of us who was traveling to Alaska. We were about halfway through the flight when you started to get a little fussy. I had you on my lap and I was giving you sips of my complimentary cran-apple juice out of my cup. You finished it, and then Daddy thought it would be a great idea to give you a sip of his club soda. I wanted to say no, but I he had already had the straw inches from your mouth and I knew it would be a fight if I took it away from you now. Within seconds of you taking your fist sip of a carbonated beverage you had thrown up all over yourself and Mommy. The next few minutes, which seemed like forever your Daddy and I were scrambling in a quick and organized fashion. Wipes, limbs, and napkins were flying everywhere. Airsick baggies were being filled with the horrifying debris of club soda, cran-apple juice, and cheese cracker shrapnel that were being quickly wiped and picked up. We were working so fast in hopes that no one would catch a whiff of the complete horror, that was the smell of the regurgitated toddler version appetizer sampler you had been snacking on since we arrived at the airport that morning; cheddar cheese, yogurt, bananas, milk, tomatoes, and cheese crackers. One of the flight attendants came by for trash pickup and he was informed of the up-chuck incident and he was either not bothered, didn’t hear us or simply was trying to get away from the smell as we never saw his face for the remainder of the flight. I don’t know how we pulled it off, but you were cleaned, changed, and sitting calmly watching Moana within minutes. All while Mommy struggled to wipe the throw-up from her jeans and her shoes. Somehow, in the end, I had managed to get the carpet in the plane cleaner than it was when we first got on. The only small issue was the fact that my pants smelled of vomit and now had the appearance of my peeing on myself from all the wiping I had done. It was a comical and smelly debacle that was a perfect bookend to our little trip. The trip had gone by so seamlessly, we couldn’t have ended it without me smelling like a dumpster on Mother’s Day. All the commotion must’ve wore you out, because you were back in my arms and passed out just as quickly as everything happened. You slept for the remainder of our flight in my arms, all the way up until we reached baggage claim. I was smelly, my arms were like jelly, and I was exhausted, but I was so happy that we had all made it back safe and sound.
Our time with our family was so special baby girl. It was worth being thrown up on. There were so many people who went above and beyond to make us feel so welcomed, wanted and loved it was difficult for us to leave. It is such a bittersweet situation we are in baby girl. Your daddy and I are given the opportunity and strength through trial and error of handling life with a toddler, alone. It has many challenges, but the bond that we’ve created and the memories that the three of us have makes it all worth while. But, seeing you with your family, watching you play with your cousin, I could see small glimpses of what life back home would be like. It literally overwhelms my weak mommy heart. It is on my shoulders to get us home baby girl and I promise you that starting today, I will do whatever it takes to get us there. I’ve been content and comfortable with our situation here and I’ve forgotten how rewarding getting out of your comfort zone can be. I’ve forgotten what being surrounded by family feels like. The love and support that we would receive back home is immeasurable to any job and any paycheck. I hope one day soon that seeing your family for Sunday dinners, and exploring fun and new activities with your cousin will become the new norm. For now, its just us baby girl. You, your Daddy, the puppy and I will just have to be enough until we can find our way back home. However, I promise you, no matter where we are you will always be loved, supported, and well taken care of. You, my sweet girl will never go without…
I love you more than words could ever describe.
Your Adoring Mother,
~Melvi
Just in case you forgot how much fun you had…