Flyin' Solo

Ian and I took a surprise trip to Indiana this past weekend to surprise my Mom for her birthday. I found a cheap fare back in May and called my stepdad to see if they had any plans for my Mom's birthday. He said they did not, so I bought a ticket and started to put a plan in place to surprise her. Bob was so helpful in gathering the essentials - diapers, wipes, formula and stroller - with the help of my cousin, Lisa, and a list from me.

We set out on Saturday the 16th. We had a rough start to the trip since Denver was experiencing a lot of rain and DIA had several delays. We were supposed to leave Denver at 4 PM, but didn't make it into the air until 7 PM. I had to call Bob throughout the day and give him updates on my delays, so he eventually had to tell my Mom that we were arriving (the original plan was to surprise her at my cousin's house during her daughter's birthday party). Fortunately, I had sent a birthday card for my Mom that had our itinerary taped on the inside. She was so surprised and of course there were tears! After a few hours at the terminal, a false start due to a sick passenger on the plane and many a tear...we arrived in Indianapolis at 11:30 PM. It was so great to see my Mom and Bob, finally done with the stress of traveling solo with an infant:)

Sunday we woke to meet my parents at my favorite restaurant, Little Mexico! Ian was welcomed by many family members and my Mom surprised me with my childhood babysitter. It was so great to see her and introduce her and her husband to my son. We all enjoyed a tasty lunch and catching up with each other. With full bellies, we returned home so Ian could nap and get ready for round two. After his nap, we took Ian to meet his great-great grandmother and great-grandmother. Unfortunately, my Dad was not able to be there. So, my Mom stood in so we could get a 5 generation photo.

Ian's great-grandfather is in poor health, so after a visit with his great-great grandmother we stopped by for a brief visit with his great-grandfather. He was delighted to get to meet the newest member of his family. We had to keep the visit short so we could head up to Lafayette for my Mom's birthday dinner. We had one more stop to make before heading to dinner. Ian needed to meet Mom and Bob's friends, Art & Barb. They were happy to finally meet the little guy they have heard so much about. We enjoyed a great steak dinner at Mountain Jack's to celebrate Mom's birthday. It was Ian's first fine dining experience. We enjoyed steak, while he opted for bananas. He had a blast eating like a big boy at the restaurant.

Ian handled all the travels and meeting of new people quite well. He slept in the same portable crib that my brother and I slept in when we stayed at our grandma's house. It served him well too. I wish he could have those sheets on his crib now! He enjoyed his naps and slept through the night for the most part. He still rolls over onto his back and needs to be moved onto his stomach, but he falls right back to sleep. It will be a glorious day when he learns he can roll himself back over! This kid is awesome though - he wakes up with a smile on his face...I hope that continues throughout his life. Even when I am exhausted, it brings a smile to my face as well. You just can't resist his cuteness.

This is what I woke up to on Monday - granted it was early and all I wanted to do was sleep for 10 more minutes. But Ian had other plans. He was super excited to take a road trip to Indianapolis and meet his newest pal, Nathan Green. However, once we arrived Ian didn't last long - he needed another nap. He took a long nap in Mallory's crib, so Erica and I got a chance to visit. Nathan slept and ate...oh, the life of a newborn. Once they both woke up from their naps, we decided it was time for a photo shoot. Ian was all about it, but Nathan could have done without it.
We headed back to Mom and Bob's for another visitor -my friend, Stacie. She was gracious enough to make the trip to Crawfordsville after her work day to catch up with me and meet Ian. We ordered pizza and Ian got to meet more family members. Bob's son, Greg, and his wife came over. Then my cousin, Lisa, brought over her daughter to meet Ian. She wasn't able to meet Ian at the Little Mexico lunch because she was enjoying a day at the zoo. My great aunt and uncle came by for another visit. It was so nice to see everyone and Ian was a little ham. He was full of smiles - especially when it came time for his dinner. He was so hungry he almost ate his high chair!After dinner, it was time for Ian to get a bath. It was his first bath in the sink. He had so much fun and Grandma had a couple of rubber ducks to keep him entertained.
After an eventful day of meet n' greets he passed out with sweet dreams of an easy day of travel with no delays! It was hard to say goodbye to Grandma, but we can't wait for her next visit. We are sure to see her in another month or two. Our flight home was much easier. We didn't have any delays and actually arrived in Denver 30 minutes early. Ian settled into the flight nicely and had fun flashing his smiles at all the other passengers. We arrived home at 7 PM (thanks to Uncle Jon for picking us up). All in all, it was a great trip and I am blessed to have such a good little traveler. I look forward to many trips in the future, but am okay with taking a break from flying for awhile.