Today was John's first visit to the airport and ride on a subway. John was happy enough until we arrived at the airport, by which time he had been awake for a couple of hours and was ready for his first morning nap. Instead, he was exposed to extremely bright lights, bustling activity, and more human beings than he knew existed on earth. While Chris parked the car and I waited inside, John screamed . . . a lot.
In a bright moment, a darling lady approached me. "I love seeing a mother holding her baby! These days, I see so many mothers carrying their babies in their carseats or pushing them in strollers instead. But I love to see babies being carried. Have a blessed day!" Then she bustled away.
John is seen yawning at 7:00 a.m. below:
Today was also John's first airplane ride. He did well, all things being equal. He cried in the beginning, not from his ears hurting, but from being overtired and overstimulated. As soon as we reached 10,000 feet, I stepped into the aisle to sway and rock screaming John to sleep while the entire plane full of people started at me. It was one of those times when the minutes seemed to tick by very slowly and I was sure many people were thinking I was a bad mother. In the below photo, John is mere moments from falling asleep for his first nap and I was looking frazzled:
Daddy found a way even on an airplane to put John somewhere slightly precarious that made my heart race a bit. John enjoyed staring back at all our fellow travelers.
After we landed in California, we picked up sandwiches at Togos (which I greatly miss not having in Georgia), then drove to my mom and stepdad's house. My mother got to meet her first grandchild today, which was a joy. (And, yes, John noticed the rubber chicken in the background and smiled at it.) Grampa Neil was tickled to see John again after his visit to us a few weeks ago.
John also got to meet my dad for the first time, but by the end of our long and harried day, we forgot to photograph the occasion! And now I am typing this while all of us are in our pajamas and the baby is sleeping, so there simply won't be a photo of Grandpa and John until tomorrow!
"I love to see babies being carried. Have a blessed day!"
ReplyDeleteDon't you love when these random strangers (are they angels in disguise?) come up and say something encouraging every now and then? I had an old lady come up to me in the parking lot at the grocery store when I was preg and had 3 kiddos and say she thought I was doing a great job. It often happens right around the time you really need to hear something like that! :-)
I was sure many people were thinking I was a bad mother
ReplyDeletehow could someone think you are a bad mother WHILE you are rocking your baby to sleep?
i know planes/public appearances in general can be stressful! i try to remember not to feel sorry for my fellow passengers but realize that *I* am the one traveling with kids!!
I thought they'd think I was a bad mother because my baby was crying. Like if I were a good enough mother, my baby would never have reason to cry. I know that's ridiculous, but that's how I feel in public sometimes.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think those nice people are angels! I know I make an attempt to tell mothers when their children have behaved particularly well toward me. I try to "tattle" on the good behavior so the mamas don't hear only when their kids are stinkers.
ReplyDelete