Without much fuss, Ezra completed a three hour plane trip and a two hour drive. He still hates the take off and landing of the plane, but he did lookout the plane window a couple of times before he closed the window shade. And he still likes the comfort of -v-’s lap than that space and freedom of sitting in his own seat on the plane, which keeps him calm, but tests the will and sanity of -v-.
We’re going to go on an airplane on Thursday to go to Wisconsin for a wedding. Ezra thus far is not really too excited about “going up in the air” again. I’m trying to talk with him about it as if it is a really really exciting fun thing, but it’s really hard to get worked up in a good way about something as unpleasant as today’s reality of (coach) air travel. Especially when Ezra didn’t really seem excited about looking out the window on our flights earlier this month, there’s not much left to talk up. Maybe I can bribe him with more matchbox cars….and m&ms or maybe suckers?
Ezra attended his first ever da vinci days gathering this weekend. As Kalab said, this experience included the Daddies show on Friday night. It also included more music, ice cream, french fries, bouncy walks, mazes, balloons, walking, carrying, running, crying, almost losing a binky, an aborted trip to the wave science research center, bike-sculptures shaped like cats, slugs, tiki bars, and other weird things, a lot of fish art, and several trips to the new Corvallis transit bus that was on display at the entrance to da Vinci days. All this in just 2 days!
I think Ezra’s favorite part was where we sat on this new bus, and I sang many many different verses of “wheels on the bus”
When Ezra is being carried on hip and not wanting to be put down, his legs clamp kidney and side of stomach. His body tenses, and the more one pries Ezra from hip and stomach the more the thighs press against stomach.
This usually happens when we are outside, and he doesn’t want to walk all the way to the main street or the busy intersection to watch cars.
Fortunately, while watching cars, he doesn’t feel to need to be held as long as cars are passing allowing his thighs of steel to rest and my numb back sore form holding him to relax.
On Friday, Ezra received a clean bill of health for his ear infection! This was good news for sure.
Kalab went to Vegas on Friday, leaving Ezra and I to make plans of our own for the weekend. I decided that it would be fun to go to C-town to visit grammie and grampie T. Me and Ezra zoomed down after dropping off dad at the aiport. We arrived less than 2 hours later, and Ezra proceeded to run and explore - this was the first time he’s been to visit as a super mobile walker. He had lots of fun playing with bamboo in the backyard, trying to figure out how to wield an imaginary light saber/fishing pole/javelin. We had yummy food, including more fresh strawberries and blueberries.
Getting ready to leave on Sunday, Ezra seemed a little extra tired. He ended up sleeping the whole way home, and was then a little fussy. We had dinner back in P-town with DJ and G, and then I took DJ to the airport and swapped him for Kalab. Ezra put up with the dinner and the trip to the airport, but wasn’t his normal self, and he probably just wanted to be at home. He was happy to see dad though!
Sunday night Ezra developed a cough, which may or may not have been the cause of the vomiting at about midnight followed by a fever. It was either that or the 1/2 pint of strawberries Ezra ate on Sunday. Or maybe it’s just some mystery virus. Ezra seemed OK Monday morning, but then I got called to come get him from daycare at about noon because he had a fever and had puked again. So Ezra and I came home and got to hang out with dad for the next 36 hours. Ezra was generally OK, but dad and I went through our own little set of maladies, including, I think, a case of food poisoning!Â
Wednesday morning came and Ezra awoke in pretty good spirits, and went off to daycare with a spring in his step with dad and I sort of shuffling and limping along after him…I’m hoping that our rollercoaster of health has just about reached the end of the line!
We went to the coast today.
Ezra smiled when he stood on the sand. After he learned to stand on the soft sand of the coast, he walked. When he walked on sand wet with tide water, he smiled. When the tide washed over his feet he ran for the ocean, he ran for the ocean.
During Sunday, -v- turned Ezra’s Big Boy Car Seat 180 degrees, so now Ezra is facing forward as we drive. This act was performed now that Ezra has exceeded the weight limit and maturity recommended by the car seat creator before we parents were to turn the car seat facing the rear windshield to a car seat facing the front windshield.
I noticed this morning on the way to work that Ezra was look around a bit more than he did when he was facing back, but to be honest now that he is facing forward he had devoted most of his attention to staring at mom, who was driving.
The next phase of Ezra and the car seat is the booster seat. Then after that I have to begin competing with Ezra for ‘Shot-Gun’ when I am not driving. Then comes the age of 16 and he becomes a teenage driver, who believes he knows everything.
We left a trail of Cheerios and pacifiers where ever we went on vacation. In the hotel, in Grandma O’s car, in Uncle Dylan’s and Aunt Summer’s car and house, and the planes to and from Washington D.C. Cheerios were dropped and pacifiers lost.
What was gained was being with friends and family, a cold and a slight fever for Ezra and a realization that four hours and fifty minutes in an airplane with Ezra can be tiring. And it can be even more tiring if you are -v-, who Ezra used as a personal jungle gym the entire flight home when he wasn’t eating Cheerios or sleeping. I tried to take some of the burden from -v-, but Ezra would begin to reach, stretch and whine for -v-, so it was just easier to let him attach himself to her.
My contributions during the entire flight was being the Cheerios feeder, the one with the Dragon hand puppet and changing Ezra’s diaper in the lavatory of the plane, but only after -v- had done it on the previous flight, so I had the confidence and some instruction on how best to perform the act. It was pretty easy to change the diaper in the lavatory of the plane because unlike other times when I change his diaper he was happy to lay on the change mat, which was spread on top of the airplane toilet lid. I also had it easy because I didn’t have to change a poopy diaper just a pee diaper, so there wasn’t much fussin’ or much time needed to make the change and clean up.
…I am happy I need not clean up after all the Cheerios we have left behind on a journey because there were more than a few stepped on and mashed into carpet, cloths, and carry-ons.
We do not miss the Cheerios lost, but we do miss the pacifiers, but we are comforted in knowing that if we lose a pacifier or two at home chances are it eventually will show up. And if not we can always score more at Target.
We lost a pacifier some where in the hotel room in Washington Hilton. We lost a pacifier in some Ivy out front of Uncle Dylan’s and Aunt Summer’s Place. So we bought Ezra four more pacifiers at Target.
No wonder Uncle Troy laughed at the fact -v- and I brought only three pacifiers for Ezra during vacation time.
Preflight was the tense. Waiting for people to board and the flight crew to prepare for take-off while trying to keep Ezra on either -v- or me was work. Then waiting to taxi and take-off was the most tense of the entire fight with an active and curious Ezra trying to grab the lady’s hair in the seat before us or pat the bald man’s head sleeping before us.
Once the cabin pressurized and the deep constant white noise of the air plane’s engines soothed everyone to sleep, Ezra relaxed and slept. It did help to have -v-’s bosoms at the ready to further sooth Ezra to dream land.
The minutes before landing and disembarking the plane were also tense, but by then the flight was over and everyone was fussy and wanting to leave, so a fussy Ezra wasn’t the only one making noise.
…The first plane fight with Ezra since being mobile and curious was good. In fact, Ezra got a couple of compliments for being good. All in all -v- and I can’t complain. We were and are very happy with how Ezra was during this flight. That is not to say that there weren’t moments when I needed to pull out the dragon hand puppet and speak in a high pitched Mr. Dragon voice or moments when -v- need to walk the isle to appease Ezra’s curiosity and focus Ezra’s attention.
I have a fear of flying with Ezra. A fear that is new for I have flown with Ezra before and the flight was uneventful. But given his new found cognition; his attachment to -v-; his desire to always be moving around; his short attention span; his crawling; his teething; his fussiness while eating; his confusion of new places I believe this fear is reasonable.
It is a fear I will soon face and a fear I hope is unwarranted, but -v- sent me a link to an article from babycenter.com that only warrants fear of flying with Ezra. The article had these words about traveling with a 9 month old: “Because of separation anxiety, this can be a tough time to be away from your baby for any length of time. But it may also be hard to travel with your baby right now. He’s become used to his surroundings and familiar faces, and he likes predictability. So being on the road can disrupt his sense of security and routine, especially when visiting an unfamiliar place or meeting lots of strangers.” These words are not encouraging words for the plane flight we will be taking.
To ease the fear of flying, we have three pacifiers, a couple of toys that make noise, crayons and paper, big baby markers and paper, a mirror Ezra likes to stare at, snacks, -v-’s bosom for Ezra. And we have money for booze for -v- and me to ease our fear.
Today -v- and I started having Ezra use his new Big Boy Car Seat. The car seat that doesn’t have a handle nor a base to install in car allowing installation or removal to be nothing more than a click of latch or pull of a handle. These two facts does make the new Big Boy Car Seat impossible to transport a sleeping Ezra from car to bed without him waking too much, but the new Big Boy Car Seat is better for Ezra.
The new Big Boy Car Seat is better for Ezra because it is bigger, and Ezra is a growing boy and needs the room. The new Big Boy Car Seat even looks more comfortable and reminds me of recliner.
After using the Big Boy Car Seat for a total of two hours today, Ezra seems to have adjusted to it just fine.
Over the desert and through the sky to Grandpa’s house we flew.
Ezra’s plane trip was all snot and spit and ended with a big poo.
When we arrived at grandpa’s home calm was all we knew.
Smells of turkey and stuffing made hungry bodies and minds that of a loon.
Before we became crazed, we sat before the food boon.
While -v- and I ate, Ezra stared and began to drool.
Soon the turkey became the milk for Ezra’s first Thanksgiving food.
The days passed and our sickness grew and spread to everyone we knew.
After days of snot and leftovers with television, it was time for us to move.
Now we are home and happy we went for Ezra’s known family grew.
Ezra and I got back last night from our fun trip to Wisconsin. I had the best baby on the plane on the way there, and on the way back! He was so well behaved and calm - I was so proud of my baby! Here are a few thoughts on the trip:
In Wisconsin, everyone was excited to meet the baby Ezra, and he made sure to be on his best behaviour to impress them all. He met great aunts and uncles, second cousins, and a whole mess of other relatives and relatives of relatives. But the best part of the whole trip was Ezra meeting his great-grandpa T, who told me that Ezra is the first of his 5 great-grandchildren (all girls) that he’s gotten to hold. (This made me cry!) Is this not the happiest picture?
I now am on a mission to find a pair of little baby striped bib overalls for Ezra. Apparently I had a pair when I was like, 1 or 2, which my mom has stashed away somewhere.
Ezra might like to travel, but I think only when he’s on his meds. He was very easygoing and relaxed, even when we were dragging him halfway across the state and back three times a day. He had only one day where he was at all fussy, and that was the day we didn’t go anywhere! In order to ensure that the good times lasted the whole trip, I had to go to the pharmacy while I was there and get a refill of the baby Zantec, which ran out on Sunday. For future reference, check the amount of medicine you have for the baby a couple days before you leave and make sure you have enough to last the whole trip!
At the airport on the way back, we had another occurrence of the poo Explosion! I was carrying him through the terminal in the baby bjorn, and we got to the gate and I decided to change him before we would get on the plane. I went to the women’s restroom to use the diaper change station. I did not go in well-prepared for the Explosion that greeted me - he had poo up to his neck! So I tried to tidy him up a bit, but had to pack him up and go back to the gate to finish because he needed a change of clothes. So I get him clean, fix his diaper, change his clothes, and am very relieved, when what do you think might happen? Of course - more poo! So I had to change the diaper again. While there was no explosion of poo, it did rise up the back a little, necessitating more clean up. I think my previous hypothesis about the baby bjorn being behind (hee hee!) the poo explosion is still plausible, I also think that the poo explosions may be the result of Ezra being too big for his britches. It seems like he’s maybe grown out of the size 1 pampers…which sucks, because I have like, 150 of them left!
All in all, it was a great trip, but we did miss daddy : )