Lots of Catching Up

It's been quite a while since I've posted, but that's mainly because we've been out of town so much these last few weeks!

On Friday June 18th, I packed the three of us up in preparation for our week long trip to Phoenix. Thanks to Southwest's no fee policy for checked bags, we pulled out the big suitcase this time - which had plenty of room for all of Joseph's clothes and related gear, plus him!

Lisa brought her cameras out, and as the budding photographer, captured most of the week's events for us, so I don't have too many pictures to post and will defer to her blog. We spent all day Saturday at Grammy's house, playing in her pool and letting the little guys alternate naps all day long. It was Joseph's 2nd time in a pool, and although he wasn't in it much, he seemed to enjoy it again.

Sunday we went to church where Gary blessed Joseph. We had planned our impromptu trip to LA to visit with Grandpa Jack, Grandma Carla, along with Jimmy, Maria, Kyle and Taylor, who were visiting from Indiana. The trip out Sunday afternoon/evening was a little stressful, with 6 adults, 4 kids (3 under the age of 2!) and a dog all piled into a 15 passenger van. We got in rather late, and went our separate ways at the hotel to crash for the night.

(Ruthie getting ready for church... notice the one shoe on? :))

Monday morning we woke up a little later than the rest of the group. Joseph still did great with his sleep schedule, as much as he could. The events didn't really allow for a baby who normally naps 2-3 hours in the morning and afternoon, and gets 12 hours of sleep at night. Joe took everyone over to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and then came back for us.

We spent much of the day enjoying the nice weather outside and just visiting with family. Joe got his Jamba Juice fix, and Lisa was able to enjoy some frozen yogurt (which apparently isn't available in NY... random!) We managed to get back to the hotel early enough to get Lisa and Linda's kids to bed closer to their normal bedtime, and with plenty of time to give Joseph a bath... good thing this little guy doesn't get too dirty, and he didn't get very many baths on the trip!

He had a blast bathing in the hotel sink, and stood up to splash around after he was done.

On Tuesday we spent the morning visiting at Grandpa Jack's again, and decided we didn't need to set up the pack and plays, our traveling group of 3 cribs. Joseph really needed to go down for a morning nap, so Joe just grabbed an empty laundry basket, and towel and voila! a quick crib for napping. Joe left him on a table in the back room so no one would trip over him... and next to the old organ that Ruthie and Ethan liked playing on. He managed to sleep right through all the noise!

Uncle Jimmy got his workout in, playing with the little kids. They each took turns on his shoulders, ringing the bells and windchimes along the front porch.

Tuesday afternoon we said our goodbyes and left LA around 1:30pm, assuming we'd have plenty of time to make the trip back to Phoenix before bedtime. Except a semi carrying pesticides overturned on the interstate, shutting it down for a number of hours. We sat in the traffic jam for about 3 1/2 hours before finally getting past and continuing on our way.

Wednesday was Joe's last day in Phoenix, and because Jill had to work, we spent the day mainly lounging around her house and letting the kids catch up on some much needed sleep. James really took to Joseph, and had fun playing with Sophie with him.

Lisa also graciously agreed to practice her photography skills with Joseph, and did a session with him. I took a quick video of the event, b/c Joe was doing his best to entertain Joseph and keep him smiling and laughing, which was really cute. Lisa probably has thousands of pictures to get through to edit, but we are really excited to see how they turned out. She showed us a few on her camera, and they looked great! She's really turning into an excellent photographer.

Wednesday evening we said goodbye to Joe, and got ready to go to the circus! The kids all did great, and enjoyed intermission (and the related treats that came along with the break!) James got a really cool snowcone and lightsword!

Here's proof that I was actually on the trip!

And what did Joseph think of the circus? Mmmm, hands! :)

This video isn't terribly exiciting, but it's amazing how loud it was inside the arena. The circus didn't start until 7pm, and ended around 9:30, well after Joseph's normal bedtime. Around 9 he had had enough, and with the loud noise and flashing colors, simply couldn't fall asleep. I took him out to the hallways and just walked around, wearing him in the Baby Bjorn, and that seemed to calm him down. He quickly fell asleep for the ride home.

Thursday morning Lisa headed to Utah for a reunion with her friends and roommates from college, and Jill had to work, so Gary and I got to babysit James, Ruthie and Joseph. We attempted to coordinate a trip to a local swimming pool with Linda and Ethan, and managed to get there in the early afternoon, after all of the little guys woke up from their naps. They had a great time, and we lasted about 2 hours, even though it was officially the hottest day of the year in Phoenix!

We returned to the house with just enough time for me to shower and Joseph to get a little nap in before the two of us headed off to dinner with my Aunt Sharon and her boyfriend, who coincidentally live just down the road from Jill and Gary. They have a beautiful home and treated us (well, ok, me) to a delicious dinner. It was great being able to catch up with them, and now all of Joseph's great aunts and uncles on my side have met him - not bad for a 4 month old!

Friday was our last day in Phoenix, and Jill took the day off. Linda and Ethan also came over to play with Joseph one last time. We stopped by Jill's office on the way to the airport, so that she could show off her newest grandson to everyone. I had my hands really full for the plane, so Jill was really sweet and helped me get the bags checked and us up to security. I'm glad I've gone through the "flying with a baby" a few times, especially before trying to do it by myself.

We didn't buy a ticket for Joseph, as babies under 2 can ride for free on a lap, and if the airline has any extra seats at boarding, they will let you bring a carseat on as well. I was hoping to get lucky.... nope. The flight was completely full, so the best I got was a window seat over the wing. Joseph was really hungry and tired when we boarded, so I started feeding him as we pulled away from the gate. He passed out before we even took off, and stayed asleep for about the first 30 minutes of the flight - the pressure changes didn't seem to bother him at all! I'm sure the girl next to me was happy that he had stopped fussing and was totally quiet... until he woke up. Then he realized that he hadn't finished eating and was still hungry, so I took care of that problem. We hit some turbulence, so the fasten seatbelt sign came on, just in time for the pooping. Of course. And did it stay in his diaper? Of course not! We hadn't had any issues all week, so I was praying it wouldn't be a problem on the flight, to no avail. So I just pulled down the tray table and attempted to change him right there. It was quite possibly the messiest diaper he's had in weeks, and poop got everywhere - on his back, clothes, the table, my shirt, the burb cloth, even the travel pillow I brought along! Once I got that all resolved, cleaned up and the baby back to sleep, I figured I could do anything.

And I learned my lesson - I don't think I'll ever travel alone with a lap child again!