Week 21 - Welcome to Cleveland!

Christmas time, first flight and first trip to Cleveland! So much happened this week it was almost too much to take, yet somehow it seemed to fly by. I've learned to appreciate Cleveland and where I grew up so much more after leaving, so I was so excited to have him there. I posted this status on Facebook when we landed and thought I'd share here as well : 

"Welcome to Cleveland my sweet little baby. It's a city of hope and despair, hard times and hardwork, peace and oppression. Let haters say what they will, but it's your mother's home and I will teach you the ways of my people."

As excited as I was to come to Cleveland, I was just as stressed and nervous about traveling with him. I wasn't so worried about how he'd do, because he's like the best baby ever (duh) but more about whether the breastmilk in the carry-on would stay fresh until he needed to eat, and if the frozen breastmilk would stay frozen in our checked baggage. And wondering at what point during our travels would he be hungry and how could I prepare for every scenario? So much worry, and wouldn't you know it all worked out perfectly. We made it through security, to our gate, he ate on the plane and did not cry once (not even during take off or landing!). He is quite the personable little baby, and loved flirting with all the new people at the airport and on the plane. We wanted to take as little as possible on the plane with us, so we had to get creative in finding things to play with; luckily Dad has an aversion to flying so his Xanax pills made for a delightful rattle. 

We had been feeding the baby oatmeal cereal mixed with breastmilk, and based on previous posts you know he has no troubles with eating. I wanted to try some other solids while we were home, so we started off simple with avocados & bananas. We introduced avocados first and he wasn't a fan at all. I learned though he would eat them if they were mixed with the sweet cereal, so until we introduced bananas a few days later that's the route we went. He really loves bananas though, and later this afternoon I'm going to try sweet potatoes and see how that goes over. The kid is hilarious when he eats...mostly just sits in the high chair with his mouth wide open like a little bird, thinking "Wait, wait wait! Don't forget that I'm still here and hungry!" I am really looking forward to continuing to introduce him to new foods and seeing what  he does and doesn't like! 

Lots of fun times with family ensued over the last week. We went to a holiday party, and again, didn't bring enough toys so he was lacking in stimulation. Colin also grabs whatever he can, and unfortunately the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Christmas Ale was in reach. I never thought I would be the parent that took pictures of my child with beer so I am slightly embarrassed of the picture below. Do note though, the bottle is empty...

Colin had a great time at Christmas as well! My brother got him a hysterical Santa suit, and when we put it on him he really hammed it up for everyone - the kid clearly loves attention! All the commotion though made baby Santa pretty tired, and he ended up passing out on the couch. Flying around the world in 24 hours can really wear out a little guy. 

Of course, the obligatory family pictures ensued as well. I used to find these sessions extremely annoying but as I've gotten older (and as I only get to fly home to Ohio once a year) I've grown to appreciate the group pictures. And we got some great ones out of it, even the one with Uncle Dan cheesing in the background. 

My Dad's mom is 94 years old (will be 95 in January) so we went down so she could meet the little dude. Of course he yukked it up for everyone and it really put a smile on her face. I was so happy she got to hang out with him, and get a four generations photo with he and my Dad. 

It is a crazy wonderful thing to watch your family with your child. Colin is big enough now so people are comfortable & confident in holding him, and he's starting to show his personality more and more. He has a great temperament, and seems to really enjoy meeting new people. 

My brother is really looking forward to taking him hunting, and teaching him a few dance moves along the way as you can see in the video below. 

It is really tough having to leave family & friends, not knowing when you'll see them again. Chris has worked very hard over the last four years to finish school, and while I know we will have to go wherever he gets a job, I really hope it is much closer to Cleveland, but still close enough to family in Oklahoma. It is such a joy to see my little growing family interact with relatives and I'll consider myself lucky every day if that gets to happen more often than once or twice a year in the future. Only time will tell!