Matthew and I were able to fly out to Colorado last Wednesday to see my best friend Dodie and her family. I was so very excited to see such great friends again. They've been stationed in Germany for the past 5 years and although they have made a couple trips to Florida, I've never traveled to see them. I enjoyed spending a whole week just catching up and also seeing how big Eric has gotten! It's crazy how quickly kids grow. He is so adorable and I can't wait to see him again (hopefully) to celebrate his 3rd birthday!
The week started out pretty rough as Matthew had yet another tooth coming in (his 4th!). He was running a fever the second day we were there and he threw up the next morning. My heart broke watching my sweet son feel so miserable. Luckily his fever went down with a little Motrin. There was one point where he was screaming for like 30 minutes and I just couldn't do anything to calm him. I tried holding him in every position and he just kept throwing himself around. I tried putting him down and also laying him back down (he had just woken up from a nap). Nothing worked and I felt so helpless. Dodie came in to see if she could help and I just broke down crying. She gave us both a big hug and I was so grateful for that! By that point Matthew started to calm down and he fell asleep as I rocked him for a few minutes. He was feeling much better the second half of the trip, just a little congested.
One of our little outings was to the zoo where we got to feed the giraffes! That was so neat, their tongues are crazy long! I do not have many pictures from the trip but this I do have a picture of:) All in all the trip was wonderful. Matthew loved following Eric around and Eric was so kind to share all of his toys with Matthew. Matthew was so smiley for Elmer, it was too cute. I loved, loved, loved seeing Dodie and spending a little time together. Next time we'll have to have a night out without the little ones!
The boys playing together
The Flight Home
Yes, the child screaming on and off the whole 3 1/2 hours of the flight was mine. Yes, it was his nap time but he does not know how to fall asleep if he is not in a crib or pack n play. It was a miracle that I actually got him to sleep when we first took off, but another little boy was crying for a few minutes and that woke Matthew up. So my exhausted Matthew was up for the whole flight. I tried to stay calm but was so very happy when we finally got off the plane. I felt so bad for everyone sitting around us. Luckily there were some very nice people who offered help. There was the couple who basically let Matthew walk all over them while we waited to board. He kept touching them and playing with there phones. They were so nice to him and showed him pictures of their grand kids. Then there was the lady with two older girls who folded up our stroller for us. She could tell I was struggling with it and remembered how tough it was traveling with her girls when they were younger. She says age 2 is the hardest...if so then I am in trouble. Guess I won't be traveling for a while...at least not without Todd that is:) Even if Matthew is screaming it's just not as hard or frustrating if you're not alone. At least that's how I feel. Next there was the lady and her sister or friend who sat behind us on the plane. Her son was the boy who woke Matthew up. They offered to hold Matthew for a few minutes as they could see I couldn't calm him down. He LOVED it! Such a flirt. He was smiling and and being so cute with them. They took him a couple times during the flight. Every now and then her sons would play peek a boo with Matthew, they were so fun! There was also the lady sitting next to me on the flight. She talked to Matthew a few times and mostly to me. She was just so kind and let me know that she was not bothered by us. I'm just so grateful for people who reach out to those in need. It really did make such a difference and helped me to stay calm. They were all so wonderful and were so willing to help. I want to be like that. I will always try to help a struggling mother when I see one. Having been there I know what a world of difference it makes. Even if the situation doesn't change, it's just nice knowing people care.
It's great to be home and I know Matthew feels the same way. He was so happy riding in the car on the way home from the airport and was loving playing with daddy. It was so cute watching him reconnect. Next time, whenever the traveling memories start to fade, we'll take a family trip!
