How my baby ended up wearing a Delta blanket.

Some people have asked me how traveling cross country with Isabelle was, and it was GREAT.

Until our last flight.

I'm no stranger to the Internet and so I researched everything on how to make traveling easier. I would like to say that I was prepared, but I was way beyond prepared, bordering dangerously on being PRIMED FOR THE APOCALYPSE.

Our whole travel day to Pennsylvania was wonderful. We kept Isabelle up before each flight so she was just the right amount of groggy and by take off, the bottle in her mouth and the propulsion of the airplane forced her to pass out before ten thousand feet. We had a perfect layover in Atlanta, just enough time to grab some food, use the restroom, change a diaper and board the plane. We even had Isabelle asleep by 8 pm PA time. She adapted well to the time change for the duration of the trip, and thankfully adjusted just as well returning back to California.

She was a delight to fly with, she turned on her magical baby powers and charmed the people all around her with her giant smile and infectious laugh. After her nap, she played with all of her toys quietly, walked in the aisle a little bit, ate some snacks- and the time flew by.

Fast forward to the trip home. The first flight, Isabelle slept the entire time, I'm talking take off to landing, bam, out like a light. Of course, I'd like to think this a reflection on my wonderful parenting skills. Sike. We had a longer lay over in Atlanta which we used to walk Isabelle's tiny legs all over concourse A, B, and C. Right before boarding, we were told that our gate was changed due to some mechanical part in the airplane failing (wonderful!) and there would be about a twenty minute delay. No big deal, we totally thought we could put off Izzie's nap for twenty minutes. We get over to our new gate, twenty minutes turned into forty minutes, which turned into an hour. I'm trying not to hyperventilate and just keep Isabelle busy so she doesn't notice how tired she is. We board the plane. Finally. We push back from the gate. Isabelle is half way done with her bottle, on my lap, just about asleep, and our power fails. And by our power, I mean the ENTIRE PLANE went dead.

Turns out, the pilot was checking the backup power, and it wasn't working. A little tug-car had to push us back to our gate and we had to wait for the mechanic to come and "take a look" while we all waited in the plane. Me + no air conditioning + confined space = Total panic. I'm trying to hold it together, keep Isabelle awake, and not punch people in the process.

We were delayed another whole hour by the time we actually took off. Isabelle was just a mess by this point, she wanted to go to sleep so badly, but she couldn't get comfortable, she was full- and we were trying to get her to drink more milk so her little ears wouldn't hurt by the time we reached out cruising attitude. Crying ensued. We finally got her to sleep, just as everyone was wondering when the hell our row was going to quiet down. Not to mention, we had a non-baby friendly third person in our row. She actually mumbled "Oh, great." when she saw she would be seated in our area. Thanks lady, I hope you have quadruplets.

I was expecting Isabelle to sleep for maybe two hours if we were lucky. Forty minutes into the flight, our flight attendant offered the first drink service by exclaiming "OH WHAT A CUTE BABY WHAT CAN I GET YOU TO DRINK, PEANUTS PRETZELS COOKIES?"

I casually told her I would be drinking HER BLOOD on the ROCKS since she had awakened my sleeping infant and I had no choice but to STAB HER IN THE EYEBALLS.

Flight time remaining: Four hours.

We went through all of our toys at an alarming pace. Snacks were devoured, more milk was consumed. TV was watched. Peekaboo played. Flight time remaining. Three Hours. We did some aisle walks, some bathroom area hovering, changed a diaper (Dear Delta, how dare you not have ONE changing table on a plane seating 300 people- shame on you.)

Towards the end of the flight, Isabelle was ready for a second nap since her first one was about as long as a sneeze. She just could not get comfortable, she was crying and whining and just wanted so badly to be put down in her crib with her blankie. We kept feeding her more and more milk hoping she would eventually have no choice but to slip into a coma. Our lovely third seat passenger dramatically started shouting expletives at the tv in front of her since the Niner's were playing sub par. I almost got her address so I could follow her home and scream words at her while she was falling asleep. Again, almost stabbed her.

Finally, the captain tells us we are about forty minutes from landing, seats and tray tables up blah blah all I heard was LANDING since our flight had spanned over the course of about a decade. Isabelle was just about asleep on my shoulder (which she never does) and I passed her over to Jazz, who had a bit more room on the aisle.

It was then that Isabelle thought it would be a perfect time to regurgitate the entire contents of her stomach. All over Jazz. All over herself. The blanket. The seat. The floor. Everywhere. I felt so bad for her, covered in barf, just so tired she could barely keep her head up. It smelled awful. I quickly stripped her clothes off, feeling so thankful I had packed an extra outfit when I realized her clothes were in the overhead compartment. And we were no longer allowed to stand up. Which meant.. Isabelle would be naked, in public, and there was nothing I could do but wrap her in a Delta blanket.

I was that mom I swore I would never be- on an airplane, holding an overtired, crying, mostly naked child.

Eventually we landed and got her dressed- people were so kind, assuring me that the baby vomit didn't bother them. I think Isabelle just expressed what we were all feeling after our very special flight.

Penn Trip Part 2

On Saturday, we ventured out early to the Farmer's Market mostly because I HAD TO SEE SOME AUTHENTIC AMISH PEOPLE. We saw some Mennonites earlier in the week (who made some delish toffee pretzels) but it was like Diet Amish. I had to see some for real. The Farmer's Market was super cute, lots of local people selling their wares. I wish we had some Amish people here because they have some amazing low priced produce. And cool hats.

Later on, John threw us a little BBQ to meet family and friends in the area. The food was delicious and it was so nice to finally put names with faces.  Jazz's friends Lauren and Danielle came down for a visit:

Libby made some amazing pierogis, how have I not had those before? John, Libby, and Isabelle


 
This is Jazz's first cousin once removed. Or something like that. Katie was so great with Isabelle, we almost stuffed her in our suitcase to bring her back home with us. Katie if you are reading this we have a spare room! And it's sunny here! And we have In-n-Out! And Isabelle misses you!

Isabelle was passed around like an adorable hot potato. I was surprised how not freaked out she was to be held by strangers. Maybe this should concern me.

Aunt Judi, Jazz, Me, Iz, Karl, Katie, John, Libby. Judi was so sweet, she knows that we don't have Dunkin Donuts out here so she brought us a dozen to nibble on. Plus she brought a super cute gift for Isabelle which will be featured at her birthday party. (In ten days! ten!)

Sunday morning we attended the church at the LDS building in the Danville area. I love, love going to church in a different place. It's like a little piece of home that is always guaranteed to be the same no matter where we are.

Fancy Isabelle! Actually, Isabelle is mad that I am holding her arm down so she won't fling that bow off of her head. C'mon Isabelle, humor me a little bit. It's my right as a mother to put you in ridiculous things.

We also went out to visit Jazz's Aunt Jan at her cute little cottage in Elysburg. (Btw, Jazz has four aunts with names that start with a J sound: Jan, Judy, Joy, Gerre. Took me awhile to get that all sorted out.) This cottage sits right on Roaring Creek, so of course we had to walk up the river to see the falls.

Jan, Arthur, Jazz, and an unamused Isabelle

The cottage sits kinda behind that old farmhouse. Isn't it so picturesce?

I wish we could have stayed longer, there were so many things we wanted to do and places we wanted to visit- I guess that means we have to go back very, very soon. Mainly I'm glad that we got to visit family and really got to enjoy each other's company. A big thank you to John and Libby for hosting us and cooking us amazing food- scratch pancakes, chicken n' dumplins, cheese fondue, pierogi, roast and potatoes, bbq sausage- I think I gained twelve pounds.

Penn Trip Part One

We took 275 pictures on our trip and I am going to post EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Just kidding. Only about half.

Isabelle on the plane in her cute tiny sweater. Don't worry I will have a completely separate blog for the traveling portion of our trip because it was an ADVENTURE.

Bright and early on day one, Jazz was thrilled that we got to finally partake of the celestial Dunkin' Donuts. You can see Isabelle looks equally as excited. I think I ate more donuts on this trip than I have in the last year or so, which is saying a lot.

Here we are in the famous town of Hershey, the cradle of chocolate life. We went on a little ride to learn how milk chocolate is made, complete with singing cows and piped in chocolate aroma. I licked the air. Don't judge me.

We also went on a trolley tour all around the city to see different things that Mr. Hershey built, like the Milton Hershey School. I feel so sad that he and his wife couldn't have kids- but as a result they built this giant school for orphans and underprivileged children. It's pretty incredible what this guy accomplished while he was alive, and how much freaking money he left when he died.

See, an actually trolley. Also, I did not realize how much Isabelle looks like a boy when she's wearing brown pants and a green sweater. Her shirt was pink though, I swear.

See, it's totally hot pink. Isabelle is now walking with assistance everywhere, mostly one handed help. She walked so much on this trip, two pairs of shoes had to go in the garbage when we got home. She literally wore them out.

After we spent a few hours at Hershey and looked at all of their chocolate novelties, we drove back up to Danville while Isabelle had a good nap. Later, we threw her in the baby bjorn and went to walk the city. The weather was beautiful, just a little chilly, clear skies- perfect for a stroll.

Jazz grew up in Danville, which is right next to this bridge that crosses over the Susquehanna River into the larger city of Riverside. The bridge was so beautiful and gave us a great view of the area. The trees are just barely starting to turn colors- I had never seen so many rolling green hills in my life.  Hey look, Isabelle caught taking her paci. It was like, "quick, take a picture."

Once you cross the bridge, you are right in the middle of this darling historical town. Everything was so Victorian and cute I just had to take pictures.

There were so many cool antique stores and giant barns with consignment signs on them, my little heart was just leaping. However, I figured it would be hard to get a china cupboard or a vintage toy box home via airplane. We did pop into one store and volunteered Isabelle to try on this hat. She loved it, as you can see. The store was closing and we meant to go back before our trip ended and we didn't make it, otherwise this hat would have come home with us.

This area was settled originally for coal, in fact it is home of the first Iron T Rail in America. This is my "this monument is kind of random on the side of the road" face. We walked around the city, then headed back across the bridge for a delicious fondue dinner.

I love this picture (even though we aren't quite centered) because you can see all of Izzie's little teeth. Shark!

That's better.

Tomorrow: Penn Trip Part Two, featuring just as many pictures, special guest appearances by Sorensen family and friends.

PA Bound.

Isabelle is all ready to go.

Well, actually that picture was taken last night when Jazz mowed the back lawn. But you get my point.

Tonight we embark on our Pennsylvania adventure to visit our East Coast family. I just barely finished packing MOST OF EVERYTHING THAT WE OWN into two suitcases. We are also carrying on more than we should be allowed to, considering we will be entertaining Isabelle for two flights equaling about 12 hours travel time. If all else fails, we will let her wander the aisles and hope no strangers steal her based on cuteness alone.

Things on our to-do list: See some Amish people. Visit Hershey, PA. Meet lots of family members and friends. Dress up Isabelle in all her new fall clothes. Get Dunkin' Donuts at least twice. (No, Jazz, not everyday.) Hopefully partake of John's DELICIOUS chicken n'dumplings. Buy an ornament for our tree. Tour Danville. Relax with family.

Expect to be bombarded with pictures.

Thursday.

I'm blogging from my Toshiba again. My lovely, large screened, brand-new keyboarded toshiba. I seriously hugged it when Jazz handed it to me. Weird?

Right as I was finishing my mom's 50th Birthday Book in June, my space bar fell off. And when I say "fell off" I mean I took it off to clean under it and couldn't get it back on. So I typed without a space bar. Ever tried it? Itsveryhardandmakesthingsslow. Soon after that, my power cord died. Usually Jazz orders me a new one because this has happened in the past. Not a big deal. Well, this time the little piece inside my laptop actually broke completely off, so there was no power being transferred. No power = no charge = sad, sad day.

Since it was under a three year warranty (thanks Costco) we sent it in to the Toshiba Hospital. They had it a for awhile, fixed it for me and sent it back. I was THRILLED to see it on my doorstep. Jazz opened it up and put my hardrive back in it and fired it up. Aaaand the mouse didn't work. Aaaaand my space bar was no where to be found. So after arguing with some very special customer service people, we sent it back in. Finally today a package was waiting for me when I got home tonight. We unpacked it- and I forgot how BEAUTIFUL this thing is. Shiny, sleek, black. Comfortable in my hands. Everything is working properly and I feel whole again. Isn't it sad that I'm so attached to my own computer? Bless Jazz and his patient heart for sharing his laptop with me for TWO MONTHS while mine was sick. I'm sure he got annoyed with me glaring at him every ten minutes with my "are you almost finished" eyes. (I just re-read this paragraph and I sound like such a whiner! Wah-wah, didn't have my personal computer for awhile. Hey Micci, some people don't even have computers! Or running water! Get a grip! Whatever, you all know what I mean. The whining continues...)

Today was that day where Isabelle's 9:30 nap didn't happen until 12:30. And it was a frustrating three hours for me. I'm a scheduley- kind of person. Usually her nap time is time for me to shower and get ready, and also to work on projects or clean or sleep or whatever. When I don't get that time, my mind goes berzerk. Before you all start in, I realize that someday I will have nineteen kids and I won't ever get time to myself ever- but for now, I treasure those few minutes.  Since her nap was so late, it eliminated the need for nap number two of the day. Well, she definitely needed one about 6 ish, but it was too close to her bedtime to even mention the word "sleep." We went over to my mom's tonight for some dinner and entertainment. She has all the cool toys, plus a swing in her back yard. It's like baby heaven.

While we were there, Isabelle took some steps ON HER OWN. She took one tiny step by herself yesterday morning, but today she was being so courageous and just walked from Jazz's hands to my dad, back and forth, back and forth. I'm so proud of her short little legs I could burst. Tonight when Jazz asks me what my favorite part of the day was, I know I will forget all about our little morning mishap and think only of her little body flying solo across the carpet.

And because I can't have two consecutive posts without a photo-- Isabelle at bath time. Once she hears the tub turn on, she comes flying into the bathroom. She loves it. Baby bum!

PS. I'm teaching piano now out of our home. Need some lessons? Got a kid who needs lessons? Would you like your dog to learn chopsticks? Give me a call.

In Summary.

Stuff I should be doing:

1. Cleaning the house
2. Making Isabelle's birthday invitations
3. Preparing and packing for our Penn trip
4. Exercising
5. Grocery shopping
6. Creating birthday packages for my sisters
7. Completing my sewing projects
8. Pulling weeds
9. Laundry

Stuff I'm Actually Doing:

1. Wiping baby snot.

Well, actually I did take a shower so I feel pretty good about that. Plus, I ran the dishwasher. Success!

11 Months

Dear Isabelle,

Yesterday marked your eleventh month since birth. Eleven months!

We made you a Mi character on the Wii Fit so we could weigh you and last we checked you are about 21 pounds and just barely 30 inches long- I think it's time to get you a new car seat! You are sleeping better and eating more table food since you have eight teeth and two more on the way. You love Yobaby yogurt and eat that almost every single day. Other favorites include puffs, cheese squares, raisins, peaches, pears, and beans and rice. I know when you are finished eating because you politely drop your food on the floor. Done!

This month your mobility went from 0-60 in about five seconds flat. You went from a slow scoot to a furiously fast crawl, getting into everything you can possibly reach. You also walk along the couches, to the door, to the walls- really anywhere as long as you can lean on something. You can take a few steps on your own but are so cautious and careful, you hardly ever fall. Sometimes when there is music on, you do this funny wiggle dance with a big smile on your face. When you want to read books, you simply crawl to the bookcase and pull them all off of the shelf. I'm blown away by how much you love to read- the other day we went through 15 books in a row before you got bored and scooted off my lap.

As always, you love to go. To the grocery store, to grandma's house, to playgroup- really anywhere, it doesn't matter. You smile and clap when I grab the keys and head for the door with the carseat in tow. Often when we are out, total strangers comment on your beauty, how cute you are and how pretty your face is. My feathers always puff up a little bit, I am so proud. We go everywhere together and it is so fun to have a little buddy to be with all the time.

Yesterday you came down with a cold. An awful, sniffly congesty kind of cold and I feel very helpless. We are doing everything we can to make your comfortable, but I would give anything just to take that away so you could sleep peacefully. Even though you feel pretty crappy, you have been happy and smiling most of the day today, walking around and babbling to yourself. (Also, don't learn the word "crappy.") Hopefully this will pass quickly and you can get back to your normal little self.

I keep thinking that the stage you are in is my favorite stage, but then you grow and learn and develop and it keeps getting more fun. I know soon you will be walking on your own and my life as I know it will be totally over, but that's okay. Late at night before we fall asleep, your father and I always discuss our favorite parts of the day and somehow that always includes you. You are always my favorite part of every day, you sweet baby of mine.

Love, love, love you.

xoxo

Momma