My cousin (my first memories of whom involve being pushed down or sat upon) was getting married. Not only was I thrilled for him (and his new wife, Lauren) when I heard the news, I was also excited about getting home to see family and friends. I love Colorado, but it is so far away from everyone, so a trip home sounded nice. Due to costs and other factors, Ed and the big kids (the 3 and 1 year olds) stayed home and Baby Jo and I took her first flight back to the midwest where she would meet her future husband (and my godson), Finley.
FRIDAY: Here they are together:
Aren't they sweet?
Two cute little hoodlums!
Jo may be feeling a bit overwhelmed at this moment.
FRIDAY: This trip was the first time Jo left the state of Colorado and while it wasn't the fist time she was away from Daddy for an extended time (read: a few days), she did want him to know that she was thinking about him.
Who wouldn't love this little muffin?
Contemplating the distance to home.
(And practicing sitting at the same time.)
Mom, you are going to catch me, right?
SATURDAY: After a fun-filled (and tiring) afternoon at the mall, we got up Saturday morning anticipating Nana and Papa's arrival to take us to the wedding. Finley was up a little earlier than Jo and so he was already dressed for the day.
Not sure it's appropriate for him to see her in her jammies yet.....at least they are modest.
SATURDAY: Nana and Papa arrive and schlep all of our belongings into the car. We add a baby and a Mama and we're off to my Uncle Rod's house (more on that later), then to lunch with my brother and his family, and finally to my grandparents' house to visit for a bit and then get ready for the wedding.
Jo enjoyed meeting Great-Grandma, but kept grabbing at her glasses.
SATURDAY: Everybody got into their wedding finery and loaded up two vehicles (and ten people) to go to the wedding. We got there a bit late and they delayed briefly so that Grandma and Grandpa could process in. Jo decided to get a little screechy, so I quieted her the best way I know how - feed her. She quieted briefly and then got cranky again, so I spent the wedding bouncing her around in the back and walking in the halls. I made sure I was there for the important stuff - the vows and such. In reality I missed a few minutes of the sermon, but I could still hear most of it. After the wedding and recession, Lauren, my new cousin-in-law decided to steal the baby for a moment.
Not the greatest picture of either of them, but they had been smiling when I hit the button on the camera. Lauren still looks beautiful!
SATURDAY: The reception - not the easiest place to be a baby . . . . it's LOUD and Jo had not slept since a short morning nap. All this equals a cranky, over-tired, cranky, wiggly, (and did I mention cranky?) baby! She screamed - blood curdling, ear-splitting, headache-inducing screams. (At least we know her lungs are healthy, right?) Anyway, I tried putting her in her carseat, which often works to quiet her down (maybe lack of air due to a snug seatbelt?), and then I covered it to make it dark and block some sound.
This did NOT work.
STILL SATURDAY: I left her in the care of a cousin, Mark, and went to get food. A sweet, grandmotherly-type woman asked if she could get her out of her seat, because she couldn't stand to hear her cry. I appreciate what the woman was trying to do (and I let her), but I could tell the moment that Jo caught sight of someone that was not me. Wowsa!!! She was ridiculously loud. I'm surprised that someone didn't call the cops. She was so loud that I could hear her in a different room over a sound system which made regular discussion a little difficult at times. Needless to say, it took a good while to settle her down. I tried to feed her again (which she didn't really want or need), but it helped her to calm a little. A little . . . . she was still crying up a storm. During this time, Mark kindly cut up my food for me and even fed me some . . . . I could have done without the airplane noises, but, hey, you take what you can get.
A long time later, she finally conked after I bounced her an danced with her and sang to her.
Getting her to this position took forever, I was so terrified to let her wake up. I did NOT want the crying to begin again.
The handsome groom (who has not lately sat on me or pushed me) and his beautiful mother, my Aunt Alana dancing.
My brother, Jason, dancing with his wife, Jennifer, and their (only 2 months left to cook) baby.
YEP, STILL SATURDAY: My uncle was kind enough to let us stay at his house. He has updated his beautiful house to have three master suites. He and my aunt live in one, my parents stayed in one and Jo and I got the third. They left us downstairs so that we didn't have to haul Jo (and her stuff) up and down the stairs.
The massive king-size bed that I had all to myself!
The suite is humongous - this beautiful old claw-foot tub has it's own space. There is also a dressing area with double vanity (and more closets) just behind where I'm taking the picture, and beyond that a separate room with toilet and shower. If I had time, I totally would have soaked in this tub!
After crashing hard at the wedding, getting her into her carseat barely woke her at all.
Stole her blanket . . . . .
. . . . and the burp cloth. I never got a good picture to show off her beautiful dress. Sad.
SUNDAY: After getting up, eating, and packing up, we headed back to my grandparents' place where Jason and Jennifer (and boys) stayed the night. We all attended worship together (which my grandparents lead in the assisted side of the retirement home) and had a nice lunch. All too soon, Jason's family had to leave. Luckily, we got to stay and visit for a little while longer.
They all look so great. Love that Aidan is holding Jo - good practice for his baby brother coming in a few weeks.
"Got your nose" - soaking in a little Uncle Jason love
Jo wasn't too sure of Great-Grandpa with his big chair. He used his grabber-thing to pick her toy up, but she just cried. See that cane on the back of his chair? He used to "accidentally" get our toes with it or hook us with it. Ornery is a word I have often used to describe my grandpa . . . he does too!
Jo sleeping on her grandpa. Naps were pretty rare unless we were in the car, so it was nice to be able to pass her off to my dad when she fell asleep on me. He's awfully cozy - she slept wonderfully.
Nana had to get a look at Miss Jo . . . .
. . . . and play her favorite game . . . .
. . . . "Fold the Baby"!
Based on the smile, it is obvious that Jo hates this game.
Nana Kisses!
Jo makes sure she's the center of attention.
Much happier with Great-Grandpa when she's not on the floor.
A four-generation picture.
Love Jo interacting with Great-Grandma.
I think Jo was pulling her strings or scratching her. "No, no."
SUNDAY: Unfortunately, our time had to come to a close. We left in the afternoon and after driving for a bit (and stopping at Trader Joe's for some chocolate and almond butter to bring home) we made it to Lansing (IL) to visit with Ed's family. The visit was short, but it was great to see them.
Jo meeting her Great-Gram (please ignore me in the picture-ugh!)
Getting some toe-kisses from Granma.
Getting re-aquainted - it's nice to see you in person instead of just on the computer.
Doing some visiting with Auntie D - finger kisses.
Jo is so much more animated than she used to be!
Reaching and stretching!
Hey Granpa! It's great to see you too!
SUNDAY STILL: After a short visit, Mom and Dad drove Jo and I back to Rachel's house. It was nearly bedtime when we got there, but we took some quick pictures since we were leaving at 5:30 in the am and weren't sure how the kiddos would be.
Rachel maneuvering both kids.
Rachel with Jo and Brandon with Finley - I needed a shot of Jo with her godparents for her scrapbook.
Me with Finley - this kid is adorable!
Finley loves his tongue. He just kept sticking it out - so cute!
Rachel and I with each other's kids - both of whom were getting tired of pictures at this point.
One last picture - one last moment - before fate cruelly separates the star-crossed lovers again.
MONDAY: We got up at 4:15 (which is 3:15 at home), fed kids, strapped them in to their carseats, and headed for the airport. Our flight left a little late, but Jo made up for it by sleeping for about 2/3 of the flight. The pilots also made up for it by getting us into Denver on time.
It was a whirlwind trip and I know that Jo won't remember it, but that's why we have pictures. I enjoyed every minute of it . . . . . okay, that's not exactly true. My sweet, content little girl was not overly content while we were gone, but the reason became evident soon after we got home - a growth spurt and her first tooth. So, if anyone had a hard time reconciling the sweet baby I usually describe to the small, screaming, demon-child you may have seen, there was a reason. You'll be happy to know that she's working on a second tooth and still semi-demon-child-esque. This too shall pass . . . . or so people tell me.
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