Travel Stories

I was pretty stressed about traveling with Owen. Not sure if he would sit still for more than 15 minutes of our 6 hour flights. He did amazingly well considering the timing of our flights, but our trip over did have some interesting moments.

To start, after a 4 hour layover in Seatac (praise God for the play area!), we were nearly bumped from our flight. We did manage to get on the flight thanks to a party of 3 that never showed. We got two of their seats, and a very large Samoan man (who turned out to be very nice and understanding) got their third seat. So, let’s take a quick snapshot of our situation for the 6 hour flight:

The plane is a 3-3 set-up.
We have window and middle seat.
The nice, but 300+ pound Samoan is on the aisle.

Bag full of toys and snacks are under my chair (we are stocked up!)
I can't reach the bag because Owen is in my lap.
Scott can't reach the bag because we are in front of the bulkhead where the seats don't recline.
The people in front of us don't have this problem, and have knocked their seats back as far as possible the second the "ding" goes off.

Add to this that Northwest Airlines is nowhere near the airline they used to be. Nearly bumping us with no warning, crabby flight attendant, and NO FOOD whatsoever unless you pay. Come on! The flight is from 5:30-11:30 at night. Not even dinky pretzels with our drinks. We bought food, but got the evil eye from the flight attendant because we didn’t have exact change. (I’m sorry, but if you are going to ask people to pay for food, perhaps you should let your flight attendants carry change…)

For the most part, things go smoothly until we decide that Owen should probably get to sleep. It’s 2 hours past his bedtime and he is getting crabby. On with the PJs, drink the milk, settle into Dad’s lap, and…scream… for 30 solid minutes. We finally gave up and let him run up and down the aisle. Good thing the kid is cute and was getting more smiles than glares as he knocked his head against elbows and knees repeatedly over the last 2 hours of the flight.

The kicker? Owen did finally fall asleep – as the landing gear was being lowered for landing, he crashed against my shoulder and stayed out through the deplaning, trek through the airport, wait in baggage claim, and drive out to the resort. Granted, he woke up once we got to the hotel and screamed for another 30 minutes when we tried to finally go to bed at 2 AM, but he slept in the next morning and we were ready to play and relax to the fullest!

Side note: flight home was much more awesome. It was an empty redeye, so we claimed to rows of seats to ourselves and Owen slept as long as the lights were off, woke up for breakfast in the Portland airport, and fell asleep again on the 45 minute puddle jump back to Portland.

Traveling with a toddler keeps you on your toes.

The Inevitable

Well, you had to guess this was coming. I know this blog is supposed to be about keeping friends and family up to date on Owen and our response as parents, but…who’s NOT talking about the presidential race these days? And I, for one, have never been shy about expressing my political views, so I think it’s appropriate to publicly post on the topic that is (THANKFULLY) sweeping our country these days.

I’m prompted to post because I finally found someone who has put my political views into words. Through the blog of a friend of a friend, I followed a link to this post from a gal I will call “Greta who gets it” because… she does. Here’s a snipit:
“It boils down to this:
Some changes and policies can, and should, be made on a federal scale.
Some can only occur during a heart-to-heart conversation.”

Bingo. That’s one big reason I take issue with the RNC. How can the Republican party supposedly stand for smaller government and less government control and then push to make such conservative values widespread LAW? Yes, my faith informs my politics, but it doesn’t dictate that I vote with the Christian right’s legalistic agenda.

In college, I stuck out in the greek system as one of those Christian girls that didn’t drink. Lots of guys and gals in our “little club” that took it upon themselves to blatantly oppose events with alcohol, distance themselves from those that drank, and preached their message of alcohol=bad wherever they went. Never saw anyone change their mind and stop drinking because of the guilt message, though... I did, on the other hand, people who were invited by respected friends to attend a bible study or worship service, explore faith on their own terms, made a decision to follow the Lord, and THEN changed behaviors based on their newly understood moral/ethical code. Those changes come from the heart, not from guilt or rules or fear.

All that to say that I don’t think we’re going to legislate morality into our society. I think it’s government’s job to take care of government issues and it’s OUR job (if we are the church) to build relationships, invite others to meet Jesus for themselves, and let HIM lead them into making faithful, life-giving choices.

I encourage you to read Greta’s whole post (she writes much better than I do), but here is the part that made me say, YES! These are the words I have needed so long:
“I don't think some decisions can be made by a far off government; some decisions can only be made from personal relationships and interactions…. Issues like gay marriage for example, have become a non-issue for me, because what governmental decree is actually going to keep two people from falling in love with one another…. The issues that, to me, make sense to decide on a national scale are things like heath care, education, the environment, global relationships, the decision to go to war, and the economy. Those are all issues that I side with the Democrats on.”

Thanks Greta. You said it better than I ever could. Here’s my best attempt…

I’m liberal because I believe government should help people that are hurting. I think those that have a lot should share with those that have little (that whole “from those who much is given, much is required” deal). I believe the best way to improve our economy is to keep people working, give them the dignity that comes with work, and help them out when those jobs aren’t paying enough to meet their basic needs.

I’m liberal because I believe government should protect our natural environment even if it might hurt some businesses along the way. I believe we are a resourceful people and can find solutions to make those businesses successful within the new constraints. I’m liberal because I believe we all have to make sacrifices to get this country where it needs to be. We can’t just “DRILL BABY DRILL” hoping that a slight increase in fuel supply will solve our energy problems forever. I believe in the long term view. That we have to do what’s right by our children and their children’s children, not just what’s best for me…this minute…today. I’m liberal because I think poor people should pay less taxes and rich people and big corporations should pay more.

Oh, and according to Mitt Romney, I’m crazy liberal because I think the people locked in Guantanamo have rights and deserve a trial to see if they’re a credible threat. Yes, I really believe that “all men are created equal” means… all men are created equal! (Though at this point, anyone locked up unjustly for the last 5 years is probably pretty mad at the United States by now even if they weren’t to begin with. Nice work!)

I won’t even mention the war that we got into based on a series of lies, the need for health care reform, the economy that’s in the tank (how’s that stimulus check working out now?), the way America has lost respect around the world, the national debt, etc, etc, etc. Can you imagine how much more money we could put into our schools if we weren’t paying for a war (or two) right now?

So, big shocker – I’m voting for Obama. I hope you will, too.


P.S. I voted for Hilary in the primary and the thought of having a woman president still sends chills up my spine. I believe it will happen one day and that woman will kick-ass. However, I do not, under any circumstance, believe that Sarah Palin is the woman for the job. I’m pretty insulted that McCain seems to think Hilary supporters will vote for him because he picked a woman. Not. Even. Close.

Beach Vacation

We just got back from 5 days in Gearhart and I have absolutely ZERO pictures! Kate took a bunch, so hopefully she'll email us a couple good ones.

The vacation was good, but the weather was crummy - we've come to expect as much on the Oregon coast, but 50 degrees, windy, and raining? That's a bit much for August. Thankfully, Owen didn't care one bit and just loved chasing after the birds on the beach. He also had lots of quality time with Grandma and Aunt Kate, which was a treat for all involved. Now, if we could just convince Owen that vacation means sleeping in... a 6:30 wake-up is rough enough on the weekends, but on vacation? Brutal.

In standard fashion, we ate too much food, did lots of puzzles, read books, and of course, WATCHED THE OLYMPICS until way too late every night. This is my last Olympics rant:
Why did they show the women's marathon - IN FULL? Seriously, there were no other events to show during that 2 1/2 hours? Surely we could have been getting a recap of all the sports. How about showing the gold medal match in judo, the final set in table tennis, or the highlights from team handball? I do believe the Olympics also include field hockey, soccer, tennis, archery, fencing, wrestling, boxing, rowing, sailing, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't name. How come NBC won't do a daily recap and let us know what the other THOUSANDS of athletes have been up to while Michael Phelps is breaking world records? This is their time to shine too. Come on NBC, make Bob Costas earn his money and actually do some reporting from behind that desk.

The Messy Update

One of the most common questions we get these days is whether Owen has grown out of his reflux. Sadly, the answer is no. We feel like it may be getting better, but I think we've just gotten used to it. Our pediatrician indicated that "better" would be when we only see it flare up 1-2 times a day. Oh. I guess spitting up after every feeding, a couple thick spews every day, and a occasional vomit in the middle of lunch or dinner (yes, mid feeding) doesn't qualify as "better."

So, while I prefer to post about new and exciting things, I wanted to spend a minute to note..

Indicators that your baby is fighting acid reflux:
1. You use ultra absorbent cloth diapers as burp clothes.
2. You never hand someone the baby without first handing them a burp cloth.
3. Your daycare provider gives you the daily rundown with three points - How did he eat? How did he sleep? and How much did he spit up?
4. You gage how well the week went by counting the number of burp clothes in the wash. A good week is 10-12 burp clothes; a bad week is 15 or more.
5. Your rocking chair is covered in a bath mat to catch the vomit.
6. After getting ready for work in the morning, you ALWAYS drape a blanket over your lap or shoulder when holding the baby. The days you forget - just plan on changing clothes.
7. Your carpet looks like an abstract painting.
8. Your husband asks, "Can't we please just have some pictures without the baby wearing a bib?"
And the event that inspired this post:
9. You dream that you are holding the baby, and he vomits on you IN THE DREAM. Seriously?

Someday....
Owen will be a toddler running around the playground. He will not vomit at random. He will not wear a bib. He will not take a dose of PPI medication every morning before breakfast. He will not remember any of the discomfort, soggy clothing, or sour smell that we associate with his reflux.

Someday...
We will steam clean our carpets. I will wear my favorite shirts. We will look back with relief that this stage is behind us. We will watch our toddler running around the playground and marvel that we ever did items 1-9 above - especially #9.

In the meantime, we are thankful that Owen's medication keeps him from being in pain. We are thankful for his smiles, laughter, squeals, and wiggles. We are thankful that this is just a stage that he will grow out of. We are thankful that he is our kiddo - reflux and all - and it is our joy and privilege to love and care for him.

Hooray Me!

Since mom's don't get enough cheers. This week, I've been saying "Hooray Me!" I want to give myself a pat on the back for making it through 6 months of breastfeeding. It has not been an easy road, but my goal from the beginning was to reach 6 months - and we did it!! This is a significant mommy milestone. I feel like I should get to eat cake and throw confetti. Hooray Me!

I just want to say that the breastfeeding proponents DO NOT do a good job of preparing you for how challenging it is to be a pumping mom. They say, "Get a good pump; you'll have to pump as often as the baby would eat." Lie! I find that I would need to pump twice for each bottle Owen takes, and my other working mom friends have had similar experiences. Owen takes 2 bottles at daycare, but I pump 3 times/day at work and still supplement with frozen milk from our freezer. Now that we've reached 6 months, I'm going to cut back and just pump twice a day at work. We'll use up what's stored in the freezer (probably another month) and then Owen can start taking one formula bottle a day.

Eventually, I'd like to get to nursing just morning and night, but we'll see what happens. For now... HOORAY ME!

Urgh...

Just because I have to vent...
- I have a cold that won't go away.
- Our car just went in for the 4th rediculously expensive repair service since we bought it in March.
- Pippin the cat got sick last week, spent 4 days at the vet, and still isn't better. I had to drop him back off this morning. The vet bill is climbing by the day. How much is a cat worth?
- Our hospital bill for Owen's birth finally came - thankfully our insurance is good, but that's one more thing for the credit card bill in the same month as Christmas and the items above. At least we have a milage card...
- I got all my Christmas cards stuffed and addressed last week, but I decided to go the "easy" route and order stamps online. They're still not here. Come on, I ordered from the POST OFFICE - just drop them off with the mail!

On the plus side:
- We found a baby-sitter and were able to attend two holiday parties last week. Tonight is Scott's work party, so we're getting out again. The blessing of having a baby that goes to bed at 7:00 and sleeps awesome.
- We had Christmas at our house on Sunday - great photos when I get around to it.
- We're headed to Seattle on Friday for nearly a week. We're looking forward to seeing friends and family, celebrating the holidays, and having a nice break from work.

A messy problem - update

How are the meds working? Well, we would have no idea because Costco Pharmacy seems incapable of recording our prescription. Seriously, our Dr faxed it in on Monday night, the nurse called it in on both Tuesday AND Wednesday. Yet each time we call or visit Costco, they have no record. You have got to be kidding me! How hard is it to log the info in the computer? The kicker? When Scott stopped in on his way home from work, the girl at the counter said "yea, we've been watching for that prescription all day." Um, our nurse had called 3 hours prior. I guess they're not watching very closely.

How do you feel about that one Owen? That's right, we are transferring all our prescriptions to Safeway.

On my end, if giving up cheese seemed bad enough, we realized last night that the LITTLE piece of dark chocolate I eat after each dinner is MADE WITH MILK. Duh! The sad part is that the lactose free diet might be working. Much less spewage these last couple days. No Cheese or Chocolate? I must be crazy... or just a mom who loves her kid.

If you look close, you can see the baby vomit on the outside of my sling... Nice.