I learned in February, while we were in Hawaii actually, that I would be attending a work conference in Florida over the week before Memorial Day. We considered traveling as a family, but with the length of time it took Wren to adjust to the different time zone in Hawaii, and with how challenging flying was, we decided not to go that route. My sister had recently moved to Las Vegas and I had yet to visit and meet my new nephew, Landon, so I decided to tack on a trip to see them since I would already be away from home. I knew the trip would happen, but I blocked it from my mind until the week before when my co-workers started asking if I was looking forward to a week long conference on medical records software....
I flew out on Friday morning for Vegas and left Wren and Jay for a whole week! Grandma Sondy visited through Monday to help out (Jay had his hands full as Wren had stomach trouble all weekend) and Grandma Brynn watched Wren two days that week to save Jay from driving back and forth twice a day all week to daycare (50 minutes round trip).
I had a great time visiting family and meeting little Landon - hard to believe Wren was ever that little! - and flew out Sunday night (ok, Monday morning at 1:30 AM - note: avoid Spirit Airlines!) for Fort Lauderdale. The week was long for me and it was hard to be away from my family. I even had a breakdown Tuesday night and researched earlier flights home! My family missed me, too, and when I flew in on Friday afternoon I drove straight to daycare to get my girl. I envisioned an amazing reunion where Wren wouldn't stop hugging me. Instead she went about her usual routine of putting on her shoes and grabbing her milk, but I knew she was excited about my return! Jay and Wren had a good week of bonding though there were extra tantrums and some rough nights of troubled sleep.
It took a few days to adjust back to the right time zone but it was so good to get back to our normal routine!
How Wren spent her week without me:
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| Exploring the OSU campus |
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| Being a good consumer at the Farmer's Market |
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| Burning energy with Geneva! |
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| She's starting to say POPCORN! |
How I spent my time away:
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| On The Strip |
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| Shmoozing with wax celebrities |
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| Snuggling with Landon |
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| Playing with Karsyn |
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| Holding a baby kangaroo |
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| Kissing snakes |
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| Hey there! |
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| Bear Cat - his name is Frito because he smells like corn chips. Yes. Really. |
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| Sneaking out of conference sessions to go to the beach |
There is nothing like being away to discover how much you are missed and how much you missed home. Had such a great time with Wren and Jay and a rare opportunity to have some good time with Jay. He is an amazing Dad and took such good care of Wren as she struggled through her tummy issues. I did feel that missing link of the third arm of a beautiful family. Crystal, you were missed by all of us! Love Mom/Gramma
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