A few days before we went to Chicago, I was nursing Ethan on our back porch while Emerson was napping upstairs and the neighborhood kids came running by in a pack chasing a dog that was off leash. The dog was hot or thirsty or maybe just feeling playful and decided it wanted to go for a swim in our gator-infested pond to get away from the kids. The moment the dog jumped into the water I was sure I was mere seconds away from witnessing a Discovery Channel-esque nature drama in which the dog gets ripped to shreds by the gator. In a stroke of luck for the dog, the gator was at the other end of the pond when he began his swim and the kids and a neighbor were able to lure the dog out just as the gator approached. I breathed a sigh of relief for the dog.
Not long after that, Emerson and I were playing in the front yard when Emerson was suddenly struck by the urge to throw a rock into the pond. He darted off toward the pond and I ran after him as fast as I could while wearing a sleeping baby and shouting for him to wait for me, which only made him giggle and run faster (we are at that age). He stopped a few feet short of the water and threw his rock in. As I came up behind him I could see the gator sliding into the water not ten feet to the right from where we were standing. I nearly had a heart attack on the spot.
Emerson and I went inside and had a serious talk about a) listening when Mom says Stop and b) staying back from the edge of the water.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Definitely not
We flew home from Chicago Monday evening on United. We were settled into our seats and getting ready for the flight when an announcement came over the PA system.
"Will Elizabeth M. in 10E please gather your belongings and come to the front of the plane."
How odd, I thought.Am I getting ejected from the plane?
"Gathering my belongings" was simply not a quick or easy thing to do so I asked the woman next to me to flag a flight attendant for me. One came over to our seats and told me I had been upgraded to first class.
"That's awesome!" I said. "It will just take me a minute to get packed up and I will need help moving his carseat up front," I explained, indicating Emerson in the seat next to me.
"Ummmm," she said. "We only have one seat up there."
"Oh," I said. "Well I guess that won't work."
(Pause.)
"So you definitely don't want the seat?" she asked me.
"No, I don't."
When she had walked away the woman in front of me, also a mom, turned around and said "I can't believe she asked you if you wanted to leave a two year old alone!"
Emerson is a great traveler but I don't think he is ready for his first flight alone just yet.
"Will Elizabeth M. in 10E please gather your belongings and come to the front of the plane."
How odd, I thought.Am I getting ejected from the plane?
"Gathering my belongings" was simply not a quick or easy thing to do so I asked the woman next to me to flag a flight attendant for me. One came over to our seats and told me I had been upgraded to first class.
"That's awesome!" I said. "It will just take me a minute to get packed up and I will need help moving his carseat up front," I explained, indicating Emerson in the seat next to me.
"Ummmm," she said. "We only have one seat up there."
"Oh," I said. "Well I guess that won't work."
(Pause.)
"So you definitely don't want the seat?" she asked me.
"No, I don't."
When she had walked away the woman in front of me, also a mom, turned around and said "I can't believe she asked you if you wanted to leave a two year old alone!"
Emerson is a great traveler but I don't think he is ready for his first flight alone just yet.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Traveling plus two
I took Emerson and Ethan to San Francisco by myself last week to visit friends. By the looks I got walking through the airport you would think I was some sort of circus sideshow - hideous, fascinating and impossible not to comment on.
Every single person I interacted with started the conversation saying "You've got your hands full!" or some variation, usually in a half-cheery half-horrified voice. I would smile and agree. I relied on the kindness of strangers and was happy to find many kind strangers on my journey, along with plenty of spectators, too.
I had Ethan in the Ergo the whole time and Emerson rode in his car seat strapped to a rolling carry-on suitcase. It was actually quite manageable except for the part from the airline door to our seats. Thank goodness for Economy Plus.
Several women, upon seeing us, ordered their husbands to help me immediately.
I got lots of comments on how well-behaved they both were, and it was true. Ethan slept 90% of the time, like he always does. Emerson was a great sport about traveling and the worst he did was a wee bit of kicking the seat in front of him.
Emerson's last flight was the move to Florida at the end of July and he didn't seem to remember it, which meant he experienced this as his first airplane flight. Our first take-off he held my arm and seemed a bit nervous but after than he was unphased by the ups and downs of airplane travel.
I am glad that we did it and proud that I made it work. I am not sure I am quite ready to do it again, but I will have to get ready in time for our trip to Chicago in a few weeks.
Every single person I interacted with started the conversation saying "You've got your hands full!" or some variation, usually in a half-cheery half-horrified voice. I would smile and agree. I relied on the kindness of strangers and was happy to find many kind strangers on my journey, along with plenty of spectators, too.
I had Ethan in the Ergo the whole time and Emerson rode in his car seat strapped to a rolling carry-on suitcase. It was actually quite manageable except for the part from the airline door to our seats. Thank goodness for Economy Plus.
Several women, upon seeing us, ordered their husbands to help me immediately.
I got lots of comments on how well-behaved they both were, and it was true. Ethan slept 90% of the time, like he always does. Emerson was a great sport about traveling and the worst he did was a wee bit of kicking the seat in front of him.
Emerson's last flight was the move to Florida at the end of July and he didn't seem to remember it, which meant he experienced this as his first airplane flight. Our first take-off he held my arm and seemed a bit nervous but after than he was unphased by the ups and downs of airplane travel.
I am glad that we did it and proud that I made it work. I am not sure I am quite ready to do it again, but I will have to get ready in time for our trip to Chicago in a few weeks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
