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Entry tags:
What I've been up to for the last week
[x-post with Ellie's blog because I'm lazy]
Highlights from our trip so far:
Ellie and I left our home around 2pm last Tuesday. Our first flight was almost completely empty, so we got to sit in the 4th row. Ellie was so good for about 2 hours. We had the three-seat row to ourselves and she entertained herself pretty well. Then towards the end of the flight, Ellie was so tired that she just couldn’t be quiet anymore. I have almost always been able to make her happy through nursing. There have been a few times in her life when she was simply too tired and this was one of them. I think the flight attendants were trying to help but the repeated offers of help, suggestions of a bottle, and so on only made me feel frustrated. I knew we had become those people on the plane that everyone else hates and the repeated stares from the guy in front of me weren’t doing anything to change my mind. Finally, in the quiet of the airplane bathroom, Ellie was willing to nurse and she fell asleep just before we had to go back to our seats for landing. Unfortunately, she hadn’t had enough time to really fall soundly asleep and the minute I sat back down in our seat, she woke up. I strapped her in her seat and just as we were landing, she fell asleep. She slept all through our two-hour layover and woke up just long enough for me to put on her pajamas. We both slept almost the entire flight to Denver, where we got our luggage, met my aunt, and headed to my aunt’s house in Denver.
The next morning, my aunt Sue and I walked to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. Denver is such a great city and this morning, the weather was perfect for what I wanted. The sky was blue, the sun was warm but not hot, the air was dry and crisp, and the temperature was cool enough that I could wear a jacket. We had a great breakfast in the near empty restaurant, which meant that Ellie would run around and wave to the dogs outside and we adults could eat in relative peace. After breakfast, we walked back home and I had a really nice time just hanging out until my friend Holly arrived and Holly, Ellie, and I went to Boulder for the afternoon. I could go on and on about the weather, but it was a perfect day. I bought running shoes, we walked around, ate ice cream, and I gave $5 to this nice college kid looking for donations for the Democrats.
The next morning, Ellie and I woke up, rented our car, and drove down to Colorado Springs. I got chai at my former favorite coffee shop, stopped to show Ellie our old house (my flowers are all huge!), and spent a wonderful couple of hours visiting with my friend Anne. Until I lost my keys which prompted a 45 minute complete search of her house and my car, until I realized they were in my back pocket. After that fiasco, we continued to head south. Our drive was peaceful and beautiful. I love the San Luis Valley and the drive along the Rio Grande. The only thing that made the drive less than pleasant was a really bad accident in the river gorge that required three rescue helicopters. I said a little prayer for whoever was in those cars and drove very carefully the rest of the way. We finally arrived at my parents’ house around 6:30pm – very tired but happy to be here.
The next morning there was a concert at the elementary school on the Indian Pueblo by some visiting South American musicians. My mom’s class was attending and Ellie and I went along too. Ellie had a great time listening to the music and watching the performance. She cried hard when we took her away from the kids and the playground. Her favorite part of the playground, by far, was the slide. The older kids would go down first, and then Ellie would follow, while being watched carefully by Mom and Grandpa.
The weekend was pretty quiet and relaxing. Ellie loves to swing and play in the hot tub. She also loves the throw the ball to Mesa, my parents’ border collie. The ball game has been a huge hit because Ellie is the only person I’ve ever met who wants to play longer than Mesa.
Yesterday, we took Ellie to the Albuquerque Zoo. I think her favorites were the birds, the ducks, and the fish. She got to see more exciting things, like elephants, tigers, and gorillas, but she was fascinated by the ducks. Oh, and the seals. She really liked watching the seals swim up to the glass. It was a really normal day, but I think that may have been why it was so much fun.
I could write an entire post about the weather here, but I will try to restrain myself. The sun has been warm, but not hot. The air has been crisp and clear. Yes, there has been rain, but it’s been a wonderful cold rain that was snow at high elevations. Everywhere I look, there are beautiful golden and red trees. Ellie and have both been wearing warm jackets and sweaters and it’s been wonderful.
Highlights from our trip so far:
Ellie and I left our home around 2pm last Tuesday. Our first flight was almost completely empty, so we got to sit in the 4th row. Ellie was so good for about 2 hours. We had the three-seat row to ourselves and she entertained herself pretty well. Then towards the end of the flight, Ellie was so tired that she just couldn’t be quiet anymore. I have almost always been able to make her happy through nursing. There have been a few times in her life when she was simply too tired and this was one of them. I think the flight attendants were trying to help but the repeated offers of help, suggestions of a bottle, and so on only made me feel frustrated. I knew we had become those people on the plane that everyone else hates and the repeated stares from the guy in front of me weren’t doing anything to change my mind. Finally, in the quiet of the airplane bathroom, Ellie was willing to nurse and she fell asleep just before we had to go back to our seats for landing. Unfortunately, she hadn’t had enough time to really fall soundly asleep and the minute I sat back down in our seat, she woke up. I strapped her in her seat and just as we were landing, she fell asleep. She slept all through our two-hour layover and woke up just long enough for me to put on her pajamas. We both slept almost the entire flight to Denver, where we got our luggage, met my aunt, and headed to my aunt’s house in Denver.
The next morning, my aunt Sue and I walked to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. Denver is such a great city and this morning, the weather was perfect for what I wanted. The sky was blue, the sun was warm but not hot, the air was dry and crisp, and the temperature was cool enough that I could wear a jacket. We had a great breakfast in the near empty restaurant, which meant that Ellie would run around and wave to the dogs outside and we adults could eat in relative peace. After breakfast, we walked back home and I had a really nice time just hanging out until my friend Holly arrived and Holly, Ellie, and I went to Boulder for the afternoon. I could go on and on about the weather, but it was a perfect day. I bought running shoes, we walked around, ate ice cream, and I gave $5 to this nice college kid looking for donations for the Democrats.
The next morning, Ellie and I woke up, rented our car, and drove down to Colorado Springs. I got chai at my former favorite coffee shop, stopped to show Ellie our old house (my flowers are all huge!), and spent a wonderful couple of hours visiting with my friend Anne. Until I lost my keys which prompted a 45 minute complete search of her house and my car, until I realized they were in my back pocket. After that fiasco, we continued to head south. Our drive was peaceful and beautiful. I love the San Luis Valley and the drive along the Rio Grande. The only thing that made the drive less than pleasant was a really bad accident in the river gorge that required three rescue helicopters. I said a little prayer for whoever was in those cars and drove very carefully the rest of the way. We finally arrived at my parents’ house around 6:30pm – very tired but happy to be here.
The next morning there was a concert at the elementary school on the Indian Pueblo by some visiting South American musicians. My mom’s class was attending and Ellie and I went along too. Ellie had a great time listening to the music and watching the performance. She cried hard when we took her away from the kids and the playground. Her favorite part of the playground, by far, was the slide. The older kids would go down first, and then Ellie would follow, while being watched carefully by Mom and Grandpa.
The weekend was pretty quiet and relaxing. Ellie loves to swing and play in the hot tub. She also loves the throw the ball to Mesa, my parents’ border collie. The ball game has been a huge hit because Ellie is the only person I’ve ever met who wants to play longer than Mesa.
Yesterday, we took Ellie to the Albuquerque Zoo. I think her favorites were the birds, the ducks, and the fish. She got to see more exciting things, like elephants, tigers, and gorillas, but she was fascinated by the ducks. Oh, and the seals. She really liked watching the seals swim up to the glass. It was a really normal day, but I think that may have been why it was so much fun.
I could write an entire post about the weather here, but I will try to restrain myself. The sun has been warm, but not hot. The air has been crisp and clear. Yes, there has been rain, but it’s been a wonderful cold rain that was snow at high elevations. Everywhere I look, there are beautiful golden and red trees. Ellie and have both been wearing warm jackets and sweaters and it’s been wonderful.