Lambie Blog: Baby in D.C.!

Yes, Mommy made sure I wore red, white, and blue all weekend. Presh!

We survived our first travel experience, and sweet baby Cade definitely earned his wings! (Okay, not technically-- guess the economy is so bad that American Airlines couldn't spare a plastic pin for my precious little angel. grr) My grandmother Boppy passed away 5 days after Cade's birth, and we went to Washington D.C. for her funeral at Arlington National Cemetary. (Which was gorgeous by the way, she was buried with my grandfather and it was really comforting and just a perfect service! That's another more private story entirely though...)

The toughest part of the actual travel bit was getting thru security. Thanks to a genius tip from a fellow new mom, I wore Cade in his baby Bjorn (I feel cool each time I say "baby beeee-yorn") and pushed our carry-on bags in the stroller. I was with my parents as Nick had to work. Dad is always a bit of a mess getting thru security with his hearing aides and all the stuff that Dads are required to carry in their pockets (loose change, peppermints, Beano, you know the drill). So Mom and I fended for ourselves and must have looked a hot mess of emotions and trying to play it cool as we like to be Masters of Efficiency at all times. Folding the new stroller I got just for travel purposes (thank you craigslist) was a total bitch. Jingly toys and wheels going in every direction, the smug security bitch just stood with arms crossed over her(?) boobs/pecs and said "It'll fit, just keep turning it". NOT EASY when you're juggling a baby, a bag of breastmilk bottles, and your grandmother's urn!!! Honestly, could they have physically lent a hand or does their help just not extend past vague hints about how to fit a stroller and do or do not you put your grandmother thru the X-ray machine??!! I'm exhausted just remembering it....

Anyhoo, we made it thru and I'm now I'm allowed to brag that my precious little angel baby fell asleep during take-off and landing. To him it was peaceful bliss. To me I was thinking "how shitty it would be if the plane went down and how the F would I save Cade? Oh shit, I forgot to ask if they have extra air masks for lap babies?"

I told you! Sweet little angel slept both flights! Scooore!

It was a total learning experience to travel with a baby though. I learned that yes, you should have used the opportunity to yell back at the hag who loudly admonished (yes, admonished!) me for breast-feeding in a quiet empty corner of a restaurant even though I was fully covered. I learned that bringing a breastfed baby along is a sweet way to score some quiet alone time from family all weekend (even though I adore you guys). I learned that one must practice somber smiles for pictures taken at memorials. I panicked at the Pentagon memorial and ended up with this jackass pic.

I also learned that some new moms are f-ing strange as hell....

So I'm checking out art in the Smithsonian with my baby. Look Cade, it's your first Monet! Cade, this here is called pointalism. Cade, Calder was known for art in the round. Cade, don't look at that nude sculpture! I saw new mom eyeing me. At first I thought it was a crazy competitive stroller Nazi (you know the whole "Is your stroller better than my stroller?") McCrazy asks me "Aw, he's sweet. How old?" Acceptable question/compliment duo, so I obliged and answered back. McCrazy took this as open invitation to ask how long he sleeps, how long he's awake, how playful he is, how many poops a day. It was INSANE! "Hellloooo, I'm here for the art, bitch. Buh-bye!"

We did have good times with the fam, and I felt like a very smart mom taking baby to such educational, cultural, historical places for his very first trip. I made sure to take pics of him at important places, so he can use the pics for school projects (this is me, 8 weeks old at the Ford Theatre...which has an inappropriately modern face-list by the way). He better remember all of it!

Here are some of my fave pics from the trip...