Noodle is now slumbering in the state of Nevada. It was her ninth airplane ride...this one packed with Pacquiao fight fans...and after a bumpy and nauseating descent into the Las Vegas Valley, playing with Aunti Anna, and cuddling with her Lola, she insisted on her same bed time. Quite the little schedule she's keeping.
This weekend's gallivanting is nipping at the heels of our Washington trip. Luckily, Nora is a super-traveler. Ever the observer and social butterfly. This makes traveling with her enjoyable. Not that post-baby vacations are at all similar to those of pre-baby. I have these hazy memories of landing in Vegas, helping myself to several Bailey's on ice, snacking on salty nuts, and staying up into the wee hours of the morning watching International Househunters. Mornings were lazy...waking up well after 10am...smelling the sizzle of breakfast. Drinking giant cups of coffee. Bathing in the light of the giant television.
Now there are glasses of water, bowls of blueberries for snacking, and an early bed time (to preserve my energy for the multiple nursings). Gurgles will wake me at dawn. Noodle and I will greet the desert morning light around 6:00am. Breakfast will contain the colors of the rainbow...little shine; lotta fiber. Coffee will be herbal tea.
But, hey, at least there will still be the television. All of our parents have cable and glorious shiny televisions. Daniel and I both sit slack-jawed drooling in each of their homes. Playing a tricky game of keeping Nora's face turned while loving the images ourselves (our hypocrisy starts early).
Someone once said that vacations are more work for the mother than staying at home. Oh, how true this is. The thinking, packing, traveling, unpacking, sleeping pattern shifts, nap concerns, and repacking, traveling, unpacking, laundry, re-shifting sleeping patters, and re-establishing naps. It's exhausting. And worth it. We are going to keep right on doing it. Whenever possible. Nora needs to visit our families...and also the big beautiful world.
After all, Daniel and I met because of travel. I typed the following words into the search window on match.com.
"Gabriel Garcia Marquez + travel"