Back from Paradise

Boy it sure is nice to spend a whole week around people who love to hold babies and play with them, not to mention cook dinner for you and wash dishes! Being at my folks' house was like being at a luxury baby hotel. They had everything they could possibly need and more, and it was perfectly comfortable, and they even slept like champs. Way better than they sleep at home, as a matter of fact; Nora's naps were terrific. Nora and Milo got to meet their big cousins who LOVED to be around them and try to make them laugh. They also got to meet some other new family members, and ride on a boat, and splash in the lake, and go on car rides, and of course ride on the plane.

When the babies were young somebody smart told me that the basic things we take for granted, like being able to sleep or take a leisurely shower or eat a full meal, disappear. Then when they start to reappear in our lives they feel like privileges. I guess having babies is like going through boot camp in that way. Lots of nights now I can stay in my bed all night long. That was unfathomable just a couple of months ago. Now we can watch an entire movie all the way through if we need to. I can usually stick one baby with Jake and the other in a bouncy seat and take a shower while they happily play with toys. I can go to the grocery store without rushing and worrying that I need to be back in half an hour before everything self destructs. All of these things feel incredibly luxurious.

Flying with the babies made me think about other luxuries that are yet to come, like the ability to actually read a book, or even a magazine. The ability to nap on the plane, or stand in line for 10 minutes to grab a burrito during a layover. I tend to fly a fair amount for work and have always found it boring and tedious, but there's a certain indulgent feeling to having all of that time to yourself, just to read and eat and sit around. I spent time on this trip watching parents with older kids, kids who were 6 or 8 or 10. Those parents read on the plane while their kids play games. Those parents can go to the bathroom when they want to. So I know we'll get those things back eventually.

Milo and Nora did very well flying, by the way. On the way there Nora was perfectly content the entire time, and Milo only had a little bit of trouble during the final landing. No screaming or anything dramatic like that. On the way back Milo slept on my lap for almost the entire first flight, and Nora slept on my lap for most of the second flight. They didn't even cry once! It wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. We have this heavy burden of taking care of two infants at once, but we lucked out in that both babies are pretty easygoing and content. So it could be a lot worse.

Milo is contemplative:



Nobody puts baby in a corner!



Enjoying the summer afternoon:



Swimming (in 2 inches of water):





Notice how I'm barely touching Nora in the first photo and not at all in the second? Suddenly she's started to figure out how to sit up by herself. Milo is also doing well at sitting. Next up, crawling, or at least scooting!