Casa De Kirby

Connor and I flew up to Baltimore last Tuesday to visit some friends and family we haven't seen in awhile. We had an amazing time - so much fun - but so busy we will need a few weeks to recover - and possibly a week to complete this post . . .warning - this post is long and you may want to skip down to just see the photos if you start to get bored . . .

Let's start at the beginning. Tuesday my mom picked us up and we played at her house before going to the airport around noon. I specifically chose this flight based on the timing (close to nap time) - in addition I figured how many people are going to Baltimore from Birmingham on a random Tuesday midday? The time of the flight was perfect but turns out that Tuesday wasn't entirely random - um Mardi Gras - where have I been?? Still, what does Mardi Gras have to do with either town?? Nothing that I know of - but what do I know - not too much these days. The flight was COMPLETELY full. Of course I didn't buy Connor a seat - lap baby all the way - so I was in full on MILD panic that I wasn't going to survive this flight without a huge disaster. Not to mention that he STILL hadn't pooped by the time we got on the flight (which is very unusual for him - great - I could see blowout written all over this trip). I gave Connor his sippy of milk when we started out of the gate and he slept the ENTIRE trip! YEA!!! He was such an angel! I was so relieved. No blowout - nothing - totally uneventful! Colin's stepdad picked us up at the airport - carseat already installed - and we headed to pick up Colin's mom at work. The snow in Baltimore is just unbelievable! I didn't take one darn picture of it either - because I totally forgot - but in most of Baltimore County and some parts south - the snow is near the top of street signs at corners - piled so you can't see to turn at intersections - it is just shocking! We played at Mom Mom's house for awhile before going to dinner - Cait and Will met us for dinner and then afterwards we jumped in Cait's car and headed to Casa De Kirby. Unload car, Bath, Bed . . . and Connor only had one little mishap - while scooting down the (luckily carpeted stairs) his shoe got caught and he rolled down a few stairs. Didn't cry at all - he was fine - I was too after I realized he was still alive and no scratches/ brusies - Whew. Day One Done.

Day Two - Caitlin (a former project manager turned domestic goddess) made us breakfast - coffee included. We got ourselves and the boys ready and went to IKEA. I had no idea that Caitlin had never been to IKEA - I love IKEA but hadn't been in a few years . . . IKEA is SUPER Kid-Friendly! We met a few ladies from her mom's group and their kiddos and shopped and explored IKEA until it was lunchtime. Lunch was delicious at the IKEA cafeteria (no, we didn't have the swedish meatballs - I was against meatballs even before I became a veggie) - We were ready for nap time once we got back - especially since the blowout I anticipated the day before - occurred after lunch at IKEA - perfect timing . . . Connor left IKEA without pants - funny! After nap time Will and Connor played a little before dinner. Caitlin made a delicious dinner and after putting the babies to sleep - we were in bed early too.

Day Three - breakfast and cofee again! So delicious and nice to be at Casa De Kirby (I told Cait it was like being at a bed and breakfast with no other guests) - perfect! Caitlin planned a playdate with Sherri's boys - so the boys played and played and played - ate lunch - and played some more. Again, all tired out for nap time - smart! I didn't take any pictures - sorry! It was fun to see Sherri and her boys though - we are hoping they make the trip to Alabama this fall for the Auburn/Clemson game. Nap time again . . . then dinner and bath to bed. I have been shushing (sp?) Connor back to sleep for what seems like FOREVER! He slept through the night 2 times since Thanksgiving! In his defense he was sick at that time and got off his sleeping track. But anyway, I have been ready for a change. Just needed a little push - advice. I haven't wanted to let Connor "cry it out" because he is a jumper and I am afraid he is going to really injure his cute little teeth and precious mouth on the crib rails. They are solid hardwood - ooucch! I have the rail guards which help prevent kids from teething on the crib but don't seem to provide any protection to Connor - just the crib! Ok, so at Casa de Kirby Connor was sleeping in the Pack-n-Play. I was about to get up and go down to shush Connor on Night 3 and Greg suggested I see if he would quiet down after a few minutes. Will sleeps like a champ - so I agreed. We opened some wine and turned down the sound on the monitor and after awhile (on and off) Connor put himself back to sleep. Cait warned me Connor would be cranky on Friday - but he wasn't, he was happy - as usual - Yippee!

Day Four -

Pop Pop and Grandma Cathy showed up bright and early to visit Connor - Cathy, Connor, Mom Mom and Grandad Bob, and I went to the Maryland Science Center. Since we are members of the science center here - we actually got 4 adults plus Connor in for FREE! Wow what a deal - seriously it was a $60.00 savings - I purchased the membership on January 2nd and it has already paid for itself in 60 days! Sweet! The science center was very fun - they have a toddler only area and we spent the majority of our time there. Here are a few pics of Connor playing . . .







As you can tell, Connor played hard and was again ready for a snooze when we returned home. As soon as naptime was over, we jumped in the car and set out for Aunt Heather and Cousin Brandon's house so the kiddos could play together. Connor loved all the toys in Brandon's playroom and also his train table - well, he liked taking the train apart. After a short, but fun visit, we were back in the car again - (I am exhausted just thinking about how much traveling we did in such a short time) - bath and to bed . . . then a few games of Mexican Train Dominos with Cait, Greg, Tommy and Kristy - I LOST - oh well, it was great to see our old neigbors and Connor did even better night 2 and only peeped a few times.

Day Five -

Greg left early for the Eastern Shore and Cait and I took the boys up to Towson to meet up with our college roommate and good friend Amy. Amy is from Baltimore but actually lives in Georgia now. I swear I still see her more in Baltimore even though we live only a couple hours from her now. Amy has a new baby - Gavin. Cait and I arrived a little early (we were shocked and Will was taking a snooze so I called Colin to check in and see how he was holding up without us - Connor insisted on speaking to him). At least he holds the phone correctly now - although I think I know why he held the back of the phone to his ear now - that is where the speaker is on the cell phone - smart kid!
We had breakfast together and I got this photo of the ladies and their baby boys.
After breakfast, it was home for yet another nap - naps are so important it seems like these days - and then up a little early to go to Brandon's birthday party. I took ZERO pix at the party. I was in full-on mommy mode and couldn't take my eyes off Connor long enough to snap a picture - much less grab my camera out of the bag - so, you can check out some cute pics on Heather's blog: http://thechisholmstrail.blogspot.com/2010/02/happy-birthday-b.html
Heather did a great job on the cake and cookies and the kids had a great time! I just needed a nap after running after Connor for an hour. No rest for us though. We snuck out a little early and drove to Columbia to meet Mary for her birthday dinner (well, appetizer and drink portion of dinner). Connor behaved - such a sweet boy! and we got to meet Mary's boyfriend - LOVE HIM! Although it is hard to have a coherent and consistent conversation with a 18 month old present, we enjoyed an appetizer and glass of wine - Connor enjoyed his pizza and - yes, you guessed right - home for bath and bed. Night 3 of the new sleep plan was even more successful and Cait and I had a girls night - miss those (so much!).

Day Six -
Wake up, Cinnamon Rolls (a/k/a Sweet Rolls) and Coffee - thanks Cait. I have to say when Caitlin said she was going to make Sweet Rolls - I did a double take - Are you 88? That is what my grandmother calls them! So cute! Oh, and Connor loves him some Sweet Rolls! Compared to other mornings - we leisurely packed up all of our stuff and met Mom Mom and Grandad Bob for brunch before heading to the airport. I tried to squeeze in a few other stops to see more friends - but the timing didn't work out. Next time! I planned the flight time as close to nap time as I could. The flight was billed as Full - but it turns out it was almost full - we were lucky enough to have an empty middle seat! Connor was again a great passenger - such a little traveler we have! He slept most of the flight and enjoyed looking out the window and pointing out cars and trees on the way down. Oh, and the flight was 30 minutes early - I ADORE Southwest Airlines - Connor saying Bye Bye to the planes . . .

Home Sweet Home - I set up the pack-n-play here to continue our sleep training - working so far - so good!