Weirdling Files: Weeks 8&9: Seattle and Shots

By Mom
The first 7 weeks of Roland were full of things to share. But weeks 8 and 9 seemed especially busy. As the last post informed you, Roland took his first airplane journey. There had been some changes in the travel plans of my family and to make sure Roland could still meet all the family members who had planned to come out from Seattle we went there instead. The added bonus was that Roland was able to meet much more of my family than would have made it to Hawaii.

I didn't seriously start looking for tickets until Sunday. Surprisingly, I found super cheap tickets leaving Wednesday night. In 3 days. Now I've planned travel like this in the past, but back then it was just me. Luckily Roland is still tiny, so travel including him should still be relatively easy. No food to pack, he doesn't play with toys yet, and he isn't mobile yet. I figured the hardest part would be dealing with his car seat.

And I was almost right. Turns out the car seat was easy too. I packed it in a rolling duffel bag made specifically for car seats and it checked for free. Our flight out was a red eye. Roland has been doing quite well with sleeping at night and I hoped it would be the same on a plane. It was. We lucked out and had the two seats next to us open, so he got to sleep in his own seat and I managed some sleep too. The hardest part of the flight was going to the bathroom. I couldn't leave him in the seat by himself, and there was no where to put him in the tiny airplane bathroom. I have managed to get plenty of practice doing things one handed in the last 7 weeks though, so this was just another exercise in one-handed tasks.

We spent a week in Seattle, and it was a wonderful week. The only thing that would have made it better was if Daddy had come with us. He decided he would stay home and work, so he could use his sick days for when one of us was actually sick and we needed him to take the day off. Logical, yes. Fun, no.

Grandpa Bill picked us up from the airport, dropped us off at his house and then went into work. Grandma Carmen had classes to get to so she was off too. I was exhausted from sleeping upright and was happy to take a 4-hour nap. Roland didn't mind sleeping either; he was only awake to nurse and then right back to sleep. It wasn't long before Grandpa and Grandma were back home and then they really got a chance to meet the newest addition to the family.

Friday Roland met his Great-Grandma, Auntie Michelle, and Uncle Matt. Everyone was thrilled to meet the little guy, and he was a great baby through it all. We went to meet Great-Grandma first. She was full of smiles and eager to hold him. He had some smiles to share too. From Great-Grandma's house we went to Auntie Michelle's. Roland was not impressed at being in the car again, and cried all the way there. Auntie Michelle was able to meet us at the door because she could hear him crying as soon as we got out of the car. As soon as he was out of his car seat and in a clean diaper he was as good as could be, and Michelle got to hold her nephew for the first time.

While at Michelle's house we got a hold of Matt, who had the weekend free. Michelle mentioned that she could come back up to Dad's with us, and stay for the weekend. So instead of visiting with Matt for a little bit that evening we told him to pack a backpack for the weekend and we'd be over as soon as he was ready. Thus started the weekend of Grandpa and Grandma having the house full with the adult children and the tiny boy. It was a great weekend. Everyone had plenty of chances to hold Roland and they did. He was a great little guy the entire time. Saturday was a day of the Britz family hanging around and enjoying each others company. On Sunday we invited over some friends who also wanted to meet Roland. The little guy is just as social as his Daddy, and loved all the attention showered on him by everyone who came over to visit. Unless he was hungry, he was perfectly happy not being held by his Mama.

Monday was a day for visiting Great-Grandma again. On Tuesday Roland and I went to see Auntie Michelle, and then met Grauntie Barb back at Grandpa's house. I was a bit worried about having Roland in the car by myself for the first time, and found myself wishing I had brought along the car mirror that lets me see him without turning around. He was a little rockstar though, and slept the entire car ride BOTH ways. All I heard from him was a few cries of being displeased and then he was right asleep. Wednesday was another day to visit Auntie Michelle, and then to the local pub with Grandpa and Grandma for fish and chips. Not only was Roland asleep in the car, but he stayed asleep in the pub too even with all the noise. When he woke up Grandpa was happy to hold him so Mama could finish her fish.

We flew back to Hawaii on Thursday and Roland was a great little air traveler again. He spent most of the flight awake, and it was a very full flight so he had to stay in my lap the whole time. During our week in Seattle he discovered he could straighten his legs and stand so long as someone was holding his body to help him balance. Which meant lots of standing in my lap during the 6 hour flight. Daddy picked us up from the airport, excited to see both of us after being alone at home for the week.

Friday morning after our return Roland had his 2-month check up. Weight gain was good - he was up to 10 pounds, 11 ounces. He also got taller, almost 22 inches now. The 2-month check up also meant shots. Roland had two shots right after he was born, but I was in the OR so I missed them. This time I got (had) to be there. The nurse asked that I hold his hands while she stabbed him in the legs. The poor little guy's face turned bright red before he started screaming. And that was the first shot. There were two more to go. Luckily the nurse was quick, and as soon as she was done I was able to pick him up and he was done crying. We were asked to wait in the waiting room for 15 minutes to make sure he didn't have a serious reaction, so I used that time to nurse and comfort him. By the time our 15 minutes were up he was doing just fine.

We spent the rest of Friday and all of Saturday at home, just the three of us. Roland mostly slept. He hadn't slept that much since we brought him home from the hospital. He had a fever, but seemed to enjoy the flavor of the children's Tylenol we were sent home with. Since Doug and I were expecting fussiness from the shots, the sleeping was a welcome alternative. Hopefully the next round of shots at 4 months goes just as well for him.