Our Trip to D.C., Part Two

I was pleasantly surprised by what a good traveler Milo was. Everything about the trip disrupted his normal routine. Naptime was almost nonexistent, there was no blanket on the floor to play on and no toys all around, meals were not in the big brown chair and diaper changes were not on the cushy soft pad. Daddy was not there to sing and read bedtime stories. And there were constantly new faces to meet, new places to see, and new sounds to hear. But Milo just went with the flow and was relaxed almost the entire time.

On Saturday, Emily and I had lots of things to pick up for the shower. Our plan was to run all over town in the morning/early afternoon (babies in tow, of course) then head back to the hotel in the afternoon to set things up, feed babies, and take naps. I had brought a little umbrella stroller for Milo to ride in because he seems to prefer the stroller over the Bjorn (which I had also brought) or the Moby (which I had not brought). But of course it was sprinkling when we left. The stroller had a sun shade on it, so I thought that would keep Milo pretty dry, and I would either tough it out or buy an umbrella someplace.

We walked no more than two blocks when it began raining much harder. Milo's legs were completely wet, and the sun shade was clearly not going to cut it. The umbrella seemed like a must at this point. But did Milo cry or get upset with his newly wet feet? No. Not at all. He was just hanging out, checking out the sights. Even though he didn't seem to mind the rain, I didn't so much feel like being a negligent mother, so I bought a cheapo umbrella and headed back to the hotel to switch Milo to the Bjorn. At least in that, he would stay dry.

I worried that he would fuss after a short time in the Bjorn. At home, he seems pretty ambivalent about it for awhile, then is all, "Let me out of this thing, woman." But again, pleasantly surprised. Milo ended up riding around in that thing for the next three hours, and had to go in and out of it three or four times for diaper changes and meals (his and mine). And he was a trooper the whole time.

I was not nearly as laid back as Milo. First of all, it was raining. I was carrying a heavy diaper bag, an umbrella, and a 13-plus-pound baby. We had several things to purchase (including snacks and eight bottles of wine) and by the time we headed back to the hotel, Emily and I each had heavy shopping bags to carry as well. Emily really had the brunt of the load—she had six wine bottles to my two and snacks. We had a long walk, a metro ride (with a transfer) and an uphill climb to get back to the hotel. My back hurt and I was sweaty and I definitely felt like whining about it. Milo really set the bar high, though. I think the only part of the day that he was sort of upset about was the metro ride. He cried, and I got the feeling he didn't like the noise and the motion. (He apparently is not much of an urban baby.) Milo even managed to fall asleep while in the Bjorn. His head just started leaning to one side, and I eventually guided it to lean back against my chest. I think he slept like that for about 30 minutes, which was his only real nap of the day.

Once we got back to the hotel, the hard part of the trip was over. Molly's party that evening was a huge success. I think everyone had a great time. Food was delicious, drinks were plentiful, and guests played along with the silly shower games. Milo and Eli enjoyed their first bridal shower, but were a bit sad that we did not let them attend the bachelorette party. Babysitters took good care of them, and even texted us photos of sleeping babies so we could relax and enjoy our evening out. (And enjoy it we did. Good thing we had the frozen milk for the babies to drink.)

On Sunday, Molly picked me and Milo up and we spent the afternoon hanging out at her and Rich's house. We took a nap, chatted, and ate Chinese food. It was the perfect way to spend the day.

Thankfully, the flight home was uneventful. Milo slept the entire time, and somehow I managed to snag one of the two single seats (the nice wide ones with no one next to it, both window and aisle seat). I was expecting my mother-in-law, but Andrew even surprised us and picked us up from the airport. All in all, it was a fun trip—but I don't relish the thought of traveling solo with an infant again for a very long time. Even if that infant is an excellent traveler.