I recently returned from Chicago. I went out with the kiddos for a friends wedding. Many called me crazy for traveling by myself with two young children but it was definitely worth it to be there to celebrate with her. I just sent her an email just letting her know what a great friend she is to me and told her that all the excitement of traveling with two little ones was worth it. But saying that doesn't do justice to the situation unless you know the full story of what happened on those three wonderful days. Getting there was slightly challenging but I ended up being on a flight with a couple from my church who were headed to the same wedding. So when the kids both finally fell asleep as we were landing they graciously offered to help me get them and all of our stuff. When we made it to the hotel we parted ways and the kids and I headed out to explore downtown Chicago. Our initial plan was to go visit the Shedd Aquarium but by the time we would have made it there on public transportation we would have only had an hour and a half, at most, and I wasn't even sure if they would let us in. So instead we took the CTA to downtown and had fun walking out to the lake and eating cookies at Grant Park. I would have loved to stay longer but since I was a single mom with two kids who had a half hour walk back to the train station then riding the train through less than safe neighborhoods and then walking another half hour back to the hotel we headed back pretty early.
The next day was the wedding. While waiting for the ceremony to start Micah started getting really cranky so we ended up sitting in the lobby during the ceremony. We saw the processional make its way through the lobby and the amazing timing of them opening the doors for the bride at the crescendo of Cindy Morgan's Make Us One, but other than that we missed the wedding and Micah threw up during the ceremony (probably good we ended up not being in the ceremony). Then we spent the next 6 hours at an amazing reception. Once we got back to the hotel that night is when the fun really started. Oh wait, one more thing, did I mention Micah had so many runny diapers I ran out of diapers for him at the reception? Haha, bad parent moment. Earlier Violet had been having so much fun playing that she had forgotten to go to the bathroom so I put a diaper on her. Well around 9 o'clock Micah's last diaper was pretty full and was beginning to sag so I had to put Violet back in her damp underwear and put the diaper on Micah. Oops.
Now for the fun. Picture this, a baby throwing up on his mom's last clean pair of clothes in the middle of the night the day before they leave, so in the morning she has to put on an outfit that is less than clean. Then as they wait for a shuttle to the airport a little girl saying, "Mama, I have to throw-up," and before they can make it to a garbage can she does. At this point in time the mom is getting some looks of understanding from some guests, offers to help from others and from still others looks of "Oh dear lord, that lady is going to be on the same shuttle as us." Fast forward to the airport where that sweet little girl throws-up in the security line and again after security. Now she is stripped down to her pajama shorts and nothing else. Her mom tears through the airport looking for a souvenir store to buy both herself and her daughter some less smelly shirts before they board the plane. She purchases shirts and then has to find food for the now very hungry and upset baby boy in the stroller. They find food and sit a ways away from there gate to feed the starving boy. So here sits mom, holding daughter on her lap and helping her throw-up into a cup while feeding the starving baby boy. Soon the girl falls asleep and with help from an amazing ticket agent they are settled on the plane with two sleeping children. Mom relaxes thinking the worst is over, oh wait, fast forward two hours to when the sweet girl drinks a cup of milk and throws up all over her mom's lap, herself and the seat she is sitting on. Thankfully we had wonderful flight attendants (and an empty seat next to us) who brought the mom warm, wet towels to clean up the mess, cold towels for the daughters face and held a wide-eyed baby while the mom cleaned everything up. So now, all that explained, it means a lot more saying that everything that happened was worth being able to be a part of a good friends special day. I hope that picture made you laugh as much as I am right now remembering it.
