Traveling man

Being home for the holidays this year was a true gift in itself.  The sales world doesn't stop for holidays, and oh how I loathe that aspect, especially since we are so far from family and most of our vacation time is spent traveling to Chicago and Oregon.  Jack managed to get 2 round trip plan rides under his belt in his 4 short months, and I am happy to say he was a dream.  A bit overwhelming to say the least traveling with a newborn; all in all I give the 3 of us a gold star for a job well done.  Meeting all of his cousins and extended family and friends for the first time was wonderful!  Oma and Nana went above and beyond and had their homes prepared for the arrival of a prince.  From car seats (thank you for making our travel load lighter), pack n' plays, strollers, diapers, wipes, swings, toys etc.  Jack was fully equipped with all the comforts of home. 
Our trip to Oregon in December greeted us with mild Christmas weather which was a real treat.  A visit to Santa was a must along with Great-Grandma Fern in Springfield.  Not to mention a relaxing 10 days away!  Never would that have happened had I not been on maternity leave...I think I should plan every baby around the holidays ;)
January brought Jack and I to Chicago to celebrate aunt Julie's bridal shower.  I was a nervous wreck flying with Jack by myself, and admittedly cried on the flight to and from Chicago (I swear I thought my hormones would get back to normal by now) but found that people are inherently good natured.  I have never had so many strangers offer assistance with my baggage when traveling through an airport before, and trust me, this made me the happiest mom, simply by helping Jack and I get from point A to point B.
No trip to Chicago is complete without drastic weather changes, going from 40 degrees to below 10 the evening we arrived followed by a blizzard the next day.  He certainly saw his first snow fall, although he won't remember it.
During our trip we had a sleepover and photo shoot at the talented auntie Melissa's house where Jack got to meet his buddy Liam for the first time (born 3 days apart).
My how things change with a little one...we laughed so hard we cried while taking photos of the boys, we barely had time to eat dinner that arrived by 9pm at night, and we hardly drank the wine we had poured with the intentions of having a relaxing evening together catching up on life as we know it.  Jack and Liam had other plans...and sleeping soundly was not one of them.  Needless to say I couldn't be happier to be experiencing these moments as they happen with one of my very best friends!
April will bring Jack and I back to the windy city for aunt Julie's bachelorette party...and I am hoping that we can leave our hat and mittens behind this time around.