Iowa Visit

Nathan and I had a busy week last week recovering from our trip to Iowa and preparing for a special weekend with family, so I have never gotten around to posting about our time in Iowa celebrating the arrival of a very special little girl.

We had a great trip, and oh I love that baby girl so much! I didn't realize how quickly I would fall in love with a baby who wasn't "mine." I mean my love for Nathan is out of this world, but he is my son, so I wasn't overly surprised at the love I have for him. But this little girl, well she surprised me with how easily I fell in love with her.

We left Broken Arrow Tuesday night after my mom got off work and drove about half way, before we decided to stop for the night. Nathan was ready to see his cousin, so he woke us up about 5 the next morning ready to go. We got back on the road and made it to Jeremy and Anna's just as they were pulling in their driveway coming home from the hospital. It was perfect timing. We spent the afternoon and evening admiring Amelia and visiting. My mom and I made a quick trip to the grocery store and cooked dinner for everyone. Anna's parents were in town too.

Nathan loved cuddles from Uncle Jeremy

My brother slept in this cradle when he was a baby. I don't think I ever slept in it, but Granny has had it in her house for years, and I remember playing with my baby dolls in this cradle. Now I have a real life baby! He's already almost too big for it.

Sweet, sweet baby

She loves her Auntie Angela!

Nathan tested out Amelia's bouncer while we were there

Thursday morning we headed back over to the Flamings for more cuddle time. That afternoon, we ran a few errands to pick up some things for Jeremy and Anna and a few for us as well. Earlier that day, Nathan had a major spit up incident that got all over him and me. I had a couple of onesies in the diaper bag, but not a nice outfit, and I needed a change too. We had to go and run a few errands, so my solution was to stop by the hotel on our way, so Nathan and I could change. Grammy's solution was to stop by the mall and by a new outfit for Nathan and a new shirt for me. Love it when my mom spoils us :).
That afternoon I got a chance to have a long chat with Anna, and it was one of the best parts of the trip for me. I loved catching up with her. I know I mentioned before how fun it was to be pregnant at the same time, and its even more fun to be new moms together. We can encourage and support each other and share advice. I'm so thankful for such a great sister-in-law. Now if we can only get them a little closer to Oklahoma :). In person chats are better than phone chats, but those are still fun too if we can get nap times coordinated.

Nathan was mesmerized by cousin Amelia. He just stared and stared at her. He loves her already, and he seems so big compared to her.

My sweet baby boy in his new outfit

Friday morning, Amelia had some doctor appointments, so we had the morning to ourselves. I got a little jog in trying to take advantage of the cooler temperatures, then we took off to a big outlet mall a few miles away. I was looking for new outfits for me and Nathan to wear for his baby dedication the next weekend, and we were both successful. We also almost bought out the Carter's store at the mall. They had all their Fall stuff out, and it was all so adorable. Because I had an early summer baby, all the clothes I had bought/looked at were summer, so buying for a new season was a fun experience. He is starting a preschool/mother's day out program next week, so it was our first school clothes shopping experience (looking forward to many more!). We also picked up a couple more things for Amelia. My mom loves spoiling her grandbabies, and I love shopping with my mom! We went back over to Jeremy and Anna's that afternoon and helped them with a list of chores/errands they needed done. I'm proud of them for making a list of things we could help them with. I might take their advice for our next baby. I'm pretty independent and don't really like asking for help, but I loved getting the chance to help them out. I know how tough those first weeks are as new parents.
We also took a few cousin pictures on Friday. My mom bought Nathan and Amelia matching outfits, and we took advantage of their cuteness.

The two cutest babies I've ever seen

Pretty in pink

Mark and Jean cooked a delicious supper for everyone that night and we had a good visit.
Saturday morning we spent a little more time with our favorite Iowa family. Anna and I got another good chat in, and we all got some last snuggles in with Amelia. I miss her already. Hopefully we'll get to see her again soon. We said our goodbyes, grabbed some lunch and got back on the road about 3:30 that afternoon.

Can you see how smitten they are with their new granddaughter?

My brother and our babies. Whenever I see this picture, I think about how proud our dad would be if he could meet our spouses and our babies.

We made it back to Broken Arrow very early Sunday morning. Nathan was so good during the drive. We stopped every three hours so I could nurse him, and he had a few bouts of crying, probably out of frustration because he wanted to be held, but he was a fantastic traveler. My best tip for traveling nursing mothers is to stop and nurse in hotel lobbies. That was my mom's idea and it was genius. They have much more comfortable seating that restaurants, are always clean, and have nice bathrooms. Plus they are usually located right off the interstate. None of the front desk workers ever seemed to mind that we borrowed their lobby for a few minutes.

Daddy missed us a lot, and even greeted me with roses when we made it home. We were all happy to be back together as a family.

I was really glad I got the chance to make the trip with my parents to see Amelia as a tiny newborn. Originally, I was just going to wait and make the trip with Matt and my grandparents a few weeks after Amelia was born. That's still the plan, but I took advantage of my freedom from a job right now, and tagged along for this trip too. I really wanted to be a support and encouragement to Jeremy and Anna. Having recently been in the same stage as they are, I know how difficult the first couple of weeks are especially for breastfeeding mommas. I was glad to be on the other side of it to let them know how quickly things get easier. It brought back lots of memories of Nathan's newborn days: questioning every cry, celebrating every wet/dirty diaper, trying everything to keep baby awake for feedings, feeling totally exhausted and yet so entirely in love with this new person. I love my 3 1/2 month bundle of joy and personality and all the sleep I'm getting, but there is something very special about those first few days with a brand new baby, and I'm thankful to share part of that time with my brother and Anna.