2008-04-10 - 10:57 a.m.

...colds do linger...

We are finally recovering from this bout of plague. It's been a little less than a week, but I am still sniffling and coughing. The little one still gets irritated when she cannot breathe (go figure), but she is beginning to sleep normally again.

We are all going on our first holiday away from home in two weeks (Whistler), and I am already beginning to plan. When we first brought Susi home, our landlord welcomed us to the world of traveling HEAVY. And as Blighty put it, gone are the days of just slipping on a jacket, grabbing your keys, and waltzing out the door. Babies require EQUIPMENT.

I scoffed at this when I was a single person. I scorned the PINK PLASTIC PALACE. I still do... but now I appreciate the notion of bringing along creature comforts for the infant. We do these things so that she has something familiar, feels relaxed and comfortable. We do these things so that she stays happy...and QUIET. I understand now. The goal in our lives is to achieve silence, at least some of the time. And so we bring along her favorite things.

So we are packing the stroller and the swing, and we are renting a crib and an Infant Activity Center. (I love that name - sounds like a place where the baby goes to meet people, play chess, lift weights, take dance classes - you know.) Anyway, not quite sure HOW we are going to replace her favorite Happy Place - THE CHANGING TABLE. I'm guessing that since it is just a big foam U-shaped valley (in geological terms) covered in terry cloth, we'll just chuck it into the car as well. Sadly, the brightly colored jungle animals will have to stay behind. Oh well.

This all amuses me. Consider it practice for the big trip to St Lou in June (sorry Bluey - I'm going the first week of June! I'll miss you in Funcouver but hopefully I'll catch you when we're in the Big O in July/August?). I'll be flying alone with baby, and transferring in Chicago. My sis-in-law thinks I'm absolutely nuts. But I have to think that people have traveled with babies before. It can't be fun, but it's doable. My mother tells me that both my brother and I were easy flying babies (I see images of babies flying like squirrels, leaping from tree to tree while making happy gurgling sounds through toothless grinning gums..)

Anyway - that was kind of a long digression. Except that I'm already planning for that trip, too. (and Blighty has already informed me of the most efficient way to change a baby in an airplane sit - as well as the way NOT to do it.)

What doesn't amuse me is the thought of spoiling my friend's holiday. We are renting a condo together. Bandy is one of my favorite people, but he's no baby-lover. And he has NO CLUE what he's getting into. This point is obvious because he rented - A LOFT. We will all be sharing a room together. A LOFT. Oy, god help us all.