Daily Archives: May 22, 2013

in richmond

We are finally in Richmond.  I am so glad to be here!  It has been a long trek.  First, or course, was the 5 hours plane flight to NYC.  This meant getting up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport two hours early (since we were checking luggage and concerned about hauling all our stuff through security, one hour delay, 5 hour flight, collecting luggage and then nearly an hour taxi ride to Park Ave, where B’s mother lives, believe it or not.  The flight was really quite smooth and would have been a picnic without a baby.  However, it was overbooked, and we didn’t buy a seat for L, and I’m telling you, sitting for 6 hours with a baby on your lap is no walk in the park.  The plane was a bit hot, and L is a little furnace, and I was broiling.  Anyway, I pretty much detest flying as I have mentioned a time or two, so I’m glad that’s over.  L did veryy well but had to be constantly entertained.  I tend towards claustrophobic, and middle seat with a baby on my lap made that worse.  The only time L really started crying was on descent, as her ears were hurting her, but I nursed her, and she actually fell asleep.  Nursing on a plane is definitely interesting.  It is necessary to toss modesty to the wind, especially if, like me, you do not normally nurse in public.

New York was New York.  We didn’t really do much.  My first visit to NY with B was wonderful and romantic as we did the tourist thing and he was a wonderful tour guide.  However, these days our trips are short, so we mainly socialize with his family.  They are, not surprisingly, obsessed with the little one.  His step-dad, who is notoriously a touch prickly, apparently declared L had the best personality of any baby he has ever encountered.  Naturally, I lapped this up.   However, I have to say that while visiting NY as a tourist is fun, living there would not be my cup of tea.  Too hot, noisy, crowded and inconvenient.  I think I would really hate living in Manhattan.  I do like living in or near the amenities of a city, but Sea.ttle is plenty big enough for me.

Our taxi ride to the train station was harrowing, to say the least.  We had decided to take the train as plane tickets were $500 apiece, or $1500 total, whereas the train tickets were only $300 total, and for that amount of money, I was able to reserve us a sleeper car.  Overall the train experience was pleasant on the train.  The only downside came once we were south of DC.  We’d seemed more or less on schedule until that point, but we slowed down drastically.  B and I had packed up and were all ready to go.  We got shuffled out of our roomette (as they were going to give it to someone boarding soon) and woke L up from her nap.  Cue extremely grumpy baby while we crawled along at 5 mph, or so it seemed.  We didn’t want to change her or nurse or really do anything because we thought we’d be getting off at any minute. Instead, we crawled along for an agonizingly long time, before finally arriving.  L was extremely unhappy on the drive home as well.  All in all, it was a 9 hour journey, again, no joke with a 1 year old.

I love being in K’s house, though.  It is beautiful and very comfortable.  He and his fiancee, E, picked us up yesterday.  We are heading out for a run with them this morning.  Today is a nice relaxing day before wedding events start slowly tomorrow, then pick up on Friday.  I’m so excited and happy for K!  I just love his fiancee and I think they’ll be so happy together.  I also can’t wait to dress L in her frilly pink dress.