Mommy's Travel Adventures

All three of us survived my first trip to Indy this past week, thankfully! I knew Willa would be fine in the very capable hands of Valerie, our nanny, and Markus, our very own Superdad (he really is wonderful when you see him in action). But I didn't know how I'd be feeling. I only cried once, when Willa and I had a little talk during which I explained that Mommy might not be here for a few days. I was quick to tell her that there would always be boobie milk, though (that's what we call it; I just hope those aren't her first words...).

My friends in Indy made sure I was okay. We met for dinner, got pedicures one night, and beyond that I didn't have much time because I had to go back to my room and pump so that I didn't explode! Honestly, I did enjoy being back at work, using my analytical skills (again, I feel so lucky that I like the type of work that I do), and interacting with my colleagues. It was nice to know that they missed me, too. So, we all survived and will repeat the drill next month.

A couple of funny tales for you.
-The TSA lifted its ban on mothers traveling with breastmilk but without babies (they had to check their milk in their luggage previously), so I was able to carry it on-board with me. I had three small ice packs in my milk-designated bag. In Philly on the way out, a 20ish TSA guy says, "Ma'am, what are those three blocks in your bag?" Me: "Ice packs for breast milk." TSA Guy: "That'll work!" And I was on my way.

-I now consider myself a real road warrior, as I have pumped breastmilk in an airport bathroom. I sat myself down in the handicapped stall, thanked my lucky stars that I had a battery pack, and started pumping. Then I said that Willa better be the healthiest, smartest little girl ever, given what her mommy's doing to give her boobie milk!

-I called to talk to Willa one night. As soon as she heard my voice, Markus said she started rooting. She started taking her pacifier again this week - I guess plastic nipples are better than none at all - and sucking furiously on her hand. Poor girl.

-My flight home was a comedy of errors and to sum it up, I arrived home 7 hours late. On the plane, I asked the flight attendant to refill my plastic baggies of ice to keep my milk cold (I had 20 bags of milk - enough to cover my next trip to Indy - and I was NOT going to let it spoil due to a flight delay). She was the most frazzled and anxious flight attendant I've ever seen (other passengers said the same) and said she couldn't fill the bags, but she could give me cups of ice. I asked if I could dump the current ice and she started freaking out saying I couldn't dump it in the galley because she didn't know what I was dumping, and - get this - she wouldn't want police and flashing lights and sirens to await me when we arrived in Philly. You know me and my explosive breast milk...anyway, the passengers around me were horrified that the attendant was giving me a hard time when I was just trying to save my milk. Always an adventure, you know?

Enough stories for one day (sorry they relvoved mostly around my breasts - who knew that one body part could provide so many stories and humor?). Thanks for continuing to read and check in on our girl. We might be off to buy a video camera today - if we do, stay tuned for little video snippets on the blog. For now, Mommy needs to do some work while everyone else is still sleeping. You know you're back in full swing at work when you need to spend a few hours working on the weekends. Fun, huh?