I Survived!

So I made it!  53 hours away from my boys and I survived.  I can't decide if it was harder than I thought it would be or a little bit easier.  There were moments where missing them hit me like a ton of bricks all the sudden and I struggled to hold in tears.  There were other moments where I was having a blast and almost forgot all about missing them, almost.  Most surprising to me was that I didn't miss them at bedtime.  Normally if I go to bed without Ty I get really sad.  Walking into Kelley's guest room and plopping into the comfy bed, the only thought in my mind was that I could sleep all night long and as late in the morning as I wanted!

Saturday morning many tears were shed and all were from me.  I got it out of my system before leaving the house and my biggest fear (that I'd cry on the plane) didn't happen.  It was a good thing Ty and Carter didn't drop me off at the airport because I definitely would have cried in public, which I hate!

My friend, Kelley, picked me up at the airport.  Walking out to her car and seeing her I got excited about the trip for the first time.  It was so good to see her and I couldn't stop smiling.  She took her role as hostess seriously and took me on a scenic route along the beach.  We even stopped, plopped down on the beach, and I buried my feet in the sand.  Sitting on the beach chatting with a friend I hadn't seen since Carter's baby shower was a great way to start the trip.

Our view of the ocean.

That evening we went out to dinner and window shopped for a while.  Then we headed to Steph's hotel and hung out for awhile with her, the groom, the bridal party, and her family.  Kelley and I left decently early and headed to bed at 11:30 California time, meaning I stayed up until 1:30 my time which hasn't happened in a very long time!  As we headed off to bed Kelley said she planned to sleep in and to make myself at home if I woke up before her.  I assured her that wouldn't happen!

7:30 am rolled around and I was wide awake.  Seriously?!!?  One of the only chances I've had to sleep in on the weekend and that's all I get?!  I had hoped to get a long run in, so I got up and decided to get ready to run and make the most of it.  When Kelley got up she gave me directions to a great running spot and I took off.  She had mentioned there was a big hill leaving her apartment but I figured I'd be fine.  What she didn't mention was the hill, I kid you not, was 2 miles long!  By the top of the hill I began to second guess my decision to run 12 miles.  I'll give it to California, they've got hills.  Coming from an Okie that might not mean much, but geez, the hills didn't let up.  I was averaging 8:30-9:00 during the flatter miles, but had a couple of 10:00 miles which were entirely uphill.  When my watch dinged for a mile and I saw 10:00 on the screen I decided the run was more of a sight seeing adventure than a long run. 

I stopped to take a lot of pictures!

Running along on a sidewalk made of packed sand I noticed a sign out of the corner of my eye.  I turned to look and saw that I was running past a Wildlife Conservation Area.  I turned and started up the path.  The path ended up being another mile long hill which was a bit much on my quads, but was so worth it when I reached the top!  Despite Kelley's great directions and taking my phone with a map pulled up (upon her request), I got lost on my way back and had to call her to pick me up.  I'm not sure why I always think there's a chance I'm going to make my way back somewhere on my own.  It just never happens!

The highlight of my run.

This view was worth running a mile up the side of a hill.

When we got back to Kelley's apartment I showered quickly, pumped for the millionth time, and we headed out to a sports bar to watch the rest of the Chief's game.  We had a leisurely afternoon, facetimed Ty and Carter, and then got dressed and ready for the wedding.  Seeing Ty and Carter made me so happy, but when we hung up I missed them even more than I already had.

Grammy got a picture of them facetiming me!

Pulling into the parking lot of the wedding location I felt the excitement bubbling up inside me.  I couldn't wait to see Steph and Richard get married!  Everything was absolutely beautiful.  We had a blast and as we were getting ready to leave for the night, Steph's mom talked us into heading back out to the dance floor for a bit.

Not sure I've ever seen such a pretty background for a wedding.

Before the wedding with Kelley.

Watching the professional photo shoot.

He was carrying her train, but put it down right before I snapped a pic.

  

Kelley, Steph, Richard, and me.

With the beautiful bride!

The next morning started bright and early at 5:00 am.  We left early for the airport so Kelley could drop me off before going to work which was so sweet of her.  She was afraid to send me on the Coaster after I got lost on my run the day before.  I wasn't sure I trusted myself to navigate the stops either.

By far the hardest part of the trip was the 30 minute drive from the airport to Carter's daycare.  I am normally a fairly passive driver and just go with the flow, but I was having some serious road rage on my way to pick him up.  Every person cutting me off or driving slowly was getting in between me and my baby and I just couldn't take it.  One of the teachers saw me pull up through the window and joked that Carter's mom was running to pick him up.  Can you blame me?  Finally having him in my arms, I couldn't hold him tight enough.  They had waited on his last bottle of the day so I could nurse him if I arrived in time.  Little man was so excited to see me, he would stop eating, pull back, stare at me, smile, and laugh.  He had definitely missed nursing.  Even after he finished eating he kept on going and would pull off to stare, smile, and laugh.  All I wanted to do was wrap him up in a hug and never let go!

I am soooo done with pumping, especially after this trip.  Pouring milk down the drain didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would.  I decided that was better than getting hassled at security or worrying about keeping it cold enough.  What stunk was how many times I had to pump during the day.  Nursing is just so much more fun and more comfortable.  Pumping did provide some entertainment along the way.  On my trip to San Diego I had a layover in Las Vegas.  I needed to pump and went in search of an outlet in a hidden dark corner of the airport.  Unfortunately I didn't find what I was looking for but I did find an outlet located in a place where I could face the wall and hopefully not attract too much attention.  I must've pulled the nonchalance off really well because one lady even came up to me and asked for directions to the restroom.  She must not've noticed the strange outline of something under my shirt, the sucking sound of the pump, or the stange placement of my hand holding the pump part on through my shirt.  Luckily when I pumped in the San Diego airport before boarding my plane, there was an outlet in the women's restroom so I had a little bit more privacy.

Would I recommend 2 nights away from your baby the first time you are away from him/her overnight?  No.  Is it a good idea to travel without your baby while you are still breastfeeding?  Absolutely not.  Can you do it and survive?  Yes.  Did I actually *gasp* have fun on my trip?  Totally!