home again

I have to admit, when my dad offered to fly Jack and me home for a weekend, I hesitated.

The last time I flew with Jack, he was content to sit in my lap - which made the nonstop flight quite easy. But while he's still an easygoing baby, he's a mover and a shaker these days. And there is no nonstop flight to Raleigh, which meant wrangling a baby through a flight change. Yikes.

Also, the last time we traveled Jack decided that sleep was for the birds and woke up every two hours. And then we came home to a flooded basement. So I guess all of this was fresh on my mind when I was considering the trip.

In short, I was skeered.

But I decided that I didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to see my family and I definitely didn't want to be the reason that they missed out on seeing Jack. That kid is a treat and he should be shared.

It was a nice little escape and it did my heart good to get back home. Jack surprised me with how well he traveled and despite a little fever that popped up on Saturday, he was the same baby that I left Connecticut with. He ate well, played well and slept well. What more could I ask?

And as usual, I was spoiled - especially with the food, most of which came from my parents' back yard or off the coast of North Carolina.

Lucky for us, Jack's Great-Grandma Emily lives just 20 minutes down the road, so some of the Castrodale family gathered at her house for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon to visit. That sneaky little fever left my boy feeling a bit pitiful and clingy, but he mustered up some smiles and cuddles for everyone. He's sweet like that.

I was also able to steal some time away with my brother while my parents stayed with Jack - I'm sure they spoiled him with non-stop attention. Or maybe he spoiled them?

When I was packing my bags to leave on Monday morning, I felt like the trip had been too incredibly short and I was already counting on my fingers and toes the number of days between now and when they visit for Jack's first (gulp) birthday. I'm also looking forward to a longer trip in the spring so we can see some of the others we've been missing and wishing we could visit more easily. Hey Nanny Johnson! Hey Aunt Shelly! Hey Sarah!

I come from good people, you know. And it was nice to get back home and be reminded of that.