Cold Spaghetti

Our whirlwind trip began Tuesday morning.

DEPARTURE: From home at 10:00am for our 12:30 flight from New Orleans to Detroit.

MORNING STRESS: That morning, we arranged for a babysitter, which made things so much easier as we finalized our packing. (We had given Margarita the week off, which ended up being more stressful as I was franticly trying to finish coursework and Paul was trying to get in work hours. Note to self: NEVER cancel a babysitter!)

PIT STOP: En route to the airport, we stopped and picked up a pair of shoes (ones that I wore to my own rehearsal dinner almost 5 years ago) which were being cleaned at a repair shop in Metairie.

WILL: Slept in the car to the airport and dozed through the airport. So, he was awake and rambunctious for about an hour of the 2 hour direct flight, but not obnoxious or loud. (Still, a sleepy baby is the best thing on an airplane. And yes, I use drugs — both to open up his ears and make him sleep.) Some may balk, but the multitudes of parents and travellers who approach me after flights to compliment and ask for tips makes me feel that I’m doing something right.

RENTAL CAR: New Chevy Malibu (including remote start – new one for us) with child seat.

FUN WILL MOMENT: While Paul was installing the car seat, Will jumped out of my arms, climbed into the open door of the front passager side seat, went through to the driver’s seat, sat down and started turning the steering wheel and pressing buttons on the dash. (We were in total awe of him!)

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: We drove to Ann Arbor and met up with friends Millard and Violet Elder, who were our old neighbors. They provided home and great company during our stay.

DINNER: Chia Shiang. Will was a little fussy at dinner (understandable considering how much he’d sat that day.)

EVENING FUN: Millard, Paul, and I took Will to our old neighborhood park for playtime before bed.

Paul and Millard watch Will at play.

Will steers!

Paul and Will go down the big twisty slide. Cranbrook Park, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Will climbs on the equipment in Oakbrook Villa’s play area in Cranbrook Park, Ann Arbor, Michigan. (This is the park our house faced when we lived here.)

Even with missing the last three weeks of classes, my grade for BIOS 604: Intermediate Biostatistics…

99.18% — A+

Whoopie!!!

The kids “freeze” with their eyes closed, ready for the next instruction!

The kids gather to learn about the next activity. Will is in the light blue overalls on the right… he followed the big kids over and sat down just like they did!

Will went to his first birthday party on Sunday. (The first kids’ birthday for me and Paul, too!) The birthday boy (William) is the eldest child of one of my peers in the PhD program (we’ve taken the boys to the zoo together — there are posts about this in the December archives.) William turned 4, so most of the kids at the party were around this age (except for a 6 month old baby, Will was the youngest.) The party was held at a gymnastics center (GREAT idea) and the kids played on an obstacle course, then were lead in fun activities (walking like a crab, keeping a balloon in the air with your elbows, etc.) and then birthday cake. A perfect 90 minutes! AND, Will left with a great fireman’s hat and goody bag. (He loves the fireman’s cap… particularly wearing it backwards. In fact, the fireman’s cap was worn tonight during our evening trip playing “Around” the block.)

In this picture, Will is holding his balloon and watching all the other kids keep theirs in the air!