Seasick...

All the ups and downs in the last month have made me feel a little seasick! Less than a week after my last post it seems like all hell broke loose! The day before Halloween Mac, Heisman, and I met up with Mac's Godparents for a little doggie Halloween fun out near Cypress. It was basically a dog friendly/centered event that had fun stuff for the kids too. We had a really great time and of course mac was happy because there were tons of puppies for him to pet. As we were leaving I saw that I had a voicemail from my sister saying that she had to take my grandmother to the emergency room because she couldn't breathe. I'm the first to admit that my mind always jumps to the worst case scenario, but lets face it, she's 90 years old. Once I finally got in touch with her I found out that she had a pretty severe case of bronchitis and the doctors thought it would be best to admit her to the hospital. And before I go on, let me just say a huge "Thank You" to my sister and brother-in-law for sitting in the ER for at least 10 hours with her. Since I had Mac I couldn't really go up there and it was so nice to know she was being taken care of...so thanks Mel and Travis! Well, within 24 hours her bronchitis had turned into pneumonia, which is why they wanted to admit her. Pneumonia is serious in a young healthy person, so in an older person it is just not a good thing. Nothing really changed until Wednesday. I called up to the hosptial to let her know I was on my way up to visit and my great-aunt Ruth answered the phone and told me that she was about to be taken in to surgery! What?!?! Not only did they need to go in to clear out some of the mucus and fluid so that she could breathe, but in the process they found out that she had breast cancer. I was shocked. I got the hospital at 10:30am and after a very very long day of wondering and waiting, they brought her back to the room around 4:30pm. After a few days of waiting we found out that the 2 biospies that were done (one of the breast, one of the lungs) both came back positive for cancer. My grandmama is something else though. She said it doesn't make a difference to her. She had cancer before she came into the hosptial and she'll have it when she leaves because she's not going to do anything about it. And honestly, I am glad. I would rather see her live the rest of her life at home, not in and out of a doctors office than to watch her to through treatment. We did have a little scare last week when she suddenly spiked a fever and had to be sent to ICU, but within 24 hours she was back to her old self and in a regular room.

We did have a nice little celebration for her this past Thursday. She turned 90 years old and we had a little party! It was nice to get a few of us together to celebrate such an amazing and special woman! I love her!

During her little party Mac must have thought he wasn't getting enough attention and started coughing and subsequently puked all over himself. I had a sneaky feeling that he didn't just get choked and that sickness was upon us. Friday when I took him to school he just wasn't acting right. He usually sings all the way to school, but was oddly quiet, and just make matters worse he tripped in the parking lot and fell right on his chin. To add insult to injury, I got a call right before lunch saying that he fell in the hall and busted his lip open! Poor guy. Eric took Mac to dinner (so Mommy could have a little peace and quiet) and he threw up in the car on the way home. This morning it really hit. He was running 102 fever, threw up on me, and just wanted to be held. He took a 4 hour nap and still went to bed at 8pm. He has not had a good weekend. Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow!

And yes...I am too lazy to post pictures right now. I'll put some up later this week =)

To Grandmama's House We Go

Mac always loves going to my Grandmama's house. You would think that it would be for the gigantic toy box full of anything you could possibly want to play with, but no. Other than his love for her, this is why Mac enjoys his visits so much:



The woman feeds him while he lays on the floor! Actually, she feeds him in pretty much any position he wants to be in. I always laugh when I take him over because I know we will be skipping the next meal because he is stuffed with whatever chocolate covered dessert she has made.
She has a cabinet full of ever plastic continer she has ever purchased (sour cream, butter, etc) and Mac has the best time playing with them. I guess we've wasted a lot of money on toys!

Professional Travelers

Do you ever feel like you are always going somewhere??? I'm the first to admit that I am not a good traveler. I don't like to be gone from my house for more than a few days. I miss my house, my dog, and my bed. And to be completely honest, I pack such a ridiculous amount of clothing that even a weekend trip requries me to take the biggest suitcase I can find. So you can only imagine how much I take for a week long excursion.
For those of you who know my husband, you know that from late August until December or January (based on whether or not the Ags actually decide to play and make a bowl game) we are always out of town on the weekends. It's not a complaint...just a way of life. About 2 weeks ago, since the Ags weren't playing at home, we decided to take a plane trip to Colorado to go see Eric's Mom and brother. I told Eric we need to get all our plane traveling in before next February so that Mac can still fly for free! We left late Wednesday night and were lucky to be on a plane that was half empty. Mac had a blast. The rows in front of and behind us were empty so he could get away with doing pretty much anything he wanted. We spent the next two days in Evergreen and Boulder visiting Eric's mom and brother and on Saturday we took a mini vacation to Vail. Just the two of us. Of course once we got there we missed Mac terribly, but it was such a nice little get away. Our major accomplishment is that we somehow managed to survive a 20 mile bike ride down Vail Pass. And when I say down, it does not mean down hill. The bike rental company told us it was a downhill ride and we would only have to pedal for a few minutes the whole ride...LIAR! It ended up taking us about 2 hours to complete and all I know is I did a lot of pedaling! When we got back from lunch we were both pretty tired and decided to take a nap. Our nap turned into us refusing to get up for dinner and ordering room service because we were so exhausted. It was really fun to just get to hang out and lounge around though.
And Mac just hated being the center of attention! Eric's Mom kept him while we were away and I think she wore the child out. I think he went to bed by 8 pm every night...which is unheard of in the Bethea home. It was a good trip.
Since I was 3 weeks late last month posting Mac's monthly report, I'll get this one in a day early:

Mac, at 20 months:

-You weigh 28 lbs
-You know the colors red, blue, and white
-You love cars and birds
-You enjoy dancing naked in the back yard while Mommy sings Itsy Bitsy Spider(yes, I let him)
-Your 3 favorite songs are "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Ring Around The Rosy", and "Shoes" (a Yo Gabba Gabba Song)
-You have your own unique style of dance that I have yet to see anywhere else
-You like to stand on your head
-You said your 2nd sentence: "Thank You BB."
-You recognize your friends and family by looking at their pictures
-If I ask you for a smack you give me a big kiss
-You think it's funny when Daddy smells your stinky feet
-You speak in your own language that no one else seems to understand
-You call Elmo, "Melmo"
-You love babies
-You have learned how to undress yourself, diaper included
-You love to sing into your microphone
-You peed in your big boy potty
-You are still the most photographed baby in the world
-You insist on double fisting milk and juice
-You don't like to be fed, you want to do it yourself
-You attended your first college football game with your buddy Caleb
-You love to ride on airplanes
-Your teachers always tell us what a sweet boy you are
-You are still the greatest thing that ever happened to your Daddy and I!

Here are a few pictures from our trip and some randoms:

3 Strikes....

Dear Colorado:

Growing up, I used to enjoy family summer vacations with you. I felt that we were great friends. However, I would like to bring up my last two visits. When I came to see you in January about 4 years ago, you made me fall down a mountain. I discovered that your snow is not fluffy like a cloud, but rather hard, cold and wet. This was not a lesson that I enjoyed learning. Strike 1. But I decided to be the bigger person. I gave you another chance and came back one August. You did not welcome me with open arms. Instead you decided it would be funny to play a joke on me and have a blizzard come through when all I brought were summer clothes. I was not amused. Strike 2. The point of this letter is to let you know that I will be coming to visit this evening. I will be staying for about a week and I will be using the rule of 3 strikes and you're out. While I do understand that it will be cool while I am there, I would appreciate it if you would abstain from hurling any form of frozen liquid from the sky. If you cannot comply with my request I am afraid I will have to end our friendship...

See you soon,

Alana

Rice Football

I have 3 partially written blog posts that I have started and not quite finished. Hopefully this one will actually be completed!

Eric and I took Mac to his first football game tonight at Rice. Since Rice is not known for it's football it worked out quite well. Mac had plenty of space to move around in all those empty seats. Mac's buddy Caleb even got to come with us. I was a little bit surprised that the boys seemed to pay attention to the game. They were at least looking in the direction of the field. Mac even made some new friends at the game. There was a group of 10 or 11 year old boys that were all on the same football team that sat on the steps right next to our seats. I had Mac sitting on my lap and told him to say touchdown so he raised his hands in the air and yelled "Ta-done." The next thing I know there were 6 boys asking me to make him do it again. Then I had him say good game and give me a high-five. I was surprised that boys that age would be impressed by a 19 month old, but it was very cute.





And yes, Mac is almost 20 months now, but I have to post this:

Mac, at 19 months:

-You weigh 27 lbs
-You have never watched Elmo, but you love to show us where Elmo is on your pjs
-You scream car every time you see one
-You like to point at the moon and say "moooooooooon"
-You like to show me "tees" (trees)
-You scream "beep beep" when we get in the car until I honk the horn (I'm sure our neighbors appreciate it!)
-You love to jump off of everything
-You have to tell Heisman "Love you", give him a hug, and give him a kiss before we can leave the house
-You still fight bed time
-You can say some of your ABCs
-You cry if Daddy won't smell your stinky feet (we don't get it either)
-You like to yell "Stinky!" when I change your diaper
-You have learned how to take your diaper off, and you think it is hilarious
-You only swing one arm when you run (daddy says it's because you are pretending to run with a football in it)
-You eat with your left hand
-You draw with your right hand
-You love to call Daddy on the phone
-You know the colors red and blue, sometimes
-Your favorite toy is your little red car
-You are still a dancing fool
-You say "Yo" all the time so that we will turn on your favorite show
-You say "Brobie" every time you see him on Yo Gabba Gabba
-You love "Biz's Beat Of The Day" (more Yo Gabba Gabba)
-Your favorite book is Dr. Seuss's ABC's
-You like to smack your lips when you give kisses
-You give the sweetest, tightest hugs
-You like to show Heisman where his eyes are (he wishes you would stop)
-You love to be outside
-You are still the greatest gift that your Daddy and I have ever received!

Are You Ready For Some Football?!?!?!?

Well, I can tell of one guy who is. I can honestly say that a good majority of my life with Eric has been related to and/or scheduled around football season. First off, we met our freshman year at A&M during football season. At that time, I really thought that a first down was the first time the ball hit the ground, but after hanging out with Eric for about, oh, 5 minutes, I realized I had found the greatest teacher in terms of the game. So my first semester at college, I spent pretty much every weekend going to, watching, or hearing about Aggie football. To be completely honest, I could have cared less, but it meant I got to sit (actually stand) next to a really cute guy for 3 whole hours! I thought that once the season was over I wouldn't hear about it until the next fall...boy was I wrong. There are bowl games, then comes recruiting, spring practice, spring game, and before you know it...it's football season again.

Then, the July after Eric graduated (he took the 4 year plan, I hung around for 5), we got engaged! I was so excited. Of course I immediatly began thinking about our wedding, but before I could utter the words "Fall Wedding" I heard Eric say, we can do it whenever you want, as long as it doesn't interfere with football season." I soon learned that "football season" included the previously mentioned practices/recruiting times as well. So where did that leave me for a wedding you may ask? That gave me the choice between May (the month I was graduating from college), June, and July. I was told August was cutting it too close.

Then it was time to have a baby. I remember how exciting it was when we found out that we were going to be parents. Then about a week later, Eric came up to me with such an happy smile on his face and told me that our child's birth wouldn't interfere with football season! At that moment I really thought about faking contractions right in the middle of the A&M vs. t.u. game.

And here is an ongoing discussion that I have with Eric...why people get married during football season. My dear sweet husband cannot even begin to fathom why anyone would dare get married during such a sacred time. I have heard him moan and grumble about every single fall wedding we have attended. And yes, if you are reading this and got married during the fall, my husband was not very happy with you on that day =).

All this to say, football season for Eric, is like Christmas to a kid. This past weekend was even more special because he got to get Mac involved in some good old fashioned Aggie tailgating. So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Eric!

You Lift Me Up...

Too many times in life we feel like we have no support, but for the past 8 years I have had a companion that was always close to my heart (literally). Unfortunately, the time has come to say good-bye, so it is with a heavy heart that I say a fond farewell to my favorite bra. It's a sad day. I may be alone on this one, but I'm not an easy fit when it comes to bras, so when I find a good one I stick with it. This is the best bra I have ever owned people. She (I'm assuming it's a girl) has supported me in t-shirts, dresses, nights out on the town, and everywhere in between. Her age as begun to show and that soft pink hue of her younger days has started to fade. She was never adorned with lace or beads; she was a simple lady. Her threads have begun to fray; she is not the young woman she used to be. She simply can no longer perform the task which she was called to do. It's time for her to go on to a better place; on to that big Victoria's Secret in the sky. Thanks for all the support....And yes, I just did a post about my bra!

My New Love

Of course I am referring to my new wood floors! I LOVE them! It makes such a huge difference when you walk in the door. It's like I got a whole new house. Mac has been enjoying them as well. Sliding on them, tap dancing on them, and he even tried to give them that used look by beating his golf club on them (Mommy stopped that one). But hey, we got distressed wood for a reason, right? I have yet to move all of his toys back down stairs. It's just so nice to have a clean, clutter free living room, but this too shall pass. We replaced the carpet in the dining room too, but I need to take pictures.


So I need some advice. We are slowly adopting the policy of in with the old, out with the new in terms of living room furniture. The couch, entertainment center, and tv will eventually be replaced. We have found a couch we like and are waiting to see if the price drops over Labor Day weekend (fingers crossed). We have talked about what type of entertainment center we want. We have decided to go with a wooden base, not a full blown entertainment center with shelves. Here is my question, do you think it would be a bad idea to completely forgo a TV? What I was thinking about doing was just getting a big base (it will be tall) that runs the length of the wall. There would be shelves inside for storage, toys, etc. Trust me, I love TV just as much as the next person, but I just feel like it's being watched too much. I feel like it is a distraction at night. When Eric gets home I would really like for us to just be together as a family when we are downstairs. I have no problem with us going upstairs to watch the big TV if there is something we want to see, but I don't really see any reason to have one in the living room. As I said, we have the big TV in the media room upstairs and a TV in our bedroom so it's not like we wouldn't be able to get to one if we wanted to. My idea is to get a small TV/DVD combo for the kitchen so that Mac starts having a meltdown while I'm cooking or cleaning we could always pop in some Yo Gabba Gabba. So...what do you think? Horrible idea or good idea to have some extra family time?

1.5

My baby is not a baby anymore! He is now 18 months old and has more personality than I could have ever imagined. He makes me laugh so hard I can't stand it.

We are working on eating with a fork and spoon. It has not been going so well. I actually end up making twice the amount of food he needs because most of it ends up on the floor, in the dogs mouth, or in Mac's lap. His spoon skills are definitely lacking, but we are making some progress with the fork. Honestly, he just stabs at food until something sticks, but he has such a sense of accomplishment on his face I can't help but clap for him. Too bad my clapping leads to his clapping and more food is splattered on the floor!

He is also turning into quite the little dumpster diver. Our trash can lid doesn't shut all the way and Mac really enjoys digging for hidden treasures. You know, things like foil, paper, and the occasional handful of food.


Eric and I keep finding ourselves watching him in amazement. We were at dinner the other night and caught each other just staring at Mac because he was eating all by himself. It's still blows my mind that we brought home this helpless little baby and now I have a little boy who can walk and talk...oh yeah, and feed himself. I am assuming that children eventually reach an age when you are no longer enamored with every little thing they do, but I have a feeling we are no where near that!

For your 18 mo birthday:

Mac, at 18 months:

1. You weigh in at 26 lbs

2. You have really started to slim down now that you run EVERYWHERE!

3. I am already missing all those extra fat rolls on your legs (you still have plenty though!)

4. You can make the following animal sounds: cow ("mmmm"), dog ("arf"), cat ("kitty cat"), monkey ("E-E-E-E"), Tiger ("grrrrr"), snake ("ssss")

5. You can actually identify animals on your flash cards and make their sounds

6. You LOVE to wash your hands. Actually you like to play in the water, but I'll take it.

7. You can identify the following party parts: head, ears, mouth, eyes, hands, feet, knees, and belly.

8. You love to show people your belly

9. When you know you are in trouble you say "I love you."...because that usually gets you out of trouble

10. You no longer say please when you want something. Instead you stay "Thank You" (pronounced Na Nu) because I guess you know I will give it to you eventually!

11. Anytime you leave the room you hug Heisman and tell him "I Love You."

12. You climb on everything

13. You love to dance

14. You like to bathe yourself and wash your own hair

15. We are making some progress eating with a fork and spoon

16. You like to play with Mommy's phone, which has resulted in 2 "911" calls.

17. You squeal "Daddy!" every time the phone rings...and you say "Hello" when you hold the phone to your ear

18. You are still the greatest thing that ever happened to me and your Daddy

















As you can tell my this video, Mac is starved for attention:

Thank God For The Girls!

I must say, I am very fortunate to have such great girlfriends. I don't know how people make it without them! Let's face it, there are just some things that you can't talk to your men about. And some things you just don't want to talk to them about! I have 2 groups of girls...the "Mom's Group" and the "Couples Group." I love them both equally, but they are a totally different experience.

The "Couples Group" consists of about 6 of us (all the husbands are friends as well) and quite a few bottles of wine. We talk about everything under the sun...no topic is off limits. We have been known to shut down a few restaurants, and even have a waiter or two join us when their shift is over. If you want to be heard you have to speak up because we often find ourselves talking over each other. We have been surprisingly successful in keeping our monthly girls night going for sometime now. There is one rule for girls night...what is said at girl's night, stays at girl's night. I love it! I wish we could do it every week!

The "Mom's Group" consists of 6 of us now (one just moved...so sad) and I think we have only successfully gotten together, sans the kids, once (tonight was the first time)! Our common factor, obviously our kids. Oddly enough we all have little boys that are within 6 or 7 months of each other. As much as we love and adore our perfect little angels, a night out is definitely needed! You would think that we would take such a golden opportunity to discuss some scholarly issues (i.e. not Yo Gabba Gabba), but we don't. I think we spent 90 percent of the time talking about the boys. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every second of it. It's amazing how relaxing a dinner can be when you aren't having to chase around a 1 1/2 year old. Plus, it's nice to hear that you aren't the only one who feels like they don't know what they are doing!

As different as our nights out can be, there is one commonality between the two. No matter how bad the day was, it all seems so much better by the time the evening has come to an end...

I love my girls and don't know what I'd do without them!!!

Words Of Wisdom From A Supermodel

When i think of the great scholars of all time I think of Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and of course....Gisele Bundchen. I'm not saying all models are dumb, but let's face it, they're not generally known for their intellectual prowess. And that brings me to my point; Gisele's interview in Harper's Bizaare UK. The supermodel, aka Tom Brady's baby mama, was quoted as saying, "Some people here [in the U.S.] think they don't have to breastfeed, and I think 'Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little?'," and my favorite, "I think there should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months." Let me start off by saying that I have the utmost respect for women who breastfeed. I only lasted 2 months, and it was hard. I am amazed when I hear about people who do it for 6 months, and astonished when I hear of sticking it out for a year. Kudos to you all. That being said, I felt like a failure when I stopped breastfeeding. My reasons are my reasons and I won't get into that, but I cannot stand it when women, celebrity or not, get on their soap box about breastfeeding. In almost all cases I think that breastfeeding is the best thing that you can do for your child. I mean, it's what your body was meant to do. At the same time, not everyone is physically able to do it. Not everyone is emotionally able to do it. And believe it or not, not everyone wants to do it. Do any of these reasons make you a bad mother? No!!!

I had a friend tell me if I stopped breastfeeding, Mac would not bond with me. Well let me tell you, he loves me and he loves his Daddy...and I know Eric never breastfed him!

I write this only to say, chose your words carefully, especially when talking to or about Moms. I know I used to cast judgement, and I'm sure I will again, but just think before the words roll of your tongue. Remember how you used to feel when all the "wise women" gave you little tips and advice to make you a better mother. And also remember, when you do receive unsolicited advice, I still get it all the time, just smile, nod, and go on with your day as though it never happened (unless of course it helps!)

There's No Place Like Home

As much fun as we had on our trip, it was so nice to walk in my front door. I wish I could chronicle our entire trip, but it would take forever! Instead, here are some of the highlights from our mini vacation. And trust me, the best part comes at the end!

Mac did great on the trip to Louisiana. We drove 4 hours to Shreveport with no stops and only one mini 15 minute meltdown. Way to go Mac!

We stayed with my cousins, Jason and Tammy, their little girl Jasey, and probably most important to Mac, their Boston Terrier, Cinch. Mac's eyes lit up as Cinch ran to the car to welcome us. It was so nice for Mac to have someone to play with while we were there (Jasey will be 3 in November). However, I did learn that kids that age do not typically enjoy sharing. This revelation led to Mac and Jasey having a few knock-down fights! Jasey took a few toys away from Mac while he was playing, but he just moved onto something else until he found some blocks. Jasey came over and took them away and I saw my child morph into a maniac. He started stomping his feet, turned red, let out a banshee-like scream and charged her! He grabbed her by the hair and was not planning to let go. To retaliate (and rightfully so), Jasey grabbed a blocked and knocked him upside the head. After we pulled them apart, I noticed that Mac had a Lego block imprint on his head. That's right, my boy got beat up by a girl. Other than that they got along pretty well. Having a little bouncy house to play in didn't hurt.






The first night of the rodeo Mac got to walk around and pet all the horses. He even got to play with some ducks. We ended up leaving early because he was so sleepy and getting extremely cranky, but we knew we'd be going back the next night.













After a good nights sleep we spent most of the day hanging out a Jason and Tammy's. We took Mac up to their barn to go and see some of the horses. Of course Mac was more excited to see the dogs. We made our way over to see my brother Kevin at his house in the afternoon to ride the four wheeler and Eric found a new toy for himself; a zero-turn lawn mower. I was told only a man could truly appreciate it.









We also got to see our old friend Snowball (a calf that we bottle fed last time we were up there). Mac liked him until we tried to make him ride it.





That night we headed back up to the rodeo and Mac had the best time! He got to ride a Watusi and a horse and play with his cousin Paxton. Mac also decided it would be a good idea to take some of that good old Louisiana dirt home with him. He kept sticking his hands through the fence and playing with the dirt in the middle of the arena. The next thing I know he is covered, head to toe, and sticking a big fist full of it in his mouth. He was filthy...but very happy!







On Sunday we went to church with Grandmama, Aunt Ruth, and Kevin. While Kevin took I nap..I mean while he was deep in prayer, Mac thought that it would be a good time to play with Mommy's bracelets. Once he got bored with that he decided to get his shiny new ball out and chunk it about 5 pews in front of us. We are definitely not ready for big boy church. We said our good-byes and hit the road for Little Rock to visit Eric's grandmother. Mac was once again a great little traveler. When we got to the house Mac was very excited to see this big black and white toy called a Grand Piano! Eric's grandmother is quite the pianist and gave him a quick lesson. The rest of the trip we would hear Mac's little fingers plunking out his version of a song. We spent the next day playing with Eric's dad and Aunt Robin, and visiting some of Deedie's(Eric's grandmother) friends.





Tuesday morning we just hung around the house, had a little lunch and a short nap and headed to the airport. I was a tad bit nervous to be going solo on Mac's first aerial adventure, but it sounded better than sitting in the car for 7 hours. When we got to security, monkey leash in tow, I told Eric to sneak away before Mac got upset and realized Daddy would not be joining us. All seemed to be fine until Mac's eyes met with those of an all to familiar friend...a dog. A drug dog to be exact. At that point Mac was on a mission. He was going to pet that dog! Of course they sort of frown upon petting drug dogs so I had to tell him "No." The news was not well received and Mac proceeded to hurl himself to the ground. The man with the dog apologized and I just shook my head and said I was sorry. I picked up my now hysterical son and stood in the security line with what seemed like a million eyes watching me. It didn't take long for a man a few people ahead of me to say "I think we would all appreciate it if you went ahead of me." I know he was being rude, but I really didn't care at that point. Once we got through the scanner Mac calmed down. I put his monkey leash back on, you could see the shame on his face, and we walked to the gate. And wouldn't you know it, our flight was delayed. Not what I wanted to hear, but it was okay. Mac was busy flirting with some lady, who would end up sitting next to us on the flight, so at least he was occupied for the time being.





Now just for your information, if you fly Southwest, you do not get to board early just because you have a kid. If you do not have an "A" boarding pass they will let you get on before the "B"'s, but that's after 60 people have already gotten on. We were "A31" so I figured we would at least get a window seat. To my great shock and surprise, the front aisle was empty when we got on! Mac and I snagged the window seat. I was thrilled! Soon after, Mac's 40 something girlfriend came and took the aisle seat. I told her she must be a brave woman to sit next to us. Laughing, she said she had 6 children and had had done this many times. To make this trip even better, the plane was not full and no one sat in the middle seat so Mac got to sit all by himself!



Then it happened...they closed the door. I thought, oh no, there's no way out. No matter what he does I'm stuck. As we we got ready for take off I grabbed his pacifier and shoved it in his mouth to hopefully stave off any ear popping. We got up in the air with no problems and I immediately turned on the Yo Gabba Gabba DVD. I kept telling myself that it was only a 1 hour flight so we just needed to get through 4 episodes and we were int he clear. Then I heard the pilot's voice informing us that due to the weather we were being diverted to Dallas where we would circle the city, then onto San Antonio to do the same, and then would could get into Houston. He estimated that the entire flight would be 2 hours. After watching the entire DVD, Mac was bored. I popped M&Ms in his mouth in return for showing his tricks (making animal sounds and showing me where his ears were). I figured that the sugar crash wouldn't happen until after we landed so who cared. Then my biggest fear became a reality. I smelt something horrible coming out of my son...yep, he pooped. I asked the flight attendant where I should change him and she informed me that there was a changing table in the bathroom. What?!? I'm not a big person and it's a tight squeeze for me to get in there alone! I got his bag and headed up front. Let me tell you, that changing table was ridiculous. Mac was probably too big for it at 9 months, so at 17 1/2 months, he was spilling off in every direction. The poor guys knees were pulled up to his chest and his head and neck were bent in a very awkward looking position. Just as I got him stripped down and cleaned the worst possible thing that could happen did...turbulence. I'm not talking a little rattle, it was really shaking. Mac, who was still half naked, thought it was great! He started pulling tissue paper off the wall, and throwing it in the air. He grabbed his shoe, chunked it at my head, and let out the biggest belly laugh ever. When I reached down to pick up the shoe I banged my head on the table, which he also found to be very entertaining. I was laughing so hard at this point I could barley speak. Mac then tried to stand up, again still naked, on the table and I was hysterically laughing and yelling "No Mac, No! Sit down!!" Apparently we were making quite a racket because as I exited the bathroom, I noticed that the entire plane is looking right at us and laughing; laughing hard! This whole episode lasted for about 10 minutes or so. It may have been one of the funniest experiences of my life. And if you need a visual, just think Chris Farley, changing clothes in "Tommy Boy."

Here are a few more pictures from our trip: