Newborn Niece! in The Day To Day Ramblings

A few weeks ago, Rob and I were just about Up To Here with all the cold and freezing and snow and WINTER in Wisconsin. We had a random four day weekend with no plans coming up so we looked into traveling to the Caribbean, to southern California, to Arizona or Vegas or New Orleans. Anywhere, somewhere warm, somewhere with a beach or a tropical drink or sand between our toes. Then my beautiful sister in law had our very first baby niece, Caroline, in the end of January....and our destination was decided. Cold and snowy Boston. ;)

I packed the day before...Claire helped.

We had a bit of a delay once we got through security due to a "missing part" on our plane, but I amused myself by buying a bookmark that just screamed "me" :)

Once we landed, we proceeded to spend the next four days doing as close to nothing as possible. My little peanut of a niece turned four weeks old while we were there so she primarily ate, slept, cried when she needed something, got her diaper changed and for a few short minutes a day she would gaze somewhat bobbly-eyed kinda towards a face while not crying. It was nice to be there but also, let me just quietly say here Dear Diary, kinda nice to leave behind.

We slept in every day and then went out for lunch and then again somewhere for dinner. Between lunch and dinner we sometimes walked their dog but other times we napped or watched House of Cards (OMG addicted!) or read books. Caroline did excellent in the middle of the day, often sleeping without issue from 11 AM - 3 PM. She'd be awake, on and off for the rest of the afternoon then be AWAKE and often SCREAMING from 7 PM to midnight. She would inconsolably cry during those hours and feed almost constantly. Rob and I both took our turns walking around their house dancing with her, singing to her, cooing at her and sometimes it would work and sometimes it would not. She's not to the stage of making eye contact or smiling at all so the novelty of having a new niece kinda wore off for Rob as he couldn't get that 'bond' from her that I think he expected. She is kinda just a little (but cute!) lump who screams with this shrill, high pitched, ear piercing need despite being clean and dry and fed...just because. He did great with her though and kept offering to hold her and wasn't deterred by her crabbiness. He even said that he thought newborns would be harder than she was so I suppose that's all good.

We snuggled SO MUCH when she wasn't screaming though :)

After four days where I actually felt more relaxed than I expected while sharing a house with a newborn, we packed up and headed back to Madison last night. The sunset on our way to the airport was unreal and demanded I capture it. In my haste to do so, I scurried off the bus and left my very favorite mittens behind. I also realized once we got on the plane that I'd left my favorite headphones somewhere at my sister in law's house. Blergh. My brain is mush apparently because I lose things constantly. I pretty much need things glued to my body or I just wander away. I'm the epitome of "Ohh! Something shiny!"

And then we met my MIL and FIL near the airport and picked up MY baby. Sure was nice to see her and snuggle her again. :)

We drove home, crawled into our warm little flannel coccoon and all slept snuggled up close. It was a fun trip, eye opening and interesting, made me thankful that I didn't have a newborn in my own life just yet but all the more excited to welcome one when the powers that be deem it so. Rob even said this made him MORE excited to be a dad and do all of this with our own child and if a weekend with a screaming newborn leaves him feeling that way, he must be ready. :)

Now, still, any time it wants to warm up...I'm also ready.