Jet Set Boobjuicing

So, I should totally be in bed right now, by the way, but I can't fall asleep lately. Which seems terribly ironic.

Anyway, I flew to Minnesota for a volunteer event for my college a couple weeks ago, and because I am scared to not nurse for two days, brought Kiddo with me. And bought him a ticket, because I'm too chicken (and it sounds just too chaotic) to have him be a lap kid. So this boobjuicing thing has become a serious resource hog. Well, the way I'm doing it, anyway. So I arranged to have the BEST FRIENDS EVER, G and H, take care of Kiddo, and of course they did and AWESOME job and he loved them. He already knew G (male) but hadn't met H (female) and luuuuuved her too. It was great because the college put me up in the building where the meetings were being held, so I could sneak off at break times and nurse him or just check in and say hi.

So then, I had work business meetings (as opposed to volunteer business meetings, I'm not just being redundant) on Monday, which I gleefully offered to add on to this trip to make it more efficient (fewer plane rides better in my book). So Sunday night, I stayed with R and E and their three ADORABLE kids, S1 (female, 9), S2 (male, 6) and G (male, 2). Good gravy. Three kids, two of whom are boys and apparently aspiring wrestlers, in an adorable home which is perhaps just a tad small for the size to which their beautiful family has grown, was a RIOT. These kids are crazy smart, too, unsurprisingly knowing their parents. But the best part was that E, who is a stay-at-home dad like my hubby, was soooo patient when kiddo freaked out during the second business meeting and basically spent two hours crying and climbing in and out of his car seat. Plus there was this adorable text string during my first meeting - I got them both on a break after the first hour of the meeting:
"Does R get a whole cookie, Earth's Best Teether?"
(two minutes pass)
"Well, he seems to think so. Sorry for the interruption."
Hee hee! I can just imagine how that exchange went! "Wo, buddy, what do you think you're doing with this half a cookie business?"
I am super grateful for my awesome friends all around the country.

Coming up next will be an interesting whirlwind tour of the Midwest. We start off with my 15 year reunion - so no boobjuicing trouble there, as can just keep kiddo near by. So since we all three would already be on a plane to the Midwest, of course I'll stick more business meetings on to that, so that I can make Hubby do kidcare in remote cities without having to talk him into an "extra" ticket. So business meetings in MSP on Monday after reunion. Tuesday fly to Chicago and hopefully make it to an afternoon meeting same day (have warned the meetee of travel plans and given flight number so they can give up and go home if we're thunderstormed in or something). Wednesday morning more meetings, then a conference Wednesday afternoon through Friday midday. Now, Chicago being just a quick jaunt from MSP on a plane, and hubby and kiddo already being on the road with me, of course they should just come along!

I'm getting all sorts of sales pitch invitations for dinners and breakfasts and cocktail hours at this conference. It's not me, it's my company that is that popular - most of these folks would only know me from Eve by checking for a belly button. I've been toying with giving up the morning nursing, but we haven't yet and I don't have any idea what time zone kiddo's appetite will be in, so I'm giving these tentative yesses to the bfasts and cocktail hours, declining all dinners (these are nice restaurants I'm turning down people!) and figuring I can sneak in and out of cocktail hours relatively unobtrusively. My awesome boss is being very understanding about the whole thing - yay!

Originally we were planning for hubby's parents to drive up from Indy and keep him and kiddo company, drag them to museums, etc. But, unfortunately, hubby's dad will be starting chemo again, so NOW the plan is that Thursday after kiddo's bedtime, Matt drives down to Indy in a one-way rental. Friday the conference ends at noon, and I pick up a one-way rental and also drive down to Indy. So we will miss the morning nursing that day, and I'll bring Bessie Jr. (a Medela hand pump) along in case I get uncomfortable or just scared. We stay until Saturday evening and then fly back to Portland. It's a quick visit but way better than none and I really think Grandpa will appreciate it. And he's the only grandpa kiddo has left, since we lost my father in 2002 to colon cancer. Which is what hubby's dad is now fighting. Cancer sucks, people. Get your colonoscopies as directed by your doctors or so help me I will hold you down and MAKE you drink that nasty laxative myself. It's WAY better than cancer, guarantee it.

Be well, take care of each other, and happy boobjuicing!

Love,
Suzi