Sunday, June 27, 2010

A Solemn Vow

I, Stephanie Jean Murrill, do solemnly vow to you, my tens of readers:) to NEVER take an airplane trip with an infant without my spouse again...ever. Never.  Ever again.

Let me start off by saying that Ashley's wedding was amazing and beautiful and I was so honored to be a part of it.  With that being said...it was the most stressful trip of my life...hands down.

I was nervous from the beginning.  As we boarded the plane and walked down the aisle, I saw people's faces of fear and then instant relief as I would pass.  You could tell they were so nervous that I was going to set next to them...me with my two huge carry-ons and my talkative little baby.   I don't know what poor Mr. 18B did to get so lucky, but next to him we set.   I have to give the guy a major shout-out.  He was so helpful.  He totally took care of my bags and just was very understanding about everything.  There ended up being tons of seats open on the flight, and he asked me if I wanted him to move to an empty seat so we could have some room!  What a great guy and a great offer.  We gladly accepted.  Two bottles and 2 1/2 hours later, we arrived in Austin.  Monroe did great and I was so relieved.

It was so awesome to see Ashley and Jaime and we had a blast from the beginning.  Laughs were the theme of the weekend and many were had by all.

The only bad thing was the packed schedule.  i.e. Lunch, head to resort, wedding shower, church, rehearsal, move to lake house, rehearsal dinner, lingerie shower, pedicures at the spa, getting ready for the wedding, wedding, pictures, reception, pack, fly home...it didn't leave much time to pump every three hours, feed Monroe or give her naps.  I felt so bad for her, because she was truly exhausted.  Luckily, Andrea and Carlos took Monroe during the rehearsal dinner and for the pre-wedding and wedding.  I honestly couldn't have done it without them.  They were lifesavers.

By the end of the weekend, I was just so keyed up and nervous because I was constantly trying to find time or a place to pump or a place for Monroe to nap.  I know it probably wasn't the best idea to bring her, but I just couldn't imagine leaving my baby behind.    

I was also so sad to leave Mark at home on Father's Day.  He is such an amazing husband and daddy to Monroe.  We wanted to celebrate him and we did the best we could from a few hundred miles away.  Before we left we got him some special goodies:)  He got a new grill that he absolutely loves.  He has been grilling for every meal since we got it!  We also got him one of those huge clocks to hang in his office at work along with some matching office accessories.  Monroe got him a Starbuck's giftcard for Sunday morning since we couldn't be there to make breakfast.  We also got him a bag full of his favorite candies to snack on while we were gone.

So anyway, on Monday, Andrea and Carlos dropped us off at the airport.  We didn't want to get there too early, because we didn't want to wait around.  As we were checking in, we found out that our flight was delayed an hour!  What a bummer!!!  I didn't have a lot of milk, as my milk production had gone down throughout the weekend.  I found a family restroom there in the airport and locked the door.   Monroe was getting tired and fussy, but I had to pump, so I  pushed her around the bathroom in the stroller while I pumped.  What a sight to see:)  I fed her the rest of the solid food I had left and hoped for the best.  We finally were able to board the completely full flight and found our seat next to an older gentleman.  He was also very helpful and I really appreciated him.  We got all ready to go and pulled onto the tarmac. This is the point where I pulled out the all important bottle to give to Monroe during takeoff.  She sucked it down and fell asleep in no time, but we still set on the tarmac, which we continued to do for the next hour and a half.  How frustrating!!!!

Monroe woke up before we ever took off and was pretty terrible the rest of the flight.  She didn't wail or anything, but she was just so cranky and still so exhausted from the weekend.  I couldn't get her to set still and she just whimpered through the whole 2 1/2 hours of the flight.  It was really overwhelming.  I felt so bad for the guy next to us.  He was so sweet, but I know I would have been annoyed if I were him.

I have never been so glad to be home ever.  The whole trip just made me so thankful for my wonderful husband and his help and support.  I will be so much for thoughtful and kind to young mother's traveling alone.  They are doing the best they can:)

I am so sorry for venting!!!  This is a total Debbie Downer post.

Did I mention it was a beautiful wedding? :)  It truly was amazingly beautiful.  They had it at a little ranch and the setting was breathtaking.  Ashley was an absolutely stunning bride and I am so excited for Ash and Eric as they begin their new life together.  Here are a few pics of the weekend...

The Happy Couple

At the Rehearsal Dinner 
Getting ready to head to the Spa

Strutting it in our heels


                                 Jaime and I                                                 The Beautiful Bride


The Wedding Party

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