Thursday, September 12, 2013

Butter Bean's First Flight (& Adventures in New Jersey)

I have been looking forward to Labor Day weekend for quite some time.  A good friend of ours was getting married and I just couldn't wait to attend her wedding.  She has exceptional style which I knew would mean the wedding would be beyond beautiful! Traveling up to New Jersey would also give us a chance to catch up with friends and family and introduce them to Butter Bean.

But we weren't sure if this much anticipated trip was actually going to happen.  There are still some medical issues that are unresolved from the incident, so the doctors and county were being cautious about him traveling, not to mention out of state and on an airplane. We were very fortunate to get medical clearance for him to travel just a few days before we were scheduled to leave!  Woohoo!

We were lucky (or maybe smart enough) to get non-stop flights up and back to New Jersey since we had no clue if Butter Bean would enjoy travelling.  Turns out Butter Bean was an awesome traveler.  He was too excited on his first flight to sleep, but he was super happy so fortunately we weren't *those* people with the screaming kid. He loved looking out the window, "reading" the safety card and of course having an in flight beverage.

Wish you could see his cute face enjoying his bottle!
Butter Bean was completely tuckered out when we got off the flight. He almost instantly fell asleep as we waited for our luggage.


The next day Butter Bean was spoiled by his foster grandparents while we headed to the wedding. As I expected it was amazing! From the hand embroidered handkerchiefs that were given out for "Tears of Joy" to the exquisite floral arrangements (bride's mom is a florist and pulled out all the stops) to the incredible view of the NYC skyline to the amazing bridesmaids dresses and the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.  Really. I don't know that I have ever heard an entire group of people audibly gasp when the bride walks in the room. We had an amazing night!

The next day my in-laws threw a "Meet the Munchkin" party for all of our extended family and friends in New Jersey. It was awesome to see everyone and catch up since we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. Butter Bean had a great time meeting everyone and it was so cute to see him playing along since our friends' kids.  Another generation of trouble!

Our last day in New Jersey was spent in Princeton, a town with much history for us. It was in this town that the hubby and I met 15 years ago! And 8 years ago we returned to Princeton to get married. As we strolled on the college campus we actually ran into the professor whose choir we were both singing in.  It was pretty cool to say hello, even though I'm sure he didn't really remember us.  We then had dinner at the Chinese restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner, which unfortunately is under new management and isn't as good as it used to be.  We stocked up on Princeton gear for both us and Butter Bean and then headed to the infamous Princeton Tiger for a photo op for a special doctor.


Here's the story: While we were in the hospital with Butter Bean, there was a lot of medical jargon that was being thrown around. We were trying to stay informed and understand everything that was happening. With the emotional roller coaster of the ups and downs and the ever changing theories and tests being run, it was a daunting task. There was one doctor in particular that we really clicked with. She always took the time to explain to us using everyday people terms what was going on and what the good, bad, and most likely scenarios looked like. One day I was wearing my Princeton sweatshirt because the hospital was always freezing and she complimented me on my shirt because that was her alma mater! I told her how I was excited to take Butter Bean up to Princeton one day and show him all of our favorite spots. At this point we started comparing our favorites and I knew then that I had to get a photo of Butter Bean with the Princeton Tiger for her. She is the person that allowed us to keep our sanity during the hospital stay and helped us feel totally comfortable that everything possible was being done for Butter Bean. And we did get a much cuter picture where you can see his face for her. 

Then we were able to get into the chapel that we were married in and take some more pictures of Butter Bean.  Here is one of my favorites of him "playing" the piano.


We had an uneventful flight home. Butter Bean decided to sleep the entire flight, which was so nice considering the turn of events that happened when we got home.
elissa

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