Why is it that vacations always go by so fast?

Hang in there, this is going to be a long one...

Christian and I just returned from our little vacation in Michigan. We had SUCH a wonderful time visiting my family and friends, and Christian LOVED hanging out with his Nana and Papa for a week straight! Before I get to the recap of the visit, Christian had yet another LANGUAGE EXPLOSION in Detroit. Check out his new words:

-Thank you (which he very nicely accompanies with the sign)
-Poo Poo (How convenient)
-Meow (Thanks to Nana)
-Cookie (Thanks to Papa)

He also wowed everyone with his rendition of "If You're Happy and You Know It". He has become quite the dancing machine, bopping around to whatever music he hears, and pointing to his CI when he hears it. Again, can I just say how AMAZED I am of this technology and my little boy? It's nice to see the long hours of hard work and therapy that I've been putting in pay off so well.

Just before we left, I was really concerned about the trip out to Detroit. I'm happy to report that both legs of our trip went fine. Traveling by yourself with a toddler is a challenge to begin with. I thought for sure that the CI and gear that accompanies it would make it even harder. In all honesty, it was fine. I did chose to have Christian hand-wanded through security, which actually was easier for us than going through the metal detectors. When your hand wanded, you have a TSA officer who gets all of your stuff off the belt and even sets up your stroller, locks it, and helps you get your kid in it. I am all for having all the help I can get! I packed our extra processor in my carry-on in a FoodSaver bag inside of a sunglass case (because the cases Cochlear gave us are SO SKINNY!). I had them hand-wand that as well. It was a no biggie.

Once on the plane, I set up our CARES harness, and it worked like a charm. Christian did fine in it, and I was so relieved to not have to take the carseat on the plane. On our return trip, Christian EVEN FELL ASLEEP in it, with his CI on...while holding the barf bag. Nice.


Soon after Christian was born, my parents converted my old room into Christian's room. They bought him a crib, bedding, and even decorated it with firetrucks and puppy dogs. Their basement bistro bar was turned into Christian's playroom for the week, and their gorgeous backyard was COVERED in toys. It was so nice to go away and not have to worry about my little one being comfortable. I loved being able to take him on walks in the neighborhood that I grew up in. It seemed everywhere we went, we ran into someone that we knew. I miss my hometown.

In addition to playing with his grandparents, his Aunt Sarah and Uncle Nick seemed to be over everyday spoiling him with little treats. Uncle Nick taught him how to completely destroy a tower of blocks (thanks, bro). And Aunt Sarah introduced him to the smallest animal he's ever seen, their kitten Hannah. I won't go into what he tried to do with that cat, but let's just say I had the "WE HAVE TO BE NICE TO ALL OF GOD'S CREATURES" talk with him. Oy.

I was blessed to be able to be in town for the arrival of my dear friend's little boy-talk about great timing. It was such a joy to see them as new parents and to be able to hold and cuddle their little miracle. And, there's something about seeing one of your closest guy friend's get all teary eyed about their kid.


Through everything that we've been through with Christian, my best friend from home, Kate has been my rock. She always was there on the other end of the phone listening to me cry. She'd laugh with me, cry with me, and help me keep my mind off of the sad stuff by always indulging me in our joint obsession with celebrity gossip and lip gloss. Kate and her husband are awaiting the birth of their first child, and her shower was this past weekend, so I was able to be there for that as well. While my Dad, Uncle Nick, and Aunt Sarah watched Christian, my Mom and I were able to celebrate with Kate.


I know I'll have more pics to post from the week once my Dad uploads his camera. He was like the paparazzi with Christian, and I know we have a couple of fun shots from our lunch at The RainForest Cafe (a wonderful language opportunity), Christian's 1st Carousel Ride, and our visit with his Great-Grandparents. We miss everyone already, but we're also glad to be home with Chuck and Sammy the Cat.