The Bradleys Visit

A few weeks ago, we got a call from Brooke Bradley, whose family used to live in the cabin that we "saved from Wal-Mart." She and her siblings were going to be in town and wanted to visit the farm and see the "finished product." Four years ago, when the restoration was in its infancy and the cabin was still a pile of logs in our back field, they had visited us and shared the story of their great-grandparents who came to east Tennessee with a railroad company and eventually settled near Kingsport after the railroad went bankrupt. In 1892, the couple bought the cabin from the Birdwell family who built it, and it remained in the Bradley family until it was sold to a developer just before we rescued it. The Bradley siblings are intelligent and gracious people: Brooke helps run Adirondack camp in New York; her sister Carol and brother Jeff are free-lance writers, living in Montana and Colorado respectively. (Their parents still live in Kingsport.) Though they never lived in the house, they remember visiting their grandparents who lived there. A favorite activity was to dare each other to run past the "spooky" old pictures of their great-grandparents that hung near the staircase. It was a bit like spending the night in a haunted house, they recalled. Though no doubt still filled with spirits, gladly the house doesn't seem as sinister now!

Tummy Time!

It's amazing what babies can accomplish when you're not watching. This morning, I went into the nursery to check on Thomas, who was supposed to be napping. Instead, he was practicing for the Olympic gold medal in crawling--with his "coach," Octavio, the blue-jay. Time to baby-proof the house!

First Flight

(at the airport)

In early February, Thomas took his first plane trip(!)--to sunny Florida to visit Lance's family. Mamaw Brenda dropped us off at the airport on Saturday morning, and from there we flew to Charlotte and then on to Jacksonville where Grandma Klosterman picked us up. The flights went smoothly: I breastfed Thomas during the ascents and descents, and he slept most of the rest of time. When we got to Florida, we had to adjust to warmer weather and no snow, but we quickly became accustomed to wearing t-shirts and tennis shoes (rather than mud boots!) We spent Saturday night with Lance's parents and then took the whirlwind tour, stopping next in Gainesville to visit Uncle Brad, Aunt Michelle, and cousins Carstyn, Chase, and Rae, who greeted us with much love and enthusiasm. Chase is especially excited to have another boy in the family and has already begun "pen-paling" with Thomas. After being thoroughly entertained by the cousins, we drove to Lake Placid to see Lance's grandfather and aunt and uncle. (Thomas makes great-grandchild #15 for Grandpa Chase!) There, we had our obligatory meal at Schooni's, a local diner, and played with cousins Gabe, Landon, and Ellie.

After all the meeting and greeting, we drove back to Jacksonville where Lance saw me and Thomas off. (Lance was staying a few extra days for a radiology conference). I had a long talk with Thomas before boarding about cooperating with Mommy and being respectful to the nice people on the plane. Apparently, the words went in one ear and out the other: Before take-off on the first flight, Thomas grinned at me and had a "blowout" (our term for a big poop). Luckily, the stewardess held the plane while I changed Thomas's diaper and outfit in the cramped 2X2 bathroom. I thought for sure Thomas would fall asleep after emptying out and being cleaned up. Nope. He wanted a snack! So, I breastfeed him again during take-off. Then he went to sleep. Whew...peace for a little while. We de-boarded at Terminal E with no further complications, but soon discovered that our next flight was leaving from Terminal B--all the way across the airport. I was determined not to ride one of those golf carts, so I hiked Thomas up on my hip and took off, taking full advantage of the moving sidewalks. Thomas was quite happy with the brisk walking and over-stimulating atmosphere, so we made it to Terminal B with time to spare. Then, it was time for another talk about being a team player. We boarded the tiny plane and waited. People streamed in one after another (all going to Tri-Cities?). Our "neighbor" was a Mr. Rogers-ly type man. "You're the Lucky Winner," I joked as he stuffed his luggage in the overhead bin, "You get to sit next to the baby!" He chuckled. Lucky indeed. Thomas soon started fidgeting then quickly burst into an all out tantrum. We hadn't even started moving yet! He seemed disinterested in breastfeeding, but I managed to cram his face under my shirt and force-feed him. After much flailing about, he soon went off to sleep. An hour later, right after the captain had turned on the "Fasten Seat Belt" sign in preparation for the descent, Thomas woke up, grinned, and yep, you guessed it...he had another blowout. This time, we couldn't move. People nearby began snarling their noses, and I just froze, trying to hold Thomas as still as possible without "spilling" anything. As soon as I heard the ding signaling that we were stopped, I jumped up and scurried off of the plane. Mamaw was waiting impatiently at the gate, reaching for Thomas. "No, No," I cried, "We've got to go to the bathroom NOW!" We bustled by the other passengers and raced to the changing table. No leakage! Catastrophe averted! But definitely a trip to remember...: )

(asleep on the plane)

(with Grandma Lynne)

(with cousins Chase, Rae, and Carstyn)

(with Grandpa Chase)