Sweet home Chicago

We made it home intact tonight. Yelena did not enjoy the flight today. She is asleep now and was all smiley before bed, so it's water under the bridge but, unlike on the flight to LA, she did not make the best impression on her fellow passengers. When Eli went to get my luggage at the baggage claim, an elderly gentleman who had been sitting a few rows behind us on the flight said to me, "She must be Irish, with that dark hair and so beautiful. And such great lungs." After thanking him for the compliment and denying the Irish part he reported that his wife had said, "Someone is very angry," and that I must have my hands full. I assured him that typically she is a very cheerful, easy baby and this was unusual. I think this is the first time I've had to apologize for my child's behavior in public. I doubt it will be the last.

She did not want to nap, and even wasn't into having her legs bicycled, which is a first. She was very grumpy, plus pooping quite a bit and spitting up a ton. She wasn't even into eating, but didn't seem to be teething, although maybe she was and her tummy was bothering her from the teething. The descent was the worst. Like before, she was suckling between sobs but then started to fall asleep, in a weird way. Everything I've read and heard says to never ever let a baby sleep during descent so I brought her up from under my discrete shirt when she fell off the booby and she looked very out of it, eyes rolling back, not breathing normally and a bit blue. This happened twice and each time I held her upright and called her name and kissed her and tried to get her attention, which seemed to bring her to. It was scary. I think she was exhausted from the flight and the ear pain and crying, which is all new to her. It was almost like she was passing out, to escape her misery. But it wasn't nodding off, which would not have frightened me. We made it to landing, thank God, and she seemed ok and then nodded off for a bit. By the time we got into the car she was cooing again, as if nothing had ever troubled her.

I rejoice that babies do not have long term memory. I am going to talk to the pediatrician about this at our next visit. I am currently not worried but it's not something I am going to forget about any time soon.

I have a new theory about this napping-crying continuum. The only other time this week Yelena cried a lot was Thanksgiving, when she was teething pretty vigorously. She then conked out for two hours. On the average day, Yelena doesn't cry much more than a minute here or there and takes 3-4 20-40 minute naps a day. On the rare day she's fussy, she naps like a "normal" baby. I guess "normal" babies cry a lot more, and thus need more day time rest to sleep off the emotional exhaustion.

Sweet Spina is mewling for some loving, so off I go.