Just before her two month birthday, Clara rode on her first airplane. I was 17 before I flew, and Eric was 22, so Clara’s got a good start on growing up to be a well-traveled girl. She did wonderfully on the plane ride there (not so much on the way home, but more on that shortly). We flew into Atlanta Wednesday morning, and Eric’s sister was sweet enough to pick us up from the airport. After lunch and a couple hours in the car, we made it to Crystal’s house just before Eric’s dad and stepmom arrived. This was Clara’s first time meeting anyone in our family, and it was really special. She was a little disoriented, though, and wasn’t sure about being held by people other than her mom and dad. Still, we’re glad they got to meet her. The next morning, Eric’s grandmother, aunt and cousin came to visit for a few hours. We’re glad they were all able to make the trip to Crystal’s to see us and meet Clara. Of course, we didn’t get a single picture with our camera the entire time we were in Alabama, but here’s one from Eric’s dad’s. We didn’t get to spend a ton of time in Birmingham since the main reason we were in Alabama was for a wedding, but we’re very thankful for the time we did have there.
Friday morning, I left to bake cookies for the wedding reception while Eric packed our things and washed Clara’s diapers (yes, we successfully traveled with cloth diapers – woo!). The rest of the day was a whirlwind. We met our friends Melissa and David for lunch and then drove a couple hours to get to the wedding site. When we got there, it was time for the rehearsal and dinner. The wedding the next day was beautiful, and we had a fabulous time. We got to see so many friends we haven’t seen in such a long time (2-3 years). As you can see, Clara slept comfortably through the rehearsal and ceremony. 🙂
We left early Sunday morning and had breakfast with our friend Amanda before heading back to Atlanta. We were in the car about four hours, and Clara was not happy by the time we got to the airport. Thankfully, the TSA agents were kind and helpful while we were going through security. After a plane delay, we boarded the plane but waited on there for quite a while before takeoff. It was hot, and Clara and I were both sweaty. She was really unhappy and cried off and on for most of the ride, but at least it was a short flight. We were thankful to finally be home Sunday after a long day of traveling. Overall, I think Clara did wonderfully. I know it must’ve been overwhelming for her to be around so many new people in so many different places. We don’t have any plans to travel far away again in the near future, and I’m hoping it will be easier for all of us the next time around.
