Gemma the Jet-Setter

You may (or may not) have noticed that Gemma and I haven't been around for a few days and that is because we have been Bih-Zee! (That's busy to those of you who don't understand my dramatic phonetic spelling ;) )

Thanksgiving was at our house this year. It was a typical, laid-back, family affair. I ate. It was good.

Black Friday (Gemma's 3 month birthday), I went shopping a little, but only in my town and I waited until we woke up naturally. We weren't after any electronics deals or big kid toy sales so it was fine. I don't think we bought anything at all.

Saturday was especially exciting. Gemma had her first overnight trip. Gemma and I met up with one of my sorority sisters and we went down to Richmond to see a bunch of our other sisters. It was so much fun. We basically ordered take out and talked but it was so good to see "my people" if that makes sense  They ADORED Gemma and oohed and aahed and hugged and kissed and it was great. I think at first it was a little awkward to be in mommy mode around people who knew me way before but all of that melted away really quickly. They really made me feel comfortable and I am so glad that I went. I really need to make more road trips like that in the future. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures because I left my memory stick at home, but  really, that was the only dark spot in such a back trip.

Actually, I take that back. On Sunday we stayed for lunch and left around 3:30 p.m. We didn't get back to Northern Virginia until 9:00 p.m. A two hour drive took us FIVE AND A HALF HOURS! We did stop for a quick bite but mostly it took so long because the traffic was horrific. I should have known, being that is was Thanksgiving weekend but unfortunately we hadn't really realized what we were getting into. The traffic itself wasn't what bothered me, I didn't really mind being stuck in the car with a good friend I hadn't seen in too long. What I did mind is that EVERY time Gemma would fall asleep or even start too we would hit another bad patch of traffic and it would wake her up and she was screaming like crazy. It was that awful frantic baby scream that eats at your soul. After we got to my sorority sister's place in NOVA we still had another hour drive home. All I can say is I was awfully glad to see my bed!

Today was not much of a day of rest. In fact we had to drive an hour and a half to see a Pediatric Gastroenterologist who offered a little insight to some of Gemma's crazy fussiness (which had gotten better and then worse) and also reassured me about her low weight gain (she is still under 11 pounds and just over the 10th percentile!). Basically he put her on probiotics, assured me that she will get better, and told me not to stress the number on the scale as long as she has "meat", which she does. There were two very sick babies in the waiting room (feeding tubes, multiple surgeries, NICU stays, etc.) and my heart went out to there parents. I felt so blessed to be one of the "lucky ones" whose child has a small problem with what will likely be an easy fix.

Tomorrow, I think I might declare it a PJ day and cuddle on the couch and catch up with my DVR... (and maybe study for my LSAT, only 5 days!)

That is if I can keep Gemma the Jet-Setter at home :)