Yes, you most definitely read that correctly. After seven long weeks, Justin is finally back home with his family. His ALC (advanced leader's course) graduation was Thursday morning, and his flight arrived in Seattle the very same night. In the moments when we first saw him and we were reunited, it honestly felt like these past seven weeks weren't standing between us. I wish you guys could have seen it because it was nothing short of just a perfect memory. I guess I should start from the beginning, since I've been mia on the blog lately. This time last week I started prepping for Justin's arrival. That meant picking up little things for the house or for Justin that I knew he'd appreciate. I also started deep cleaning each room of our home. Nothing feels better than a (super nice) clean home after being away for almost two months.

Some of the other things I did were with just Ava bug and I. While I have anticipated Justin coming home for awhile now, I know that a part of me will miss that time I had with Ava bug. She and I did so many things in Justin's absence, I just wanted to end our "alone" time together with a bang. We did pedicures, lunch dates with just eachother, and tons of time at Barnes and Noble. We went to the ocean a few times, we stayed in for indoor activities, and explored new parts of the state of Washington. We did a lot of growing in daddy's absence, and that's one of the first things he noticed since coming home last night. I think he's still on cloud 9 from the changes he's noticed in his daughter. I also made some fun changes, like spicing up the scents we use in our house, changing the bedding, and adding a touch of decor. It was fun to see Justin notice each thing that was different or swapped out.

All of these small little tasks got us (quickly) to the day where we'd be picking up our favorite guy from the airport. Ava had been on a "daddy" kick all day Thursday, so I was overly excited for her reaction. When we got to the airport, I arrived exactly an hour before his flight was suppose to land. I didn't know prior to leaving the house, but his flight got delayed a bit. I ended up finding out where exactly his flight's baggage claim was, then going back to the car with Ava to stay warm and pass by the time a little faster. As soon as I got the "I just landed" text from Justin, we immediately went back inside the airport. The flight's baggage claim ended up being changed, so I quickly walked over 10 baggage claims forward in an attempt to get there before Justin.

This was my favorite part. As soon as I got to his baggage claim, I called him. He answered, and I immediately spotted him in the crowd. I hung up and I started telling Ava bug to look for daddy. She looked around a little confused because she didn't see him at first. Then, it happened. She looked to her left and just as Justin was dropping the luggage he had in his hand, she booked it. I seriously have never seen this child run so fast. She was giggling and started opening her arms to embrace her father. He had the biggest smile on his face and he had his arms opened too. I, of course had my camera out and tried to get a picture of it before the moment had passed. I succeeded! People were watching in awe and admiring my sweet family reuniting. It was an incredible feeling. After letting them have their moment, I got myself a series of whirlwind airport kisses.

I literally lost my breath a little because I wasn't expecting that level of intensity to occur. In those moments all of the weight that had fallen on my shoulders over the past 7 weeks just kind of disappeared. I felt like no time had passed at all, and I was immediately filled with overwhelming joy. I had my man back. I can't tell you how amazing this felt for both Ava and I. She wouldn't (and still hasn't) let go of her daddy since she got him back. Lots of cuddles, kisses and hugs.

♥- Leilani

Flying with my (almost) eight month old

Where do I begin? My first plane ride with Ava didn't cause as much anxiety as I originally anticipated. And the anxiety I did feel wasn't from traveling with an infant. I'd say I was most relieved by that. We arrived at the Killeen airport an hour and a half before my flight was to take off. That airport is so small, and cute. It took about .5 seconds to get my boarding pass, bags checked, and get Justin a gate pass. Ahh, gate passes. Those things are a god sent (thank you Victoria). Justin was able to go through security with me and help me with Ava bug.. which actually turned out to be a good thing because I was selected for a random security check. I won't lie, I was actually shaking after being patted down, and touched. Granted it was a woman, but I have never had that happen before. I'm glad our airports are taking a much higher security measure though, it's making sure we are all safe. Other than that, going through security was a breeze. It seems like when you have kiddos all of their items are exempt to the "do not bring" list. After we got through security, Justin made sure to set our things right next to the gate, and we said our goodbyes. No tears from this mama (shocked), but he started his journey West as soon as he left us.

 Ava was so fussy while we were waiting for our flight. Another tooth has cut through her gums, and while I am thrilled for my Bug to be getting teeth, the pain seems to just be god awful. I ended up giving her teething tablets, and a little Tylenol for her fever. 225 pm came around so much sooner than I was expecting, and soon I was boarding with Ava on a smaller, charter plane. I gate checked the infant car seat and base, and I am so glad that I did. I definitely think giving Ava the tylenol helped a bit because we got minimal fussiness (and I chalk the fuss we got up to teething). I nursed her during take off, and she fell asleep almost instantly. It would have been nice for Bug to get a nap in, unfortunately the flight from Killeen to Dallas felt like five minutes. When we got off the plane, I waited on the bridge for my gate checked bag. It took all of two minutes for that to come up.

Going through the Dallas airport was like a maze. Initially I tried carrying my infant car seat on my back, my diaper bag, my checked bag, and Ava in the ergobaby carrier all at once. I did that when I went to the first incorrect terminal (thank you Expedia) for my flight. I really had to use the bathroom, (and I am SO GLAD I DID) because I started a conversation with a couple of really nice people that were also waiting for their flight to.. Longview, TEXAS! I figured out I was in the wrong place, and they kindly helped me load all of my things on a luggage cart, and directed me (in what they thought) was the correct terminal. I went back up to the skyrail, and I went to the second incorrect terminal for my flight, and by this point I was just fed up. Ava was an angel through all of this though. So curious, and content in the carrier. My flight was due to leave in like 35 minutes and I had been all over this airport. I finally just went up to a rep behind an airline counter, and asked her where my flight was. It was easy peasy for her to look that information up, and she told me not to listen to expedia in the future. Apparently they always have the wrong terminal information. I was then on my way to the third terminal, luggage and Bug in tow.

A kind couple on the skyrail held onto my luggage cart, all the way to my next terminal. I finally arrived at the correct terminal with just enough time to use the bathroom and board our flight. I gate checked the infant car seat, yet again, and this time they gave me the option of picking it up on the bridge, or baggage claim. I chose bridge, since that's what I had done the first time. Once getting in our seat, I felt so much better about this final plane ride. Until the person beside us sat down. Ava and I had the window seat, and there were these two huge military men who occupied the other two seats. I felt crammed, uncomfortable, and I thought the flight was going to be horrible. It was surprisingly entertaining. The military men kept Ava entertained. I was able to sit her on the tray that is attached to the seat in front of us, and I let her play with some of her toys I'd packed away in the diaper bag. I got her to sleep for a little over an hour, which was nice. When Bug was asleep I took that time to order beverages and something to snack on. When she woke up I pointed out our window and she was able to see Mt.Rainier, and the Seattle skyline. Though I know she was unaware of what she was looking at, it made my heart all warm knowing my baby was seeing something dear to me for the first time, home!I kept her in the ergobaby carrier the entire time she slept on the plane, and after we landed and made our way to baggage claim. This trip went so much better than I expected. 

Tips for flying with an infant

• If you are flying alone, get a gate pass for whomever is present to help you get through security
• Use a baby carrier so you are able to have free hands at all times
• If you have a teething baby, bring teething tablets and/or feeders (whatever you use to help soothe baby)
• Make sure you know where your terminals are AHEAD of time. 
• bring baby toys to keep your little one occupied
• Try to get an isle seat (I wish I would have)
• Definitely nurse, bottle feed, or have a pacifier handy during take off and landing (I think nursing was the real reason Ava wasn't fussy during those times)

 ♥- Leilani