Bigger in Texas

Tonight marks our first night in Texas. Kevin and Nolan are in the living room getting ready for bed, and I am lounging in the bedroom, enjoying free internet. I found out today just how exhausting and frustrating traveling with a 2 1/2 year old can be. The shame (and annoyance) when he cried and cried on the plane, our inability to keep him from kicking the chair in front of him (let’s be honest here - a timeout on a plane is the same thing as non-timeout on a plane... sitting in an uncomfortable chair with nowhere to go), the tantrums over EVERYTHING... If you've ever tried to manage three giant rolling bags, a stroller, a car seat, two computer bags, and three backpacks between two adults and crabby toddler, you understand what a good part of my day looked like. I told Nolan today, in Wal-mart, that if he didn't knock his behavior off, I was going to tear him a new one, to which he grinned and parroted, "a new one!".

I experienced a lot of kindness today. We had barely arrived at the airport when people began going out of their way to accomidate us. A baggage man, seeing that I couldn't get to him to show him my ID, ran towards me so that I wouldn't have to come to him. A woman letting us into security smiled at me and said to Nolan, "you have a beautiful mommy!". It's funny how differently I was treated when people thought I was the mother of a small child. The patience people showed us while we struggled through security, the eagerness of flight attendants and pilots to great Nolan and to make him feel special, a stranger helping me pick up my computer bag on the rental car shuttle... today was a blur of smiles, seats given up, offers of assitance, and looks of "I've been there, too". I feel in love with humanity today.

Enjoyable events of the day included: Nolan helping me put on my blush and foundation (we both looked fabulous by the time we were done), 83 degrees and a warm, gentle breeze at 8 o'clock at night, seeing the Arlington Ballpark completely deserted at dusk, and knowing how ecstatic Kevin is in this weird heaven-on-earth of his.