Tara & Darrell's Excellent Adventure, Part 2

For the first time ever, Darrell slept five hours and 45 minutes! Wow! It was actually me who woke him up about 6:30 am when my rock-hard, soaked, engorged right boob woke me up because so much time had passed since his last feeding. If I didn't wake him up or pump, I'd be in pain soon. Of course, he was probably exhausted from screaming for the whole drive the day before, but regardless, I was glad he allowed me the longest continuous bout of sleep I'd had since he was born.

And I needed it! After feeding him, I got up for an early morning chat with my dad and then went back to bed for an hour before leaving for our first visit: my friend Latha at 9:30am. Of course, I was running late because I had to stop at my favorite bagel shop, Iris Bagels, on the way to say hi to the family there and get my once-standard poppy seed bagel - Oh, how I miss those bagels every day! Latha, one of my closest friends, had children before any of my other friends, so she's an old pro at this whole motherhood business with her sons Shrayes and Saurung. In addition to giving us a ton of awesome hand-me-down clothes and supplies, she's also been wonderful at dispensing helpful advice. Her schedule was tight, though, so I just popped in for about 45 minutes so she could meet Darrell and we could catch up.

Then it was off to see family friend Vikki, or "Aunt Vikki" for little Darrell. She just moved into an awesome house in Fort Worth, but she was still at her medical appointment in south Arlington when I called. So, I drove from Latha's in north Arlington to get Vikki and then off to see her adorable, cat-tastic Fort Worth home (the only home of cats I've ever visited that doesn't smell like cats :)

From Vikki's, it was back to east Arlington to see my "daughter" Taylor, a former student who calls me every Mother's Day and rightfully regards little Darrell as her little brother. Then it was back to my parents' in southwest Arlington to pick up Casper and Ghost and take them to Creature Comfort Animal Clinic for their annual shots. After dropping them back off at my parents', I headed to a central Arlington Starbucks to meet up with another former student Fatima and my friends Jaya and Charles with their adorable 11-month son Cayden.

Fatima was apparently stunned at my "transformation" into a mother, complete with "mom clothes." Mom clothes are a practical choice, of course, and I don't fit well or comfortably into much else besides sweat pants and a basic nursing top, so I suppose I look the part! It was amazing to see how big Cayden is - it's hard to believe that Darrell will be about his size and running around within a year... I want him to stay small for much, much longer!

From Starbucks, I swung back home to feed Darrell and then met my friend Jana - another super-close friend and the second of my friends to have kids - at America's Best Coffee before she headed to work. Jana had seen Darrell in the hospital, so she could really appreciate how much he's grown in just six weeks. And at last, after meeting Jana, I was off to the home of my husband's parents, Alice and Russ.

Whew! I was pretty damn tired by this point, so it was nice to just sit and relax at Alice's and have a relaxing dinner there. Khrystal, my husband's brother's fiancé, came with her kids as well, so little Darrell got to meet his cousins Ryleigh and Gabriel. They were utterly fascinated with this tiny new family member of theirs!

Darrell with cousins Gabriel & Ryleigh

By the time I left Alice's, I was definitely ready to crash, especially since the following morning would be the long drive back to Austin. Little D didn't sleep quite as long this time, but we still got in enough rest for the drive. I made sure to stop for my bagel and coffee at Iris Bagels to say hi to Earl and his parents again before getting on the road again. The ride back wasn't quite as harrowing as the drive north: Darrell only screamed for about 50 percent of the time. By now, I had nearly learned to tune it out while still alert for any abnormal or warning sounds.

Of course, central Austin greeted me with Friday rush-hour traffic since I wasn't arriving until nearly 4 pm, so I ended up getting home a little later than I'd planned to meet up with my friend Bridgett and her seven-month old daughter Satya. Bridgett and I had been trying to meet up for ages despite busy schedules, so it was nice to catch up, introduce her to little D and see how much Satya has grown since I met her a few months ago.

And at last, Friday night, we slept in our own bed, thoroughly wiped out from our whirlwind DFW odyssey!

Ryleigh, Darrell and Gabriel

Tara & Darrell's Excellent Adventure, Part I

Or, better named, Tara and Darrell's EXHAUSTING Adventure! But, I'm proud to say I've taken Darrell IV on his first road trip and we both survived, as did Casper and Ghost, our long-haired chihuahuas who accompanied us. I decided to take a trip to Arlington so little Darrell could meet some friends and visit Alice and Russ, Darrell's parents, who hadn't seen him since he was born. I told only a few people I was coming because I didn't want to feel obligated to see a ton of people, especially since I was only going to be there for two days. I also warned people that I couldn't guarantee I'd make it. I figured if I made it to Waco, the halfway point between Austin and DFW, then I could make the rest of the trip, but until I hit that 100-mile mark, I wasn't making any promises.

As I expected, Darrell wailed at the start of the trip. I made sure he had a full tummy, even breastfeeding him one last time at the Riverside service road gas station where I filled up the tank. I also made sure he wouldn't be hot or cold, with the A/C angled toward him and a blanket tucked around him. Nevertheless, a piercing newborn cry was my soundtrack until I was a good 10-15 miles out of Georgetown. Then, suddenly, I realized the crying had stopped. It took a minute for me to realize it because I was used to his occasional pauses, just long enough to take a breath and begin screaming again. So naturally, I breathed deeply and enjoyed the sudden respite, right? Oh no - not me. I was so used to the crying that I worried something was wrong so I arched up high in my seat to take a quick peek over the car seat (the mirror I'd been using to see him in the rear-facing seat in the back had fallen off and I hadn't been able to replace it yet). I saw a foot wiggle and felt relieved. He was alive all right - he just decided to stop screaming.

For twenty minutes. Then it was back to wailing again for over an hour. During the four-hour trip (normally three hours, but I stopped a few times to feed him or comfort him), he DIDN'T cry for one more 15-minute period and one 10-minute period. Beyond that, he screamed the remaining three hours!

To save time on feeding, I decided to pump while I was driving so I could simply pull over and give him a bottle. I use a sports bra to hold the phalanges in place so it's hands-free pumping, and the plan worked beautifully. (Of course, I'm not sure what I would have said had I been pulled over!) During one of our stops, I pulled off at a small gas station to change his diaper and feed him. I walked past the THREE signs telling me that restrooms were for customers only (okay! I get it!), opened the women's restroom... and stared in disbelief and disgust. I've used toilets in over 40 countries, and only once have I seen a bathroom more disgusting than this: an outhouse halfway up Mount Sinai in Egypt that was covered in excrement and swarming with flies. This I-35 gas station bathroom was only missing the flies. The toilet seat and back were covered in diarrhea, as was the floor and wall. There was toilet paper on the floor and every surface - floor, wall, stall, ceiling, sink - was filthy. I didn't want to touch ANYTHING and used my foot to open the door to walk out.

I asked the woman at the register if she had been in the restroom lately. She said no. I said she might want to and told her what I saw. She said the man who cleans it comes once a week and won't be in for a few days. I told her she might want to call him or clean it herself. She said, "I'm not going to do it! I'm a woman!" I just shook my head and walked out, making a mental note never to pull over at that exit again!

About 4:30, I got to Fort Worth and visited my friends Alexis and Greg Gross. Then I dropped off the dogs at my parents' house and visited my friend Jan, recently a grandmother herself. And then just before returning to my parents', I made an unscheduled stop at the home of a former assistant principal who lives just around the corner from my parents and was a wonderful mentor while I taught at Sam Houston. I thought he'd enjoy seeing that I was now a mom, especially since he had once teased me about the idea of me slowing down long enough to get married and have a family. He enjoyed meeting little Darrell and it was great catching up with him, Jan, and Greg and Alexis. At last, I returned to my parents' and damn near crashed. I was exhausted, and I had a busy lineup the next day.