So, once the disaster of a flight ended, we proceeded to get our bags and stand in line for our car rental.  After about 30 minutes of waiting in line I decided to check the confirmation email.  Turns out I was standing in the wrong line, and by the time I figured it out the line for the right car rental company was twice as long.  Fun times.

Finally we got our car and I don’t think I’ve ever been so thrilled to leave an airport in my life!

We drove straight to Mr. MPB’s parents house where we’d stay for the weekend.  We whisked his mom and dad off for some lunch and some fun at a local children’s exhibit.  We spent the entire day out and about.  We kept everyone busy and had some fun.  Baby MPB went to bed past his normal bed time and it was an epic disaster.  He was an unhappy kid which resulted in an unhappy house.  Eventually he settled and the adults had a late dinner. Lesson learned, decision not to compromise his bed time reaffirmed.

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Day two, the day of the party, started off good.  Mr. MPB’s mom really wanted to take Baby MPB to his first visit to their local beach.  So we all went and enjoyed a beautiful walk on the beach on a beautiful day.  Baby MPB slept through the entire thing.

We went back to the house to get ready for Baby MPB’s cousin to arrive.  Cousin MPB is 4 months older then Baby MPB and this was their first ever visit.  I think everyone was incredibly excited.  But, then we got a call from Mr. MPB’s brother.  Their baby is sick and is incredibly contagious. Because one of Cousin MPB’s parents is a doctor we knew instantly what we were dealing with and she was very straight forward about the risks to Baby MPB, which far outweighed the risks to Cousin MPB due to their age difference. The four parents made a quick plan that was doctor approved – Cousin MPB will not be held by anyone but the parents.  All 4 parents will not touch each others babies.  The babies will not touch each other and will not share any toys.  Anyone who wants to touch Baby MPB must wash their hands first and do so before they touch Cousin MPB.  The plan basically rested on good hand washing practices and aware parents.  Simple really.

Except it wasn’t.  Mr. MPB’s mom lost it on us.  She proceeded to tell us we have ruined the party and the entire visit.  Baby MPB can get sick and it’s not a big deal if he get it.  Then she stormed out of the room while throwing papers across the room in a childish temper tantrum. Ummmm……First, it’s not our fault someone else’s kid is sick. Second, we are his parents and we decide what is best for him and what is not.  We think asking people to wash their hands is a perfectly okay thing to do.  Also, a medical doctor just told us we absolutely cannot let Baby MPB get this, he’s still too young to risk it.  Third, seriously, what grown adult needs to throw things?  How is that going to help in any way?

And so, the babies were held by their parents and watched each other from afar.  The parents visited from opposite sides of the table, just as we normally would.  No, it wasn’t the dream first meeting, but it was okay.  We did get some great family photos and we had a great time visiting without hugs.

As for the party, it went well.  Baby MPB loves being held so he enjoyed lots of snuggles and love from everyone.  No-one was upset by the request that they wash their hands, in fact most people just did anyways.  Baby MPB and Cousin MPB both went to bed as per their normal schedules – no-one complained about their bed times.  In fact, at one point a few of the ladies with similar aged grand-kids of their, own pointed out that Baby MPB was getting tired and it was probably time for bed. And, even though the babies went to bed, the party continued well into the evening.  The adults chatted the evening away while enjoying great company with a few glasses of wine.  There were even blue vanilla cupcakes.  It was delightful.

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Day three, our last day, was great.  We spent the day with my family who was also in town that weekend.  My family loved Baby MPB.  In fact, everyone wanted to hold him so both Mr. MPB and I enjoyed eating our breakfast warm while everyone else played with him.   one of my relatives is also an adoptive mom so we were able to talk about some stuff that most people just don’t get – like the hell we endured in the USA when Baby MPB was born – we generally don’t talk about that with anyone because it was that insane.  But she understood because she went through her own version of it many years ago. It was liberating to talk to someone who truly gets it. Honestly, it was just so nice to see her as it’s been over 8 years since our list in-person visit.

Day three ended with our flight home.  The return flight was much better then the first flight.  Thankfully.

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