Greek Introduction: Baby in a Backpack - Day 7

It rained all day, so that put the kibosh on going and doing anything today. This trip is quickly shaping up as I feared, which is to sit around eating and watching TV. Not much different from a normal weekend at home, except the location is Athens instead.

I can’t believe it’s Thursday already, and we haven’t really even left the surrounding area. I’m sure my bored requests to do something...anything...are grating on my wife. She enjoys seeing her family and taking it easy, especially since she’s felt sick since we’ve been here. I guess I need to feel useful and productive. It’s hard to really relax when I’m bored. I don’t like taking trips and doing nothing. I’m more of a reenergize my batteries through adventure and activity kind of guy...to suck the most out of my trip.

But I knew it wouldn’t be that kind of trip before we ever packed a suitcase. There was one purpose, and one purpose only...to let my father-in-law spend as much time with Troy as possible. But it’s been my mother-in-law that’s monopolized Troy’s time. She’s thoroughly enjoyed playing with him every chance she can get, and he enjoys the attention she gives him. I’ve tried to give her some space with him, so she doesn’t feel like I’m hovering.

Djibouti

Troy has finally figured out how to lift himself up into all fours, hands and knees, at the same time. But he doesn’t just hold himself there, he rocks back and forth like he’s doing some sort of dance.

It reminds me of the time I was living with my friend in his basement, and we were watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics. My friend’s son got the biggest kick out of when they announced the country of Djibouti (the D is silent, so it’s pronounced Gee-Booty), because it reminded him of the word for his backside. He would laugh, jump down on the floor on all fours, and start shaking his backside at us. That’s exactly what Troy looks like when he’s doing it, so I’ve started calling that his Djibouti dance!

Greek Introduction: Baby in a Backpack - Day 6

We managed to go to the outlet mall and do a little shopping today. Apparently, it was secretly planned as a buy-more-toys-for-Troy trip from the beginning, which is exactly what we did...after a brief stop at the playground to do a spot of swinging first. We came home with twice as many toys as he had before, which means he’s now overwhelmed by the decision on which ones to stick in his mouth and which ones to throw across the floor at any given time. I won’t complain; though, because it at least got us out of the house, which is always welcome. The rest of the night was spent playing with Troy and all of the new toys.

Greek Introduction: Baby in a Backpack - Day 5

We had a little better luck with the baby last night. At this rate he’ll have switched his schedule over by the end of our trip...just in time for us to go back home and deal with his schedule being off again there.

We finally got out of the house for a little bit today. I convinced my wife and mother-in-law to drive down to Rafina, the port near their house. We only spent about an hour walking around on the beach, but Troy did manage to put his little feet into the warm water of the sea and feel the waves splash over his ankles. It was his first experience with water of any kind that didn’t come out of a faucet. He loved it! We definitely will bring him back when he’s old enough to enjoy it.

Greek Introduction: Baby in a Backpack - Day 4

We tried our best to keep Troy up all day with limited naps to help him sleep better in the night, but he still has jet lag. This time he woke up around midnight and didn’t go to sleep until five hours later. We put him in the bed between us to see if he’d sleep better, and eventually he did after an hour of flopping from side to side, kicking me in the back, slapping my wife in the face, and ramming his head into the headboard.

When he finally settled, he had pretty much taken over most of my side of the bed, wrapping his legs and arms around my arm and leaving me hanging out in the cold...literally.

Needless to say, I didn’t get up until lunchtime. And it was then that my brother and sister-in-law were headed back to Volos. My whole day was shot at that point, so another day of sitting around.

Greek Introduction: Baby in a Backpack - Day 3

Somehow I woke up today and was informed it was Sunday. I’m not sure how we left on Friday and woke up in Greece two days later, but that’s the story I’m being told.

The baby has jet lag apparently. He woke us up at 2:45 am, which was 7:45 pm his time, and was ready to play. We tried to ply him with food, a pacifier, song, and caressing for two hours before he finally nodded off, at his normal American bedtime. So I guess his body doesn’t care what country he’s in...internal clock is internal clock.

And once he went to sleep, he slept like a...well, a baby. We had to force him awake seven hours later to eat. And his schedule has been off all day.

Even though he finally met his grandfather yesterday, he got to visit with him today. We were apprehensive, because he wasn’t too happy when he first met him. We were hoping it was just hunger and weariness. And it appears that it was. Troy was a superstar! He talked to his grandfather, sat on his lap, touched his face, and played with the zipper on his sweater. At one point, Troy gave him a hug and touched his nose to his grandfather’s. And later he pulled a tissue out of the box and offered it to his grandfather. All of these are grand gestures for Troy. It’s a sign of acceptance and respect.

Greek Introduction: Baby in a Backpack - Day 2

After a brief stop in Heathrow, we boarded another plane to continue our journey on to Greece. The second flight from London to Athens, was much better. The nice ladies from British Airways let us board first, so I didn’t have to worry about hitting anyone with the car seat. They even came and checked on us to make sure we had installed it properly. At the end of the flight, they gave Troy a flying passport, which documented the air miles he had racked up, and was signed by the pilot. They told us to get all of his pilots to log his flights so he could keep track of how much he’d flown. There were also much fewer people on the flight, so it was easier to maneuver. Unfortunately, Troy managed to throw his pacifier under the seat, and we lost it in the bustle of trying to deboard the plane. Luckily, I brought spares.

Despite all of the obstacles of first-time travelers, Troy was the perfect flying companion. He took it all in stride and didn’t complain at all. He pretty much slept most of the time, and we even had several people comment on how well he did and how impressed they were with him. We’re very proud of him. He’s such an awesome baby! And he’s already done more than his father, becoming a world traveler at the ripe old age of eight months. Something it took me twenty-three years to accomplish.

Greek Introduction: Baby in a Backpack - Day 1

Well, the part I was most anxious about is over...the overseas flight. I was worried because we weren’t sure how Troy would react on the plane. Most babies cry a lot, especially on long flights and especially during takeoff and landing when the air pressure causes pain in their ears. We did our best to feed him during takeoff and give him the pacifier whenever he woke up, so the swallowing would help him clear his ears. We bought him his own seat and took his car seat to ride in, which I think also helped. I’m glad now that we didn’t decide to try to hold him for the entire flight. That would have been a long time cradling 27 lbs in our arms, and we wouldn’t have gotten to relax, and he probably wouldn’t have either. This way, he got to stretch out and be comfortable.

The first flight from Dallas to London was not without issues. First of all, the flight staff at American Airlines “would make no special accommodations for traveling families,” which was their response when we asked to be boarded early to give us time to get the car seat set up. As it was, we were in the next to last group and one of the last to board. Second of all, the size of the plane was ridiculously small for the number of passengers and the length of the flight. People were crammed in every seat like sardines. The aisles of the plane were also so narrow that a person had to walk sideways to get down them! This is a huge problem when you’ve got an oversized car seat that you have to carry to the very back of the plane. Made worse by the fact that you have to carry it over everyone’s head, since the airline would make no special accommodation to let us on before everyone else. I somehow managed to do it while also avoiding the open doors of the overhead compartments in the process. One stupid woman, unaware of what I had in the oversized carryon, and apparently missing the baby strapped to my back, decided to voice her opinion on the matter and tell me to just check my bag. To which I, face red and puffing from holding a 35-pound car seat over my head while also carrying a 27-pound baby on my back, most unkindly told her to shut up and mind her own business. I’m not really sure why she thought this was the right time to have this conversation or why it even mattered to her, since we weren’t in her section nor causing her any undue problems. But as I stated already, she was stupid.

When we finally found our seat and got strapped in, we were pleased to have a very nice English family sitting behind us. The husband even offered to hold the baby while we worked on the car seat. They talked to Troy whenever he looked over the seat back at them, and even gave him a high-five after the flight to tell him what a good job he’d done. Much to the delight of Troy, who loves giving high-fives. And that’s not the only friend he made on the plane either. He also charmed an Indian man while we were all waiting to use the restroom. There’s something about seeing a cute, smiling baby that changes people. It transcends cultures, attitudes, moods, and personalities. Troy has a special gift for bringing people together.

Greek Introduction: Baby in a Backpack - Day 0

In anticipation of our trip tomorrow, we decided to make some give-away bags for the other patrons on the flight. We'd heard of someone else doing this when their baby was flying for the first time to diffuse any annoyance or anger if the baby was fussy. I spent hours stuffing 50 bags with ear plugs, candy, and a note that said, "Hello, my name is Troy. I am 8 months old, and this is my first plane ride. I will try my best to be the perfect traveler, but I might get scared or uncomfortable and cry. Which I know can be a drag on your flight. Please accept this small gift to say thank you for your patience and understanding. I hope you have safe travels on the rest of your journey."

Siri

Today, Troy reached over and picked up my phone. Usually, he’s content to just beat it on the couch, but somehow today, he managed to activate Siri. When she asked him how she could help him today, he started speaking to her in his baby babble...at least I thought it was babble. When he got done, Siri replied, “There is a Walmart 1.7 miles from your current location. They are currently showing moo juice in stock. Would you like to place an order?” I quickly grabbed the phone before he could order a whole case!

Making the World a Better Place

Today, at the doctor’s office, there was an Asian guy waiting outside by one of the beautiful sections of foliage that adorn the main hall of the building. As Troy and I waited for his mother to arrive, the Asian guy started waving and making faces at Troy. Imagine this 70-year old man acting goofy to make a baby smile.

Later that day, I took Troy to the grocery store with me, and as I checked out, people kept coming over and smiling at the baby, talking to him and trying to get him laugh. It’s amazing how different people act around a baby. It doesn’t matter their age or current mood. As soon as they see Troy, their face lights up. They can’t help it. This one woman at the grocery store was scowling and mumbling about the customers. But her entire face completely transformed when she saw Troy’s head peaking over my shoulder.

I’d say it’s just Troy, but I know that I also get goofy around other babies that I see in stores. So I’m convinced it’s just babies in general. Babies make the world a better place.

Sensory Board

I have spent the last few months designing and constructing a sensory board, aka gadget board, aka busy board. It consists of various items you can find at the local hardware store or local Wal-mart; such as an office chair wheel, or spring door stoppers, or sliding locks, etc. The purpose is to give my son something to play with and keep him occupied, but also to foster his learning and development by challenging his mind with puzzles.

It has been slow going up until today, as I had to figure out what I wanted to put on the board and then go to dozens of stores to find it all. I then had to design the configuration of the items and then cut holes and notches to secure them. Today, I finally completed the painting of the board, so I can finally begin to attach the items to the board.

I had planned to do a splatter effect, filling balloons with maroon, white, and black paint and tossing them against the board. However, it didn't work as expected. Most of the balloons wouldn't break after throwing them against the board multiple times, which was embarrassing since I had both my wife and son outside watching me do it. When they finally did break, paint went everywhere including all over me and my son who was some 10-15 feet away. He just laughed and giggled at my failure, so I guess it wasn't so bad. And he didn't even seem to mind that he had paint droplets all over his hair. Anyway, the board is now painted, so we're making progress.

Morning Person

At precisely 7:00 am this morning, I heard a crystal-clear, beautiful, innocent infant’s voice...moaning in a resigned sigh of reluctant acceptance that the morning was here whether he liked it or not. Every time he does this, it makes me laugh.

I was thinking today about our upcoming trip to Greece. I have quite a bit of anxiety about how he’ll do on the plane. I was imagining it being 7:00 am, and everyone is tired from a 10-hour flight. Their jet-lagged, bloodshot eyes, half comatose from watching five movies in a row, and all of a sudden from somewhere in the middle of the plane, there’s a very loud, very pure voice saying, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!” And I imagine all of these people groaning, and I’ll be laughing thinking, “Welcome to my life every Saturday morning. He never lets me sleep past 7:00 am.”

And how can you be mad, because he’s just a seven-month old baby, and he's adorable beyond belief? I’m not sure how he became a morning person, because neither of us are, but he is.

Justa Swingin'

The weather got a little cooler today as a cold front rolled through town. So after I picked Troy up from the daycare, I decided to take him to the park to play and swing. My wife met us over at the park, and we headed for the toddler swings. He was a little too small for the swing, but we pushed him back and forth a little anyway. At first, he didn't seem to know what to do with this strange, new sensation. But after a few swings, he started to smile. Then all of a sudden, he stopped smiling and started crying. We picked him up and realized that he'd had a poopy diaper. We had literally scared the poop out of him!

Michigan J. Frog

For three days now, I have been trying to capture Troy doing his full-body flex on video. Basically, he screams at the top of his lungs while sticking his legs and arms straight out and flexing every muscle in his body. I'm not really sure what he's doing, but it reminds me of a body builder psyching himself up. But he's also notoriously elusive when it comes to actually capturing him doing it on film. 

He will do it for ten minutes straight, but the moment I pick up the phone to capture it, he stops. If I put the phone down, he’ll do it again. It’s like Michigan J. Frog from the Looney Tunes cartoon. The frog that sang and danced for the homeless guy that found him, as long as nobody else was around. The moment that someone came around, he went back to just being a frog again. I can feel that guy's pain at having nobody else believe that the frog is doing it.