Panama- Part 1 (March 2011)

I've been putting this off because when I do have down-time, I've been reading or napping.  But, if I put it off until I get home, it'll be really long and I'm sure I will have forgotten some of the details.

So, Etta and I are in Panama!  Woot!  We arrived last Tuesday night after a LONG day of travel.  It was only two flights (39 min and 4 hrs), but with delays and lay-overs, and a kid who doesn't sit still.... it was long!

that iPod was a LIFESAVER!

I need to also review a product for you other parents of littles.  Before we left, I bought a little contraption with wheels that straps to the carseat and basically turns it into a stroller- and then you can use the carseat in the plane to restrain your little one.  It's called a Gogo Kidz Travelmate. DON'T BOTHER!!! hahaha! (glad I can laugh about it now!).  It might be easier if you aren't traveling alone. First of all, lugging a carseat around (even one on wheels) is a bit bulky, Then, when we pre-boarded the first flight, the carseat was too wide to wheel down the aisle.  So, I had to unbuckle Etta, try to send her down the aisle in front of me and carry the thing up over the backs of the seats (while wearing a big backpack and telling Etta to get out of the random seats that she kept jumping into on our way to the back of the plane). Then, you have to unstrap the gogokidz travel thingie. Then, you have to buckle the carseat into the plane seat while keeping your kid in one place.  I cut my hands up trying to get that strap through the back.  THEN, since the seat is kinda big/bulky, once you put the kid in, they are in perfect position to kick the back of the seat in front of them. 

Now, it WAS nice to have her strapped in for that short first flight and she fell asleep because she was comfortable in her seat.  But THEN, the guy in front of her lays his seat back and is basically laying in her lap (SO glad she was alseep already). THEN, once you land, you have to cut your hands up some more trying to loosen the seatbelt to unbuckle the carseat. THEN, you have to try and send the kid back down the aisle while wearing a backpack and carrying the carseat AND the unstrapped gogo travelmate over your head.  The flight attendant was nice enough to stop Etta before she ran out of the plane all alone. THEN, we stopped so I could reattach the wheels to the carseat and I threw my backpack in the seat and held Etta's hand and we wandered down concourses and rode trams until it was time for our flight to Panama.  I was so pissed at that damn carseat that I gate-checked it for the flight to Panama and just let E sit in her plane seat like a big girl. (I bought a cheapie stroller after we got here and plan on checking the carseat for the trip back) She loved take-off and she loved turbulance.  She went into a fit of giggles each time. ;) 

Wow!  That was a blog post in itself, but it was only the first day, and I didn't even mention lugging baggage around though customs one handed because I had Etta on my other hip.  I was so glad to finally see my dad that I cried from relief!  Etta finally got to go to bed around 11:00 that night.

On our first day here we just kind of hung around the house and took it easy. We discovered that they had Nick Jr and all of Etta's favorite cartoons, but they were all in spanish. (For the record, Dora and Diego teach english instead of spanish). She's cool with it though. Etta had a bit of a cough and a bit of a runny nose, but I was (and still kind of am) convinced that it was just seasonal allergies since everything started blooming in Nashville the week before we left. I just kept giving her Zyrtec each evening and the occasional dose of tylenol. That evening, Joanie and Chris got pedicures by Gloria.  This lady remembers me when I was a tot!  She use to do my mom's nails when she lived down here.  I saw her every few years, but it had been AT LEAST 12 years since I'd seen her last.  So, it was nice to see her again (and she looked great!).  Anyway, as Chris' feet were soaking, Etta decided that her barbies needed to put their feet in the water too. It was pretty cute!  Also, that evening, my Aunt Donna came over to see us for a bit. Etta took to her right away!

Our second day here was St. Patty's Day!  We wore our green, but that was about the extent of our celebrations. ;) Since Dad and Chris had work, Joan, Etta, and I went to the Y to do a little tourista shopping ("The Y" is the old YMCA building that has been turned into THE place to go get souveniers). Etta had a tough time hanging in there with us and she got fussy and squirmy in her stoller.  So, after only a few t-shirts for E and a little purse for me, we had to leave.  I'm sure I'll make another trip back before we leave. On our way home from The Y, we went to the grocery store.  I was able to pick up a few things that I hoped Etta would eat. Then, we went home and E took her nap.  That afternoon, she started this game outside where she stands at the top of a little hill and counts "two" (she only says "two") and then she would run down the hill to me, where she got a swoop and a kiss before she headed back to the top of the hill to do it all over again.

Chris had the day off on Friday so she and Joanie and Etta and I took a drive down the causeway in the morning and stopped for lunch before heading home.  It was windy and Etta was squirmy, but we managed a few shots. ;) Etta fell asleep about 4 minutes from the house and didn't transfer to her bed.  That was the first day she didn't nap. That evening, everyone went to a wedding and Etta and I stayed home and went to bed early.

Saturday morning we were slow to get going.  Dad and Chris and Etta and I went over to the mall so I could buy the stroller I would need for the trip home and that was kind of an ordeal with the way they do things here and with Etta getting ready for her nap. She fought it, but ended up taking a three hour nap that day! That evening, we all went to Pizzaria Italia.  It's a favorite stop when I come. The eggplant salad was delish, the clams were delish, the garlic bread was delish, the pizza was MMMmmmmm, and the red sauce that the clams came in is THE BEST for dipping bread and pizza into. I made sure to sop it all up before we got up from that table.  Etta didn't eat anything, of course. She's been eating terribly since we've been here.  And I mean TERRIBLY.  I'm actually worried about it. She's even (mostly) refusing her "go-to" foods. I've tried EVERY trick.  The most successful being that I let her watch one of her shows (usually Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) on the iPod while I shovel food into her mouth.

Saturday night was also the night of the "Super Moon" It was HUGE and very bright!  The photo doesn't do it justice, but I tried!

In the wee hours on Sunday morning, my parents got up to take Joan and Jason to the airport. Etta and I slept. They were already back home by the time we got up. We hung around the house that morning and Etta refused her nap for the second time.  We went over to Dave and Diana's for a visit and some pool time. Even without a nap, Little E had the best time! Getting tossed in the air and passed back and forth between me and "Lita". Also, by Sunday afternoon, I'm becoming more convinced that her "allergies" are an actual cold. That night, after an enormous melt-down and refusal to eat dinner, Etta goes to bed around 6:00 (an hour early).

By Monday, I am CERTAIN that my sweet little has a cold.  She's running a bit of a fever and has a cough, and her nose is snotty and she's moody and throwing tantrums around. And she still isn't eating.  On Monday she ate about 3/4 of a NutriGrain bar and a jar of babyfood pears (that I had watered down and turned into juice in her cup), she skipped lunch, ate a cup of goldfish after her nap and then didn't eat anything for the rest of the day. She did take a nap, but was ready for bed a little after 6:00 again- without dinner. Again. Sigh.

"two"

Okay, It's late and this post took a long time to write and the photo uploading was painstakingly slow! Part 2 coming soon....