Week 18: Travels with Eli

Eli really digs airplanes! Not the car, still. Oh, no, never the car. But he's very good on the plane, despite the occasional large in-air poop. (Is there some sort of Mile-High Poopers Club?) He slept like ... well ... a baby, and missed some pretty great scenery: Legacy gallery image unavailable: Eli sleeps past Mt. Hood When he was awake, he was a cute little snuggler: Legacy gallery image unavailable: Eli loves airplanes Though he seemed to exhibit some fear of flying, at least in his own seat: Legacy gallery image unavailable: Eli in his own airplane seat Grandpa Bobo exited the hospital on our third day in Billings, to everyone's great relief: Legacy gallery image unavailable: Eli and Grandpa Bobo And then we spent the rest of the trip in Red Lodge (site of our wedding, as you may recall!), where Eli got to meet even more Montana relatives -- Uncle Ed, Aunt Becky, and cousin Zelaya: Legacy gallery image unavailable: Eli and Zelaya He met some of the local wildlife: Legacy gallery image unavailable: Eli and the deer Got all dressed up for his first 4th of July: Legacy gallery image unavailable: Eli's first 4th of July And went to the parade! Legacy gallery image unavailable: Eli at the parade (Truth be told, he slept through most of the parade, and when we "woke him up" to go watch the fireworks, he stayed sleeping in the backseat throughout the entire show. Probably a blessing, really.) Meanwhile, daddy learned how to drive a tractor: Legacy gallery image unavailable: Justin drives the tractor And the Garding women played pinochle, because that's what all the Gardings do. Look at my mom, here. I think she thinks Justin is only pretending to take a picture so he can check out Grandma Pat's cards and help me cheat. It's serious cards, folks. Legacy gallery image unavailable: The Garding women play pinochle Anyway, it was bad circumstances, but it turned into a pretty good trip, and one that made me realize that Eli is mellowing into a pretty patient, happy, social baby. He did amazingly well on this trip, dealing with lots of unfamiliar surroundings, long days, and loving strangers with lots of smiles and very few breakdowns (other than screaming all the way from Billings to Red Lodge). So as I prepare to return to work on Monday, I'm glad I got to spend this time watching him enjoy the company of others. It makes me realize he'll be ok without me. (Now, will I be ok without HIM? I guess we'll find out.) Check out the rest of the Week 18 photos. (legacy gallery unavailable) There are scads of them, including better shots of the deer, the parade and its surprising number of miniature horses, cute Zelaya, wonderful four-generation portraits, and a lesson in how to drive a Hummer with pride.