London Calling

Taxi Tom

I almost titled this, "a love affair rekindled," but I didn't want to give Blue a giant heart attack this morning.  I'm waiting for a 6:58 a.m. flight and I realized that I had been walking through the terminal with a big grin on my face.  I woke up at 2 to give Violet a bottle and woke for the day at 4:15, but I still had a big fat grin.  Why, you ask?  I experienced something that I really miss -- and I didn't realize how much I missed it until it happened.  It was extraordinary customer service.

On Tuesday night, I called the Chicago taxi dispatch that I always use.  The service is dependable, but the drivers vary.  Some drive terribly slow and others act like 294 is the autobahn.  I've prayed for safety in about 50% of my taxi rides to/from the airport because I really thought that I might not make it home.  (We really need to write that will.)  Most taxis don't smell very nice either.

So on Tuesday, when the taxi driver called to tell me that he was running five minutes late, I thought that he was probably really far out and had a bad feeling that I'd be sitting for a while.  To my surprise, he arrived in exactly five minutes.  And, not only was the taxi very clean, he had a bottle of water, chocolate and today's paper waiting for me.  He drove safely but fast.  I felt like I was in a limo.

When he dropped me off, he offered me his card.  This happens a lot with drivers and I've never called one directly to schedule a ride.  But this guy had made an impression and I wasn't about to let him go.  So this morning, he picked me up promptly at 5:15 with water, the day's paper and a hot coffee.  He asked if he could pick me up tonight when my flight got in and I had to say, "Tom, you had me with the coffee.  See you at 7:20."

In most businesses, I'd share Taxi Tom's info with all of my friends and colleagues.  But this is no restaurant or salon.  A great taxi driver is like a great babysitter:  no sharing.  Because if we spread good word of mouth, they may not be available for us.  And, like a good babysitter, I tipped a few extra bucks to make sure that Tom remembers me. 

Thank you Taxi Tom.  You can give me a ride any day. 

Snap back to reality. Oh there goes gravity.

We made it back to Chicago safely to a perfect house with pipes that were in great shape. Both the building next to us and the grade school next door had a problem with frozen pipes while we were gone and we were very happy to arrive home at midnight with a baby whose voice on the plane (and through airport security) made Aerosmith's Steven Tyler sound like a little girl, to running water and a working heater.

Our flight home was really challenging. At one point, my dad passed me an Ativan (beta blocker) and I thought he meant it for London. While I believe in a little Tylenol nighttime for baby, I wasn't quite ready to drug him. Then I realized that it was for me. Duh. And more importantly, why didn't he offer that earlier? No matter. We made it home & London slept for most of the last segment.

We're hybernating now and doing laundry. Sadly all of our summer clothes and bathing suits will be boxed up for a few months ... unless I can make up some wonderful excuse for another warm weather weekend. I'd just want something a little closer so that our strong willed son would have less time to tourture others on the plane.

Baby on the beach

We picked the coldest week of the winter -- frozen pipes at home and sub-zero weather -- to vacation in Belize.  It is so beautiful and perfect and quiet and WARM!  We rented a two bedroom house at Victoria House on Ambergris Caye and were suprised with our own private pool overlooking the ocean when we arrived.  A wonderful improvement since our last visit. 

London loves to swim and points to the pool whenever we get outside.  He's being treated like a little prince by all of the people on staff at Victoria House.  He loves watching the birds & the boats and has really started walking more & more this week.  Our little man is still afraid of the sand and won't touch it with his feet.  We think it's so funny to watch him avoid touching the ground.

One afternoon we had lunch at Elvi's in San Pedro.  The restaurant has sand floors & the minute little London figured that out, he was sure not to leave his high chair.  I thought he would be eating the sand by now.  Guess we'll save that experience for next year.

Packing for Three

We leave on Sunday for our big trip and I can't wait! Since my brain hasn't been functioning at full capacity since the sperm met the egg, I started packing about three days ago. Pre-bebe, I would pack a little the night before a trip and then finish in the morning. Now I can barely make it out of the house to go to work without a half dozen trips up and down the stairs -- ah, the glories of a three-story city house -- and at least two trips back inside to grab things like the CTA card, lunch, my laptop, my phone, my keys, etc. Worse, I had to keep a stash of deoderant and a few cans of soup in my office because I would inevitably forget.

So far, I've forgotten PJs (because normally these kinds of vacations don't require them), contact solution, underwear (which my husband thinks is optional for any holiday), shoes, and sunglasses. I DID remember meat sticks (gross) for the baby, all of my face soap/lotions (I hope) and way more clothes than I'll need.

From past trips with baby I've learned:

• Bring an extra change of clothes for you and the baby in your carry-on luggage. Our little angel peed on me this past Christmas just as we were about to board the plane.


• A baby boredom bag that is full of toys, crackers, our car alarm, and anything that could possibly entertain him for even a minute.


• Cash for wine on the plane and maybe a little extra to buy a drink (or 5) for the guy next to us.


• When traveling alone with baby, go to the bathroom before you get on the plane. The dance of baby & airplane bathroom is not one that I want to perform.


• Big blanket. Use to cover baby's eyes or to hide under.


• Borrow from dad's stash of Adivan.


• Giving baby just a little benadryl before a flight is not child abuse.


• At all costs, ignore evil stares from others.


• Lastly, remember that my son's strong lungs are a reflection of his good health and wonderfully strong will. He is a blessing and has a great chance at using that voice to create art or change the world one day.

A day dedicated to a passport

I learned a few things today:

(1) I am way too old to leave the house without makeup.
(2) My brain has turned to mush. If I don't write it down, I won't remember.
(3) Our little guy, although stubborn, can be really sweet even when he's skipped naps.

Our whole disasterous day began -- actually yesterday -- when I realized that I'd misplaced London's birth certificate which turned into a fight with the hubby about all kinds of things not related to passports. This morning, I hopped on the el and went the county building to get a new copy of his birth certificate. Oddly, there was no line. Sadly, my wallet was at home.

London & Barry joined me on my second attempt at getting a new birth certificate. Since Murphy's Law is such a big part of my life, the line was quite long. And taking a stroller from the el to county building is just silly. Anyone using a wheelchair or stroller has to go through hoops to get anywhere. We literally had to take 3 elevators to get out of the train station.

Another long line at the passport office, but I was hopeful ... until I found out that my passport update to reflect my new married name required a new picture. And that's when I learned that I should never leave the house without makeup. For the next 10 years, my passport will reflect a frazzled middle-aged mom at the end of her rope.

Through the cold weather and skipped naps and missing sippy cup (mommy forgot it), London was a peach. He sang and giggled and flirted. (The people in the passport office may not have realized that he was singing, but I knew.)

Operation passport was a success and I will pick up our new passports tomorrow afternoon just in time for our big trip on Sunday. Now this frazzled mommy is enjoying leftover risotto before relaxing in a hot bath until my fingers prune.