Rejoice!

It has been so busy around here!
About a week and a half ago my grandmother passed away and at the last minute the hubs, babe and I were on a plane heading to Texas. There were a lot of uncertainties and possible inconveniences with traveling with SJ and with last minute travel at that but I have been meaning to post this blog for a while and have you all praise the Lord with me for all that he did!
First of all, I was nervous about taking SJ on the plane because she would miss a nap or two and thus be very very fussy... have I mentioned that SJ will also NEVER nurse in public and screams when we give her a bottle. I think I have. She is so sensitive that if a plane flies overhead while she is eating, she will stop, let out an angry cry and give me a dirty look before resuming. I have to hold back from laughing b/c if I make a peep she will start to talk to me and laugh and smile and never eat another bite. Oh my. Also, if any one talks or even walks in the room she jerks away and begins searching for them... so how on earth would I get her to nurse on a plane. I knew that if she was tired and hungry there was a very good chance of a storm blowing in... so we bought two packs of ear plugs for our plane mates and hoped for the best.
Stella did great. She was a bit fussy at first (obviously tired and wanting to go down and for us to quit holding her) but when it came time to eat I just slipped her under the nursing cover (the one that I made and have never had a chance to use) and she ate like a champion and then fell asleep in my arms. She awoke right before landing and sat happily with her daddy through it all. Wow, I was stunned! We got to the house after missing two naps and she went right to sleep on the guest bed. Amazing!
Through out the week she missed several naps and was passed to many strangers and though she wasn't perfect by any means, she did great. She broke a few hearts when she wouldn't let people hold her (sorry mom) and stole a few more from friends and family who had never met her.
The whole time we were there she slept and ate relatively well (minus one night when she woke up 3 times... oye!)... as for Drew and I... well, we ate well at least! haha.
On the plane ride back SJ barely made a peep. She was content to sit for a while and then again ate amazingly well and then chilled with us on the plane the rest of the time. Several people commented that they didn't even realize a baby was on the plane until they got off.
We got home and she pretty much transitioned right back into normal. She even started a more consistent 31/2-4 hr schedule. She has been flopping around back and forth between 21/2-4 for a little over a month now and I'm glad she's finally settled into her new big girl schedule. She also ate in public again that Sunday at church with the cover... I'm hoping this is a new trend!
Another huge praise is the reconciliation that has taken place amongst many members of our family. I have never met any of my mom's family outside of her parents that I can remember. They were always distant relatives who didn't like us for some reason or another. Well, when my grandmother became very ill, these members showed up to sit by her side. It turns out... they thought WE didn't like THEM. There was a lot of miscommunication and maybe a little bit of manipulation going on for years and in a matter of days they became our family. They were so fun to be around and I even learned more about my grandmother than I had ever known before from these great women.
My mom's birthday was a few days after the funeral so we were also able to celebrate with her before we flew back home.
On a worse note, my dad came down with a crazy stomach bug the morning of the funeral and my sister got it the next morning... I was a little concerned that we would get it or even worse, that SJ would get it but we all returned home with our tummies intact!
So though funerals are never a fun occasion to get together, this one brought about many blessings and reasons to rejoice along with it.