The eight and a half years I worked as a full time educational consultant for McGraw-Hill I earned countless airline miles traveling for my job. I became a road warrior and conquered airport security lines, lost luggage, annoying passengers and delayed flights with ease. When it was my turn to put my items in the bin in the security line I had everything ready and was walking through the x-ray machine before the person behind me had time to take off their shoes! Early in my career I had issues with lost luggage but I was schooled rather quickly and learned to pack light and fit everything in a carry-on bag. Although I encountered crying babies, passengers who wanted to talk while I wanted to sleep and people talking a bit too loudly on their cell phones (lady, I don’t need to hear about your recent visit to the doctor) I learned to ignore the background noise at the airport and in the airplane and settled comfortably into my own little world by putting in my earbuds and listening to my favorite tunes. 

During my infertility struggles air travel became emotionally painful. The airport is brimming with babies and young children. Ask anyone who has struggled to have a child and they will tell you how painful it is to see babies, pregnant ladies and happy families while you are dreaming of a baby of your own. And when you are traveling for work, alone and tired, these feelings of sadness and hopelessness are merely magnified. 

When I became pregnant with my miracle baby I continued to travel by air for my job. My dad traveled with me during my first trimester because I was taking progesterone and heparin injections. I can’t pass a family assisted restroom at the airport without thinking about the time we both squeezed into one of those restrooms so my dad could help administer my injections. After the first trimester we all breathed a little easier, I no longer needed injections and I began to travel solo once again. This is when I realized along with the rude people there were plenty of kind and helpful people at the airport as well. I never had a problem getting help putting my carry-on in the overhead bin, I recall having a gentleman offer his seat to me in the crowded gate area and for the most part people didn’t grimace as much when it took me a bit longer to waddle down the aisle of the airplane. 

When I resigned as a full time educational consultant you would think I would stay far away from airports and airplanes. Instead, I decided to take my little one on multiple air travel adventures within her first year of life. Her first flight was to Atlanta, GA when she was a mere 9 months old. She was a picture perfect traveler and at the end of our first flight several passengers commented they didn’t even know there was a baby onboard!  I declared that trip a triumphant success! A longer trip to California followed a month later and a return trip to Altlanta occurred shortly after her first birthday. Our little lady was becoming an expert traveler just like her mommy. She wasn’t walking on any of these trips and was small enough to comfortably cuddle up in my lap for a short nap. She was cooperative on each and every trip and I even successfully changed her diaper in the tiny airplane bathroom. I wish I could impress you by saying I took her on these trips by myself, but sadly, I am not brave enough to travel solo with her just yet, so we always had family traveling with us. 

Now that my daughter is 19 months old I decided it was time to take another trip on the airplane. This time we were traveling to Columbus, OH. I briefly thought about braving the trip with her by myself but my baby is now a toddler and I knew air travel would not be the same, so I chickened out and invited my parents to join us. This trip started out with a tantrum when I had to take her out of her stroller to go through security but that was the only meltdown. Thankfully the flight ended successfully due to the free episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse we watched on my tablet and the purse full of snacks provided by Nana.   

Since we all survived the trip to Columbus  without incident, I decided to brave a trip to Minneapolis. My mother in law was my accomplice on this trip. The trip started out pleasantly with a smiling toddler going through security. Maw Maw bought us a pretzel at the airport and after finishing our snack we were ready to board. With tablet in hand I was looking forward to putting yet another successful trip in our travel log. That’s when we got the announcement that our flight was…delayed! Not a problem, we can survive a small delay, and passed the time by taking a walk through the concourse. My daughter became friends with a giant red m&m and enjoyed waving to waiting passengers as we walked around. We got back to the gate to discover we were further delayed so we all went to get something to eat. After eating all three of us were getting tired and anxious to arrive at our destination. My mother in law took my daughter for a ride in her stroller and she fell asleep. After a 4 1/2 hour delay our plane had arrived and we were finally ready to board our flight to Minneapolis. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was a lifesaver on our last flight so I was ready to get my tablet fired up only to discover that the wifi wasn’t working! Since she had grown tired playing with all of the toys and books I had packed, she passed the time playing with a cup of ice. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that entertain a toddler. Somehow we all survived that flight and made it to Minneapolis hours after my daughter’s bedtime. My daughter was a trooper and was a better traveler than most of the tired adults on that flight! 

We were all looking forward to a smooth flight home but unfortunately we encountered yet another delay. We passed the time quickly by getting something to eat and playing in the unique playground inside the Minneapolis airport. All airports should have a playground where children can burn off energy, get some exercise and have a safe place to explore before boarding a flight. In fact, we were having so much fun at the playground we almost missed our flight home! We didn’t get to sit next to Maw Maw on the plane ride home but we did have our friend Mickey Mouse to keep us company. My daughter was content after having played on the playground and didn’t miss playing with the cup of ice which was good since beverage service was suspended due to some turbulence. 

I know anyone who travels regularly has horror stories about lost luggage, delays and interesting passengers they have met along the way. I have more than a few to share myself. Now that I am a mother I have added a new chapter or two to my travel log, traveling with a baby and now a toddler. Traveling with your mini me certainly makes for an interesting and entertaining trip! Perhaps I am documenting these early adventures because deep down I know, in the not so distant future, there will come a time when my daughter will take flight and embark on her first solo flight, filling pages of her travel log without me. And when she does she will travel with ease because she learned from one of the best road warriors in the world! 

A few weeks before Lillian was born an over sized envelope arrived from England. I instantly wondered what could possibly be inside? Too impatient to wait for my husband Ken to come home from work I immediately ripped the package open. The contents spilled out revealing three Cadbury chocolate bars, a hand written note and the most adorable hand knit teddy bear I had ever seen! Tears welled in my eyes when I realized the package was a gift from a cyber friend who I had met through an online infertility support group. A friend I had talked to online but had never met. The hand written note said the candy bars were for me (but I could share them with my husband if I wanted) and the hand knitted teddy bear, whose name was Albert, was for my little girl when she was born.

Albert the bear was such a special gift that we had our newborn photographer take a picture of Lillian with her noteworthy little bear. A bear that was knitted with love. Now that she is older she sleeps with Albert and he is beginning to show some wear and tear after being hugged and tugged and cuddled night after night. He is beginning to come apart at the neck and he looks a little funny because he has lost his nose. Albert may look a bit rough around the edges but that doesn’t stop Lillian from loving him any less.

A few months after Lillian was born my cyber sister from England began to post knitting projects she had completed on Facebook. She posted picture after picture of hand knitted bears, one cuter than the next! Some were dark brown like Albert but others were light brown or cream. She recently posted a picture of a pink bear and a custom black and gold Batman bear complete with the Batman logo on his chest!

She has made well over 70 bears, many for women she has never met and only knows online through infertility support groups. This cyber sister is an angel who gives so much of herself. Day after day, week after week and month after month, she sent bears to ecstatic mothers to be while she was experiencing heartache and pain patiently praying for a baby of her own. Somehow she found the strength to celebrate the blessings of others and give a gift to women she barely knows. It is the ultimate example of giving and unconditional love and is something I don’t think I would ever have the ability to do.

Although she has knitted many bears over the past two years, she is currently working on a very special bear. I am unsure of its color or if it will have a special theme or design but I know she does not care about any of the details. You see, this bear will be for her unborn child. A child she has wished for and dreamed about for over six years. A child she must have prayed for as she hand knit 70 bears for other miracle babies. A child that surprised her and her husband and was conceived naturally after years of trying and after a failed ivf cycle.
This little miracle baby who is due to arrive in late September is a lucky baby because he or she has a beautiful mommy. A mommy who never gave up hope. A mommy who showers others with love and support and has celebrated with women from around the world. A mommy who thinks of others before herself. A mommy who supported me during my struggles and heartbreaks on my journey to motherhood. A talented mommy, named Jeannette Dean, who knits teddy bears with love.

I began taking my daughter to the library when she was only a few months old. I registered her for free baby time classes where the librarian led us through bouncy rhymes and songs and read us an occasional book. The best part of the class was free play when the librarian got out toys and the babies had free reign with the nesting cups, rubber ducks and cloth balls. It was a great opportunity for my daughter to socialize with the other babies. 

Although I may have begun taking my daughter to the library to increase her social skills and to help foster a love of reading at an early age, it wasn’t long before I realized I was benefiting from our library visits too. During the free play I began talking to some of the other mommies. There were five of us who were all first time moms and we all had baby girls a few weeks apart in age. We had a lot in common as our girls were going through the same developmental stages around the same time. We were all sleep deprived together, battling teething and diaper rash simultaneously and after class we found ourselves staying a bit longer and extending free play into the childrens section of the library. We also began looking out for each other. When I was running late and stumbled into class without makeup and with my hair piled on top of my head, they would greet me with a warm relatable smile and scoot over so my daughter and I would have a place to sit in the circle. We exchanged phone numbers and continued our conversations outside of the library by texting each other during nap time. When the girls approached their first birthdays we celebrated together and we began planning play dates and taking our girls to additional  classes outside of the library. We recently had a Friday night pizza play date where the daddys met each other. It is clear to see that we were becoming friends. 
What makes our mommy group amazing is the diversity each of us brings to the group. Although we have a lot in common (when it comes to being a mommy) when you look past the sippy cups, board books and toddler melt downs, we have vertually nothing in common. We do not live in the same neighborhood, attend the same church, or practice the same religion. We did not grow up together, attend the same schools, or have the same professions. We are not the same age or even the same generation! I am the senior member of the group since I had my daughter later in life and I recently discoved that another mommy in our group has a mother that is younger than me! Although her mother was a teenage mom, it took me awhile to get over the fact that her mother is younger than me. But it doesn’t matter. It didn’t stop Halley from inviting me to a girls night out, including me in the mommy group and always offering up the kindest greeting and welcoming smile at every class we attend together. She and the rest of the mommies are naturals when it comes to motherhood and it is easy to see how much we all love our little girls. In fact, I have learned a lot from the other mommies and I quickly realized age is just a number. Everyone in our group is loved and accepted no matter what. 

 Our differences are celebrated and there is no judging. Absolutely no judging. And with all of the judgements that are often passed around in the mommy world: breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, stay at home mommy vs. working mommy, cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers and so on, I find it refreshing that our group does not judge each other. In fact, when I reflect on my 44 years of life, this is one of the only groups where I have not felt like others were questioning me or judging my looks, actions or decisions.  

Our girls are growing up quickly and I know there will come a time when we will stop attending classes at the library. Life’s circumstances will change: the girls will start preschool, siblings will be added to some families and some of us may move away. No matter what will happen in the future I will never forget the special bond that I shared with Halley, Ashley, Chelsea and Jen during our daughters early years. I will always cherish the love and support they offer to me and my daughter and when our visits to the library come to an end I know I will have lifelong friends who are only a text message away. 

My little lady is obsessed with shoes! She knows when she puts her shoes on that it is going to lead to a new adventure: a trip in the car, a walk outside, or running around in the yard. She loves to play outside and when she looks out the window she will say, “Shoes,” signaling that she is ready to go out and play. So for her, shoes are associated with fun and excitement and being on the go.
But her infatuation with shoes isn’t a simple association. She loves my shoes and enjoys trying to put my shoes or her daddy’s shoes on her feet only to end in a total meltdown when she can’t walk in them. And she is beginning to notice that shoes not only come in different sizes but in different styles too. I wore flip flops the other day and when she saw them her face lit up with fascination. Why are Mommy’s toes sticking out? She enjoys watching Mommy walk around the house in the fancy shoes she is going to wear to the Listen To Your Mother show next week. After I practice walking around the house in them she wants to try them on.

Last weekend I had some Gymbucks to spend so we made a visit to the Gymboree  clothing store. The store is small but they do sell a tiny selection of shoes. When she spied a rack of shoes she became excited. We left the store with a cute pair of hot pink flowered flip flops. Not exactly the most practical pair of shoes for a novice walker. We have yet to visit the shoe section of the department store or better yet a shoe store. She will be amazed when she discovers there is a store entirely devoted to nothing but shoes and shoe accessories!

Everyone and everything in our household needs to wear shoes. It all started when she discovered a pink poodle I made at Build A Bear years ago. The poodle came dressed in a poodle skirt with a matching scarf tied around her neck. Her outfit was complete with bobby socks and black and white saddle shoes. When my little one saw the shoes she immediately took them off and had me help her put them on a giant Build A Bear red bird my mom bought her to commemorate her first trip to Busch Stadium to see a Cardinal baseball game. This led her to finding the need for other stuffed animals to wear shoes. She has two beloved stuffed lovies: a pup named Homer that my in-laws were sent when they donated money to Habitat For Humanity and a grey and white striped cat who is simply called, cat. When I hear her call out to the cat it conjures up images of Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Since I couldn’t find a pair of shoes small enough to fit on their tiny stuffed paws I placed an old pair of infant socks on each animal and all is right with the world!Yes, my 18 month old is going through a Carrie Bradshaw phase. The shoe stage isn’t something I recall reading about in any of my parenting books but it is an exciting stage in her development. She is beginning to categorize, make associations, and to role play by putting shoes on her stuffed animals. She is even taking an interest in putting her shoes on by herself. My baby is growing up and it won’t be long before she is on to the next obsession and the next stage in her development. Toddlers may fixate on one thing because it brings comfort and gives them a sense of control in their ever-changing world. Another reason is that young kids can’t help wrapping themselves around things more intently because they’re hardwired to focus on only a few things, says Stan Spinner, M.D., the chief medical officer at Texas Children’s Pediatrics in Houston. But as they get older and their brains evolve more, they’ll be able to appreciate more interests. While other toddlers may be obsessed with cartoon characters, trains, turtles or trucks, my daughter loves shoes. Her shoe obsession isn’t out of control, she has only been walking for a few months and owns four pair of shoes and a pair of flip flops. Although I don’t think I will be introducing my little shoe lover to expensive designer shoes (notably Manolo Blahniks, Christian Louboutins and Jimmy Choos) anytime soon. While my little miss is in her “shoe phase” I think I’ll sit back and sip a cosmopolitan and quietly enjoy the fact that at this point in her life I don’t have to struggle with her when I ask her to put her shoes on.

Let the Adventure Begin!

I decided to enter the world of Mommy Blogging after being selected as a St. Louis cast member in the 2016 Listen To Your Mother show.  I can’t wait to share my stories with others and I hope I can provide inspiration, healing and hope,  along with a few laughs and tears along the way.  So I welcome you to take this journey with me. I hope we can learn from each other and be open to new ideas even if they are drastically different from our own beliefs.

Well, that wasn’t as hard as I thought. I have officially made my first post on Noteworthy Mommy! Please come back and visit my page.

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