A Long Interim in Wichita with the Baby

My sister’s baby was born one month early. He was a little boy and at that point being so thin, I thought he was pretty. Everyday was different with the newborn little one. My sister was very protective, but this made her very tired. Unfortunately, neither her nor her husband had a mother still or any other family nearby that could help. I was very glad to be close enough to help not only for her but so I could play with a baby too! 

The little one doubled in weight the first month. Everyone was so happy for him. There were all kinds of challenges, figuring out schedules, clothes and diaper sizes, gas and screaming and stuffy nose. Mommy and daddy slowly figured things out with help from our cousins who have had children. Ken and I were great baby sitters and his child rearing experience was of great help too. His chest was the biggest help, the little one loved sleeping on his belly. Mommy had one month off with the baby but dad had to keep working. So Ken and I at first had to pry the baby away from mommy so she could sleep. After a few weeks, it became easier to let others help especially once the baby was comfortable with a bottle. I know it seemed early, but it was breast milk! 

Ken and I spent days plotting and planning, evaluating and reevaluating our rig. Looking for new rigs, filtering trough possessions to decide what to take, and baby sitting. The baby sitting took most of our time. We both dearly love the baby and wish we could have packed him away with us. It was always a game to figure out what position or what distraction could calm the baby when he became bored or disturbed. Really what was happening was the baby was casting a spell on us. He was the center of the universe, I could not stand to leave him and was just as concerned about him when he was in a different room. If I could not hear him breathing I would get concerned–something you would think was good because that meant he was sleeping! 

After mommy started back to work, she and daddy arranged a work schedule were daddy works Friday to Sunday and mommy works Monday to Thursday. This way someone is always home with the baby. When mommy went back to work, Ken and I would pickup baby duty at about 8am until dad woke up in the afternoon and mom went to work at 3pm. Daddy would perform home chores and we could snuggle with the baby most of the day. Then daddy would take the baby at night. Mommy would usually nurse when she got home from work at 2am. 

Ken and I unloaded, sold and otherwise dispersed of pounds of personal belongings before moving to Wichita. Once in Wichita, we decided we still needed to relieve ourselves of many more items in order to make a smooth move with the rig we had. Our constant test was what was most important to have in Alaska for weather. What items were important for outdoor activities or work. What items would be difficult to buy in Alaska. What items would be too expensive to replace, and what items could be shipped economically. Think about moving so far away, what would you absolutely need to take? Here is our rig: 2002 Lexus RX300 with a 5x8 enclosed trailer.

Below: my sweet nephew in one of his favorite spots, on Ken