Trina Orlando

Today was Arabella’s baptism. We got moving somewhat early to get everyone ready and out the door by 1130a. We were meeting Father Earl (who married jarmon and I) after 1130a mass at St Vincent Basilica.

Amazingly, we got there in time— as did godmother Jamie and godfather Greg. Uncle Larry, aunt Marge, Margo, Andrew, Lucia and Greta also joined us. My dad asked his professional photographer friend Jack to take photos.

I fed Arabella in the back of the church when we arrived. I’m not sure if she got heavier over our holiday vacation or if she was just more difficult to hold in her elaborate baptism gown, but feeding her was a struggle— as was changing her diaper. By that time mass was letting out and there was not a changing table in the restroom, which meant we were sprawled out on the floor. Arabella was not interested in sitting still.

Once everyone left after mass, we moved over to the church to meet Father Earl. He was excited to meet Arabella and we were excited for him to meet her. She loved him— and judging by the way she gazed at him, it’s possible she thought he was Santa.

The baptism lasted about a half hour. Jamie held Arabella for most of it (she had no idea the arms workout for which she had signed up). Arabella was great and barely fussed at all.

Afterward, we took some photos in the basilica, which was even more beautiful than usual because of the Christmas decorations. We got pretty much every combination of people you can imagine, but I think my favorite was Jamie and I with our goddaughters— Arabella and Mia. So many years of friendship in that photo. And so many more to come.

After the baptism we all went to Denunzio’s for lunch and cake. We were thrilled to have Father Earl join us. Arabella got some beautiful baptism gifts. On the way out, Jarmon had already buckled Arabella into her car seat, but I noticed a great photo opportunity in front of some holiday decorations. I was pretty sure jarmon was going to murder me for getting her out of her car seat, but you know the saying about opportunity knocking. The photos were spectacular. Some of my favorite (amateur) photos of the day. The photos showcased the entirety of her beautiful gown and she looked adorable. Well worth every moment of hassle. Oh, and as you are looking at the cute photos in front of the Christmas decorations, take note of her special necklace. The gold cross was purchased by me at the Vatican and given to my grandmother as a souvenir from my trip. She passed away two years ago, but my mother kept the cross and passed it along to Arabella to be worn on her baptism day.

Margo and her family stopped at the house on their way back to Connellsville, which was nice because we got to visit with them a bit more. Arabella buddied up to Lucia— Baxter claimed Greta. We had a nice visit.

Later in the evening, neighbors Lisa and Ellie stopped by with Christmas gifts for Arabella. We drank some of my mother’s special orange slush (frozen orange juice, brandy, gin and cherries), ate some cookies and had a nice evening.

Today was another action packed day. Everyone had small things to do in the morning that made getting out of the house as a group a Herculean effort. Amazingly, we all made our way to North Huntingdon for my friend Jen’s holiday party/50th anniversary party for her parents. I got to see a handful of people I haven’t seen in years and it was fun to catch up. I hadn’t seen Jen since the summer— and I hadn’t seen Trooper Steve since he and his wife Amber were in Chicago almost two years ago. Arabella also got to meet the cutest baby— Brooks (Yes, her last name is his first)— who I have decided will be her future boyfriend.

We had planned to stay at the party for an hour, but of course stayed much longer. When we got home Jarmon and I set off on a road trip to The Galleria. We needed to return a chair to Pottery Barn Kids that had been damaged during shipping. Since the parkway east inbound was closed for construction, we used Waze to get us to Mt Lebanon. To say it took us off the beaten path would be an understatement. But we made it in good time, so no complaints! I had never been to The Galleria. It’s a lovely mall— much more reminiscent of Chicago shopping than Pittsburgh. We lugged our giant chair through the mall and returned it. We then took a more mainstream route home and stopped at Applebee’s (the only place back in Mt Pleasant still open at 10p) for beers and wings. The wings were dreadful— and the fries were even worse. But the beer was cold, so I guess we can’t complain.

Our last morning in Philly is always a sad one. Our visits with family there are far too few and it’s always sad to see them come to an end.

We didn’t have to rush this year (we were on the clock to get our rental car back, but didn’t mind paying a late fee for extra time with family). We got up, enjoyed some coffee and danishes and let Arabella get in some more playtime with her cousins. While Arabella was eating breakfast, emmie got all of her toys set up on a blanket for one last play session. While the kids were playing, Jarmon and I took turns showering and getting our stuff together.

We hit the road sometime after noon. We made a pit stop at Wawa for gas. I was starving and wanted food, but jarmon convinced me to wait and we would stop at Lee’s hoagies on the way out of town. I hadn’t had a philly cheese steak yet this trip, so I agreed. It was pretty good. And so were the fries. Don’t judge.

We finally got on the turnpike at about 1p. The weather was pretty miserable. Heavy rain started in Valley Forge and the fog was intense most of the way. Luckily it cleared up once we hit the western part of the state. We made one stop for Starbucks— coffee for me, two lattes for Jarmon and a puppucino for Baxter. I got Jarmon a latte when I went in first thinking it would save time– then he came out from his trip to the bathroom with another. He says it was on purpose.

We got back to mount pleasant at about 5p. Jarmon and DD took our rental back to Latrobe airport.

Tonight we did our annual Christmas celebration with cousins Greg and Alanna. Apps, dinner, dessert, presents… and lots of wine, beer and liquor. We even convinced Greg to hold Arabella. It was a good night had by all.

Today was our last full day in Philly. It got off to a slow start because the guys had a late night— which meant the girls were in charge of the kids. Camille brought Wawa coffee to the house and we all nibbled at different foods that were around. Once the guys were up and moving, the girls ran out to make some Christmas returns. First up, Buy Buy Baby. Camille had purchased an outfit for Arabella that we needed in a bigger size. Turns out it didn’t come in the bigger size, so we picked out some cute pink overalls instead with a white onesie with a Peter on collar underneath. It was also Keri’s first time in Buy Buy Baby, so we gave her the full walk through. She seemed appropriately impressed.

After Buy Buy Baby we hit the Chick-fil-A drive through to get some lunch for emmie. Camille, Keri and I got fries. Then it was off to Kohl’s and HomeGoods.

The purpose of the Kohl’s trip was to return a duplicate gift Camille had purchased for Arabella. We walked in with the box and I asked the greeter where the Amazon return counter was located. I may as well have asked, “Which way to Mars?” by the way he looked at me. He clearly thought I was crazy— and, if we are being honest, I thought the same of him. It was only after Googling, “Amazon returns at Kohl’s” that we learned it’s a convenience only offered in Chicago and LA. Oops.

Homegoods was a quick stop. It was attached to a Marshall’s and Camille and I looked around while Keri made her return. Then we picked up some takeout food for the guys— McDonald’s for Vinnie, subs for Jarmon and Scott— and headed home.

It was only about 3p at this point, so I texted Mandy to see what she was doing. Mandy is one of my best friends from Pittsburgh. She now lives in Connecticut and I in Chicago— but her sister and my sister in law live about 15 minutes apart in suburban Philly. Last year we slipped out for a quick drink at Chickie’s and Pete’s and had a wonderful catchup— so we decided to do the same again. Wine, crab fries and good friends are a winning trifecta. Mandy’s fiancé, Will, joined us this year. I didn’t invite jarmon because he only sees his family a few times a year and I thought he should spend the time with them.

Back at the house we all enjoyed some wine and watched some TV. I hadn’t eaten anything besides my Chick-fil-A fries and my crab fries (yes, i recognize that’s a lot of fries)— and I drank a lot of wine— so I was down for the count. When the third comedy show came on at about 9p, I slipped upstairs to read my Elin Hilderbrand book and call it an early night. The first few chapters were so good I was sad I hadn’t started reading it sooner. Luckily, there are still a few days left to winter break!

The morning after our first night in Philly is always rough. The kids are tired from the excitement of Christmas. The adults are tired from the excessive celebrations that come along with Christmas. But somehow, this year was significantly less rough than usual. We all gathered downstairs for coffee and ate a French toast casserole baked by Jarmon’s mom. Arabella jumped right into playing with Emmie and Vinnie. Emmie tried to teach her how to crawl— and Arabella showed off her standing skills at her new activity table.

In the afternoon, the girls took the dogs to the park while the boys stayed at home and napped. It was a picturesque day, but the park was a little muddier than we expected. Booey faired just fine because he has short hair. Baxter, on the other hand, was filthy— which necessitated a bath when we got home. He seemed to enjoy a bath in a tub much more than his usual baths in our laundry tub.

In the evening, we celebrated Scott’s upcoming 40th birthday. His family came to the house for drinks and his parents brought Arabella an adorable hat. Then we all went to the Blue Bell Inn. The food was, once again, excellent. Arabella enjoyed French fries and ice cream in a big girl high chair (whatever works, right?!). After dinner, the guys wanted another drink but the kids were fading. The girls decided to head home with the kids while the guys went out. We enjoyed some more wine and convo while the boys enjoyed whatever boys enjoy when they go out. It was when we got home that the highly anticipated cannoli dip made its appearance. The annual treat from Wegman’s is something you’ll simultaneously love and regret… and worth every last calorie. It was a fun night had by all.

Arabella hasn’t slept much since coming to PA. At home (in her dark, silent room) she sleeps about 12 hours a night, plus takes two naps during the day. At my parents house, her crib is in the main living area, which is not only bright and noisy but also filled with activity. As soon as the first person wakes up in the morning, Arabella is up too ready to play. And naps? We’re lucky if she tosses around in silence for a half hour. SO, it wasn’t surprising when she was up before 8 on Christmas despite having been up until midnight.

We got ourselves together then let her open her presents. She was exhausted and not very smiley, but she did seem to enjoy the new toys. We got her to tear at the paper a bit, but we mostly had to open the gifts for her. Santa brought her a sit/stand walker, a toy cell phone, toy remote and a spinning wheel that resembles the one on The Price Is Right. She also got one of those too-adorable to not buy baby chairs from Pottery Barn Kids. Unfortunately, it was damaged and has to be returned so we didn’t get the adorable photos I was envisioning when buying it. After opening the mountain of gifts from my parents (old habits die hard) we ate a quick Christmas breakfast of quiche and fruit and hopped on the road to Philly.

We have come to enjoy our Christmas Day trek across the state. It’s our “down time” amid all the chaos of the holiday. We stop at Starbucks.. Baxter gets a puppucino.. and we take in the beautiful Pennsylvania scenery.

We arrived in Philly right around dinner time. Arabella got to see her Grandma Camille and meet her Aunt Keri, Uncle Scott and cousins Emmie and Vinnie for the first time. We also got to see Jarmon’s Uncle Billy and Aunt Shelly. Arabella got another haul of Christmas gifts including an activity center the requires her to stand- she loves it! We drank lots of wine, ate some holiday treats and enjoyed the evening. A memorable and action-packed first Christmas for Arabella.

Oh- and because Arabella’s 8-month birthday fell on Christmas, we took her milestone photos in her Christmas pj’s.

Christmas Eve is arguably my favorite day of the year. I love the anticipation of the day before Christmas— and it seems to make the lights and decorations even more magical.

I started Christmas Eve with a Starbucks run and a trip to get my nails done. It was the perfect escape. After letting my nails dry for a full 20-minutes (the agonizingly long amount of time I’ve determined is necessary to avoid smudges), I popped into Target to pick up some gift cards. It was as I was pulling into Target that I remembered— I forgot to book the rental car that would be getting us to Philly on Christmas morning. Jarmon had only asked me about 50 times if it was booked and each time I assured him I had it under control. Surprise surprise— I didn’t. A quick glimpse at the clock revealed it was 12:03pm— past noon!! Cue the panic. Most of the car places out in rural America close at noon on holidays. The distance from the highway to the Target parking lot seemed especially long today. When I finally got past the parking lot traffic and into a parking space— I googled Budget hours. Closed. Then Enterprise. The most convenient location had already closed, but the one at Latrobe Airport was (mercifully) open. And even more importantly— had cars! I quickly booked it and sent Jarmon the confirmation. Mission accomplished. I grabbed the gift cards I needed and went home so we could get the car. Going to the mall on Christmas Eve is my most favorite thing to do, but this year there just wasn’t time.

I got ready for Christmas Eve while Jarmon and DD got the car. We had our typical polish Christmas dinner in Mt Pleasant before heading to the Orlando family Christmas Eve party.

Arabella looked like a little princess in her Christmas dress. She loved the party— smiling as she was passed from one set of adoring hands to the next.

She got to see her cousin Madeline again and meet some new cousins. She jumped right into the mix with Margo and Molly’s kids— and seemed especially fond of James and Megan’s daughters who were visiting from California. Many adorable photos were taken.

Perhaps most adorable— Arabella seeing Santa again. I always loved it as a child when Santa visited the family Christmas party because he brought us one present early. To be honest, I forget what he gave Arabella because I was distracted by how mesmerized she was by him. Arabella, once again, gazed into Santa’s eyes and pulled on his beard. She seemed legitimately sad when I pulled her off his lap— poor kid. (Unfortunately, you’ll have to take my word for it– the photos of Arabella with Santa are all on DD’s good camera and consequently not on my phone.)

This was the busiest year Santa has seen in decades at the Orlando Christmas party. The new babies combined with more family visiting from out of town made for a fun time.

Of course, Santa also made time for the adults. DD and MJ got neck pillows to help them sleep better on the train.

When we got home DD and MJ went to midnight mass. Jarmon and I stayed home so Arabella could sleep. We watched Home Alone 2, then had dessert when DD and MJ got home. We arranged Arabella’s presents in front of the tree before calling it a night. Staying up until 3am may not have been the best idea, but it was a great night. And I’m always happy to let Christmas Eve last a little longer.

Today started on a high note. I got a call at 645am that the courier was in the driveway with my suitcase. Hallelujah! No doubt, a Christmas miracle.

I went back to bed after joyously dragging my bag inside. My next two hours of sleep were much more restful knowing that Christmas had been saved.

When I finally got up I ate some Delallo’s nut roll with coffee. Then we decided to venture out to Nemacolin. Thank goodness the car ride wasn’t indicative of the rest of the day. And thank goodness we weren’t deterred. After a miserable drive over we had a great day. We entered through the chateau then walked the length of the resort indoors. The decorations were first class. Every room presented multiple more photo opps. It was hard to believe something so Chicago like in its grandeur could be located in Fayette county. While walking around we ran into an old colleague of mine who works as a PIO for the state police. So fun! We also had lunch at the tavern where Arabella sat in a big girl high chair for the first time– and ate biscuits, puffs and French fries.

After Nemacolin we went home and got a surprise visit from the newest Orlando cousin- Madeline! Her mama, Lexi, and I got married a year apart and now have our first babies a few months apart. Madeline is perfect and we were so happy to get some extra time with her before the family Christmas Eve party.

My favorite photos of the evening are the ones of Madeline and Arabella alone on the couch. I could post a whole series of how it played out, but it can be summed up pretty simply.

Arabella: I touch the baby!

Madeline: Please send help!

After Madeline went home and Arabella went to bed, I wrapped Christmas presents. It was at this point that I realized about half of the Christmas presents I ordered hadn’t arrived. And not just any gifts— but the ones that I ordered the earliest and was absolutely sure would have arrived. (I had everything shipped to my parents house so there was no way for me to track arrivals from Chicago). I logged on to my account to see that my order had been cancelled (not by me)— despite having received a confirmation email. I called Macy’s to look for an explanation. Not only could they not offer one, but one of the items was no longer available. If I thought I could have found the gifts elsewhere with minimal effort, I would have cancelled the order and never shopped at Macy’s again. But the reality is that finding new gifts the day before Christmas Eve wasn’t going to happen. And it definitely wasn’t going to happen at Friends & Family pricing. So, the gifts are arriving later in the week— and I am committed to never shopping at Macy’s again. The whole situation was beyond unacceptable. But it’s also comically ironic. For the first time in my life I shopped in advance. And for the first time in my life I didn’t have gifts for my family on Christmas. So embarrassing. So annoying. So unacceptable. #neveragain

When I was done wrapping DD and I made a late night run to Walmart. We bought Arabella some baby food, a sippy cup, baby shampoo and bath toys. Specifically, a rubber ducky and a penguin that winds up and swims through the water. She doesn’t have a true bathtub at home, so I can’t wait to see her play with the toys.

When we got home Jarmon and I watched Home Alone and drank my mother’s signature holiday drink that was waiting in the freezer— apricot slush. It was a good night.

I love the weeks leading up to Christmas. Everything is more magical. So I of course also love the day we head home for the holidays. This year that meant leaving early on a Saturday— two full days before Christmas Eve.

We planned to leave at 5a for our 7a flight, but ended up leaving at about 530a. We got to Midway in plenty of time and did curbside checkin. When traveling with a baby and dog, you can’t beat the service. I’m happy to kick the guy 10 bucks for the convenience (heck, I’d be happy to hand over double that).

The TSA pre check line wasn’t a walk through situation, but the line moved quickly. We didn’t have time for pre flight beverages, but we got to the gate in plenty of time. When we got there we ran into my friend Catie from high school. We were drum majors of the band together and ironically now both live in Chicago. Earlier, we had run into Jarmon’s colleague Jon, who was also on our flight and another woman Jarmon knew from the Steelers bar he regulars.

The flight was completely full. (When we checked in we got C59 and 60… yes, the numbers go that high). The poor guy who was last to board got stuck by us. He seemed hesitant about the baby— obviously not realizing he was also sharing his row with a dog. Both Arabella and Baxter were good on the flight until I noticed Arabella was holding the man’s arm while he slept— oops! I struggled to keep her contained to the confines of the center seat space while jarmon watched his iPad and enjoyed a Bloody Mary (yes, you read that right). Then I made him take Arabella to prevent anymore unwanted hand holding.

When we got to Pittsburgh we took our usual tree photos (we took them in Chicago too) before heading to baggage claim. My parents were overjoyed to see Baxter and Arabella. And I was excited to see Catie’s dad— band director Mr Collins— who was there to pick her up. I was catching up with him when Jarmon informed me that my bag was MIA. Always one to keep cool in public, I didn’t flip out. We filed a missing bag report, stopped at Starbucks for caffeine (and Baxter’s puppucino) and headed out.

Given that it was a busy travel day, it seemed feasible that the bag didn’t fit on the plane. However, given what I learned about Southwest baggage handling— that they don’t scan bags to keep track of their location— I didn’t have much hope of seeing it again.

Luckily Arabella’s stuff, including her christening gown, was in her bag that I decided at the last minute was necessary. My bag was all clothing, toiletries and my beloved (and carefully selected) holiday reading.

So, instead of spending Saturday doing holiday things, I spent it shopping for toiletries and an outfit for party we were attending that eve. Annoying, but DD and I had fun.

The party was a holiday open house at Greg and Alanna’s new place. I looked ridiculous in leggings and a long sleeve T-shirt but it was better than the gym clothes I had travelled in. The party was fun. Their house is beautiful and the company— including Alanna’s family and some of their CMU friends— was great.

About halfway through the party I got a call from Southwest that my luggage had been found! It would be delivered to Mt Pleasant sometime after the next pickup, which was at 8p. I decided not to celebrate until I actually had the bag in my possession, but my mood was significantly improved at the prospect of going to Nemacolin on Sunday rather than shopping. Merry Christmas weekend to me!

Oh, and because it’s neat… checkout the ornaments on the tree in the Southwest baggage office– lost zippers! Pretty cool, right?

When we went to bed last night we knew there was a chance of winter weather impacting our trip back to Chicago, but neither of us was worried. As the forecast for more dire, Jarmon and I both mused that we may be renting a car in morning. For better or worse, we are some of the most chill people you will ever meet— and the idea of heading to the airport on one of the busiest days of the year with a baby and a dog and a blizzard in the forecast didn’t really phase us.

So, when our flight got preemptively canceled at 9am the only emotion we felt was dread— at the prospect of spending eight hours in a car drinking caffeine rather than one hour on a plane drinking wine.

I tried to change our flight to either an earlier one today or an early one on Monday morning, but the Southwest app wasn’t working. There were multiple flights with seats available, but the app kept giving an error message saying to call for assistance. The problem? The wait time was well over an hour. I reached out on social media— only to be told that there were no flights available until Tuesday. Obviously that wasn’t going to cut it, so we canceled our tickets and booked a car.

We didn’t realize it at the time, but we got extremely lucky in scoring a car (minivan) at all. We got one of the last two vehicles left at Latrobe airport on Sunday afternoon. Jarmon and DD went over to get it while I packed. In looking at the forecast, we figured we’d get to Chicago before the snow if we left by 2p.

We left at 2:05p— and we nailed it. Once we got out of Pennsylvania there was hardly anyone on the road. It was honestly hard to believe it was the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Plus, it was 50 degrees most of the trip so weather wasn’t an issue. We legit made record time— including a 45 minute stop to change a diaper, walk a dog and pick up some caffeine.

It started to rain at some point in Indiana, but we never saw snow until we were well into the city. And we got home well after our flight would have landed, so honestly, I’m not really sure if the cancellation was justified. But, I guess it’s the price you pay for traveling over the holidays.

At the end of the day, we saved (quite) a few bucks by cancelling our (overpriced) holiday weekend plane tickets. Found ourselves in a situation where Jarmon could listen to the Steelers game in its entirety. Took Arabella on her longest road trip to date. Introduced her to two new states (Ohio and Indiana). And proved that we can be just as spontaneous with a baby in tow as we were when it was just us and a puppy.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Arabella and Baxter both slept the entire trip. And we got a parking space right in front of our house for the rental that we need to take back in the morning.

Moral of the story? Holiday travel is only stressful if you let it be. And if you don’t stress— you just might find that traveling over the holidays is some of the easiest traveling you’ll do all year (even when there is a blizzard warning).

Also, here’s Arabella’s 7-month photo, which I made sure to take before heading out into the “blizzard.” (DD spent the weekend teaching her how to clap– pretty cute, right?)