Flying Home to Indiana to Meet My Niece

I was so excited to get a call from my sister last October sharing with me the news that she was pregnant! Keith and I were thrilled to hear this news and congratulate Jill and Aaron. It was fun to get updates about her pregnancy and how the baby was growing.

Meeting My Niece

Keith and I didn’t plan on going home this summer, but this changed my plans. Keith needed his vacation days for our trips so I planned to go to Indiana alone. With Jill’s due date being at the end of June, I planned a trip to meet my niece at the end of July. I figured this would work best for all of us. The baby would surely arrive before then and they would have time to get settled. I was looking forward to spending two weeks getting to know my niece.

Welcome to the world Adalyn Renee

Arriving in Indiana

I could hardly contain the excitement! My dad, Jill, and Adalyn picked me up from the airport and I got to spend the whole drive just watching baby Adalyn! I’d seen her through pictures and Facetime, but this was in real life! We went to Jill’s house to hang out for the evening where I got to see the nursery and hold Adalyn all night! Even though there was this new tiny human added to our family, it felt like old times just relaxing at Jill’s and spending time with my family.

Spending Time with Family

It was great to be home and have time to spend with family. Some of the family members I was able to see I haven’t seen in quite a while. It also worked out that I was able to attend a family graduation party, a pool party, and go to church with my dad twice! The best part of the trip was spending quality time with my sister, mom, and dad… together and individually. We had some great conversations that are that much more special when it’s in person. You lose some of that meaning through text, phone, and video chat.

I was in town for two weeks, which sounds like a long time, but when there are so many to visit with it gets hard to schedule. There are always more people to see, but I do feel a sense of peace and thankfulness for those who I do get to spend time with.

A special thank you to my family! Especially my parents for having me stay with them even though I was in and out at all hours of the day/night AND stole whatever I needed while I was there. I know I disrupted your schedules! Also to the many family members who bought me and made me food, it was great to share meals with you. Thank you for not only making time to see me but for dropping everything to focus on spending quality time together. I appreciate and love you all!

Spending time with friends

A special thank you to my friends! Some of you drove over an hour to see me, some of you changed plans you had, some of you brought me homemade baked goods, some of you brought me chapstick AND everyone made time for me! It was so great to catch up in person. We text often, but it’s not the same as being together.

I’ve really got to get better at taking pictures of these groups of people! I made that mistake last year when we traveled home and it happened again this year! We get together and start talking, time flies by and I forget to get pictures. Regardless, I have memories from these visits.

Girl time

Jill, Adalyn, and I spent some girl time together. We ran errands, had lunch, and took pictures! What a trooper Adalyn is. She let us dress and redress her, pose her however we wanted and she mainly just looked at us like we were crazy! We spent the day laughing and just having a good time, it was priceless. I loved this time to get to know her expressions and the details of her personality. It was such a fun day for girl time!

Aunt Lindsey

I am so blessed to be Aunt Lindsey to Adalyn! She is growing and learning every day. I've enjoyed watching her personality start to unfold and the changes physically month by month. Again, welcome to the world sweet Adalyn!