The past week has been one giant obstacle course of emotions around here, and not just because my preggo emotions have me in constant flux between laughing hysterically (“a puppy playing tug of war with a child!”), sobbing (“a lost sign for a puppy/cat/box turtle”), or angrily storming around (insert imagined injustices). So let’s just break it down.
The Good…
I flew to KY a week ago to spend the weekend with my family. My granny fell and broke her hip a couple weeks ago, which, while truly awful, meant that I spent lots of quality time chilling with her in the rehab center. We did puzzles, went through potential baby names (she rejected most of mine), and got to catch up on everything happening in life. On Saturday, my mom and best friend from home threw me an absolute perfect baby shower, attended by the women who defined my childhood. Friends, my friends’ moms, family, mentors- I can’t even describe how special it is to be celebrating this baby boy with those women. We played games, had a rocking devotional by my mom, shed a few tears, and our boy got some of the most amazing gifts ever. Just look at that quilt that my friend made:
PRIMARY COLORS AND TINY CLOTHES. Cannot even deal.
Not shown are the handmade bibs, the books with notes for our son, the adorable clothes, and the practical necessities. The shower was themed after one of my favorite French books The Little Prince, and the dedication to the theme was on point. My mom has become a Pinterest convert, which is how we ended up with this cake…
Behold, the cake that I shoved in my face all weekend long.
…and of course I brought just a leg back home to James, adding it to his lunch without explanation. He might never recover. Brunch is my favorite, and showers are the best, so a SHOWER BRUNCH OF FOOD was perfect. I was so busy eating and socializing that I don’t really have any other pictures, except for this one of the homemade granola I squirreled back to DC.
Not shown: The casserole made of sausage, cream cheese, regular cheese, and croissant dough. BLESS US ALL.
The picture is obviously deceptive, as it makes my weekend dining look healthy, but it was more like a binger of breakfast casserole and cake for days on end.
Must work on my casual funny picture face.
Other superpowers include having my lips disappear into my skin when I don’t wear lipstick.
As I am deeply loyal/dependent on my KY hairdresser, I made sure to cut my mangy locks while home. And as anyone knows, a fresh haircut is like having a new superpower. I also got to spend some time with good friends, after which my heart was so full that I had to quote my favorite philosophizing car thief of few words:
#DomToretto4lyfe
The Bad…
All those amazing gifts, the ones that made me feel like our entire world in KY came together to help us welcome this boy, wrapping their love around him in tangible pieces? Yeah, Southwest lost the bag with every. last. gift inside. (The severed cake baby leg was safe in another bag, not that it was much consolation.)
The Ugly…
I spent all week crying on the phone with various Southwest representatives, none of which were helpful, some of which were downright rude. One lady told me that if I didn’t want to lose baby gifts, I shouldn’t check them, which I realize might sound ok in theory… but how do you carry on 50 pounds of baby gifts? She then said that Southwest deemed bag tracking too expensive and unnecessary (they only scan your bag at the initial drop-off), and that maybe I just don’t travel enough to understand how things work. I cried, I pleaded, I ranted, I got no results.*
But then some more good!
Late last night, in a last ditch Hail Mary, I called the baggage people at Midway one more time. I tried to keep it together, but about 3 seconds into the conversation I started sobbing and babbling and gasping out words like “QUILT” and “IRREPLACEABLE” and “FIRST BABY EMOTIONS.” The woman, a saint by the name of Donna, was just the night shift bag worker, but she announced that she would FIND MY BAG, and off she went to personally inspect every bag in Midway, before she started contacting all other airports and getting results.
And at 2am, Donna called to tell me that my bag was in New Hampshire, after a brief trip through New Mexico. At which point I cried again and declared that I would be naming all my children after her.
And now it’s Friday, and we have pretty chill plans for the weekend, which also includes shower #3 of our three weekends of celebrations. Hoping for nothing but good for the next little while.
(*In fairness to Southwest: the service I received was so terrible, that I was ready to change my stance from Southwest-gusher, to I Will Never Fly Them Again. I was ready to cut up our Southwest cards and label all their proclamations of service as TOTAL LIES. I still think that their baggage system and many of the people I dealt with are not what they should be. But Donna was such a hero that I am in awe. Plus, they did apologize for the exceptional rudeness of the one employee who tried to victim-shame me for my lost bag and offer some vouchers, so I must withdraw the angry texts I sent to everyone in my life declaring them The Official Worst Ever.)
The Art in Life 
At 20 weeks pregnant I almost started crying when I saw that the bag was lost!! I would have been so devastated! I’m so glad for your sake the located it and I hope it returns safely to you soon!
Me too! It did get here… in several pieces. It is pretty obvious that Southwest broke it and stuff fell out. No major damage, though some books are scuffed. I consoled myself that a baby is not exactly going to treat his literature reverently.
Donna sounds like a goddess! I can’t even imagine the wave of emotions, and I am SO HAPPY you’re getting all of those gifts back safely in DC.
SHE IS. And you can totally imagine the emotions!
I am totally okay with being dragged through your “good, bad, and ugly” of this post–how you make people get inside your head and heart as you journey through life is just short of AMAZING, Hannah! I am SO, SO glad your lost bag was recovered…some things are definitely irreplaceable and I am glad you didn’t have to deal with the reckoning that they were gone forever and move on. Glad, too, that you’ve been able to find it in your heart to forgive the airline folks. My daughter-in-law works for Delta, and I know from her experience that airlines are notoriously short-handed and don’t pay at rates that attract the cream of the crop long-term (she, of course, is the exception 🙂 ). So happy Donna was (providentially, I am certain) your last-ditch effort angel. I hope James has fully recovered from being served THE LEG. (!)
Ah, thank you!!! And I am sure that I was not as polite at times as I could have been, but I did make sure to contact someone to give Donna’s name after it was all over so that she could get some recognition!
I’m so pleased they found your bag, I was almost crying for you reading this! Sounds like you had an amazing shower, that cake is adorable! Hope you’re enjoying being reunited with all your precious possessions!
Isn’t it crazy? It was also CRAZY TASTY. And it was so fun to have them finally show up and tell James about who gave each one!
I was seriously ready to contact you and say, “I’m going to get that bag if it’s the last thing I do!” I was so irate about the injustices committed against you! But then… you had the best and happiest ending EVER. Bless that dear soul who found your bag. ♡
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SHARED INJUSTICE ANGER. It’s really all any pregnant woman wants!
Lost bags are worst things ever. So I cannot imagine a lost bag with handmade baby gifts! Congratulations on your persistence and success! I’m so glad you have the little prince! It’s one of my favorites (although we only have it in French and it drives my husband crazy). We have a print of a page up in our oldest’s room that I picked up in Paris years ago, so I think it’s super special!