So much has happened over the last two weeks, I don’t really know where to begin. I shall start at the beginning. I had a great deal of anxiety, in regards to the trip, because Arwen has never been with anyone but us. She has never been to a baby sitter or daycare of any sort. We have had little time for company or outings with friends, with us both working full time and taking care of the kids. I was not sure how she would handle new people and staying in a strange place. She has a routine, some things right down to the minute. I knew this trip would break that routine. She would not have her usual sleeping place, her high chair, her jumper, her swing, her walker etc. I had no idea how I was going to entertain her without some of these things!
For the trip down, I decided to drive at night. So that she would be asleep and there would be a great deal less traffic to deal with. We hit the road at 5:15 pm. The start of the trip was great, Arwen was great.
Mila sat in the back and attended her while Marley sat up front with me. Everyone was very excited! A couple of hours in, it was time to stop to make a fresh bottle and change Arwen’s diaper. No changing station…..I had to change her in the car. Second stop we were on I77, we pulled into a station just off the highway and WOW, it was packed. While I put in the gas, the girls ran in to get snacks. It seemed they were in there an eternity. I was blocking the gas pump and there was no place to pull out of the way. I was getting frustrated. After they arrived back I decided to either find a place to pull over to take her in or leave and go somewhere else. I found a place to park and then took Arwen in. Of course, NO CHANGING STATION, this is a travelers highway….I was quite angry. Arwen had just pooped while we were waiting for the girls. I had to change her in the car again. It was freezing….with the door open. Poor baby’s butt was tired of sitting…..and she was ice cold. I felt so bad and so angry at that gas station. I felt like taking the diaper in and laying it on the counter. Of course that is not who I am, and I did not. We got her adjusted and then hit the road. These stops were negating any time we had made. We had Arwen’s favorite Baby Einstein movies for the ride…..and boy were they a huge help.
Somewhere around 2:30-3:00am, Arwen finally got sick of it. She started an insatiable cry for about 30 minutes straight. I was already exhausted and it was really wearing me down. We arrived at mama’s about 3:30 or so. Arwen was okay for a minute and then freaked. She kept me up till at least 5. She was hiccup gasping for sometime after that so I couldn’t sleep at all. I was too worried about her.
And then………….A NEW DAY!
About that I shall continue……later.
All in all considering we were on the road for over 10 hours, Arwen was an amazing traveler…….