As many of you may know since we saw so many of you over the past 4+ weeks, me and the boys took off on a grand adventure to see most of the country and our loved ones who are spread out far and wide. I didn't really have the time or energy to keep blogging while we were on the road, so I'll try and summarize here for the boys to read back thru when they're older.
Day 1: our biggest day driving, Cary, NC to Westerville, OH to visit the Cotters. We left at about noon on Friday, July 13 for this 490 mile leg of the journey. The boys were pretty much troopers the vast majority of the day. We made stops for nursing Jude, gas & potty breaks, and to stretch our legs. I had packed healthy snacks for us to avoid having to try and handle 2 kids in restaurants, and this worked great. When we did stop, I spread out a blanket on whatever grassy nook we could find at the gas station or rest area where we stopped, and we ate and stretched and enjoyed the beautiful day. Until about the 9th hour. Literally. Both boys decided they had had enough and took turns screaming, Milo while holding his hands over his ears yelling at me to "Give him his plug! Give him his nook!!" Fortunately, we only had about an hour left, so after trying whatever I could, I just let them yell.
Things that I learned on this leg of the trip: plan as best as you can, and then roll with it. Sometimes an infant just doesn't want to nurse in the car, and with kid #2 I care less and less about whipping them out sitting outside. With screaming kids, and this seems counter-intuitive, but thanks to a tip from Kate I tried this and it did eventually work, pump up some music. This helps to drown out their howling so mom doesn't go crazy, and it actually seems to give them something to listen to so they often stop screaming. With Jude, he finally went to sleep with Alison Krause and Robert Plante blasting. And only stay with friends at this stage in life who won't judge you.
And with this last statement I give a huge shout out to Em, Logan, and Drew who put up with me, Milo, and Jude for about 36 hours. Even though I was a crazy single parent post 11 hours in the car, they graciously hosted us, shared meals with us, Logan even let Milo take turns with Drew jumping all over him in the pool. Drew was quite infatuated with Jude, as he apparently is with all babies. Here's a great pick of him giving Jude his nook :) Em and I chatted during naps or when boys were playing nicely, and I continue to be grateful for this renewed friendship. Em and I really have gotten re-aquainted as adults since knowing each other as kids our whole lives. When we moved to Toledo, we took turns hauling our boys back and forth, and I love her now more than I ever have. She is a beautiful, wise, gentle, hilarious, and godly woman that I'm so thankful to know.
