With my family living out of state it was inevitable that we would soon need to take our first road trip with little Christian. I hated the fact that I had this new precious miracle in my life and I had to wait to bring him to visit Grandma and Grandpa in PA, but his health and safety far outweighed my selfish desire to bring him there. We decided that after the holidays would be a perfect time to take that first trip. He would be over a month old, and we felt at the point it was safe for him to travel. I am happy to report the trip was a success!!
I had to admit I that although I was so excited, I was also very nervous. I mean let’s face it…traveling with a newborn could be difficult. Granted it’s great that he would supposedly sleep the entire car ride, but I was worried about what would happen when he was there. Would he sleep well in the pack and play when he was used to a bassinet? Would he be fussy? Would he give me any sleep with the new routine? Will I remember everything he needs? All those worries came to my head. I tend to do that a lot. Picture the worst and get myself overly nervous.
Packing was tough. I needed enough outfits to cover each day we were there along with extras just in case he had an accident. (which is always possible). My parents had the pack and play (sleeping..check!), glider, diapers and wipes. That saved me from having to bring that which was helpful. I can only imagine what will happen when he just NEEDS those certain toys when he is away. I insisted on buying a humidifier for their house because he gets phlemmy at night. I didn’t want to rock the boat, and I packed his sleep sheep because I think he likes the heartbeat noise at night. I also packed this little sea horse that makes soothing sounds which helps him when it’s nap time. Personally, I think I did well in the packing department. (minus his bouncy chair which I forgot)
The forecast was for snow on the day we were supposed to leave so we decided to take the trip the night before to beat the storm. Smart idea! I made sure to feed him right before we left, and he slept the whole way! Keep in mind that a 2 1/2 hour trip could take 5 when it comes to Long Island/New York traffic. I was extremely nervous about that. Christian loves the car, but he hates when there is stop and go, so traffic could ruin the whole trip. Luckily..it did not.
The weekend in PA was really great. My family was so happy to see him, and a few of their friends also came by for an introduction. I have to admit that Christian was a bit spoiled because he was held the ENTIRE weekend. It was also nice because other people were excited to change his diapers and outfits. A break is always good for mommy.
Christian is such a good little boy (I am knocking on wood as we speak!), and was pleasant all weekend. He even had his best night of sleep to date! I started to feed him at 1:15, and he slept till 6:30! The good news is that I got more sleep, the bad news is my boobs TOTALLY missed that in between feeding. I guess they didn’t get the memo that he wasn’t hungry. I hope his good sleeping habits stick around. Maybe it’s a sign of things to come!
The trip home was just as successful. Again, he slept the entire way and traffic went in our favor. God was certainly looking out for us. The little guy has to get used to it though because he has many more trips to PA in his future. Road trip number 1 down….we will make a traveler out of our little guy yet!
Congrats on the road trip! It sounds like it was a success – and I’m sure EVERYONE there loved seeing him!