success!

Ta Da!!! Big accomplishment this weekend--we made it through our first out of town trip!

We got off to a later start than expected, still made all of the planned stops (3 before 1:00pm!), fed Ellie all of her necessary meals, partied for her cousin-to-be, and introduced her to so many new people without too much crying! When she started getting fussy in the car she calmed down well enough when we played her favorite reggae song by her boy Ziggy Marley. She also received the best gift ever from her Great Grandpa Strong. More on that later...

We remembered everything we needed (except for my swimsuit). A short list to look back on for baby's next excursion: tons of diapers, wipes, diaper cream, blankets, washcloths, bags, extra clothes, paci, clean/dirty clothing bags, bottle, cooler, pump, Miracle Blanket and Boppy.

Ellie only needed one outfit each day (me too!)--no explosions or leakage! She only cried when she was hungry, tired, or Uncle Andy's bearded face got too close ;). While it was stressful or complicated at times, we were able to plan well enough to keep Ellie pretty close to her usual schedule and still spend quality time with everyone we needed to see.

When we got back Sunday afternoon I was feeling so proud of ourselves and our baby girl, and so lucky that we have so much wonderful in our lives. I have to admit, my happiness probably also had something to do with the fact that we slept in til 10:00 while Grandma hung out with Ellie. The world does look brighter through rested eyes! My mood wasn't even deterred when we came home to a dirty house, flooded patio, and clogged drain. I'm sure traveling, meeting new people, and visiting friends and family will get easier with time and experience. It is so awesome to share our baby girl with people we love. We left Alden home this trip, thankful that Uncle TT was able to watch him while we were gone. We wouldn't have been able to do what we did if he was in the car with us. That will be the next challenge... When we got home, Aldy and I went on a date to the pet store to get the new dog food that he loves and eats (thanks, Bella) and a rawhide. Hopefully that made it up to him.