Traverse City

Wow, baby, you were amazing on this annual trip. I'll admit - we had our doubts. Traveling just hasn't been good this summer. Our New Hampshire trip consisted of spending 3-4 hours a day/night in the car getting you to sleep...many of those hours in the middle of the night. We were beside ourselves when we got home - exhausted. And this was when you were confined to a crib. So when you busted out of the crib a month or so ago, we had no idea how you would travel.

Your bedtime routine still takes a solid hour. About 15 minutes of reading, following by 45 minutes of sitting on your little airplane stool as you toss, turn and rearrange and tuck in Ernie and Piggy. Well, the routine was about the same in the hotel room, but once you fell asleep, you stayed asleep. And that was G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

You seemed to be filled with joy on this trip. You loved playing in the rocks along the Lake Michigan shore. You enjoyed some gelato with Daddy at an ice cream shop in a converted asylum...a little creepy I must say. And you were a superstar at Mission Tavern for dinner. You were the only child in the restaurant, and it was clear by the single booster seat and community crayon cup that children didn't frequent the joint. We got some dirty looks when we sat down, but you were quiet and shared my whitefish nicely.

Yes, you were a joyous superstar on this trip.

Mommy time...

It's so interesting to me that having Little Miss changes the motivation behind everything I do. Healthy or not, I find that she is the motivation of most everything I do. I'm trying real hard to take care of myself and my needs because I want her to grow up knowing that it's okay to take care of yourself - that everyone benefits when you take care of yourself. Taking care of yourself is not selfish, Little Miss.

So in the spirit of this, I am at a hotel tonight - the Holiday Inn Express near the mall. I checked in, checked out my upgraded room (thanks, hubby) and promptly went shopping. I bought odds and ends. Honestly, most of my purchases were for Little Miss; some socks for the fall and some Thomas the Train sheets for her big girl bed. I miss her. I’ve checked in at home about three times. Hubby said she cried for me during dinner. But this is a step – a step in learning how to take care of myself and give myself a break so that I can come home not only feeling refreshed as a mother and wife, but also as an individual with an individual identity...oh, and also as a chicken farmer.