I'm beginning to feel that life consists of one crowded-minivan-screeching-squirming-one-year-old-intolerably-lengthed trip after the other. We traveled at the beginning of September, again at the beginning of October, and have yet another trip planned at the beginning of November. I'm not sure I can bear it. It is so wearing. Long, suffering-filled, poor-me sigh. Israel is just the WORST at traveling!!! He hates the restraint of his carseat, and I just don't blame him, but there's not much I can do about it. He is facing forward and I have him sitting as upright as I can, but he is basically the most unhappy camper you could find. Besides me. May have a nervous breakdown after the next one. Seriously wondered if I could be having a mental breakdown with this one, as I hung halfway over the front seat to comb my fingers through Israel's hair while holding a bottle in a futile attempt to restore peace and quiet to my ears. Sigh again. It didn't help anything that he was teething. I am not normally crabby, but I am Crabbiest Woman Ever immediately after returning home from these ventures, simply because I have been on kid duty for 7 1/2 hours straight in cramped quarters. I don't think I will ever take for granted the simple joy of not having to travel with a one year old after all of my children have moved through that stage and are into the glued-to-DVD phase that Gabe happily settles into. Can you tell this is traumatic for me? Goodness.
Israel has started taking some steps while holding onto things - cruising. He loves to point, and to mimic sounds. I cannot bring myself to cut his curls, and am not sure how I will ever get to that point. It twill be a sad, sad day, indeed for the mommy. :) He is just the cutest little curly head. I'd post a picture if I weren't so lazy. Maybe tomorrow. I'm sort of sad he soon won't be crawling.
He also loves to "drive" things. He drives (as in, pushes on the floor) toy cars, toy guitars, Gabriel's scooter, random toys, and my big Kirby vacuum. I was duly impressed by that last one.
Off to emotionally prepare for work tomorrow...can you tell I'm having a hard time of it today? Come visit me! 'Cause I ain't coming to visit you!! (here Carrie exits stage left, plucking the air, eyes darting back and forth, and muttering vague things about links between her dryer and the latest outbreak of avian flu...Somebody get this girl a charter jet.)
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10 comments:
OOh, sweetheart! so sorry. I hear your pain. I have been there so many times myself. Today on the way home from town, Helen would finish her animal cracker and holler AH DAH! AH DAH! AH DAH!! (all done) until I could twist back and give her another one--while I was driving. Your post makes me so thankful it was only 15 minutes.
Oy vey! You have my sympathies too! I have video and pictures of my girls both crying their heads off at the end of that DE to Ohio long haul. Sigh. Can't say I miss anything about those car trips. They are exhausting. Hopefully you can take some "me" time after work. Love you- Candice
Hold the phone! You ain't coming to visit us?! We've been in there numerous times now and you really need to come the 24 hours our way! :-)
I do know your pain though! The last trip we made was driving straight thru and boy, talk about some tired GRUMPS till we go there!! All I can say is that I am now a firm believer in ear plugs and duct tape!! (rofl)
Oh, Carrie...glad you made it back safely! Get some rest (if you possibly can), talk to you soon
emily
Yup. . know just how you feel. Brian is NOT a good little traveler (Blake does okay now. . thanks to DVD's). Driving at night helped somewhat, but that makes for very tired parents who can't sleep good in the car. Maybe one day we can go back to reading books while we travel :). Hope your day at work was better than your traveling!!! Janice
That's one reason we love a minivan that has "fold and go" seats (that go down into the floor). Jeff arranges things on trips so that Elise is all the way in the back where I can sit beside her when she needs attention. Julia is in one of the middle captain's chairs (is that what they're called?), the other middle seat is folded into the floor. It's not perfect, but the set-up makes it quite nice compared to some scenarios: no twisting around while in the fron seat, and rather easy maneuverability from one seat to another. Is there any way you can reaarrange your's and children's locations to make traveling easier on all of you?
Just sympathy here. I cannot wait to get that new front-facing carseat, but my little girl cannot have one until her first birthday since I don't think she has reached the appropriate weight yet. Is all the traveling about seeing family, finding a different place to live, or both of the above? Maybe I've missed something, but I'm not clear on whether or not Tim has found a job somewhere or if you're just sticking around there.
Japheth - Oh my goodness. When I am feeling grouchy about traveling, I do think of you guys, actually, and the very very very very very long trip you have to make. There's always someone who has it worse. :)
Janice - Yes, reading books while I travel would be awesome. Mostly I just look out the window even if the little one isn't currently fussing because the whole ordeal of getting into my book and then having to put it down again is just too arduous. :) Yeah, the traveling through the night thing...that just sounds like even more work because of the accompanying exhaustion. Plus, the times we have traveled pretty late into the night with Gabe, he didn't necessarily sleep very much. Oh well. And, thanks, my day at work was much better than my traveling. :)
Ange - We used to have Gabe in the backseat and Israel in the front so I could sit by him, but that was when Israel was facing backwards and could see Gabe, which was a nice distraction. So for our last two trips, we took the backseat out for extra room, and put them both in the front seat, so that Israel could still see Gabe. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes it is a bad thing. :) So, I don't know if there is another arrangement or not. I think it's just mostly a phase I have to weather.
Elaine - thanks for the sympathy. :) The traveling last month was our trip to Myrtle Beach. The traveling this month was job related, checking out a church in DE. We stopped in VA on the way out and on the way back, which was very helpful, but it still equaled a pile of traveling. And then we are planning to return in a few weeks for another full week out there. I think what we will probably try to do is leave early early, like 5 or 6 AM, because that has proven the best thing - then the problem is that the boys have both been waking up a time or two during the night of late and then I'm so tired. Or I'm a big dork and stay up too late the night before - which is probably the main reason. We noticed last time that when we left by 5 or 6, the trip seemed about 4 hours shorter, because the boys were sleeping and quiet until about 9. And much more tolerable that way. Anyways. No, we're not planning on sticking around here. Checking out our options, instead.
I wish I could come see you. I would give a lot to be able to go out to coffee with you and just talk and cry on each others shoulders. I miss you a lot! Hug, Carmen
Ohhhhh - I wish we could go out for coffee too.... :( Maybe once I get my charter jet. :) I love you too and miss you very much.
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