We’ve been back for just about 48 hours, and I was determined to ignore the laundry until this blog post was done. Vignettes from the rest of the trip:
J On the first night in Bloomington, IL, in our cozy hotel room, we all hunkered down at about 8:00. We put C in the Pack ‘n’ Play right next to Ellen’s bed, tucked Ellen under her Curious George blanket, and climbed into bed ourselves, since we figured we could handle an evening of catching up on sleep, especially after being on the road all day. One minute later, Ellen was yelling to us, “Celie is awake! Celie is awake!” Yes. Thank you. Cecilia eventually fell asleep, but Ellen definitely had a bit of trouble doing the same when she is all wound up from the car trip, and is in the same room as her entire family.
J On the second night, somewhere just past the border of WV and Kentucky, we had time for a quick pizza party in our hotel room, and then it was time to wind down. Cecilia went to sleep easily, and then it was Ellen’s turn. After reading stories (in the lobby so as not to disturb Little Sister) and tucking in, I told Ellen that Daddy and I would just be right outside the door (where we could hear them but Ellen could not see us). So I kissed her goodnight and crept to the other side of the room, where I saw the bathroom light on and realized that Dave had camped out in there instead of going into the hall. So in I went, and made myself comfortable on the tile. A minute or so later, we heard little footsteps, then the unmistakable sound of the room door opening. Dave and I looked at each other. “She’s in the hallway,” he said. Realizing that she was expecting to find us there (NOT in the bathroom) and figuring that she’d be pretty freaked out when she discovered an empty corridor, I quickly pulled myself up from my cozy spot in front of the toilet and opened the door. By the time I assessed the situation, Ellen was halfway down the hall, high-tailing it with all her might in her monkey nightgown. I watched her check the ice machine nook, and finally she heard my “Ellen!” stage whispers and turned around to high-tail it back to me. I tucked her back in, but that wasn’t the end of the bedtime disruptions. She visited the bathroom (a much lighter door to open), and had to be escorted back to bed several more times before we felt confident in our safe exodus.
J We all loved seeing a new state (beautiful driving through West Virginia) and were so excited to be at graduation ceremonies for my stepsister Abbey (now Dr. Burger, OB/GYN). Commencement did get a skosh long for the girls. Cecilia had to be removed about 15 minutes into the speakers (to her credit, we arrived about 45 minutes early, so that was an hour of sitting in the seat for her), and Ellen made it about 2 hours (total 2:45) until she (and probably every other child under age 12) moved to the large grassy area right next to the tent. There, it took about 10 minutes for her to befriend another little 3-year old named Annabelle, and they walked around the lawn hand-in-hand, as though they’d been best friends for the entirety of their short lives.
J That night, we all had an amazing dinner at a restaurant in downtown Lewisburg called the Stardust Café. As we were finishing up our desserts (sticky toffee pudding…soooo good), Dave turned to me and said with a grin, “hey, look who’s here.” It was Annabelle and her family. We walked over to say hi, and the two girls shyly gave each other hugs and posed for a picture. Running into an old friend is always a good time.
J The drive back was overwhelmingly not fun. Some parts were fun – singing songs together (about 30 minutes total), listening to Great Courses lectures while girls slept (about 3 hours total), reading books and magazines while girls watched DVD’s or played with toys quietly (about 2 hours total). Other parts, not so much – running interference, waiting by the side of the road for Ellen to decide she was able to pee and wouldn’t have to try again at the next rest stop, plugging ears against one-year-old boredom shrieks, unbuckling myself and kneeling backwards on my seat to reach a snack/toy/book/crayon, generally loathing my status of confinement (about 14 hours and 30 minutes total).
J We did have one especially enjoyable stop in IL, during which we danced on the grass, then sat on a picnic bench and found two caterpillars and one inchworm.
J When, at long last, we pulled into our driveway, Ellen said, “See, Ceece, everything’s back to normal.” Hallelujah.
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| Cecilia enjoying her book |
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| Dave's home (toddlerhood through 5th grade) - Lexington, KY |
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