Finally, after a bit of upheaval, it's just another day in the life. A hectic, unpredictable day. But at least one without specific appointments and errands.The trip to Cincinnati went really well. I was shocked and impressed by how well Eleanor did being handed amongst 30 or more of Keith's relatives and friends. We had some good friends stop by too, so it was really nice to have some time to sit and chat while Eleanor roamed from one aunt to the next.
Plus, there was an unexpected benefit to the trip: previously, Eleanor had cried when Keith held her, and only really calmed down for me. But it would appear that after she's realized just how many people there are in the great wide world, Keith doesn't look so bad anymore. As he puts it: 2 out of 2 isn't very good, but 2 out of 30 is a lot better. So now she's daddy's little girl!
As always, the worst part of the trip was the driving. But this time was even more brutal than it had been. Friday night, for the trip down, we left at 10 o'clock in the evening so she would sleep the whole way. Which she did, and we were grateful. But once we arrived, she awoke to eat, get her diaper changed, etc., so we didn't actually get to sleep until about 4 o'clock in the morning. And when she awoke at 7 or 8, demanding our attention, it was rough.
In contrast, on the way back she was awake for at least 10-20 minutes of crying every time we strapped her back into the car seat. Which happened a lot, because we stopped several times to feed her along the way. It's not that long of drive, but we went to his aunt's picnic first, and then stopped at friends' in Columbus .... anyway, the drive back just dragged on forever.
But being in Cincinnati was good, and I think she managed to charm all of Keith's relatives. (Jan, would you agree?;) And the ensuing chaos for the rest of the week was due to the fabulous news of Gavin's arrival. Finally, Keith and I had our first big outing this weekend, sans Eleanor: a wedding on the west side of town. We showed up late and left early, but we still made it!
However, I'm very happy that we have no big plans for this week. We're not going anywhere or doing anything. That will probably change by this afternoon, but for now it sounds very nice.
3 comments:
Miss Eleanor did, in fact, charm all of the relatives. I loved seeing Grandpa Jim carrying her around like a football and she didn't even cry when I held her. It was good to see you all and it was a beautiful weekend for the family gatherings.
Congrats on being able to go out without her. I hope you didn't worry too much while you were away.
I know exactly what you mean about having no plans. Sometimes I travel home from work on my commute from hell, hoping that nothing has been planned for the weekend (or evening) ahead.
Jan: Glad you enjoyed meeting her. It will be great for her to see the Cincinnati relatives again at Christmas (we're hoping to make the big family gathering the weekend after) and everyone can see how much she's grown and changed!
She loves that Grandpa Jim hold.
I don't worry too much about her too much when we're out and about, especially since she was being watched by 4 grandparents. I tend to worry more about the babysitters, and how they're doing with potential hours of unrelenting screaming;)
Jonathan: Your commute is brutal. I drove into the office yesterday and saw that a part of the drive that is always congested is now under construction, and several lanes are closed. I just thought to myself, "I'm so glad I won't be driving this in rush hour!" Once I can figure out how to draw the line between being home and working, I think I'll be very happy about not commuting.
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