The trip started fine enough. She babbled in the backseat, chewed on some toys, and fell asleep. After 30 minutes or so, I noticed her head was tipped forward, chin on her chest, so I reached back to try and bring it back up. Mistake. She woke up, happy enough, so I thought it was alright. Then she was restless and got pretty fussy for the last bit of the trip.
We stopped in to see Hannah and Penelope, and as a nice bonus, her mom who I don't think I've seen in over 3 years! It was a quick visit, but really good. Penelope liked sharing and reading with Adelaide, and it was so cute to see how big Adelaide's gotten since the last time we got them two to sit next to each other!
From there, we went to my mom's. I think the drive really stressed Adelaide out, and then we were in a new place, and she met new people (my cousin and his wife). And also, they have 3 dogs. Adelaide hasn't really spent time with dogs before, only in passing on the street, where I make it a point to let her get on the dog's level and experience the dog. But these dogs were big and loud and unpredictable. All day Saturday she clung to me and was very unsure about the whole thing. She was pretty fussy, and I was stressed, having had a long day myself with the driving and visiting and no-napping.
Sunday was a ton better though. She woke up frequently in the night (teething? earache? gas? who knows...) but I was able to get her back to sleep immediately each time. And she actually slept in! And then after being up for a few hours, we both took a 2-hour nap was exactly what both of us needed. I love cuddling up to my baby. It will be a sad day when she no longer lets me do that. I will definitely miss our morning naps when I go back to work. :(
She warmed up to the dogs Sunday. We let her play on the floor with some lids and one of the dogs came close, licking Adelaide's face. She covered her face and wiped her eyes, and soon began doing that whenever the dog even looked at her! It was adorable. She even let a giggle escape!
Now, for the hating the rain part. It was raining when we left, and it wasn't long before Adelaide was crying. I was driving and Kevin was sitting in the back seat trying to play with her and keep her calm. She would settle, then cry again. Pacifier, new toys, etc. wouldn't keep her calm for long. Lots of Old MacDonald Had a Farm. She loves it when I sing and it keeps her calm pretty much as long as I can sing. But I couldn't sing forever because I had to concentrate on the road. It was raining so hard at times that I could barely see in front of me. At one point I hydroplaned... on a bridge. I almost had a panic attack after that. I have a fear of driving over bridges. I always think about how they can collapse and then I'd plummet to the water beneath. I'm always scared. So to have that happen freaked me out.
I started noticing a pattern with Adelaide's crying and the rain. When it was raining so hard that I could barely hear myself talk, when the rain was pounding on the car... that's when she was screaming. If the rain calmed down, so did she.
About an hour from the house, we pulled over because my nerves were shot. We switched spots, and without taking Adelaide out of the carseat, I leaned over and nursed her for a couple minutes. We'd already stopped previously for an actual feeding, but I knew she needed the comfort. And she did. Not 3 minutes after nursing her, she was smiling at me and cooing to her fluffy green monkey.
So, it's not that she hates the rain, I guess. But that she hates the deafening noise of the rain in the car. I felt terrible not being able to hold as her face reddened and got splotchy, but I did what I could with singing to her and pulling over to nurse her. One day she will understand the rain and why she has to be in a carseat.
All in all, it was good to see family, but I will definitely stress the next time we take a long car trip (next weekend, actually). Any tips from experienced mamas?
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