Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

The following is a pictorial review of the highlights of yesterday's drive home. I wrote down all of the details partly for those readers who have not taken a road trip with little ones and would like to know what to expect and partly for myself. I want to be able to look back at this when I take a trip with two or three kids and fondly remember how easy it was with one.

I will eventually write about the actual trip to Pecos, just not right now.

MILE 0: (8:00 am) Everything is packed. Start a dvd playing. Carry Clara to the car since she doesn't have shoes on. Buckle her in. Go to shut the door....... And time to clean up the throw up that's now dripping down under the carseat pad and out the side onto the towel underneath the carseat and leather seat.

Take Clara back inside. Change her clothes. Pull out carseat and bring inside. Try cleaning it as much ast possible without having to take the cover off and machine wash it. Fold up towel it was sitting on in the car and bag said towel and 1st set of clothes. Put carseat back in car. Put child back into carseat and you're good to go.

MILE 2: Get halfway through town before you realize you're going the wrong route. You want to go I-10, not I-20. Easy enough fix. You only lost about 5 minutes with this one.

MILE 18: Put on hazard lights. Pull over to the side of the road to clean up yet more puke. And change into outfit numero tres.

MILE 55: Stop at McDonalds in Ft. Stockton because you forgot to eat breakfast and are STARVING and know it's, like, 300 miles til you get to another McD's. Purchasing a mcmuffin for yourself and nothing for the little one will not go over well, so get a biscuit for her. Put on bib and fill cup with juice before getting back on the interstate.

MILE 70: Child sneezes with a mouthful of biscuit. (You were spared puke pictures, but snot's fair game in my opinion.)

MILE 93: It's decided to save the last bit of biscuit for later by stashing it in her new puppy purse Aunt Tanya gave her.
MILE 101: Clean up our mess.
MILE 103: Rest stop. Put socks and shoes on kid. Pee. Diaper. DVD change. Remove bib and biscuit crumbs from child and car. Shoo bee out of the car. Take shoes and socks off of child.

MILE 182: The kid's getting restless. Throw her some animal cookies. Oooh, that's a mess.

MILE 217: Pull over at a picnic area. DVD change. Clean painted on crackers off of her face.

MILE 225: Teach Alfonso the frog to sing "Wheels on the bus."


MILE 250: You make it to Junction. Get gas. Put shoes and socks on child. Change dirty diaper. Spend 10 minutes looking for a park to eat the sandwiches you brought. Give up and get a Sonic drink and pull over to a grassy area where the kid can run for a minute or two. Of course, she doesn't want to run; she wants to sit in your lap and whine about the fact that she didn't get a Sonic drink until you cave and give her a drink of yours. Take shoes and socks off of child and get going.

MILE 295: Pull over at another picnic area because she's driving you loopy. The sun's in her eyes even though you just sacrificed your own sunglasses to aid her. You adjust the shade (which only works until the interstate turns ever so slightly.) Try to give her a pillow and bedtime buddies so she'll go to sleep.

MILE 312: (Outskirts of San Antonio) She's asleep. FINALLY!

MILE 391: Oh, man. You gotta go!!! Why'd you drink that Sonic drink? Now you have to wake the beast!

MILE 400: Ok, she's awake. Mixed blessing I guess.

MILE 412: Stop at one of those oh-so-cool safety rest stops. Put shoes and socks on child. Make mental note to bring slip on shoes next time. Diaper change. Play on the playground. Goldfish refill. DVD change. Take shoes and socks off of chid.

MILE 528: Chew on foot.
MILE 540: (Edge of Houston) Catch a whiff of poo. Make child sit in it 'til you get home because you are NOT stopping again.

MILE 575: (6:30 pm) You're home!