Yesterday, at the last minute, we (I) decided that we were going to take off at 5pm to go to Hilton Head. We ran around to get things together, in the middle of contractor mayhem, and packed up and left. With an 8 month old, and a chocolate lab, we decided to drive 18 hours straight to Hilton Head.
The ride went REALLY well, surprisingly well. I hope I am not jinxing myself for the ride home... As you can see, he is wearing his "car pajamas." He napped for the first bit of the ride. Then, bottle kept him happy for a little while, another small nap and as soon as he was getting antsy we stopped at a diner in CT. The neon lights and people were a great distraction. We pumped him full of food, kept him active, got him changed into his PJs and then put him to bed in the carseat. We even played his sleepytime CD. He feel asleep for the entire night! From 9 - 7 am. Great boy!
Upon wake up, more bottle for distraction and then a stop at Mom's favorite, the Cracker Barrel. Again, people, colors, new place and horses in the parking lot entertained him. A pancake breakfast filled him up and then we got him ready for the day in his Hilton Head Alligator outfit... And he napped the rest of the way there!
The all-night plan was a rough one on Mom and Dad. I was loosing it at 5:00am, on the 122nd mile of North Carolina... but we made it through. Joel got to sleep a while when I drove, and vice versa (though he had it better, my night shift was from 2:30 - 7... brutal, but I guess, it was my idea...). It was a great way to bring all the stuff down we needed, and the kid did not seem to mind.
I think timed and planned stopping points were key. We knew Joel's gas tank and tried to plan meals around it. As soon as we stop, the kiddo wakes up so it was important to plan this out. Also, fun places to stop, get out, eat and relax were key here too. I had a bag of tricks - some fav toys that we only had to use for about a 1/2 of crankiness in the morning before breakfast. And, now we are here! I may need a nap though...
Yesterday, at the last minute, we (I) decided that we were going to take off at 5pm to go to Hilton Head. We ran around to get things together, in the middle of contractor mayhem, and packed up and left. With an 8 month old, and a chocolate lab, we decided to drive 18 hours straight to Hilton Head.
The ride went REALLY well, surprisingly well. I hope I am not jinxing myself for the ride home... As you can see, he is wearing his "car pajamas." He napped for the first bit of the ride. Then, bottle kept him happy for a little while, another small nap and as soon as he was getting antsy we stopped at a diner in CT. The neon lights and people were a great distraction. We pumped him full of food, kept him active, got him changed into his PJs and then put him to bed in the carseat. We even played his sleepytime CD. He feel asleep for the entire night! From 9 - 7 am. Great boy!
Upon wake up, more bottle for distraction and then a stop at Mom's favorite, the Cracker Barrel. Again, people, colors, new place and horses in the parking lot entertained him. A pancake breakfast filled him up and then we got him ready for the day in his Hilton Head Alligator outfit... And he napped the rest of the way there!
The all-night plan was a rough one on Mom and Dad. I was loosing it at 5:00am, on the 122nd mile of North Carolina... but we made it through. Joel got to sleep a while when I drove, and vice versa (though he had it better, my night shift was from 2:30 - 7... brutal, but I guess, it was my idea...). It was a great way to bring all the stuff down we needed, and the kid did not seem to mind.
I think timed and planned stopping points were key. We knew Joel's gas tank and tried to plan meals around it. As soon as we stop, the kiddo wakes up so it was important to plan this out. Also, fun places to stop, get out, eat and relax were key here too. I had a bag of tricks - some fav toys that we only had to use for about a 1/2 of crankiness in the morning before breakfast. And, now we are here! I may need a nap though...
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