I decided it was time to take a road trip. Joe was going to be working on a big project in the field for the week and I was starting to feel cabin fever so I planned a trip with just Quinney and I to go to Greeley to see her auntie Grace.
It's a 7 1/2 hour drive and if there's one area I don't feel confident in yet when it comes to Quincey, it would likely be going out and about with her because we rarely do it! Since Covid, we don't take Quincey out very often and I certainly don't take her out alone very often. So, I was nervous about the drive. Taking her to the mountains can sometimes feel daunting if she is cranky. I start to feel so helpless when she is crying and there's not much I can do even though I'm sitting in the back next to her while Joe drives. But, this trip would be different. It would just be Quinney and I and it would be A LOT further than our short trips to the mountains.
So, I decided to leave in the middle of the night after she got up for her feeding in hopes that she would nestle in to her car seat and sleep for a big chunk of the morning. I was all prepared. I had the car packed the night before and my clothes laid out to quickly throw on in the morning.
I woke up at 2am and Quincey had not woken up to feed yet. You know how it is when you try to get back to sleep but you know that you have to wake up soon so you can't really fall back asleep? Well, here it was 2am and I could not fall back to sleep so finally around 3:15am I rolled out of bed, kissed Joe goodbye, fed Quincey and made as smooth as a transition into her car seat as possible. She was WIDE AWAKE by the time hit the road. I tried to prepare myself for the long hours to come but all I heard was 1 peep for the next 3 hours. It was a success and the rest of the drive there went really good as well. Very little fussing and lots of self soothing. It was really nice to show up at the Logan's though.
Quincey was glad to be out of her car seat. Grace was literally standing in the middle of the street when we pulled up; that's how eager she was to see Quincey. And Quincey did not disappoint. She smiled from ear to ear when she saw her Auntie.
Quincey was just enamored with their dogs. She couldn't stop squealing and giggling at the dogs.
We just had a great time in Greeley. One day Uncle Jason babysat so us girls could go shopping. I rarely get to do that and when I do, it's like to a store that I know I need something specific in and I literally beeline right to the item and back out again so I can get home and relieve Joe from daddy daycare as soon as possible so he can get back to work but, this time, there was no rushing. But, about an hour after we left, I was checking on her - texting uncle Jason to see how she was doing. Within a couple hours I was definitely ready to get back to my peanut. That was the longest I had been without her before.
My favorite part about being at the Logan's is literally just hanging out. And that's mostly what we did. We went on some walks, played some games, took some naps (YES! I TOOK A NAP AND GOT TO SLEEP IN ONE DAY. It was GLORIOUS!) played Nintendo and just had a really nice relaxing time.
It so nice to have so many hands to help with Quincey. I just basked in the ability to pass her off to another family member to change her clothes, feed her some food, or entertain her while I took a shower. And, it's so nice for Quincey too. It really is good for kids to be surrounded by family.
2 things I found out while I was there: #1 - Grace had a banana on her counter so i squished some up and gave it to Quincey in this pacifier type thing that holds food and has holes poked into it so she can suck out the food. She LOVED it and since then can not get enough banana. I've tried now to give her peaches and avacado in it but she spits it out - change it out for a banana and she grabs that thing to suck on instantly.
#2 - Quincey likes getting her back rubbed. We were all laying on Grace's bed (it's where everyone hangs out all the time) and Quincey was on her belly on the bed. I started to rub her back, which I've tried before and she always seemed too ticklish to like it (she would just squirm), and she laid her head down and really seemed to enjoy it. Since then, I rub her back a little as our nap time routine and there have been a couple times that it has put her to sleep instantly. I'm so glad I found that out. It really seems to help to calm her down and signal to her that it's time to wind down for a nap.
I can not believe how quick the time went. Friday came so quick! But, fortunately the drive home went almost as smooth as the drive there.
I was glad to be home but instantly was sad that we were back to facetime calls to see family.
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