LESSONS LEARNED

while traveling with a 9.5 month old...

Anthony and I learned many lessons while traveling to and from Iowa this past week. I always learned a lot from my students when I taught, and Isabella continues to teach us new things daily! Allow us to share our new found wisdom with you:

• Little Bodies Produce Big Poops - The entire trip to Iowa was tainted by diarrhea. We think Isabella is teething again, but oh my gosh! We drove along and stopped in North Platte at the McDonalds. Anthony pulled her out of her car seat, and without knowledge of what was to come, I plopped her down on the changing table (which pulled down from above the toilet in a teeny, tiny stall). As I started to undo her traveling outfit I realized that I was in for a doozie! Although it had not oozed up the top of her diaper, it had seeped down the sides, and was getting on her legs. I went through every single wipe in my little wipe carrier, and brought her back out to her daddy, who was busy chowing down on his Sausage & Egg McMuffin. While I was beginning to explain why she was only wearing her diaper, I looked down and realized that I now wore remnants of the fiasco! I had packed extra outfits for Isabella, but I was out of luck. This plagued the rest of our trip. We stopped again in Council Bluffs, IA at the Bass Pro Shop and repeated the ordeal, but this time I changed her in the car with the new wipes that we had to buy at Walmart. And again, she not only got a new diaper, but a new outfit as well. So, 750 miles, 12 hours, and 3 outfits later, we arrived at our final destination!

• Peek-A-Boo and So Big never get old - As was mentioned in an earlier post, Isabella loves to start games, and expects that you will play along. In order to make the drive easier on all of us, I sat in the back seat with her the whole way there and back. All of a sudden, Isabella's arms would fly up in the air, and her wide, blue eyes would stare you down, with expectation filling her eyes! If you didn't answer immediately with "So Big", she would make noises and do it again. This would continue until you played along. And, once you started, she wouldn't stop. She's like that dog that keeps bringing the ball back to you after you throw it, again, and again, and again!!! I can't even begin to count all of the games we played ... over and over again! The only thing that made this whole thing worth it is the laughter that follows every time we say "So Big"!
  

• Italian Daddies Should Not Teach Drivers Ed - Anthony is a great driver, but not always patient. He taught many a driver a "lesson" on the ways of the road! I'm hoping that Isabella was listening and tucking all of these lessons away for future reference. If you're ever driving with us, just remember that the left lane is for passing - ONLY!!!

• Corn Fields are Plentiful ... Except When You Want One - All I wanted was to take a picture of Isabella in an Iowa Corn Field. I thought this would be an easy project, however, it's not! On our last night there, I was getting frustrated. My dad took us on a little detour back to his house, scouting out spots where we could park and shoot the picture. We ended up pulling into someone's driveway (not quite, but almost), and running over to their corn field right next to their house! We didn't touch the corn, we just quickly took the pictures and sped off!!! It was worth it, though!

• The Best Toys in Life are NOT Toys - On our trek home, we stopped at McDonalds for lunch in Ogallala, NE. This stop went super smooth (minus the super long lines). I changed Isabella while Anthony got the food. I fed her while Anthony ate. I then ate my lunch in the car, while Isabella stared longingly at my nuggets and fries. As she was attempting to stare me down, her arm shot out and touch something crinkly. The McDonalds sack was within her reach. This became her favorite new toy. It made noise, fit in her mouth, and tore if she pulled just right! I was able to eat the rest of my lunch in "peace", and she was a happy camper! She also wore Grandpa Mike down until he gave in and let her have her very own remote control so that she would stop messing up his TV settings!

• Some Things are Free - If you're an ugly Nebraska bug. I don't know when or how this thing got in our car, but he traveled all the way home, clinging to the INSIDE of our back window. I kept one eye on him, and the other on Isabella, but he stayed on the window, and she never knew ... and neither did Anthony. He was so yucky - I hope he got out when we got home, or else I'm in for a yucky surprise when I get back in the car!
  

We learned lots of other great lessons, but these are the highlights! We are so glad to be home!