Back Home Again...In Indiana

A few weekends ago, Natalie and I made our very first trip home to Indianapolis to visit family.  Since Matt happened to be in Hong Kong for work, it was up to me to take command of the first long road trip with an infant.

And can I just brag on my little girl for a second and say that it went so well?  I mean, I woke her up at the butt crack of dawn, she was fussy for maybe 2 minutes in the car, and then she slept for 3 hours straight without making a sound.  She then got a little fussy...but as you might expect, the drive from Northeast Ohio to Central Indiana has some stretches of road where there is no civilization in sight.  Weird.  I know.  So we went about 10 more minutes and when I was about to pull over, Natalie fell back asleep.  Score!

I had about 40 minutes left in the drive before I had to stop to feed/change her.  Perfect.  She was not at all pleased when I put her back into the car seat for the remainder of the trip, but 20 minutes of screaming on a 5 hour trip I can handle.

We stayed at my parents' house that evening.  Natalie did beautifully in the pack 'n play and only woke up once during the night because she is freaking houdini and escaped from the baby straight jacket (aka:  sleep sack).  It was actually welcomed, though, as I had picked up Matt from the airport that evening so she got to see him sooner than expected.

Natalie with my brother!

The next day, we traveled to Bloomington for a wedding.  But beforehand, we were able to catch a quick bite with Miss Shaina and her husband.  The visit went so quickly and by the time I knew it we had to go.  We had the best time and I cannot wait to make it down to visit her again.  Plus, Natalie keeps asking me when she gets to see that pretty lady again....

The wedding was so beautiful!  It was outside at the bride's parents' house which was so gorgeous.  Unfortunately it rained that day...but the bridal party was so easy going about the whole event.  Check out my sweet friend Mallorey and her rain boots she sported for the ceremony.  So her.  Just perfect.

The next day I hosted a small get together for my friends and family to come over and meet Natalie.  It went so well and for the most part....Natalie was a peach.  I'm so proud of her.  She had a very full weekend and was really well behaved.  But you could tell on Monday she was happy to be home and in her own crib. 

The whole trip did leave me feeling very confident in our ability to travel together...and I cannot wait to make it back home again!