Sisters Marie: First Road Trip with the Baby

Well, guys...we did it. We successfully made it through our first "road trip" with a newborn. We recently spent 5 days at our lake house with our Family and I am happy to report, it went much smoother than I was anticipating. I owe much of this to the fact that we had many sets of hands to help out whenever we needed, whether it was the thousandth diaper change or a few minutes to ourselves to shower or eat lunch. It was definitely a different kind of Wisconsin visit because we are no longer able to just pick up and go whenever we want to. We typically eat a lot of our meals out when we are there but because the little man is so unpredictable, we mostly cooked at home (and by we, I mean Lake House Lyn -- Thanks, Mom!), and instead of walking the lake path, we did many laps around our neighborhood circle in order to stay closer to the house.

However, we did manage to get a few of our favorite things in...a Family trip to our favorite ice cream place (baby was happy as long as the stroller was moving!), a walk around downtown LG with stops made to E Street Denim (where sweatshirt dreams come true) and a new bicycle/coffee shop in town -- I tried the nitro brew and it hit the spot. The guys in the Fam also stepped up big time when they took care of the baby for a few hours while all the ladies stepped out for a pedicure and coffee at Boxed and Burlap. I kept insisting that I stay back at the house while the other girls went because I was so overtired and it just didn't seem plausible but I am so glad I went because it was a complete mood changer. A pedi was just what the doctor ordered, complete with hot mango tea and a glorious foot massage. It's amazing what 1 or 2 hours to yourself can do for a Mom's sanity.

But as nice as our trip was, I must share two things worth noting:

The first time you pack for a trip with a newborn in tow is basically a NIGHTMARE. I pretty much packed everything he owns, as I was unsure what we would really need and would rather be safe than sorry. This makes sense for our first time - We've obviously never done this before and I consider it a learning experience for the next trip. But seriously, you would have died if you looked inside our car. We ended up leaving with more things because we brought some items home from the lake (a different swing to try, 3 bags of leftover food, etc.) and unfortunately, this meant the dog had to be demoted to the third row in the car and he was NOT pleased. I feel so bad for him, because these days, he's pushed aside or shushed more than he is snuggled and that is quite a change of pace from our normal routine. We are doing our best though to make sure he still feels included and loved...he is such a good and loyal boy.

Ready for a laugh? Picture this - Our car packed to the brim, overflowing in fact. I am sitting in the backseat, pumping next to the baby (who is sleeping soundly, thank God!) and the dog is pretty much stuffed like a sausage in back. Out of nowhere, the baby wakes up very upset so we decide to pull into a gas station to change his pants. At this time, the dog decides it's best to jump over the seat all while my chest is hanging out in public and working overtime and the baby is naked in the front seat. My husband and I are screaming at the dog while I simultaneously try not to spill the milk I've pumped and what's even better is, we're already an hour late for a Family birthday party. THIS, my friends...is parenthood. 😂