Here's something I advise against:
Taking your 17 month old on a 6-hour car trip, then getting to your destination and making that child sit in the car the next day for another 2+ hours or so and not letting the poor thing play outside at all because the mosquitoes are so bad they might carry him or her away.
Phew. Quite the weekend.
I'm glad we got to visit family and all. But it was a tough way to find out that Anna does not take kindly to being forced to travel.
She was MISERABLE the first day we got there. The next day, she was the happiest kid ever. She basically cheered up just in time for us to make her get back in the car the next day and do the 6 hour car ride all over again.
However, I must say a HUGE thank you to everyone who gave me advice and tips on travelling with your toddler. The DVD player was our saving grace. And the goldfish. The goldfish were awesome at keeping her quiet.
(Thank you to Mamasmacks for saying that "good parenting" can go out the window on these kinds of trips because we basically sat Anna in front of the little TV and stuffed her full of snacks. Woo! We rock at this parenting thing.)
I'm concentrating on the Wiggles here, Ma. Leave me alone. Oh, and don't expect me to blink. It won't be happening anytime soon.
So today, Anna's grouchy as ever. And I'm exhausted. Safe to say that travelling with a toddler ain't easy. And it appears to take several days to recoup.
Of course, being pregnant can't help. Last night I had the worst sleep ever because my sciatic pain started acting up. And my back sort of hurts from carrying Anna around. Last time I was pregnant - I felt awesome. This time - I pee every time I sneeze, I'm achy and more tired than I ever thought possible.
Is it just me? Other Mamas... how did you fare in your second pregnancies?
Anywho. Andrew's home from work, we've had dinner and now he's taking Anna down the street for an evening swim.
And I'm putting my feet up for a second.
*Happy sigh*
We used to travel to Montreal with kids and we typically fed them the whole ride. We also left in the middle of the night so they slept plenty of the way. If there were DVD players we would have had one. Also the next few days after coming home from a trip the kids were off, and generally miserable. Oh this brings back memories.
ReplyDeleteWe had to bring enough food and drink to feed a small army on our road trips. What I would have given for a DVD player...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Mamasmacks - you do what you need to do so that no one goes postal in the car!
Oh my god...the second pregnancy did me in! We were planning on only having 2 but this experience solidified our decision. It was SO hard. Just keep your eye on the prize... A beautiful baby in 5(ish) months!!
ReplyDeleteJanet
I found the second pregnancy mich more tiring than the first. My kids are only 17 month apart. My eldest didn't start walking until about a week before my you gets was born. Carting him around, working full time, plus all regular home life was exhausting. I actually felt more rested after my daughter was born and I had the option of putting her down to deal with my eldest! But it is so worth it. And now it is easier than one as they keep each other entertained frequently. Hoping for a third in the near future.
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