I would drive 1500 miles

We must have changed our minds a dozen times. Do we fly? Do we drive? Which is worse, a half a dozen popped ear drums? A dozen dollars on plane tickets? A flight with two dozen agitated-to-be-flying-with-a-baby passengers? Or a few dozen hours in the car with almost a half dozen month old?

Hours in the car would let us travel with a dozen outfits, a dozen bibs, a dozen bottles a ton of baby gear and a dog. Geniuses we are not. We are however cheapskates with a penchant for over packing.

Sure, we have a child who can barely make it through an orderly meal in a restaurant. Sure, we have a wee dog with a wee bladder. Sure, we have negative patience and six months without a good night of sleep. Sure, we had ambitious goals and thousands of miles ahead of us. But we were determined to make it over the river and through the woods to both grandparents’ houses. And we did. And we survived. And Bennett surprised everyone with cooperation and silence and smiles.

Some highlights and lowlights of our 1400 miles of traveling?

Introducing Bennett to Great Grandma June.

Making his first trip to the King farm.

A bird pooped on Bennett's head.

Discovering men and old people like to park and pretend not to see the nursing mom crouched in the backseat.

Changing B on the median in a gas station parking lot.

A successful date night does not include the baby waking up to find mom and dad MIA. We’re still paying for it with middle-of-the-night wakings to see if we’re still there.

The sandwich station in Chuckey, Tennessee, complete with cow tails and pickled eggs. Eww.

Babies and parakeets have something in common. Drape a blanket over their perch and they stop the squawking and fall asleep.

Atticus’s wee bladder isn’t so wee anymore.

Bennett was a trooper through church, dining out, strange beds, strange people, hours upon hours in the car and two stressed out parents. I’m still not sure if driving was the best solution but we would probably walk the 1500 miles so we could introduce Bennett to our friends and celebrate his first Easter surrounded by family in Tennessee.