survival of the fittest...

This post is confirmation that Virginia was not the end of me. As you may recall, our adventure over Easter was a trek down to VA to visit family on Jamie's mom's side. What was meant to be a three day, two night stay became only two days with one overnight. While I'm very glad we made the trip, I must say that packing a huge load of baby gear and driving 4.5 hours each way for two half days was a bit draining.

The key component of our trip was for the great grandparents, Edna and Cecil, to meet Alexis. They, of course, we beside themselves when they met her. And Jamie, his mom, and I were beside ourselves at how pleasant Alexis was. My daughter is generally quite sweet, but VA must have brought the best out in her. Was it the country air? On both days, she was smiling, gibbering, and playing with whoever it was that was holding her. At dinner, she sat in her highchair at the restaurant, systematically throwing things off of the table for me to pick up, and enjoying every minute of it. Even in the car during our trip, there were two small spurts of miserableness during each leg, no doubt out of boredom and sleepiness. I was on the verge of tears myself, driving on the straight, boring, one lane country highway. (That's a bit dramatic, but you know what I mean.)

This trip assured me that my daughter is capable of travel. She is also capable of sleeping through the night in her pack n' play in unfamiliar territory. She is capable of being the cutest, sweetest friggin' thing in the whole world (I already knew that one, but figured I'd throw it in there for reinforcement). It also confirmed that Jamie and I can stand each other during 4.5 hours in a car together (possibly b/c he spent 2 hours watching a movie on a portable DVD player), that a mother-in-law in the back seat keeping the little miss entertained is a requirement, and sometimes you have to make some sacrifices to spend time with family. And also that a twin sized bed is not at all appropriate for two grown adults - Jamie's aunt needs to buy a larger bed for the spare room if she ever wants to see us again.

Here's a pic of the little one. Enjoy!