Along with the clothing, comes backup clothing, diapers, strollers, pack n' plays, stuffed animals, booster seats, baby monitors, toys, and more diapers.
Luckily, we no longer have to worry about breast pumps, bottles, nipples, bottle cleansers, and freezer bags. On the other hand, those things have been replaced with back up supplies of Cheerios, sippy-cups, child-sized forks, and favorite stuffed animals. Heaven forbid we leave little Elmo, or big Elmo, behind.
And once we've spent a full day packing and repacking and loading the car, the adventure is just beginning. Madeline used to fall asleep the moment we turned the ignition until we unloaded her at our final destination. No more.
Now she wakes up after an hour car ride. Now she knows that if she could just get out of that gosh-darn car seat, she could run around like a happy lunatic for hours on end. Now she can scream for a million reasons other than just hunger or a wet bottom.
Don't get me wrong, Madeline is not an hellion by any stretch of the imagination, but she is a normal, headstrong, impatient toddler. Traveling by car is just simply not as easy as it used to be.
And while I've never boarded an airplane with my child, I'm pretty sure that's a situation I want to avoid as long as possible. Maybe when she was still a loaf of bread flying would have been easier. Maybe when she can sit still for more than ten minutes without grunting in displeasure flying will be easier. But right now? At this stage? There is nothing on God's green earth that could entice me to sit in a steel tuna can high in the atmosphere with a wiggly Maddie Bear strapped to my lap.
Therefore, it's a blessing that the drive to Montauk from Massachusetts can be shortened by the miracle of a ferry boat. Ferry boats, my friends, are a very efficient way of traveling with a toddler. If you have a toddler and/or a ferry boat, I highly recommend mixing the two together.
First, there's no carting and carrying of luggage necessary. The car drives on board with you.
Secondly, we don't actually have to stay in the car. There's a whole boat to explore. When Madeline got bored with looking at the view, we went and had a snack. When she was full, we took a stroll. When she got tired, we carried her to a bench and waved to puppies.
The only potential worry was that she would slip between the railings into the water. But she was so distracted and happy watching her surroundings, that she didn't mind being carried and herded away from any un-baby-friendly areas of the boat.
Madeline was an angel for the entire trip. Very little whining, grunting, or wiggling involved. Now that is the the way to travel!
No comments:
Post a Comment