Travelin' baby!

Two weeks ago Chase and I decided to jump in the car and drive about 8.5 hours to South Carolina! Eric got called away on a business trip so I thought it would be a perfect time to go see my family. Joining us in the car were our two dogs, Berkeley and Elvis! If anyone else has ever driven that far with a 7 month old and two BIG dogs by themselves, then you know what an adventure it was! The most complicated part was just getting everyone out for restroom and lunch breaks. Imagine stopping at a rest area and seeing a girl with a baby on her hip and two dogs pulling her around. Then picture her trying to lean over and pick up the dogs' poop while keeping the baby from grabbing it! Yes, it was an interesting trip to say the least! Chase did really well though. There was only one time (out of a total of 17 hours on the road) that I had to stop just to play with him for a while. I'm sure he was tired of his car seat and all of the toys I kept throwing back to him. I had a bag full of his favorites and every time he started to fuss, I would plop something new in his lap. I got a little desperate at the end and had to get creative... he played with my wallet, a water bottle, pack of gum, the garage door opener, and of course, a magazine! Having some kids songs on CD helped too. One time I found myself in the middle of a chorus of "Do you know the muffin man?" only to look back and realize that Chase was asleep! Who knows how long he had been that way and how many of those songs I had been singing! The best parts of the trip were when he took long naps and I could listen to my own music and not worry about entertaining him. I especially liked driving down Highway 17 between Savannah and Charleston. Occasionally that road can get a little backed up when you get stuck behind a big truck (or in my case an inexplicably slow white Honda Civic). In my younger and more careless days I probably would have have taken my chances and passed them, as my near-death friends Katie and Zuk can affirm... but this time, with precious cargo in the back, I was content to just drive slow, enjoy the scenery, and belt out Kelly Clarkson songs as loud as I could without waking the baby!

We had a great time hanging out with my family! And it was so nice to finally meet my new nephew, Joey! Here are some pics from our trip...

Chase playing with his Papa:
Aunt Amanda and cousin Joey:

Mimi with Joey, Abbie, me and Chase:

Chase's first encounter with a cat! Lizzie didn't seem to mind having her hair pulled out!

Chase with his Aunt Jessica:

"Take me for a ride, Papa!"

Going for a ride on my dad's new bike!

Chase "playing" with his cousin... we had to explain to him that Joey wasn't quite old enough to wrestle yet!
Chase with his "big Papa":

Chase learned to pull to standing while we were away! This made it really interesting when we got home and tried to put him in his crib! He had to sleep in his pack n' play until I could lower the mattress!
We're on the road again tomorrow... although this time we'll be flying and Eric will be with us (and no dogs)! We are so excited to spend some time in Clemson and Greenville with our friends and take Chase to his first Clemson football game!