Part 2…Traveling with kids…still on our car trip!

If you’re story of a simple car trip has to have “parts” to it…it has to be memorable or nightmarish…all in your perspective!

LaLa and I run into the bathroom. We literally waited ten minutes for a lady to exit the bathroom. Let me just tell you…it was scary stinky dirty. I am threatening LaLa not to touch anything. I am trying to convince her not even to breathe. Don’t you wish a three year could hover?! On our way out, there are dozens of shady characters loitering. I’m just hoping my sleepy, very observant, and very honest three year old doesn’t pull out one of her not-so appropriate comments. We walk on the sidewalk directly in front of this parked SUV, and they impatiently and (I’m assuming) coincidently honked their horn to alert someone they were done waiting on them. It was so unexpected in our groggy state…and rude for that matter that LaLa about jumped four feet directly into my arms. I just about jumped out of my skin and peed in my pants. With a dirty look and thoughts about how ridiculously stupid they were acting, we walked to the truck. I put LaLa in the truck with questions of how much longer, and I got Little Bit changed….or I thought I did.

We drove an hour or so, and Little Bit was just being so difficult to entertain. LaLa had fallen asleep, but Little Bit was not interested in sleeping, watching a movie, or any of my tricks in my bag, toys, snacks, singing…absolutely nothing. We finally decided to stop, but what is open after 12 in the morning…not much! We find a gas station with the lights on after driving 20 minutes with an inconsolable one year old hoping she doesn’t wake up her sister. We pull over in the parking lot, and the lady sweeping the floor within the store shakes her head no…they are closed. Well, we don’t care. We just want your parking lot. We get Little Bit out, and she is SOAKED…her seat is SOAKED. How could she be this wet? She is even wearing one of those overnight super diapers….I thought. Fortunately, I was the one that got her to change her…and this is the part I didn’t even admit to the other inhabitants of the car…she was not wearing a diaper. Nope, when I had changed her over an hour ago at the scary dirty gas station, I never put a diaper back on her. So, she was wet and her seat. No wonder the baby couldn’t be consoled with anything! Not saying a word to anyone I took off her outfit, put on a sleep diaper, and let her run around the parking lot with the family…trying to wear her down.

The two ladies that were inside the gas station come out with this big stick and a clipboard (from what I understand it measures the gas). They go out, place the stick down this hole, and light up a cigarette each. Now, I’ve never smoked, but I like to read…and I’ve pumped gas. I believe there is a serious sign at every gas station everywhere explaining that you should not have matches, flames, cigarettes, etc. near gasoline. Well, I guess they didn’t read. They continued to measure the gas, chit chat, and smoke. My father in law said, “Um…that just doesn’t look safe, maybe we should step back a bit.” I wonder about some people in the world sometimes.

At my request, we stop at a rest stop and I run in to go potty. As I enter, I hear a chorus of crickets. I think oh, that’s neat…it reminds of growing up in the country. I go in the stall and I see probably twenty crickets in the corner. I literally made a break out of that stall with my pants half way down…quickly finished my business in another stall far away, washed my hands and ran out of there. As I busted open the door, I hit a poor man innocently walking by. I apologized profusely, but he still walked by rubbing his forehead. I’ll never think of that cricket sound quite the same again.

Mama Drama Rule #35: Forgetting a baby’s diaper and putting her in a car seat on a road trip will result in a wet seat and an upset baby…check for the obvious when you’re baby is upset…why haven’t I learned this yet?!

The last part is tomorrow...did we get into the condo without a key? Did we even make it to Florida?!