After my blog post about how disappointing the ride up to Michigan was, I feel like I should post again about the ride home.
The ride home was much, much better.
Look at how happy the kids were!
Detroit was the first stop for the bus route, so the bus was pretty empty, and we were able to get the three seats in the back. This was great, because when Jill slept, she was able to lie down on the two seats next to me rather than being on top of me. (Since Danny was already on top of me, fighting sleep.) The only downside to being in the very back was that the seats don't recline, but your back is pretty much always uncomfortable at this point in pregnancy, so I think having the three non-reclining seats was definitely worth it.
The bus was also newer and cleaner. (Possibly it was cleaner due to being the first stop on the route.) The seats were a different fabric, and there were outlets to charge devices and Wi-Fi. Granted I had nothing to use either of those features, but it still was fancy for a bus, in my opinion.
The best part was that Danny went potty in the potty three times, and the potty wasn't disgusting. In fact, I think my family used it about six times, and it was only used two other times by other people on the bus.
Now I know that my kids will be much happier if we ride the bus between 7:00 am and 1:00 pm than they are when we take the bus between 2:00 am and 7:00 am. Duly noted. (I still maintain that if they had been buckled in their car seats they would have slept the whole ride at that time in the morning, and it would have been delightful.)
And I really wish I had a picture of it, but my kids were so stinkin' cute walking through the bus terminal with backpacks on their backs, a teddy bear in one hand, and a rolling suitcase in the other hand. What little travelers!
We made it home on Halloween. My mother-in-law picked us up, but we were surprised to have Daddy there, too! He had to continue on with his work day, but it was fun to see him after a week of being gone.
Halloween was a bit chilly and rainy, but in comparison to the weather of some parts of the US this week, I really cannot complain about a little bit of rain. Sandy has been brutal. That aside, the children really enjoyed Halloween. Laurie moved her Halloween party from its usual driveway location into the garage, and the kids loved trick-or-treating. People give them too much candy though. A child this size really only needs one piece per house—not five. I'm glad I left with my parents most of the candy we received from the previous three trick-or-treating outings in Michigan (my dad's office, church, and the Detroit Zoo).
Don't my children look great with blue hair? I really think so. (And Jeff claims that a ghost joined our Halloween picture. That white blob by his eye didn't show up in any of the other pictures, so it doesn't seem to be something that was on the camera.) :)
Other than that, we've just been busy with potty training. Jill got sick, so we've been pretty house bound for the past four days, which makes me a little stir crazy, but it definitely does make potty training easier. (Danny kept putting himself on the potty, so I decided if he was going to show interest, I might as well go for it.) We'll see how long it takes to succeed. I felt like Jill's potty training dragged on forever, but it sure is nice now to have her so independent.
I had a horrible nightmare last night that I drove all the way up to my doctor in Dayton just to find out that I had missed my appointment by two hours. My forgetful brain is taunting me in my dreams now! Is there no escape?
Before I went up to Michigan, we learned that the very active baby growing inside of me is a girl. Jeff posted a video on facebook (and I shared it on my profile) of Danny (with Jill's help) announcing the new baby's name. So if you're facebook friends with either of us, you should be able to find it.
Have a great week! And if you haven't already done so through early voting or absentee ballot, GO VOTE TOMORROW!
I asked my dad while I was up there, "What in the world did we talk about before the elections?" It has consumed so much of my life (at least it feels like it has) that it is crazy to think that all of the hoopla is almost over. I hope it can be a clean, simple election with no recounting or "hanging chad" nonsense.
The ride home was much, much better.
Look at how happy the kids were!
Detroit was the first stop for the bus route, so the bus was pretty empty, and we were able to get the three seats in the back. This was great, because when Jill slept, she was able to lie down on the two seats next to me rather than being on top of me. (Since Danny was already on top of me, fighting sleep.) The only downside to being in the very back was that the seats don't recline, but your back is pretty much always uncomfortable at this point in pregnancy, so I think having the three non-reclining seats was definitely worth it.
The bus was also newer and cleaner. (Possibly it was cleaner due to being the first stop on the route.) The seats were a different fabric, and there were outlets to charge devices and Wi-Fi. Granted I had nothing to use either of those features, but it still was fancy for a bus, in my opinion.
The best part was that Danny went potty in the potty three times, and the potty wasn't disgusting. In fact, I think my family used it about six times, and it was only used two other times by other people on the bus.
Now I know that my kids will be much happier if we ride the bus between 7:00 am and 1:00 pm than they are when we take the bus between 2:00 am and 7:00 am. Duly noted. (I still maintain that if they had been buckled in their car seats they would have slept the whole ride at that time in the morning, and it would have been delightful.)
And I really wish I had a picture of it, but my kids were so stinkin' cute walking through the bus terminal with backpacks on their backs, a teddy bear in one hand, and a rolling suitcase in the other hand. What little travelers!
We made it home on Halloween. My mother-in-law picked us up, but we were surprised to have Daddy there, too! He had to continue on with his work day, but it was fun to see him after a week of being gone.
Halloween was a bit chilly and rainy, but in comparison to the weather of some parts of the US this week, I really cannot complain about a little bit of rain. Sandy has been brutal. That aside, the children really enjoyed Halloween. Laurie moved her Halloween party from its usual driveway location into the garage, and the kids loved trick-or-treating. People give them too much candy though. A child this size really only needs one piece per house—not five. I'm glad I left with my parents most of the candy we received from the previous three trick-or-treating outings in Michigan (my dad's office, church, and the Detroit Zoo).
A Seuss family: The Fish (without a fish bowl), Thing 1, Thing 2, and the Cat in the Hat
Don't my children look great with blue hair? I really think so. (And Jeff claims that a ghost joined our Halloween picture. That white blob by his eye didn't show up in any of the other pictures, so it doesn't seem to be something that was on the camera.) :)
Other than that, we've just been busy with potty training. Jill got sick, so we've been pretty house bound for the past four days, which makes me a little stir crazy, but it definitely does make potty training easier. (Danny kept putting himself on the potty, so I decided if he was going to show interest, I might as well go for it.) We'll see how long it takes to succeed. I felt like Jill's potty training dragged on forever, but it sure is nice now to have her so independent.
I had a horrible nightmare last night that I drove all the way up to my doctor in Dayton just to find out that I had missed my appointment by two hours. My forgetful brain is taunting me in my dreams now! Is there no escape?
Before I went up to Michigan, we learned that the very active baby growing inside of me is a girl. Jeff posted a video on facebook (and I shared it on my profile) of Danny (with Jill's help) announcing the new baby's name. So if you're facebook friends with either of us, you should be able to find it.
Have a great week! And if you haven't already done so through early voting or absentee ballot, GO VOTE TOMORROW!
I asked my dad while I was up there, "What in the world did we talk about before the elections?" It has consumed so much of my life (at least it feels like it has) that it is crazy to think that all of the hoopla is almost over. I hope it can be a clean, simple election with no recounting or "hanging chad" nonsense.
I've heard that there may be problems with the election in some areas because of Sandy! I read that in a lot of parts of New Jersey the polling centers are out, and that a lot of the volunteers that were going to run the polling centers there can't do it for various Sandy-related reasons. I hope they figure it all out before tomorrow! How can we have an election without an entire state being involved?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm glad your trip home was so much better. I'm sure mom and dad were SO HAPPY to have all the Halloween candy you left them, ha ha ha!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to hear the trip back was better. Your kids are the cutest and I can only imagine how many people smiled at you guys as you passed in the bus station- teddy bears and all. I am super impressed that you are potty training Danny! Keep me posted on how it goes! The memories are all too fresh from potty training Ryan- I don't think I could handle it again yet! I am so so excited about your sweet baby Alice. Girl, boy, girl... sounds pretty perfect to me!
ReplyDeletea girl!! congratulations!! so exciting! also that will be great to have danny out of diapers before the new baby comes :) im glad you guys were back for halloween- it was fun to see you! the kids look way too stinkin cute.
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