Our mini trip began on a rough note. We put the girls to bed, packed the car and took off while they were sleeping. We unfortunately hadn’t gotten gas before we left, so when we stopped, all the bright lights woke up the girls. Cue horror movie knife music and me silently mouthing through the car window for Jake to HURRY!
Normally, such as on trips to Utah, the girls quickly go back to sleep. Not this time. Either she was completely terrified/disoriented when she woke up, or just super tired/uncomfortable in her car seat; Samantha SCREAMED the entire way to our hotel in Carlsbad– about an hour’s drive.
We’re talking real tears. Hysterical screeches and sobs of despair. At least that’s what Jake told me (I had my noise-canceling earphones in). As soon as I picked Samantha up out of the car and held her, shielding her eyes from the hotel lights with her blankie, she calmed down and stopped crying, but remained awake. Even when she eventually fell asleep in my arms in our room, I could hear her forlorn little sobs for a while after. Heartbreaking!
Pre-trip, I was agonizing over what to do about the girls’ nap time. I really didn’t want to pack up and go all the way back to the hotel for naps, but I didn’t want to risk the girls not napping and then being cranky the rest of the day. In the end, we decided to let the cards fall where they may.
The gamble paid off. In an unprecedented move, the girls both fell asleep in their strollers as soon as we put the seats down/sun shades up. I was seriously floored. Success!
Overall, the girls got an A+ on the trip; it was probably our first trip with them that was pretty low stress. A big thanks to our friends for inviting us to visit the park with them and for all the discounts; I was surprised by how entranced the girls were with the animals, and likely wouldn’t have thought about making the trip to San Diego unless our friends had suggested it.
The girls loved it so much, they asked to be dropped off to live at the zoo. We definitely gave it some thought, but ultimately concluded we love our little creatures too much to set them free just yet. Zoo animals– you’re welcome.
Lots of love,
