And Then There Were Three...: Emma's First Trip

Emma's first trip was spent traveling to Pennsylvania to visit some family and friends! We left on Friday, February 18. Emma did a wonderful job! She slept most of the 11 hours it took to get there. I still fed her every 3-4 hours and we had to do a few diaper changes. Our little sweet pea was excellent! She didn't get fussy until close to the end but I sat in the back seat for a while to help entertain her. :-)

Ryan had to leave Sunday night to get back to work but Emma and I stayed through the week. We spent the week visiting with family and friends. Emma got to meet many of her cousins, aunts, and uncles as well as her great-grandmother for the very first time. She was quite a hit! Everyone commented on how adorable she is and I have to agree with them!

Emma and I left PA on Friday, February 25. My mom came along for the ride. She didn't want me to have to drive back alone and as you'll soon read, this was a blessing in disguise! We left around 10:15 am because of some strong storms that had rolled through overnight. We encountered some heavy rain on the way to Lancaster that slowed us down. The wind was also incredibly strong so I had to drive slower than normal. Eventually we made it to West Virginia where we encountered a crap load of traffic. We were completely stopped or inching along on I-81 for about 30 minutes. Apparently, the high winds had caused electrical wires to fall across the interstate. Once traffic started to pick up, the cars were all following close together to catch up on time lost and I happened to run over a piece of metal in the middle of my lane. Well it flattened my tire, plain and simple. So....I pulled off the next exit and thankfully my parents have AAA, and we were able to have a tow truck come out to put the spare on! Mom and I had to unload the trunk to get the spare out. This wasn't easy because the car was packed to the brim. Emma stayed in the car while the guy replaced our tire. Soon after, we went up the road a few miles and found a Hampton Inn to spend the night in. My dad called around that evening and found a Firestone store. We went there the next morning, and after $170 (and an additional $105 for the hotel), I had a brand spanking new tire. Good story, huh?

We eventually made it back to North Carolina on Saturday at 4:15 pm. It was a LONG trip but Emma did fantastic -- her first trip away from home, first flat tire experience (and mine!), and first night spent in a hotel. Wow...what a story I'll have to share when she's older! Here are a few pics from the week!