Here are some pictures from our wonderful Christmas at my sister's home on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga. Eli's first Christmas and Charley's second was loads of fun. The car ride to and from wasn't too bad either (although we did have a less than pleasant experience traveling while we were up there...more details to come). We missed Aunt Libbie and Aunt Robin being there, but otherwise it was perfect! I am so thankful for my family!
On to my story about our car ride experience. It's a long story with many words. If you're just here for pictures, you may want to move on. No more pictures. But since blogging is about words, I don't feel guilty.
SO, this car ride exposes me and my sin, but I'm happy to share it with you so you can feel better about yourself. Also, I don't ever want to come across like I have it all together. Before the story -- let me tell you that we are so excited because the kids have a new cousin! Jazzlyn Reed, Jrew's little sister, was born on December 7th, and we got to meet her!! Since we were already in Tennessee, we just HAD to go meet this little bundle of joy in Nashville, not to mention see Thomas, Dita, and Jrew who we love dearly and love spending time with.
Sooo...we went up for the day last Sunday. It was wonderful. The car ride up was a breeze and we had a fun-filled afternoon with the Rose family. But then it was time go. Cue the explosive poop...at the mall. Eli had been storing up some number two for several days, so of course it would happen at the Opry Mills Food Court. His extra clothes were in the car, so I changed him in there, which really wasn't as hard as it sounds. I'm getting really good at changing poop-covered babies, since my son doesn't seem to ever poop in his diaper. So, away we went, back to my sisters. A two-hour drive. It was bedtime for Charley and chow time for Eli. I'm starting to wean him, so we were going to give him formula, but because of the poop incident, I forgot to get water at the food court. No problem. Let's stop at a gas station. So we stopped at the nearest station, but all they had was refrigerated water. Every mom knows that a baby who is used to breast milk is not going to be thrilled with ice-cold formula. Apparently a random taxi driver overheard our dilemma and ran out to his car to give Donald a bottle of water. He reasoned that it had not been refrigerated, an extremely sweet gesture, but considering it was like 2 degrees outside, the water that had been sitting in the cab all day was also ice cold. Not to mention that even though it was sealed, this over-concerned mother was convinced that the cabbie had somehow poisoned it (I'm not paranoid, I just have a great imagination. And we drank it despite my unreasonable concern). So anyways, back to the cold water. Wait. You may be wondering why I didn't just nurse the poor kid. Well, you may have noticed that we were in Nashville. And it was last Sunday. So if you're a Clemson fan, you may remember that there happened to be a bowl game in Nashville last Sunday. And if you're not aware, my husband is a huge Clemson fan, so he sacrificed going to the game, even though we were in the same city, for the sake of our children and the sake of my mom's birthday. So, we were rushing to get back to my sister's so we could at least watch the second half of the game on TV. You can't nurse a baby (legally) while driving, but you can give them a bottle. Hence the formula. Okay, back to the water. Eli wasn't freaking out yet, so we decided to hold him off while we made attempts to "warm" it. Sitting on the bottle and turning on the seat warmers did nothing. Thus, I had to attempt to give the child the ice-cold formula. In the meantime, Donald, who had been planning on listening to the bowl game on the radio, could not find it on the radio. Actually, the people at XM Sirius just forgot to hit the button or something because it said it was on...but it wasn't. Okay, so now Donald is irritated that he's leaving Nashville, the city where the game is, and he can't even hear it on the radio. Eli was now screaming and spitting out the bottle, and Charley, who was overtired was kicking the back of my seat, and whining...VERY loudly. She then started throwing her beloved Lambie and then crying for it (repeatedly, just to make me mad), so I took it from her, which resulted in more screaming. So I was about to lose it and now smoke was coming out of D's ears. Because Eli was obviously not eating, D asked me if we should pull off and try to get some warmer water. Well, I can't make decisions very quickly, and I was trying to process, "if we're going to stop, I might as well just nurse him," but I couldn't get the words out fast enough, so Donald jerked the car off at the exit we were about to pass, which made me mad that he was mad that I didn't answer him fast enough.
"Just because you're mad about the game not being on doesn't mean you need to kill us." (that was mean)
"I'm not mad about the game (really??). There are mountains in front of us and this may have been the last exit."
"Well, you gave me less than two seconds to answer you!"
"What's so hard about saying YES or NO?"
"You know I can't make decisions that quickly and if you knew there were mountains ahead you could have made the decision yourself!" (argg).
While I was nursing Eli, he did the unthinkable. He pooped. Again. I'm not sure how there was anything left from the first episode. But the simple fact that it stayed in his diaper and didn't get on his pj's, I counted as a blessing from the Lord. My heart softened. We got back on the road pretty quick. XM pulled through and the game started broadcasting. D and I apologized to each other. The kids fell asleep. Our adventure was over. Until Thomas called and said that he heard that I-24 was CLOSED due to a jack-knifed truck. You're kidding right? Well, the Lord was merciful again, and we were able to catch my brother-in-law who gave us an alternate route to the mountain just in time to get off at the right exit. Phew! So. Our two-hour drive turned into over three. But, it could have been four or more. And D was able to catch the fourth quarter of the game. And even better - we were safe -and we were humbled. Reminded of our need for a savior.
When I re-read this story, it seems somewhat anti-climatic. Like we're about to kill each other, and then it just stops. But that's the power of the gospel. I'm glad the story ends before I beat the tar out of my toddler and give my husband the silent treatment for the rest of our trip. That would have been miserable. I can forgive and ask for forgiveness (sometimes even harder) because I've been forgiven.
