Road trip to Virginia Day 1

Apologies for being behind.  Have been playing with the best way to post photos... and haven't come up with a great system yet.

Tues July 16: Day 1

Wake up, pack, shower, pack, nurse Ava, get Rachel into car, try and fit all bags in the car.  

8:30 am pull out of driveway.  Drive to airport, drop Karen off, hugs goodbye.

Drive east on I-70.  Stop at Arriba, CO rest stop.  Rachel and Daddy draw with sidewalk chalk and run around while Ava nurses. 

12:15pm stop at Burlington, CO for picnic lunch and playing at a very cool space ship playground.  Rachel and Daddy run around while Ava nurses.

Afternoon naps for girls while we head into Kansas.  No 'Welcome to Kansas' sign due to construction.  Storms brew around us.

4pm stop. Ava nurses.  Rachel and Daddy go to fabulous water park with slides, tubes, lazy river, floating animals - and it only cost $2 for the whole thing.

Drive to Salina, CO.  Go to IHOP for dinner.  Some miscommunication around our order meant that Rachel ordered a chocolate chip pancake.  

Hotel in Salina, CO for $46.  With the time zone change, we didn't get Rachel to bed until after 9pm but she slept on her sheets on the floor and did well.

Ava started the night in her travel crib beside our bed, but after that spent most of the night sleeping with us in the bed.  I felt exhausted and took advantage of the king size bed to nurse her while laying down and sleeping.  Although its not my intention to co-sleep with her, and I know it's not the safest thing, it certainly is easier.  I don't have to get in and out of bed.  I can get way more sleep.  It keeps Ava quieter so she doesn't wake Rachel.  Actually, I was so sleepy I didn't even change her diaper until 6am.  She wasn't crying and I didn't want to wake Rachel or Jason or myself too much, so I didn't bother.  I just nursed her and she went right back to sleep.  Quite a difference from our scenario with Rachel in her first few weeks!