Eden's Travels: Day 8: From Jackson to Mobile

On our last morning in Mississippi, Eden woke up in a great mood. Lately, I can tell she's awake when I hear some movement in the co-sleeper beside me -- no cries or whimpers -- just some moving around. I roll over and peer into the co-sleeper to see Eden looking back at me. After a quiet, "Good morning, little girl," I get the biggest grin in response. It's a great way to start the day.

After her early morning nursing, Eden went back to sleep for a bit, and later her Granddaddy was there to witness the big gummy smile that is Eden waking up. They spent some time playing together before getting ready for the day.

After packing the car just the way Graham told us to, Momma, Eden, and I did some quick shopping before meeting her Granddaddy for lunch at Primo's. We both fueled up and were set for what is usually a 3 hour drive to Mobile to meet up with Graham at his parents' house.

Well, let's just say that the trip driving to Mobile with Eden by myself was a trip of extremes. The first 1.5 hours were perfect; Eden slept the whole time. Then, she woke up with a vengence - screaming at the top of her lungs. I was of course not near anything and after a few minutes of listening to her scream and debating about how far it was to the next gas station I pulled over in the turn-around area in the median.

Within a few minutes, a Mississippi state trooper pulled up just to check and see how we were doing. After trying to talk to him with a baby screaming on the front seat in mid diaper change, he assured me he'd check back on us in a bit. It was at least nice to know there was help if we needed it. After a diaper change, trying to get Eden to eat a bit, and calming her down, we made it to the next gas station where we walked around a bit and Eden got to spit up all over my shoulder. Then, she ate and fell asleep.

From sleeping to screaming to sleeping again, I thought I just might make the next hour and a half without much to do. Boy, was I wrong. She slept for a bit but then we stopped two more times so she could eat a bit and take some breaks, of course all within 15 miles of our destination. I feel like I've been fully initiated into the world of parenting a little baby.

Notice there are no pictures here. I was just trying to make it to the end of the trip with a healthy baby and without going crazy -- that leaves no time for pictures.

We did end up making it to Mobile, and everyone in the Bodie home was excited to see us. Arriving at their house marked the end of Eden's 4 days without her Daddy, and this marks the end of my stint as author for the blog posts.