Michael and Brooke picked me up from the shower, and we were going to head to Galveston to celebrate Mamaw Frances' 84th Birthday. We were very undecided about going and it was not until late in the week that we actually decided to give it a try. Brooke has never slept in her Pack n Play, much less anywhere besides home since she was 4 months old. She typically squirms and crawls around her crib throughout the night, I was concerned about her sleeping in the portable crib. She naps in her Pack n Play during the week at my parents', so I was also worried she was going to think it was just a nap and not sleep through the night.
We gave Brooke her bottle around 2 pm, her usual nap time, and were hoping she would sleep on the way there. Unfortunately, that did not happen. She cried from Beltway 8 to Galveston, only stopping when we brought her into Buc-ees (understandably!). We even got her a pink Buc-ees rattle. I know she does not like car rides as much as she used to, so it was a relief when we finally arrived at Pam's house. Of course, there was too much going on for her to sleep then, plus it was about 5 pm and her dinner time. We fed her and soon after got in the pool downstairs. Like always, she took a few minutes to warm up, but it wasn't long before she was splashing and smiling from ear to ear. We put her down before dinner, doing her usual routine - bath, bottle, bed. To my surprise, she laid right down in her Pack n Play and didn't move (I checked on her a couple of times; even snuck a picture).
Michael and I stayed up talking to the family and finally watching Gravity (not my favorite). We headed to bed, the bunk beds in the same room as Brooke. She didn't budge. The next morning she started to stir shortly after 7 am, and when she walked around the side of the Pack n Play, she saw mommy laying right there. We were both up! After spending some more time with the family, eating breakfast and getting a few pictures, it was time to go. She got her bottle, like she usually does before her morning nap and we hit the road, again in hopes she would sleep. After lots of babbling and blowing raspberries, she passed out. She slept almost the whole way home, waking up to blowing more raspberries about 10 minutes from the house.
Now we know she is capable of sleeping through the night away from the house, which is great. There were a lot of factors that worried us, but she really pulled through and made us proud! I will say, it was a lot of work to only be in Galveston for less than 24 hours. Next time, if and when that may be, it would have to be at least 2 days for me to load all of that stuff up and move half the house for a getaway. I mean, it took 4 of us to figure out how to put the Pack n Play up! After googling it, a good tip: keep the center of the Pack n Play about a foot off the floor, to give the sides enough slack to snap into place. Once she is a little older, I think it will be easier, as she will not need a booster seat, formula, baby food, etc.
We didn't make it to the beach this time (the seaweed is awful), but she did enjoy watching the birds and looking out on the bay.
Long story short, we had a great time celebrating milestones with both of our families on Saturday and we also successfully made it to and from Galveston in one piece! This is a relief to us as parents, knowing that she can sleep somewhere other than her crib for a night. So congratulations to Lindsey and Kurt, and Happy Birthday Mamaw Frances! We love you all.
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