Ohio...the Heart of it All!

A big reason I was so delayed in my Mother's Day post is we were gearing up for our trip to Ohio. It was a good, but very busy trip. I tried very hard to just go with the flow, but I had one or two (or three or four) mini meltdowns. I was trying to keep Lainey on some semblance of a schedule and still fit in everything I wanted to do. I thought it was hard making the rounds in Ohio before Elaine arrived...it's a whole new ballgame now. Every morning I'd psych myself up that I wasn't going to worry about "the schedule" and every afternoon, I would be stressed out and upset that I didn't try harder to get Lainey fed or napped at a certain time.

Lainey also came down with a double ear infection and started cutting her second tooth. Now, she's not a great sleeper when we travel anyway, so you can imagine how horribly she slept this time. Mark and I actually slept on the couch Saturday night, so she could have a room all to herself. It was worth it...she slept until 5am.

I don't want to sound all gloom and doom about the trip. We had a lot of fun! The weather was gorgeous and Lainey took her first trip to the zoo. (Although, she was much more intersted in pulling at the landscaping than looking at the animals.) We had a playdate with Liam, my best friend Amanda's nephew and daily ward (she's his nanny), and managed to squeeze in a visit with my other besties, Katie and Meredith. We also had a visit from some of my extended family. Quite an accomplishment for only three non-travel days!

I would say Elaine's favorite part of the trip (other than seeing her grandpa and Uncle Chris) was either climbing the stairs or playing in Grandpa's tupperware cupboard. Tough call...

Looking back, I wouldn't change how we did things. We got to spend time with people we love and a few bad days of napping and eating won't ruin Lainey forever (but, it has appeared to ruin her for now--it's been a challenging week thus far). Hugs and kisses to my Ohio peeps! If I didn't get to see you this time, you're at the top of the list for the next visit!

Our girl was not in the mood for photo ops this trip (would NOT look at the camera), but here are a few shots to enjoy!

My little monkey!



Hanging out with Amanda and Liam



A future romance?

Lainey's new toy box

Climbing the stairs for the 100th time!