(Bay Area Tour - Day 4, San Jose / San Mateo)
Tonight, while my mom was watching my brother’s show with my aunts and their families, TheSGD and I were left to our own devices. Just like at home, it’s amazing how quickly 3 hours can go by.
Still, you may wonder how we filled up that time - or how you might fill up that time in a hotel yourself, one-on-one with a toddler. We walked the lobby for about an hour. Well, TheSGD walked, and I guarded her from harm. There was a cheer leading competition in town for the weekend, so we met two families of cheerleaders in the lobby. The two cheerleader girls were only about 8 or 10 years old, & they loved hanging out with TheSGD. Yes, I absolutely was still nervous, still watching them and her like a hawk - & nothing bad happened to anyone. I’m sure the girls got sick of me hovering around, but they were good sports about it. After all, just because their parents didn’t need to watch them as closely as they trounced all over the lobby furniture didn’t mean I could leave TheSGD alone with them.
TheSGD didn’t mind the girls so much. She isn’t quite old enough to understand playing with other kids, so she seemed kind of fascinated but aloof. I had to explain to them that she didn’t have words yet & had just started walking But that they didn’t have to hold her up or hold her hand. I watched for & blocked or steered her from corners and edges she might fall headlong into.
Then we went up to our room to eat some dinner. You’ll see in the photo that she’s secured to the desk chair via a self-inflating booster seat my mom found (kind of a hassle to put up when you’re by yourself & trying to wrangle a hungry child, but it really works when you’re in a place that doesn’t have high chairs and it packs pretty small) & she’s eating off a silicone mat with suction cups stuck to the desktop (another investment I thought was going to be more cheesy than useful but has actually proven itself to be a diaper bag essential). She eats table food now. The only limiting factor is her desire to stay in the booster seat. She’s at the age where she’d rather walk & explore than eat, so her staying seated for any extended time is a real gift.
A bit later, I gave her a quick bath in the inflatable tub, and soon enough, she was ready for bed.
While she napped, I got our stuff all packed up for the second leg of our trip. By midnight, we were driving on with my aunt and her family to their place in San Mateo. (This was now my 3rd installation of the carseat. The LATCH system in their van made it so much easier.) I had hoped that TheSGD would sleep on the drive, but to no avail.
Now If it were just me, I probably would NOT be traveling with baby late at night. I say that now, not having done a long road trip with her yet. It’s possible on a very long road trip (6+ hours), if she & I were traveling alone, late at night could be the only time I could get some solid driving done. But man, after watching her all day, it is challenging for me to stay up very late & still be alert enough to mind her the following day. Anyone have any experience with taking road trips with babies that they’d be willing to share?
