Platts Phlatts
Posted on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Can you tell she had fun?
Things have been so crazy around here for the last two weeks that I haven’t had time to do anything, let alone blog. Yesterday we returned home from Platts Phlatts. It’s a little place in Enterprise, Utah owned by Taylor’s grandma’s family. Every year they have a family reunion there for all of the descendants of his great grandparents. This last reunion was the third one I have attended. Usually we camp but this year I was completely unwilling to go if I had to camp. I wasn’t about to camp with a baby who doesn’t yet sleep through the night and who screams every time he eats. Because of this, my mother-in-law generously got us a motel room. Having a bed to sleep in and somewhere to shower definitely made life easier, but I can’t say that it was an enjoyable weekend. We left early Friday morning and stopped in Hemet where we moved all of our stuff into my in-law’s van, fed Ashton and hit the road. London was a great little traveler. She had her movies and her magnet doodle. Between those two things and an endless number of yummy snacks, she was one happy camper. In fact, she had a great weekend. She had lots of fun things to do, met lots of new friends and got to stay up late every night. I, on the other hand, promised Taylor that next time he wanted to attend a reunion, he can go without me. I will be more than happy to stay home. I felt like I just hung around in the dirt, sometimes talking to people I don’t know, and nursing a screaming baby every three hours. Not my idea of fun. The worst part by far was the driving. Ashton is not a good traveler. He’s not a huge fan of his car seat in the first place. Combine that with hunger and acid reflux and you don’t have a happy baby. There was a lot of screaming involved. We left Utah yesterday morning around 11 a.m. and didn’t make it home to our house until after 1:00 this morning. I can’t believe we’re taking another trip to Utah in 2 weeks. What was I thinking? I did learn a few things this time around, though. On our next trip, I’ll be taking my pump and pumping in the car so I can actually feed him in the car. When the traffic is as bad as it was yesterday and you have to stop every 2 hours, you don’t make it very far between feedings. What a nightmare! This is definitely a trip I don’t want to repeat, ever.
Having said all that and also having felt like I never want to attend another Platts family reunion again, I learned a few things. I realized that I like the fact that my husband’s family is so supportive of each other. Family is an important thing to them. I want to be a part of a family who loves and cares for each other. I’m glad I am. I complain a lot about having to go to the reunion, but I’m glad to be a part of such a close family. I probably won’t keep my promise to never attend a Platts reunion again, but I think next year will definitely be too soon.
I hear ya! Addy HATED to be in her car seat as well. Luckily it has wore off as she has gotten older. Oncer we faced her forward, she has loved it! So there may be hope in sight! I am so sorry that he cries at feedings! Thatis the hardest! hAs the lactation consultant told you to do anything or is it just bc of the acid?
Oh Kiersten, I feel like we’re long lost twins or something. Nolan didn’t have reflux, but he was a horrible nurser the WHOLE time and also wouldn’t take a bottle, so I was between a rock and a hard place. Did I mention that he also screamed every time he was in his car seat? He was/is a tummy sleeper, so when we caved and let him move to his tummy at 5 weeks, he slept so much better, but could never get comfortable in the car seat. My saving graces were that I started him on solids at 4 months, which her preferred so much more than breast milk (odd, I know), and he has been much better since we switched him forward facing. I know it feels like a long road, but I promise you’ll make it!
Trips with newborns are SO hard! We moved when Zach was 3 weeks old. Between stopping every few hours to nurse, and driving across the country on no sleep at night either, we were EXHAUSTED. I soooo feel your pain. Good luck w/ the reflux. I was lucky my kids didn’t have it, just spit up a ton.