Week 39 - Road Trip To Exhaustion: Part One

Look who can climb stairs (while holding tupperware!)
Like most babies, Elise thrives on her routine. She likes her room, her toys, her stuff, and knowing that her car trips will be limited and her bedtime ritual will be conducted in the same way and at the same time every night. Therefore, a weekend away from home throws all that is comforting and reliable out of the window and, inevitably, insanity ensues. Back in the old days, we dreaded going anywhere further than twenty minutes away because she just screamed her lungs out the entire time we were in the car. She has slowly gotten better over the past few months, usually tolerating the car more and more. However, we rarely go somewhere in the car more than once a day – one outing, to our destination and back – is what she is used to. Ellie has only spent the night away from home a handful of times, and considering her love of routine, it is stressful and exhausting for all involved.

Elise with her second cousins, Cory and Emma
This past weekend we went down to Maryland for our friends' Kenny and Catherine’s wedding. Because we don’t get down there very often, we ambitiously packed in lots of other stuff, making the whirlwind weekend hectic for all of us (but especially Elise). We drove down on Saturday morning and stopped at my aunt and uncles house for a brunch with my grandparents and other family. My cousins’ daughters were there (ages 2 and 6) too and the three girls spent the morning bouncing around, getting into things and making lots of noise. Elise handled the chaos well (she was gladly a part of it!), but it was an exhausting way to start out a crazy weekend!
Uncle Wolfe feeding Ellie with "Aunt" Christy watching
After brunch, we drove to my parents’ house for a brief visit with Christy before driving to the wedding. Elise did well during the ceremony, but I kept giving her Cheerios to make sure she wouldn't start chattering loudly and interrupt things. When the ceremony was almost over, she coughed a little like a Cheerio got caught in her throat, and then projectile vomited, Exorcist-style, all over the place! She didn't actually get any puke on herself (because of the projectile), but got Marty's knee and the floor pretty good. She didn't make any noise (thankfully) but it was still embarrassing and gross! Only the people directly next to us noticed, luckily, and they all thought it was hilarious.

Ellie and her Oma at the wedding
The wedding was at 6pm (Elise is usually in bed asleep at 7) so it was a late night for her. My parents took Ellie back to their place after the dinner, so it was nearly 9pm when she got to bed. Sunday morning Ellie got up at 5:30am because she needed a diaper change, and I also fed her which led to projectile vomit #2. After cleaning myself up, she went back to sleep just after 6 and didn't get up until nearly 9:30. 9:30 may not seem very late, but it felt like 3 in the afternoon to us. I actually got up before her! That never happens!


Meredith, Ellie, "Aunt" Shoshana, Lauren and Regan
On the way back home, we decided to pop in for a visit with Shoshana and Jon to meet their new baby. On the way over to there, Elise projectile vomited YET AGAIN - this time covering herself because of the angle of the car seat. It was a mess. But once we got there, Ellie played and smiled like nothing ever happened. We finally got home from our crazy weekend around 3pm and Elise ate and then…you guessed it…threw up AGAIN, and then a few hours later one more time for good measure. So we were officially worried that something was wrong. She continued to act normal all evening, and didn't have a fever, so we don’t think that she is actually sick. We consulted with the pediatrician who said that as long as she didn’t have a fever, was acting normally and had wet diapers, everything was probably fine.

Ellie with her Uncle Kevin
We think maybe it was an allergic reaction to something I ate that I don't usually eat or maybe a nervous reaction to her stressful weekend. The only thing that I ate that she could have had a reaction to was cashews. So for the time being, I am not going to eat cashews anymore and hope that that was it! Next weekend, we are going to another wedding, this one in Raleigh, NC. It will be Ellie's first plane ride and hotel stay, so I am very nervous about that. Especially if it turns out that this whole vomit thing is not an allergic reaction, but a way that she deals with stress (much like her Mama). I can only imagine how thrilled the plane passengers will be if Pukey-McPukerson projectile vomits all over the plane!