Over the river and through the woods

Our Christmas gifts are (mostly) wrapped, all the Christmas cookies have been baked, packaged and delivered and I've been working hard to address our Christmas cards.  I'm not usually this on top of my Christmas "to do"  list, but this year I had to get all of my holiday tasks out of the way as early as possible so that I could focus my time and energy on preparing for our drive back home.  For the first time ever, the Carlson family is going "over the river and through the woods" to get to Grandmothers house.  Google tells us it should take 16 hours on the road to get to our destination, but with stops planned for every 4 hours and at least one overnight stop along the way, we're not sure how long it will actually take us to get there.

The first time I realized that I had to bring Nicole on a plane to look for houses in Texas, I was anxious about it for days.  So anxious, in fact, that I told Shawn more than once that I didn't want to come.  The idea of having to travel with an infant felt truly paralyzing and each time I thought through it, my head was filled with sounds of Nicole screaming or visions of her crying uncontrollably.  I don't know why I immediately imagined the worse case scenario but I felt like a bad mom for putting Nicole in a situation where either of those outcomes could occur.   As it turned out, my anxiety lied to me in a big way and after getting that first day of travel out of the way, I learned that sometimes crying is inevitable, but for the most part flying with a baby can be manageable.  Nicole's unrelenting curiosity and love for people has equipped her to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the airport so our only true compromise on travel days is nap time.  I am incredibly thankful that I have learned how to successfully fly with Nicole in tow, but driving is a whole new ball game.

While we lived in Minnesota, we learned pretty quickly how to drive with Nicole for car rides ranging from 3-5 hours.  Stopping became part of our routine and I intentionally stopped calculating what time we thought we were going to arrive at our destination.   I hated listening to Nicole cry in her carseat and would be filled with guilt and remorse for putting her in a situation where she was so unhappy.  I would sit in the backseat just so that I could quickly introduce a new toy, read a favorite story or sing a familiar song at the first signs of distress.  I still hate listening to Nicole cry in her carseat but I have learned that sometimes those tears are inevitable and her short term discomfort is worth the longterm gain of visiting with people who love her.

In anticipating of our upcoming drive home, I am putting legs to my anxiety and spending time investing in things that will make our trip easier each time I find myself feeling a little worried about it.  Nicole loves stickers so I've been collecting stickers for her to play with during some of our longest stretches of highway.  I purchased snacks that are easily chewed by tiny mouths with three teeth and I picked up some CD's from the library with a few of Nicole's favorite songs on them.  Something tells me that Shawn and I will have Old McDonald Had a Farm stuck in our heads for days after the drive :).   I'm carefully planning which toys to pack so that our active little girl can stay busy even while she's strapped into her least favorite seat.  And I'm bringing as many of her books as I can fit in the car!

When you think of us, will you pray for our drive?  For stretches of highway that are tear free and wisdom and patience for both Shawn and I when the tears are inevitable.

Whatever your plans are this holiday season we pray that you will find time to connect in rich and meaningful ways with the people you love.

Love,
Erica