Car-isma

We celebrated Christmas in Cleveland recently. To me, Christmas in Cleveland means family, traditions, good Italian eating, and a white Christmas. This year, Christmas in Cleveland also meant a 13-14 hour drive each way. Yikes!! While Avery has made numerous trips to 4 different states in his 9 months of existence (OH, KY, TN, NC...seven 11+ hour road trips in total...), this was the first time he has had to travel with...THE PUPPIES!!!! Our trip was delayed twice; once for the "Blizzard of '09" in the Virginias and once for Phil's back that required an epidural (Phil always needs an epidural at inopportune times...like 2 days before Avery was born, haha). Once we FINALLY got on the road, our "children" could not have been more perfect. The dogs were in the far back of the car and slept in their beds the entire way. I sat in the backseat with Avery and entertained him (I initially tried the front seat, but a mobile 9 month old needs constant distraction from the fact that he is tethered down to a chair for long periods of time). And Phil was a champ and drove the whole way. Thank you to my husband for safely transporting the entire Jean Family to Christmas in Cleveland. :)

The trip started off at 6:30am with an immediate nap. Always a good sign.
Good spirits, post-nap. Still a good sign.

Forms of entertainment: reading about Santa Claus, playing with toys, checking his e-mail on Daddy's I-Phone, and "talking" to Daddy.

The trip was bookended with naps by all (except Daddy).