In catchup mode still... We decided to get brave in November and took a little road trip with Isabel out to Lincoln, Nebraska. Why? To visit Isabel's Auntie Amanda and Uncle Yacob (also known as Jacob). We left on a Friday night after work and Isabel just fell asleep in the back seat while we drove to Des Moines, Iowa. She was a dream baby.
We stayed in a hotel in Des Moines and the setup was decent giving us a "suite" type room so there was a slight wall between our bedroom and Isabel's pack and play. Considering the fact that we woke her up at 12:30 am to move her to our room, she did well. Only a couple long agonizing minutes of crying and waking the entire floor...and she was back asleep.
The next day we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and let Isabel do some running...and unbelievably she fell asleep for the remainder of our trip to Omaha. In Omaha, we met up with Jacob and Amanda, as well as Ben's Aunt Laura and cousin Jadon and Hallie. Downtown Omaha was pretty cool...filled with lots of neat little antique shops and boutiques. We spent the rest of the day hanging out with the family and enjoying Omaha.
Dinner was interesting... Ben is slightly obsessed with Warren Buffet. So we went to Warren's FAVORITE restaurant for dinner. We knew absolutely nothing about this place and just planned to show up...casually dressed with our 14 month old child and a large group. I thought we were crazy on our drive over...thinking this man is a billionaire, what kind of restaurant would be his "favorite"? Well, let me just tell you that we couldn't have picked a better restaurant for our situation. It was a low key family, Italian restaurant. Isabel totally destroyed everything within her 5 ft radius...but luckily they looked prepared for such messes and we left happy campers and headed for Lincoln, which is about an hour further.
Our hotel accommodations in Lincoln were nice, but nothing remotely close to a good idea with a 14 month old child. Luckily, we adjusted as best we could and had a decent nights sleep.
The next morning I showered quick at the hotel and Ben kept Isabel busy with A LOT of grapes. Important for later. Then we headed over to see Aunt Amanda and Uncle Jacob's apartment. Isabel quickly showed them how to childproof their entire apartment. Ben and I were horrified at the matter of seconds it took her to find some of the most dangerous "toys" she could find. Luckily we caught the heavy stone coasters before they flew through the glass window. Phew.
We then ate an incredible breakfast at what might be one of my all time favorite restaurants and proceeded to tour Lincoln. Sadly, the zoo was closed, but we found what we thought were the "sunken" gardens and enjoyed the beautiful weather. After driving away, we realized we just found some park and missed the true sunken garden across the street. Oh well...next time, right!
We then went back to Jacob & Amanda's and put Isabel to sleep in their bedroom while we enjoyed adult company (and their XBOX) and adult beverages. Everything was going great, until we decided to wake up Isabel and make the transfer to our hotel. Well, remember those yummy grapes that Ben had fed Isabel to keep her calm... To spare you some of the details, let me just advise you to LIMIT the quantity of grapes you ever feed ANYONE. We had a mess on our hands, the pack'n'play, the car seat, clothing...pretty much everywhere. It was gross...and the poor little bean felt it. Needless to say I think we scared Jacob out of having children for a long long time...
The hotel situation was a disaster as well...Isabel was super sick and knew we were all in the same room. Once again she woke the entire Marriott hotel...oops. It was a rough night.
We coped and only a mere 3 months later and I'd probably do it all over again, except I'm not packing grapes this time.
The car ride home was a little rough considering Isabel's tummy, but luckily we made it home safe and sound. We had a great time visiting everyone in the Land of Nebraska. Thanks again!
Miss Isabel caught in the action of emptying out the cabinets. Isn't this picture cool...it was taken with an old Minolta camera...with FILM. Can you believe it?! Some day I'll say to my kids...we used to walk up hill both ways to school and use film cameras. HA!
Posing in the "sunken" garden. She just sat right down in the middle of a flower bed...not quite sure where she got that idea, but she was such a cutie pie.
Auntie Amanda and Uncle Yacob...before they were scarred for life.
Stinky pants on the car ride home! Sick and still smiling. Love her!
