Every year, Wyatt and I rotate holidays among our three awesome families...or at least we try to when one or the other is not away on vacation. When Bug was born, we were so excited to bring her to Yreka for Christmas, in hopes that she would experience a white Christmas for her very first Christmas. (I still cannot believe I have a baby!) To shorten the 9 hour drive for our little Bug, we stopped in Sacramento overnight, both on the way there and back, to spend some quality time with my brother and his family. When planning out this vacation, I was excited about the thought of a white Christmas (maybe a little bit more for me, than for Bug), but I also began to dread the icey, snowy, Christmas-y drive to get there. Well, God must have felt these fears because when we passed Redding and were making our way towards Mount Shasta, there was no snow in sight. I kid you not...Mount Shasta was as bare as a baby's bottom! Well, perhaps not as bare, but you get why I exaggerated. No, there was no white Christmas for Bug this year (or for Mom). Maybe next time.
Recently, Bug has begun to familiarize herself with people and has become increasingly particular about who she socializes with. (Snob!). If you're new, you get a "WAH!" If you're not Mom or Dad, you get a "WAH!" Seriously. The doctor tells me this is normal for her age, however, this made me incredibly fearful of how she would be when we got up to Yreka to see Na-na and Ta-ta. I mean, they saw her when she was about 5 weeks old and how can we expect her to remember that? A part of me prayed that she would know they were family and that all would be good in the world. A part of me feared that I would have to hold her the entire week away from home. Thank goodness for answered prayers because Bug was AMAZING. She was so amazing she was unrecognizable! Apparently she decided she was going to grow up in Yreka...and growing up she did! It was as though she was an entirely different kid. Even as we made our way off the freeway in Yreka, Bug was screaming, but as soon as she entered Na-na and Ta-ta's house, she just stopped. She didn't have a breakdown until five days later, on Christmas, after a long day of fun with family. I'm not going to lie...I was pretty thankful for that. I was starting to wonder who's kid this was.
Here are some photos and videos (if they load), of Bug's very first Christmas!
The morning we left, Bug woke up at 4:30am. She must have been excited about the road trip.
But first we had to say goodbye to our McKayla, who was waiting patiently at my bedside while we were feeding Bug, waiting to be fed.
Almost made it to Sacramento...stopping in Elk Grove to feed.
Obviously good times, no?
A very tired Bug with her Ate Kaycee in Sacramento.
After having some fun and staying a night with my brother and his family, we embarked on the final leg of our trip to Yreka. Last minute Daddy decided to take the 99 Fwy there...a road he's never taken to go home. I'm not sure this was the time to take the road less traveled, but he thought otherwise.
This road less traveled is not getting any better. Argh.
Do you know how many small towns with a speed limit of 25mph we had to go through? A LOT.
Stopping at Applebee's to feed...the only restaurant on the 99 Fwy that didn't look shady.
Even Bug thought the food was nasty. It was.
She really is an overachiever...already wanting to drink out of a glass.
Finally...almost to Yreka.
Hello, Mount Shasta!
Hello, dry lands of Yreka!
It's like these two go way back. They had chit chat time FOREVER. You would swear they had a lifetime to catch up on.
Ta-ta and Na-na's Christmas tree.
The next day we headed to Medford to meet the cousins! This girl and her forehead! The headband wins...again.
Bug loves Miss Madysen.
This kid is getting so good at feeding herself. Yay for Mommy and Daddy!
Going to Christmas service.
Ready for a visit with Chi-Sai and Ross.
Old friends reunited...
Bug meets visits Grandma Gloria for the first time.
Play time with Uncle Scott and Ta-ta...
Best...picture...EVER...PERIOD.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
We even got to see Nicole! Cute picture, huh? Kaiya loves her so much.
Bug's new toy...
Bug in a bag!
There are more photos, but I can't find where they went. Once I do, I'll do another posting...
What a trooper! After almost 1,300 miles of driving to and from Yreka, Bug survived and came out with lots of smiles and giggles. This girl is going to be a seasoned traveler! On the way to Sacramento, we only stopped twice and on the way from Sacramento to Yreka, we only stopped once to feed...each time. Some of you may be thinking I pretty much tortured my 4 1/2 month old baby by making her travel so far. I swear I didn't. I did my best to accommodate for her nonexistent schedule and we made plenty of stops when she requested them (which was rare), and she got A LOT of out it. She got to spend lots of quality time with family and that's the most important part. We live so far from the hubs' family and it's only fair that they get to cherish her at this stage of her life too. You may think Bug is too young to remember, but I can tell you she's not. I'm a big believer in that babies remember lots of things we don't give them enough credit for. My nieces live in Sacramento and when they were young, we did our best to travel back and forth to see them on weekends, even for just a day. They have not forgotten us and each time we saw them, they needed less and less of an adjustment period. My grandparents took care of them until they were around 3 or 4 years old and you'd think they wouldn't remember, but they do. Every time my grandmother sings her infamous nursery rhyme...known to all my cousins (and now to my nieces), they smile and giggle. They remember.
What an exhausting, eventful, and amazing Christmas!
What an exhausting, eventful, and amazing Christmas!
God Bless,
Kat
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