Call It What You Want...

Whew!

After upwards of 2000 miles, six different beds, nine night times and eighteen naptimes -- observed or otherwise -- for the baby, six states, innumerable rest-, gas-, and diaper-change stops, one massive rain storm, and four very patient and friendly pacifiers, we are home from our grandparent-visiting trip.

Mark has proven up to the challenge and took it like a real sport. He was better in the car than we could have even hoped. He slept well in the hotels once we thought to cover his pack-and-play with a comforter from the hotel bed to block out the light. He ate everything he was given (sometimes with more eagerness than others) and only massively threw up on mom twice. Neither time was very convenient, I might add, and both times were orange.

And while we are not big fans of the pacifier from day to day, and do not let him have them except to sleep, they did become a small tool in the toolbox of ways to calm him down. his favorite thing is to have one in his mouth and one in each hand, and then to switch pacifiers every few seconds -- I suppose to keep them fresh? Yesterday in the car he had one in his mouth and was fast asleep in the car. He reached up with one hand and took it out, then reached the other (empty) hand to his mouth to replace it. He stayed asleep, but spent a little time funbling around the missing pacifier before dropping his hand back in place and going to sleep. Too cute.

Mark spent a great deal of time charming people -- and grandma and grandpa's house, at the churches we stopped at, at rest stops and restaurants, on the golf course -- yes, he was in fine form. We couldn't be prouder.

Nor could we be happier to be home. :)