File this idea as "Seemed like a good one at the time". Driving to Orlando with 5 kids, straight thru the night, is now something I have first hand knowledge on just how traumatizing it can be. You would think that eventually a certain 4 year old little girl would be so exhausted, she'd fall asleep at some point during the 6:00pm to 7:00am time frame, but I can tell you that it is not a given. Sam maybe got a combined one hour of sleep the whole drive to Orlando. And she wasn't even quiet during the time she slept. She still managed to scream loudly while being asleep.
The whole experience was bad. Very bad. Ian was irritable because Sam was so loud that it kept him from being able to fall asleep easily. Nathan would wake up from being asleep because Sam was screaming and whining so ridiculously loud. So on the rare chance Sam wasn't shattering our ear drums, the noise was coming from some other kid in the car. The only child who was completely quiet and never made one peep was Ethan. It didn't matter to him what was going on around him. Ethan deserves a big round of applause for being able to do the near impossible in this situation and go with the flow. Actually, Ethan may need to get his ears checked.
And what did Sam rant about for 13 hours? Here's a small sampling --
"I AM BEING SQUISHED!!!" It should be noted, her car seat happens to be by far the biggest in the car. Her car seat is so big and wide that another child could sit in there with her.
"I NEED TO GO POTTY!!!!" Really? You just went 5 minutes ago. You have to go again? And again? And again? This phrase seemed to be a favorite of hers.
"I NEED TO GO POOPY!!!!" Sorry, I don't believe you.
"I CAN'T WEAR THIS PULL-UP! IT"S GOING UP MY BUM!!!!" You're in a pull-up because you are supposed to be falling asleep during the car ride and when you wake-up, we'll be there.
"I'M HUNGRY!!!" "I'M THIRSTY!!!" "I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!!!!" "I DON'T LIKE THESE HEADPHONES!!!!" "I CAN'T GET TO THE APP STORE."
With each passing torturous hour, I kept thinking to myself, "Thank G-d she is not doing the drive back with us." I seriously don't think I'd make it and would most likely fly her home and then come back down again to help Jen with the drive. 2 hours on a plane sucks too for all my fellow passengers, but just imagine dragging that experience out again to 13 hours?
If you took Sam out of the equation, the rest of the trip was quite pleasant. We hit no traffic, whatsoever. Majority of the time, there were very few cars even on the road. We only had to stop a total of 3 times (twice for gas, once on the side of the road for a potty break). Jen drove for 9 hours without needing me to take over. That girl could easily be a truck driver if she wanted. It's amazing how she can go, go, go, and not need a break from driving and has the ability to tune Sam out.
The craziest thing to occur on the drive was when Jen ran over an alligator crossing I-95, somewhere in South Carolina during the 2:00am hour. So bizzare. It was pretty shocking and took us by surprise. Next time, Jen promises me she'll stop so I can take a picture.
Once we pulled into my Sister's house, Jen and I are were beat. Beyond tired doesn't come close to our condition. Unfortunately a nap never happened for either of us (or any of the kids for that matter). The passing of every hour seemed to go slower and slower. It reminded me of those nightmares you have about school when they show the clock going in the wrong direction. That is what it felt like. You mean it is only 10:00am? Surely, it feels like it should 10:00pm by now. Although, every time I sat down on Lori and Ben's couch, I'd instantly fall asleep. Unfortunately when I woke-up not enough time passed to make me happy about my impromptu nap.
I told my two kids we were going to sleep at 7:30pm. We came very close to this goal and managed to be in bed by 8:00pm. Sleep was very needed and the next morning, we all woke-up feeling human again. It's amazing what 11 solid hours and a shower can do for a person.
We had a big day planned for Tuesday and I desperately wanted us all in good spirits for our next outing -- going to the Magic Kingdom.
Stay tuned for more on Robyn's crazy Summer FL adventure....
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