So, I drove out of the Tri Cities today for the first time. It’s the first time I drove longer than half an hour, just me and my babies. Ball & Cross Books in Moscow is closing its store so I went there to use a couple hundred dollars of store credit a friend (who owed me money) left for me.
It took me about 3 hours to get there. The last hour, Rinah was screaming so hard I could hear her throwing up and choking on it but there was nowhere to pull over so I just had to listen and pray. She was crying like she was scared. When I finally pulled over, her lips were purply-blue and she was shaking all over. I held her and tried to comfort her a bit before getting back on the road.
While I was in Moscow, I got to meet some friends I hadn’t seen in way too long, Rinah’s lovely godmother, and the wonderful family I boarded with. It was great but I only got to spend a few minutes with each of them. Not enough time at all. I wanted to stay longer because there were so many more people I wanted to see, but I left so I could get home before dark.
My sweet little girl, who is usually so calm, cried for over 2 hours on the way home. Not just cried. Screamed. It didn’t help that she’s teething. All her molars, top and bottom, right and left, are cutting through her gums. So I was speeding and I got pulled over and got a HUGE ticket. It cost as much as my “free” books. At least the policeman was really nice. His last name was Smith. Ben just told me our car insurance is going up because of this.
Now I hate cars (and myself) more than ever. If we were in a train in Tokyo, I could have been holding her, playing with her, reading to her, nursing, walking around, pretty much whatever I wanted. I think this means I am not meant to get out of the the Tri Cities … especially with another one coming so soon. AUGH. One baby screaming is bad enough. I can’t imagine how horrible it is to listen to 2 babies screaming in the back seat.
Except for meeting some friends, today was just a really, really bad day … 6.5 hours of driving and almost 3.5 hours of screaming. I miss everyday life in Mitaka and Kichijoji so much. Here are some pictures of a really good day we had last summer in Mitaka, 40 pounds ago. She has her daddy’s wrinkly forehead and my nose-wrinkly smile.
We’re back home and she’s back to her happy self, running around, giggling, singing, babbling, dancing, and playing with daddy. She is going to be a really talkative little girl. Actually, she already is, I just have no idea what she’s saying most of the time.
She is going to be a really talkative little girl. Actually, she already is, I just have no idea what she’s saying most of the time.
Now there’s a chip off the old block! :)
Awww, Emeth I am so sorry. What a crappy day.
Aaaah, yes. I remember those days. And my mom tries to tell me that road trips really aren’t that bad. I have to remind her that she could just pick me up out of the carbed, breastfeed me, and hold me to her heart’s content.
Don’t you wish we did public transportation in the States like overseas? How I would die for a subway/train system.
What is it with our babies hating car rides? I just…it’s so baffling to me because I remember my baby sister and brother being angels during car rides. Five minutes and they’d be passed out asleep in their seats. You hear stories of harried parents whose colicky infants will only sleep in the car.
Then I give birth to the King of Car Seat Loathing who screams like I’ve locked him into the Iron Maiden the minute I buckle his belt. He’s gotten only slightly better about it over time. Now we can go maybe fifteen minutes before the sky begins to fall. Yesterday the new snot-sucker kept him occupied for a ride to and from the store!
I wonder if they are making the seats differently now. Do they test them on real babies? Or are the manufacturers deliberately designing them so that your child is guaranteed to hate his/her seat and make every car ride a living nightmare, thereby ensuring you drive as little as possible and use up less gas? There has to be some conspiracy.
Oh, that’s a terrible story! A 6 hour car trip with a baby doesn’t sound like fun, even if they’re good travelers! Does she always scream on long car trips? :-( I remember Ezra screaming for the last hour and a half on the way to my mom’s once – he was such a good baby, and then all of the sudden he couldn’t take the car trip anymore. It was awful! Hope your next long trip is much, much better!
Americans think we have all this freedom in our cars; to come and go where and when and as we please. But we simply aren’t aware of the benefits we are sacrificing! Sure, being “tied” to a trains schedule can be a teeny bit inconvenient sometimes, but a lot less inconvenient than traffic jams or not being able to comfort your baby! As a public-transportation commuter, who enjoys reading, writing letters, time to pay bills or read the paper, and even time chatting with my husband on the train, I think it’s just ignorance of what we don’t know we’re sacrificing that makes us THINK cars are better. “Freedom!” we tell ourselves, as we’re stuck in yet another traffic jam or sitting at another red light, mono-tasking.
I used public transportation for some time, commuting to school when I was younger. I made it through 4 years at NSA without a car (walking mostly), a year in Virginia in which I drove myself only occasionally (a dangerous thing), and I’ve recently given up driving much at all again. J. and I are both riding our bikes for transportation to save on gas. We’re currently spending only about $50 per month on gas and are healthier too.
I am so, so sorry. There is nothing harder than being unable to comfort an upset baby. I started clenching my teeth just reading that. *hug*