C's First Roadtrip

C with Aunt Suzy (my sister)

It has taken me way too long to post! We have been sooooo busy with Christmas decorating, shopping, parties, and programs- I'll have to post later on that. First, let me catch you all up to speed...

We decided a few weeks ago to head out East to visit my family for Thanksgiving, so at the beginning of Thanksgiving week, we packed up (and I mean PACKED!) a rented van and headed to the East Coast. Poor C... he knew something was up and I'm sure it reminded him of flying home from Russia, so he was NOT happy before we left. I tried to explain all of it to him, but how could he possibly have understood? So he spent hours whining and clinging to me- which made it a cinch to finish packing and loading up the car... HA!!! Needless to say, I was VERY worried before we left about what he was thinking and how he would fare the 15 hour car ride and sleeping in strange places, not to mention meeting lots of adoring new family members for the first time.

Well...

C surprised all of us! As soon as he settled into the van and he saw his entire family would be going with him (his blankie and Mishka included), he did great! In fact, he is the BEST 2 year-old traveler we have ever had! We hardly ever heard a complaint out of him! He seemed to love almost every second of it. Who knew? What a far cry from the scared and angry little boy we brought home just 6 months ago! He sure didn't like ANYTHING about traveling back then and he made sure we were clear on that (not that we would have expected him to like any of it back then).

One of the best parts of the trip (besides the yummy Thanksgiving dinner and getting to introduce C to the rest of my family) was that C got to see the ocean for the first time. He had looked forward to seeing the beach and the ocean for several weeks and was just thrilled when we finally got to go there on Thanksgiving day. I cannot even imagine what he will do with himself next summer, when he can actually go in the water and play in the sand. He will be in heaven! Ever since we returned home, C regularly asks if we can go see his cousins and go to the beach. Just a few more months, buddy! :0)