The Very Hungry Caterpillar Goes to Vegas (almost as long as the trip itself)

(Not cross-posted, but posted several places separately.)

There should be a special hell reserved for people who drag
10 week old babies on cross-country roadtrips, and one
feature of that hell is the presence of a 10 week old baby
on your cross-country roadtrip.

We set off at 6am on the 7th, headed to Las Vegas for my
cousin's wedding. The real reason we went was so that
Caterpillar could see her only surviving great-grandparent
(my Grandma). We didn't need to arrive until 5pm on the
9th, but if we got there in time for dinner on the 8th, we
had some hope of meeting up with everyone before the wedding.

The morning started inauspiciously; no sooner had we placed
the carseat in the fully-loaded car than Caterpillar needed
a diaper change. And it ended inauspiciously; we got into
Gallup at 11pm (9pm local time), just in time to get the
very last hotel room at that exit. Not only was it a
smoking room, but we paid $25 more than the guy ahead of us
in line, who had 2 adults and 5 children in the room next to
ours.

Thankfully, the hotel was right next to a Wal-mart, where I
was able to get some cough syrup for my cold, which had
settled in my chest overnight. Somehow, I'd managed to pack
3 bags full of lotions and potions and ointments and
panaceas for Caterpillar (none of which she needed), but not
enough sinus pills for Allyson and not any cough syrup for
me, despite the fact that both of us were sick when we left.

Left Gallup at 7am (5am local time), got to Vegas at 5pm
(3pm local time). For all Las Vegas' attempts to bill
itself as a family destination, no one in their right mind
would take their family to Vegas. For one thing, you
can't gamble while holding a baby in a sling. Heck, you
can't get a player's club card while holding a baby in a sling.

While waiting for the service elevator (both elevators to
our room were out of service virtually the entire time we
were there), I joked to the hotel employee that if the
elevator didn't come soon, I'd have to nurse the baby at the
slot machines. He looked utterly aghast, then proceeded to
explain that I'd have to pull the chair away from the
machine before I could feed the baby. I think I could have
walked through the lobby topless as long as I'd kept
Caterpillar the prescribed distance from games of chance.

We met up with part of the extended family, then went to
find the rest in the buffet ($5 per person cheaper with a
player's club card; Allyson was able to get mine for me, as
long as I'd just take the baby over by that wall, please).
Aunt Jill offered to hold the baby while I ate, so Grandma
could enjoy her. I hadn't gotten as far as my seat before
Caterpillar was returned in tears. Silly me, I didn't
learn, and was willing to hand her to my cousin's wife to
hold "so you can eat." It took me 5 minutes to convince her
that she had no hope of soothing Caterpillar back to sleep
once she'd worked herself up into a fit of panicked
screaming. Eventually, Caterpillar was re-ensconced in her
sling, a napkin was draped over her head, and I ate just
fine while she slept.

The food in Vegas was plentiful and cheap, and boy do you
get what you pay for. Caterpillar, as usual, had no
complaints about the quality, quantity, or price of her meals.

My uncle knew how to get to the wedding, so he and my aunt
and Grandma rode with my parents, and we followed in our
car. Caterpillar was unrestrained on my lap for the first 3
miles, because the lead car took off at breakneck speed
before I even had my own seatbelt on. The Strip at 4pm on a
Friday is just jampacked with people who all want to go from
the lane on one side of you to the lane on the other side of
you, without signaling or giving any other indication that
they know you're there. Eventually, we hit a light long
enough to strap Caterpillar in, and caught up to Dad, and
Allyson stopped muttering that if we didn't find the chapel
on the first pass, we were going back to the hotel and
skipping the wedding.

Half of Caterpillar's luggage was cute outfits to wear to
the wedding and reception. Turns out, the wedding was at
one of those places that marries a couple every 15 minutes,
which means we all spent an hour standing in the sun waiting
for it to be our turn to go in. I got a bottle of water out
of the first-aid supply bag, thinking I'd pour a bit on
Caterpillar's head to keep her cool. The bottle, having
spent the day in the car, had water hot enough to make tea
with. Thankfully, I'd taken her there in a onesie, planning
to change her onsite. All those little outfits, washed so
there's no returning them, will probably never be worn,
since they're too warm and fancy for anything here. Maybe
my sister will have a girl.

Allyson told me later that my uncle's wife (second wife; my
cousin is his first wife's daughter) came up before the
wedding and asked her, "So, where did the baby come from?"
Now, this is a woman in her 50's, with a daughter of her
own, so you'd think she'd know where babies come from.
Allyson was so boggled she just stood there until the
question was repeated, at which point she said, "She came
from Phoebe." Apparently, my aunt thought Caterpillar was
adopted, and wanted to know what country we'd gotten her from.

The wedding was completely uneventful, and exactly 4 minutes
long.

By the time we got back to the hotel, where the reception
was going to be, Caterpillar was close to meltdown and I had
a dehydration headache. But after we changed our clothes,
we went back down. My dad wanted to sit next to his
grandbaby, so we ended up at the grown-ups table (with
Grandma, my parents, the married couple, and both sets of
their parents). This was a tactical error, because everyone
at that table was either frugal-natured or paying. The kids
table (all of my grown cousins and their spouses) had
alcohol and appetizers and steak and rowdy conversation. My
table had soup and salad, or chicken, or a vegetable plate,
and discussed iris breeding. Fortunately or not, I was sick
enough from the headache that I wouldn't have enjoyed a more
lavish meal anyhow.

We left the next morning at 7am (5am local time), again
pausing to change the first poopy diaper of the morning on
the back seat of the car. Got to our destination (a B&B
near Allyson's friend's house an hour north of Albuquerque)
at 8pm (7pm local time). The B&B (Desert Willow in Jemez
Springs) was wonderful, and Caterpillar was in a relatively
good mood. Allyson took off to visit while I got unpacked
and settled in and played "Standing Baby" with Caterpillar.

Slept in, got up to a decadent breakfast, then I went off to
the bathhouse for a soak in water from the local hot spring
and an hour-long massage. We spent the day with Allyson's
friend and her family. Caterpillar, who had howled every
time one of my relatives picked her up, was delighted to be
held by all of the kids, including the 3 year old. Back to
the B&B, up in the morning for another decadent breakfast,
on the road by 11am (10am local time). Finally arrived home
at 11pm.

My parents drove the same route we did going out, and it
took them 18 hours. It took us close to 27 hours. Oklahoma
and the Texas Panhandle weren't that bad, but the elevation
changes in New Mexico and Arizona were really hard on
Caterpillar. We ended up stopping at least every 2 hours,
usually for half an hour or more, so she could nurse and
have a clean diaper. I can now add to the places I've
nursed in public: a half a dozen truck stops, the same
number of fast-food restaurants, a hotel lobby, and the
auditorium at Petrified Forest National Park. Not a single
dirty look or negative comment. I had many negative
comments for the number of places where baby-changing
facilities were limited to the bathroom floor; after one
round of that, I just changed her on the seat of a booth if
there was nowhere more appropriate.

Really, I couldn't have asked for a better baby, though. I
was pretty miserable by the time we got home, having had
much more range of motion and understanding of why we spent
4 days in the car. But Caterpillar was a trouper; she never
fussed at being put in the carseat, and was happy and
smiling and ready to play every time we took her out. She
wasn't capable of understanding "We just passed the exit and
the next one isn't for 5 miles," but you can't really expect
that of a baby.

And that was our trip. We're all extremely glad to be home,
and planning on staying home for the forseeable future.

Phoebe

Well it doesn't sound like you had a good time or your attitude wasn't in
the right place since you didn't feel good.

I would agree that Las Vegas is not a place for a baby, but there are a lot
of cool things to do with older children that doesn't involve gambling. When
we went, I left the baby and toddler at home and had a great time. I'm not
much of a gambler, but I do enjoy watching people and that was a fascinating
place to people watch. There were a lot shows and shops to visit.

We also drove home from Florida to Michigan, with my then 2-year-old. That
was the most miserable trip home I have ever had. She did nothing but scream
the majority of the trip home. At ages 10, 8 and 6 they are much better
travelers now and we have had lots of extended trips together. It does get
easier, so don't write of traveling all together ;o)
--
Sue
mom to three girls

Phoebe & Allyson wrote in message
...
(Not cross-posted, but posted several places separately.)

There should be a special hell reserved for people who drag
10 week old babies on cross-country roadtrips, and one
feature of that hell is the presence of a 10 week old baby
on your cross-country roadtrip.

We set off at 6am on the 7th, headed to Las Vegas for my
cousin's wedding. The real reason we went was so that
Caterpillar could see her only surviving great-grandparent
(my Grandma). We didn't need to arrive until 5pm on the
9th, but if we got there in time for dinner on the 8th, we
had some hope of meeting up with everyone before the wedding.

The morning started inauspiciously; no sooner had we placed
the carseat in the fully-loaded car than Caterpillar needed
a diaper change. And it ended inauspiciously; we got into
Gallup at 11pm (9pm local time), just in time to get the
very last hotel room at that exit. Not only was it a
smoking room, but we paid $25 more than the guy ahead of us
in line, who had 2 adults and 5 children in the room next to
ours.

Thankfully, the hotel was right next to a Wal-mart, where I
was able to get some cough syrup for my cold, which had
settled in my chest overnight. Somehow, I'd managed to pack
3 bags full of lotions and potions and ointments and
panaceas for Caterpillar (none of which she needed), but not
enough sinus pills for Allyson and not any cough syrup for
me, despite the fact that both of us were sick when we left.

Left Gallup at 7am (5am local time), got to Vegas at 5pm
(3pm local time). For all Las Vegas' attempts to bill
itself as a family destination, no one in their right mind
would take their family to Vegas. For one thing, you
can't gamble while holding a baby in a sling. Heck, you
can't get a player's club card while holding a baby in a sling.

While waiting for the service elevator (both elevators to
our room were out of service virtually the entire time we
were there), I joked to the hotel employee that if the
elevator didn't come soon, I'd have to nurse the baby at the
slot machines. He looked utterly aghast, then proceeded to
explain that I'd have to pull the chair away from the
machine before I could feed the baby. I think I could have
walked through the lobby topless as long as I'd kept
Caterpillar the prescribed distance from games of chance.

We met up with part of the extended family, then went to
find the rest in the buffet ($5 per person cheaper with a
player's club card; Allyson was able to get mine for me, as
long as I'd just take the baby over by that wall, please).
Aunt Jill offered to hold the baby while I ate, so Grandma
could enjoy her. I hadn't gotten as far as my seat before
Caterpillar was returned in tears. Silly me, I didn't
learn, and was willing to hand her to my cousin's wife to
hold "so you can eat." It took me 5 minutes to convince her
that she had no hope of soothing Caterpillar back to sleep
once she'd worked herself up into a fit of panicked
screaming. Eventually, Caterpillar was re-ensconced in her
sling, a napkin was draped over her head, and I ate just
fine while she slept.

The food in Vegas was plentiful and cheap, and boy do you
get what you pay for. Caterpillar, as usual, had no
complaints about the quality, quantity, or price of her meals.

My uncle knew how to get to the wedding, so he and my aunt
and Grandma rode with my parents, and we followed in our
car. Caterpillar was unrestrained on my lap for the first 3
miles, because the lead car took off at breakneck speed
before I even had my own seatbelt on. The Strip at 4pm on a
Friday is just jampacked with people who all want to go from
the lane on one side of you to the lane on the other side of
you, without signaling or giving any other indication that
they know you're there. Eventually, we hit a light long
enough to strap Caterpillar in, and caught up to Dad, and
Allyson stopped muttering that if we didn't find the chapel
on the first pass, we were going back to the hotel and
skipping the wedding.

Half of Caterpillar's luggage was cute outfits to wear to
the wedding and reception. Turns out, the wedding was at
one of those places that marries a couple every 15 minutes,
which means we all spent an hour standing in the sun waiting
for it to be our turn to go in. I got a bottle of water out
of the first-aid supply bag, thinking I'd pour a bit on
Caterpillar's head to keep her cool. The bottle, having
spent the day in the car, had water hot enough to make tea
with. Thankfully, I'd taken her there in a onesie, planning
to change her onsite. All those little outfits, washed so
there's no returning them, will probably never be worn,
since they're too warm and fancy for anything here. Maybe
my sister will have a girl.

Allyson told me later that my uncle's wife (second wife; my
cousin is his first wife's daughter) came up before the
wedding and asked her, "So, where did the baby come from?"
Now, this is a woman in her 50's, with a daughter of her
own, so you'd think she'd know where babies come from.
Allyson was so boggled she just stood there until the
question was repeated, at which point she said, "She came
from Phoebe." Apparently, my aunt thought Caterpillar was
adopted, and wanted to know what country we'd gotten her from.

The wedding was completely uneventful, and exactly 4 minutes
long.

By the time we got back to the hotel, where the reception
was going to be, Caterpillar was close to meltdown and I had
a dehydration headache. But after we changed our clothes,
we went back down. My dad wanted to sit next to his
grandbaby, so we ended up at the grown-ups table (with
Grandma, my parents, the married couple, and both sets of
their parents). This was a tactical error, because everyone
at that table was either frugal-natured or paying. The kids
table (all of my grown cousins and their spouses) had
alcohol and appetizers and steak and rowdy conversation. My
table had soup and salad, or chicken, or a vegetable plate,
and discussed iris breeding. Fortunately or not, I was sick
enough from the headache that I wouldn't have enjoyed a more
lavish meal anyhow.

We left the next morning at 7am (5am local time), again
pausing to change the first poopy diaper of the morning on
the back seat of the car. Got to our destination (a B&B
near Allyson's friend's house an hour north of Albuquerque)
at 8pm (7pm local time). The B&B (Desert Willow in Jemez
Springs) was wonderful, and Caterpillar was in a relatively
good mood. Allyson took off to visit while I got unpacked
and settled in and played "Standing Baby" with Caterpillar.

Slept in, got up to a decadent breakfast, then I went off to
the bathhouse for a soak in water from the local hot spring
and an hour-long massage. We spent the day with Allyson's
friend and her family. Caterpillar, who had howled every
time one of my relatives picked her up, was delighted to be
held by all of the kids, including the 3 year old. Back to
the B&B, up in the morning for another decadent breakfast,
on the road by 11am (10am local time). Finally arrived home
at 11pm.

My parents drove the same route we did going out, and it
took them 18 hours. It took us close to 27 hours. Oklahoma
and the Texas Panhandle weren't that bad, but the elevation
changes in New Mexico and Arizona were really hard on
Caterpillar. We ended up stopping at least every 2 hours,
usually for half an hour or more, so she could nurse and
have a clean diaper. I can now add to the places I've
nursed in public: a half a dozen truck stops, the same
number of fast-food restaurants, a hotel lobby, and the
auditorium at Petrified Forest National Park. Not a single
dirty look or negative comment. I had many negative
comments for the number of places where baby-changing
facilities were limited to the bathroom floor; after one
round of that, I just changed her on the seat of a booth if
there was nowhere more appropriate.

Really, I couldn't have asked for a better baby, though. I
was pretty miserable by the time we got home, having had
much more range of motion and understanding of why we spent
4 days in the car. But Caterpillar was a trouper; she never
fussed at being put in the carseat, and was happy and
smiling and ready to play every time we took her out. She
wasn't capable of understanding "We just passed the exit and
the next one isn't for 5 miles," but you can't really expect
that of a baby.

And that was our trip. We're all extremely glad to be home,
and planning on staying home for the forseeable future.

Phoebe

Oh
My
Gosh - Boy, you tell a MEAN story!! What a TRIP - you had...and quite the
journey, too! ;-) Glad you're all home safely ... how's the cold, btw?

REST, and give that Caterpillar an "Attagirl" for us, will you? :-)

Corinne

--
"Since AP parents are accused of "spoiling" their children with
responsiveness, love, understanding, patience, positive interaction,
intimacy and closeness, respect, and value - I have decided that spoiling
ROCKS! Teaching my child that she ALWAYS deserves all of the above is the
right thing to do, and I plan to own my spoiling ways. Baby Spoilers Unite!"
--Jessica, iVillage AP board

Corinne wrote:

how's the cold, btw?

Mostly gone. My colds tend to settle either in my sinuses
or my chest, and linger on there - thankfully this one went
to my chest, and is lingering only mildly. Caterpillar woke
up all snotty-nosed yesterday, but it never got bad enough
to interfere with her breathing, and she's fine today, so it
looks like she either missed it entirely or got it so
mildly it didn't bother her.

Phoebe