First "big" roadtrip.

Stella is now a full-fledged traveler! She made it over 1,000 miles as we drove to and from Mobile, Alabama. I had obligations to attend a conference for Junior Auxiliary. I knew there was no way I could make it several days without my sweet girl. Even though our plans were set weeks ago, I got nervous as I packed our bags on Wednesday. The last thing I wanted was for her to be uncomfortable or even miserable during our trip. As usual when I worry, Stella proves me wrong! She had two minor bits of fussiness on the way down. 3-5 minutes of whining and crying meant, "I am tired!" After I soothed her for a few minutes, it was nap time. The same thing happened on the way home. I am so proud of our little baby for being such a good sport. 15 total minutes or so sure isn't much in the grand scheme of things. We were on the road 10+ hours each time. As Aunt Sis suggested, she deserves some kind of baby award! (This is not purely a mommy brag. I have witnesses!)

Here are some pictures of her enjoying her bed at the hotel. Yes, her bed. Mom and I shared a double bed and let Stella have her own space. And it begins. . .





Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to explore the city or shop. I was in sessions and meetings most of the time, and it was much too windy for Mom & Stella to venture out on their own. The storms that made it to our area over the weekend were definitely fueled by the crazy winds coming up from the gulf. I don't know that I have ever been in wind that strong that lasted for so long. Aside from the storm and flooding back home, the oil spill was causing quite a stir as well. We watched disaster relief teams set up in the convention center where our conference took place. We were able to take a longer route home and make it back safely. We are very fortunate in our area to have missed lots of the damage that resulted from the storms!

Tonight, we got to see our buddy Carter play t-ball! Here is Stella taking in all of the new sites at the field.