We planned on hitting the road early Friday morning so Cress could nap in the car. Teething has really taken a toll on Cressey’s digestive system, and breakfast ended abruptly with an immediate bath. Needless to say, Mama was a nervous Nelly having to load her up in the car. (I kept her in her diaper and put a blanket underneath her in the seat.) About an hour into the trip, HG got car sick, and after a bathroom stop and some cold air blowing in her face, she decided to move up to the middle of the middle row with me and Cressey. Cress finally gave up fussing and slept for about 30 minutes before we stopped for lunch in Decatur, AL. (Fun all around.) All was right with the world after an awesome and fulfilling Chick-fil-A stop. Those nuggets, a playground, and a clean bathroom are the cure for any bad day. On the second half of the drive with Helen Grace’s help, C slept almost an hour, and after waiting in terrible traffic outside of town, we finally made it to Chattanooga a little before dinnertime. We walked down to Big River Grille and met Meredith and Aunt Sharon (who was in town for the night).
We stayed in a suite at the Doubletree downtown, which had a great location, very helpful staff, and updated accommodations. Cressey was so tired but balked a little at sleeping in the pack n play in one of the bathrooms. She eventually gave in and slept relatively well.
On Saturday morning after Cressey’s nap, we met Meredith at the Tennessee Aquarium. I hadn’t been since I was in high school, so it was neat to see it as a grown up. We started with the River building which is beautiful with huge multi-floor aquariums that run along the middle of the building. Experiencing it with a stroller was a whole new experience, and not in a good way, especially with a wiggly wanna-be-walker. We enjoyed what we could see, albeit quickly, and then headed to Puckett’s next door for lunch.
After lunch, Cressey was overdue for a nap, so she went back to the hotel with Spiffer and GD while Mere, HG, and I headed to Ruby Falls, an underground network of tunnels that end in a spectacular waterfall. It started sleeting on us as we drove up Lookout Mountain! Luckily, it was 60 degrees down in the cave. The place was packed with spring breakers and took a while to get through, but the effort and patience was worth it because the waterfall was breathtaking. HG had gotten a little nervous in the small and dark tunnels, but her amazement and excitement at the falls was so rewarding.
As we had walked around downtown, we passed High Point Climbing, and HG was really interested in checking out the kids’ climbing area. We promised her climbing time after dinner, so that night, we chowed down on pizza at Mellow Mushroom and then let her loose. And man, was she on fire! Seems that she has found a new passion. I was scared to death since I had to be the one to clip her into the auto belay system, but she showed absolutely no hesitation or fear as she tried new after new things. Amazing. She basically shut down the place that night and slept like a rock! (And we walked back to the hotel in crazy SNOW!)
Note to self for memory sake: We were already dealing with the time change to EST in Chattanooga, and then our trip fell on Daylight Savings Time weekend. So we never knew what time it really was! At least we lost an hour, so the girls slept to a bearable time, and we had a whole week to get back to normal before school schedule resumed.
Woke up happy for a road trip
Plan B for breakfast when you make a big mess in your chair (obviously post bath)
FINALLY
Nap #2
Welcome to Georgia!
And 10 minutes later, welcome to Tennessee!
Walking to dinner Friday night (brrrrr)
Early Saturday morning
Hotel breakfast bar
Napping was a bit of a challenge at first, so slept in my arms until she got used to the pack n play. I literally can’t remember the last time she did this, so I was more than happy with it.
Aquarium
Touching the sturgeons- she wasn’t sure about it once she actually felt them
But Cressey was sure she wanted to try!
This trip marked the first time that HG read every sign in a museum on her own. She’d get so excited when she realized what things were and asked me to take a picture.
Our little mayor waved at every single fish (and person).
Lunch at Puckett’s, where Cressey found her love of sweet potato fries
Outside the aquarium
Ruby Falls adventure
Watching sissy scare Mama
No comments:
Post a Comment