Emily's First Pumpkin Festival

Day 1 got off to a predictably slow start. We were hoping to be on the road right when Carrie finished her half-day of work. Emily was great about helping me pack and load the car ... mostly by sitting in her high chair for snack and lunch. And everything was ready to go except the ol' wife. She had her stuff together soon enough, and after a quick run through a drive-thru for the grown-ups, we were on the highway.

Emily slept for a good portion of the ride, but got antsy as we cleared Massachusetts. So we popped into the Vermont visitor's center to let her stretch her legs and change her diaper. There was some kind of bake sale going on, but we were able to resist knowing that Saturday would have all sorts of delicious baked treats available.

We pulled into the hotel around 4, with Emily eager to emerge from her car seat. The girls stayed in the room while I unpacked, and soon enough her pack-and-play was set up and we were settled. Even though we had been sitting for hours, we tempted fate and went to Uno's for dinner. But Emily wasn't interested in sitting, and we took turns chasing her around the restaurant - understanding she hadn't had much time to be a kid. Everyone seemed to be pretty amused, and the hostess even got a few of Emily's patented leg-hugs.  Carrie and I inhaled our pizza, Emily had some veggies but little else, and we packed our leftovers and headed back to the hotel.

Carrie and I were very nervous about bedtime - this was Emily's first night in a hotel and neither of use knew what to expect. So I stepped out and cruised Shaws for some dessert while Carrie did her best to keep Emily's night-time routine. Including watching Dora on our fancy laptop. Soon enough I got the text message that it was all clear. We ate whoopie-pies and watched movies on the computer with our headphones, and Emily slept through the night like the champ we've gotten used to her being.