Before we left Missoula, Dale made sure to pack the car with all the essentials--including a zero degree sleeping bag just in case. Kannon was diapered, dressed, and fed, ready to head out the door at 9. He did great. The first 100 miles, all I heard were a few squeaks and grunts. The last 15 miles, however, just when the roads got really icy, he started wailing. He was hungry and those roads weren't going to stop him. All I could do was turn the music up and hold my breath. It was -12 degrees on the pass and there was no place to stop.
We got to Helena. Kannon got fed. Just when I thought my baby was going to hate me forever, he smiled. His first real, big smile. The kind of smile that makes his eyes light up at the sheer recognition of 'Mommy' and he did it the rest of the day.
As expected everyone loved him. He showed off his groovy hair (he has a mullet) and blue eyes. He even demonstrated his super baby strength by holding his head steady, practicing standing-up (with assistance of course) and attempting to roll-over.
While Kannon was busy showing off, I was busy connecting with coworkers, getting advice on resume building, career opportunities, and how to use my education award. Of course, he was not the only one who got to show off. My supervisor gave me a great review.
"Sentinel High School has had the pleasure of being Kat's choice of VISTA site for the last year. She has been a valuable asset to us for the past year.
First, Kat renewed our process for student job shadows and internships which are essential elements in students' career awareness, exploration, and development. Through job shadows students have an opportunity to see inside occupations that interest them. That experience is real life as opposed to being a virtual, second-hand look at an occupation. Prior to Kat's arrival, job shadows had nearly died at Sentinel. Now, just as we see them revitalized, Kat's term of service is about to expire.
Second, Kat has worked to enrich parent involvement at Sentinel. She organized student led conferences for our freshmen teams last spring, she developed a parent volunteer database, and she facilitated a parent evening this fall for parents of freshmen students. And, she did most of this work while awaiting the birth of first child, Kannon.
Luckily, Kat has decided to extend her service and we are thrilled."
We had a great trip and Kannon cooperated the whole time. He fussed a few minutes here and there, mainly do to hiccups that refused to leave him alone. I had him in my MOBY wrap most of the time. Its funny, that I discovered more about my son throughout this little trip than I have most days at home. Kannon is so engaged with the world around him. He loves looking at things, especially shadows, mirrors, and maps. He loves being held, facing outward at the world. He is particularly fond of women with brown hair (I wonder why). He has a habit of grabbing glasses of peoples faces. He refuses to nap when there is so much to see. He is perfectly content sitting in his stroller while I am 15 feet away (dont worry, I had my eye on him!)
We headed home early, in an attempt to cover the pass before dark. Kannon reached his limit and was so tired, he couldn't sleep. After a five minute fuss in the back seat, he passed out for the entire trip home, while I braved the icy roads.
The best part of all this adventure was that his nighttime sleep schedule finally regulated. He fell asleep at 8 last night, woke up to feed at 12 & 5 am but stayed asleep until 9 am this morning. We were blessed with a whole 8 hours of sleep (albeit interrupted).
I am so proud of my son for being such a great baby. I had visions of our road trip ending with hours of crying, tears, and frustration, but it was great! Even more, I am more confident about my abilities to go "public" with baby, despite the spit-up I think I actually appear to have it together. Nursing in public was no big deal. Diaper changes on the couch, floor, and table were no problem. Juggling a baby, a stroller, and my lunch was easy. My only complaint, the dirty diaper never made it to the garbage, rather it stayed in my pocket until Dale did laundry. I guess you cant win it all.
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