A Just Ducky Trip

We are home from a fun few days at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland.  This was my 4th trip as I went twice with my parents in middle school, and Ned and I went with my parents the fall after we got married.  My dad started going when he started collecting duck decoys and tries not to miss a year.  Ned is all about duck hunting, so that works out well.

We loaded up the car around 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning and finally left town around 10:00 after a few errands.  Avery did pretty well for the first leg of the trip.  She ate snacks, talked to Bitty, and played with her tickets and ink pen (minus the ink).  She started to get restless and hungry as we approached the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, so we really started talking that up.  She like seeing the beach, the boats, and the water.  She whined in the two tunnels but then asked to go back when we were back on the bridge.  Luckily the bridge was an overall hit since it's over 17 miles long.  We stopped at Sting-Ray's on the Eastern Shore of Virginia at lunch.  Avery was not pleased with their potties so she took care of business in the car.

After lunch we pulled out our nap time essentials, and Avery slept for about an hour.  There are so many stoplights on the Eastern Shore that I was impressed she made it that long.  We passed a Sonic while she was sleeping, so I used my phone to find another near Salisbury, MD.  We stopped for Happy Hour and bathroom breaks.  Avery was still doing pretty well at this point so we continued without the DVD player.  Shortly into the ride we decided it would be good to pull it out, so we stopped and Ned hooked it up.  Avery was amazed and thrilled as you can see.

One Barney DVD later, and we were pulling up to our hotel in Easton about 4:00 p.m.  Lolli and Poppa had been there since Tuesday, and they came out to great us.  We visited for awhile, checked in, and made our way to Target.  I wanted one of those maternity bands for my regular pants, and Avery needed a hat.  We were in the store about 15 minutes and I spent almost $200.  Targets are apparently dangerous no matter what state you're in.  I was able to get a few sweaters and more cotton maternity shirts like I like and my band which I'm hoping will expand my wardrobe.  We met Lolli and Poppa at Panera Bread, had a good dinner, and then visited in the lobby for awhile.  Avery was wound up, but I knew she was tired, so we worked on bath and bed.  We took her pack-n-play, turned off the lights and left the TV on mute, and she was asleep in about 30 minutes.  I tried to stay up for Grey's Anatomy but couldn't make it.

Avery woke up about 6:30 a.m. and was excited to realize I was in the same room as her.  She enjoyed some Wheels on the Bus while I got ready and then got dressed in her warm clothes for the big day.

We ate at the hotel and then realized we were a little early for all of the festivities.  We drove downtown to leave my car for after lunch, went to the bookstore, then headed back to the high school.  It was SO windy and cold, but Avery was a trooper.

The high school gym is set up with many dealers selling decoys, art, duck calls, and a variety of other things.  I personally have zero interest in any of it and find it hot and crowded.  Pushing a stroller in the madness didn't help, but Avery never made a peep.  We got her her much-anticipated rocker like she tested out at Emerson's birthday.  They didn't have a goose so Avery chose a duck.  The carver signed it just for Avery.  We wanted one when we came last time, but we were just days into knowing about our pregnancy and were afraid we would jinx ourselves.  Avery had to test it out right in the lobby.

School buses take visitors to various stops and into downtown.  I knew this would be the hit of the trip, and it was.

Before our stop downtown, we were the last ones on the bus, so we even broke out into "The Wheels on the Bus."  We had one happy little girl.

We made our way through downtown to Washington Street Pub for lunch.  The town is really pretty, and this was one of the few times I had been with the sun shining.

After lunch, Lolli, Avery, and I headed back to the hotel for naps.  Ned and Poppa stayed to explore some more.  It took Avery quite awhile to get to sleep with me in the room, but once she did she slept about 2 hours.  Ned had planned for us to meet him back downtown for dinner, but he saw all he wanted.  He had to hang out in the lobby until Avery woke up.  We then got ready for dinner at Hunter's Tavern.

We left in time to browse the toy store, and Avery found a new love.  She's seen Thomas previews on Barney DVDs, but that's it as far as I know.  She would have played here all night.  Santa may add a few Thomas items to his bag, but Avery will have to wait for brother Sam to be old enough for the whole train table.

Dinner was pretty good, and it was nice to finish up and get back to the hotel.  I tried to get Avery to go to sleep with a light on, but after 30 minutes I gave up.  She had two times of crying in the night, which is rare for her.  I think she just couldn't get comfortable, because she never asked to get up.

Avery slept until 7:30 a.m. Saturday which was a nice treat.  We all headed to breakfast at Easton Diner so that Avery could get pancakes.  Ned wanted to visit one store before we left, so he did that after breakfast while Avery and I packed up.  Lolli and Poppa left, and we weren't far behind them.  We had pretty much the same traveling schedule as Thursday: drive, lunch, nap, bathroom break, drive a little more.  I think Avery would have slept for a long time had we not had to stop and pay to go across the bridge.  We stopped at Starbucks for bathroom and a snack.and then hooked up Barney again.  It was a little after 4:30 when we got home.

Ducks are not really my thing, but the trip was wonderful and worth it for Ned and Avery to really enjoy themselves.  We are also thankful for the time we were able to spend with Lolli and Poppa.  I was very nervous about our first trip in a room together, and I'm proud that we did so well.  I'll be posting some tricks and tips soon for what worked and what didn't, not because I'm now a pro, but because I'll want to remember for the next time.  I had to chuckle when the lady at the hotel asked if we wanted to book for next year.  It's definitely not a trip we'll make with an infant, and several times along the way I asked Ned how he'd manage with a double stroller.  We may not venture back next year, but there will certainly be more fun family trips.  Maybe next time I won't be pregnant.