We made it through, she did way better than I could have ever imagined. (Also what kid can be in the car for 11 straight hours and not fall asleep? MY KID).
She also got non stop iPad usage and portable DVD player. While I stand behind "we couldn't have done it without it", when we got home is was absolutely time to do away with any and all screen time. (Also drastically changed our diets because no matter how hard you try, it's really hard to eat healthy on a 7 day road trip).
Day 5 into our new rules, and I'm not kidding, Juniper is my sweet fun toddler again. We laugh and sing and play and she PLAYS ON HER OWN again for the first time in months. We're probably reading 50 books a day, but it beats her tantrumming for the iPad and I love reading to her.
We (I) was getting lax about her food choices. If she refused fruit I would just give her a cracker. If daddy had chips, she could share chips. She would tantrum in kitchen and refuse all healthy snacks and meals and I would just give her something else and let her win. After our trip I started reading about ideal toddler eating and snack schedules (we decided on one where the AM snack can be a simple carb like graham crackers, but the after nap one must be healthy such as yogurt or melon or apples and peanut butter/ cucumbers and ranch/ etx. I also moved dinner to 5:30 so that we wouldn't be giving her an extra snack in there to buy time to a later dinner. Oh my gosh, every night this week she's eaten all the veggies she has refused for months (and second helpings, too!)
In the morning I used to give her a cup of dry cereal to hold her off until I was awake bough to cook breakfast, then she started refusing real breakfast, snacking all morning, and not eating a good lunch. I skip the cereal and make my lazy pre caffeinated self make breakfast, and for the first time in months she's eating eggs and smoothies and toast and things she's refused for a while now.
I went through my first trimester in this pregnancy being so miserable that I was just trying to get through. "Curious George and bad snacks and let me vomit in peace!" This was immediately followed by a virus that the whole family picked up and then our week long trip. The mama guilt was real and strong. I came home and journaled and prayed and whined to
friends and decided it's time for changes. For Juniper and for myself.
I hope this doesn't come off as a brag post. Because if Ive learned anything about being a mama, it's that I'll be struggling to figure my child out again by Friday and at my wits end and needing to start all over. But that's just life, we do the best we can with what we've got and if I can go to bed each night knowing that I tried my best, I'm counting it as a win.
I can't say when or if I'll allow screen time at home again, I know when we travel next week I'll pull out the iPad and cookies to get through the flight. When we have this second baby and I'm exhausted and learning to juggle 2, I'm pretty sure Curious George will be my babysitter. I can say without a doubt, our child absolutely does life better without television or iPad and thrives when we spend the day outside, reading books, coloring and crafting.
Ps - Bend, Oregon is absolutely beautiful and I'm pretty excited this is where our adventure leads us next. A small mountain town with all the perks this city girl enjoys (whole foods, trader joes, foody non-chain restaurants). As well as 17 miles to the ski lifts at Mt. Bachelor, and minutes from kayaking, hiking, cross country skiing, and a ton of river-side craft beer.
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