Road Trip Day 1: First stop, Knoxville

Our move-out inspection was at 9am this morning. I think they actually all got started around 8:30 am, which was a good thing because it took a while. John David has proved to be quite the handful this week, all by himself, so I decided to take him for a walk and keep him out of the way, at the park, during the big inspection.

I’m really glad I did because it was over two hours before Alan was done.

Do you know what I actually said a few weeks ago?  “Oh, it won’t be hard, prepping for the move, with just one baby here.”

I will give you all a minute to laugh at my stupidity. BAHAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA

One baby is all it takes to thwart perfectly good plans. Back to my story: a rough morning was had by all.

Alan: -At the beginning of the inspection, Alan dropped a brand new set of blinds, which we had just bought last night after the maid service broke them–and wouldn’t admit that they broke them. The blinds shattered all over the floor.

–Several lights just randomly decided to not turn on this morning that had never done that before….and the packers…..who do not pack light bulbs, as a rule, actually did pack the light bulbs that go to those particular light fixtures. Bizarre, considering they left us mountains of light bulbs, batteries, candles, and cleaning products. (Not complaining–just pointing out the irony of the missing light bulbs.)

-At the end of the inspection, Alan went to crank the van, and nothing. That’s right. He had to use his truck to give himself a jump-start.

-While sitting and letting the van run, Alan suddenly felt pain in his left arm. A wasp had gotten into the van and stung him in two places.

All of this before the road trip even started, but I have to tell you, he handled it all so well.

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Meanwhile, while I was skipping the home inspection, at the park:

First, I tried walking. JD started to cry, so I took him to the park. John David was well entertained by the playground equipment for about 20 minutes. Thankfully, just as JD was getting restless, a sweet family arrived. I have talked to Kevin, Liz, and their kids several times at our neighborhood park before. They are a really cute family with a daughter that’s Daniel’s age, as well as a daughter that’s JD’s age, and one more on the way.

I don’t know what I would have done without them today. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’d been praying all morning for help with this stressful move, and God came through for us as always. There are few accidents!

The little girls kept John David entertained. Actually, they kept me entertained too! It was amazing to see their toddler walking all over the place. I just kept thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe that’s going to be JD soon–walking all over the place!”

As JD was getting super cranky after an hour or so, they even shared their snacks with him. Kevin even held JD for me for a bit, which was a welcome break!

I want to wish this precious family much luck! Liz, I wish I were still there to offer you babysitting during those foggy postpartum weeks. I hope everything goes well. I’m sure it will. You two are such wonderful parents.

After these friends left, I pushed JD in his stroller, back and forth, around the park, until he fell asleep. I was so fortunate. I figured I’d sit on a bench while he slept, and maybe let myself just feel sad for a few minutes…….but then I was reminded yet again what made that community so great. Friend after friend dropped by and talked to me at the park. There was never a spare second to sit and reminisce–which was great! Thanks for stopping by, ya’ll, just to say hello, you really brightened this tired momma’s day!!

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Once we finally hit the road, we were starving. I never even had breakfast. With Joshua safely in Alabama, we thought, “Hey! We can eat at Chick-fil-a!” Woohoo!!  And so we did. The JD/possible peanut allergy thing never crossed my mind. We’ve had so many things on our minds.

The next time we stopped, we discovered a little red rash on JD’s face. Just peachy. Chick Fil A uses peanut oil, and I had given him a french fry. We gave him some Benadryl and drove on. The bad news is that the Benadryl worked. I was suspicious before, but now I am just sure of it. We have another peanut kid on our hands.

It was a very successful road trip today. We made it to Knoxville. Then we decided to stop, to give JD a chance to play in the hotel room before bed. That has worked nicely so far.

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The three oldest boys are doing great in Alabama. Alan’s parents have sent me a few pictures.

……and a couple of good quotes:

Alan’s parents: Who wants to say the blessing?

Dan: Me!!  Me!!!   Danks, God. Amen. 🙂

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Nonna (after taking the three boys to a museum–with Janet and her grandkids):  I’m so tired I can’t see straight.

Oh, Nonna, how we know that feeling!!  Thank you so much for doing this!!!!!

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One quote from our road trip today:

Alan: Yeah….you’ve got an Anna voice, trying to sing an Elsa song…..

Humph! Whatcha tryin’ to say, Alan?? 😉 Ha! That’s okay. Idina Menzel is one of a kind.

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Tomorrow: We’re meeting Alan’s extended family for lunch in Alabama!  Plus, we get reunited with all of our children. Can’t wait!