I remember leaving to go to the store for the first time by myself with Eli when he was about two weeks old. I was partially terrified he was going to cry the whole time and everyone would be staring at me. While he cried for the first few minutes of the drive, I was so thankful that he slept for most of the shopping. I would have to say for the first month of his life he was a fussy baby, who did not sleep much. Maybe he was a good baby, but it was my inexperience.
My family was perplexed by his hatred for the car. "Most babies love riding in the car, that's how we would get you to sleep." Huh! Not this little guy. I would say for his first year of life, he probably only slept in the car a handful or two times in the car.
His discontent stopped me from traveling too far from home. I stopped going to my favorite store because it was too far (10 minutes away). Instead I went to the store a few blocks away. I just couldn't bare to hear him cry, I felt so awful. And trust me, I tried everything: mirror with little animals on that played music, music on the cd player, singing to him, toys, drinks, windows up, windows down, nada. Even making the drive to my mom's house 12 miles away was a daunting task. By the time I would get there, his face would be red, eyes puffy, cried the whole way there. As soon as I would take him out of the seat, all better!
Needless to say, I couldn't wait to turn him around in his new car seat! As soon as he turned one, I turned the car seat around. I was so excited for the possibility of joyous car rides. I know, I know. I was hoping for a miracle.
Here's a picture with Eli in his new car seat the day we got it!
At first the change was subtle. And it could have been a combination of things that changed. He was now able to eat cheerios, or other little snacks and this kept him pretty occupied. I didn't give him that stuff before because I couldn't see him eating, I was afraid of him choking. I also positioned the rear-view mirror so he could see me all the time. And then....it started. We would go out for errands and he would fall asleep in the car. Once, twice, three times, four times in a row! To some this might not be a big deal. To us, it was momentous! Now it's to the point that if we go out I can pretty much guarantee that he will take a nap. Even if he doesn't nap, his mood is so much better. It's really amazing.
The other day I was watching him in the mirror, he was eating his treat. He let out a huge yawn, eyes got a little droopy, opened back up, and then closed for good. That's it! As simple as that. It's as dramatic as turning on the light switch.
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