Eric and I have a similar history. My mom grew up in Wisconsin, so did his. His dad grew up in Ohio, so did mine. We both grew up traveling to Ohio to visit family. On Monday and Tuesday, I made that familiar trip again with my immediate family (Eric had to work) to see my dad’s sister Jennie who was visiting from Alaska.

I didn’t know what to expect when it came to bringing an energetic toddler on a 6 hour trip. As it turns out, he did just great! With my sister and myself on either side of him, it was easy to keep him entertained throughout the trip. We had plenty of snacks, books and toys to keep him happy.  Plus, we stopped a few times to stretch our legs. Micah enjoyed walking Rocco around the rest area.

The visit itself was a lot of fun. Micah ate too many cheetos. I sang too much karaoke. I enjoyed catching up with some family members that I have not seen in a very long time. It felt weird that Micah was the only kid. All of the grandkids, except for one, are over the age of twenty now. A handful of us are parents. I wonder what it feels like to be on the other end: to have great grandchildren… I hope to find out one day!

We only stayed until the very next morning, and after a breakfast at Bob Evans, we headed back home. We were in the car for a total of about 12 hours in just two days.

The highlight of the trip home, though embarrassing, is just too funny not to mention. We stopped at Chipotle for lunch, and as we were leaving our table on the patio, I heard a big commotion coming from my sister who was carrying Micah.  When I looked over, she was no longer carrying him. He was starting to run away. She was panicking and I thought it was because he escaped, but I soon found out that it had more to do with what had escaped from his diaper. We wrangled in the little guy, and soon we realized what Kelly was so upset about. She held out her arm, and there on her sleeve was a BIG. BROWN. TURD. The mystery was how he managed to poop on her arm without soiling his clothes. Apparently, under pressure, it shot up the back of his diaper and landed on her arm. I was laughing so hard I could barely stand up straight. The clean up process was complicated and extensive. Let’s just say there was no changing table in the Chipotle bathroom, so we had to resort to using the patch of grass near the car. Micah was laughing the whole time. I have a feeling this story will follow him for many years.