Evan Shares his Adventure to SD with Aunt Rachel and Uncle Kyle!

Aunt Rachel, Uncle Kyle and I left Normal, IL at 1pm-I was full of smiles and talked a lot-I listened to Aunt Rachel and Uncle Kyle argue over music-Aunt Rachel said that whoever is driving gets to choose the music-Uncle Kyle said she could feel free to pull over anytime and he would drive.

About an hour and a half into the trip I got fussy.  Uncle Kyle tried to give me puffs but that is not what I wanted.  Since Uncle Kyle and Aunt Rachel don't speak baby they had to guess what I wanted so they pulled off to get gas and change my diaper.  They guessed right!  I thought it was a bit funny to find myself in the front seat getting changed (don't they have changing tables for times like these?) but was so happy to be in a clean diaper that I went right to sleep!  I slept right through my veggie eating time and just in time for my bottle-boy was that good!  I was showing off by putting the bottle in my feet then spinning my bottle around and then putting it back in my mouth.  Uncle Kyle sang in the front seat and Aunt Rachel played with me in the back seat until we got to Des Moines-it sure was fun to have some entertainment in the back with me-Aunt Rachel videotaped me and since I could see myself I laughed and giggled a lot!

When I got to Des Moines I met Will and Kate-Uncle Kyle’s and Aunt Rachel’s other niece and nephew.  Will kept asking Uncle Kyle if I was his baby Evan, but Uncle Kyle made sure to tell Will that I was not his baby (who would not want to claim a cute baby like me!). 

Later when it was time to eat I sat in Kate's chair but she was not so sure about that-she pointed at me and looked at her mom and dad-I think she wondered who was this kid sitting in my chair!  Lucky for me Kate loves babies, so after supper she played with me-so did Will! He had this neat tractor that I liked to watch him move around. Will and Kate also tickled me and made me laugh! 

After getting my pj's on Uncle Kyle and Aunt Rachel brought me up to the room I was staying in.  I did such a good job drinking my bottle and then went right to sleep!  I slept until 10:30pm and then woke and decided I needed some cuddle time (luckily Aunt Rachel was up for cuddling!) I then slept until 6:15am. After a bottle and diaper change, I fell back asleep. Man was I tired because the next thing I knew Aunt Rachel was waking me up at 10am-wow did I oversleep! 

I ate all of my fruit like a big boy and then spent time playing with Will and Kate before it was time for the big people to eat.  They brought me to a delicious smelling place where I sat so patiently!  Then it was time to go back on the road-it’s a good thing I'm entertained easily!  I started on my bottle but before I knew it I had fallen asleep and slept for almost 2 hours.  Then I decided I needed to have my diaper changed so Aunt Rachel and Uncle Kyle pulled over and can you believe they changed me in the passenger seat again!  Oh well-it felt good to have a clean diaper and we were on our way again.  When it was time for vegetables Aunt Rachel joined me in the back and fed me-talk about fast food!  I decided to tease Aunt Rachel and kept taking my bib off-she kept saying "No, no, no!" but luckily I don't know what that means yet! I did get a little messy but Aunt Rachel cleaned me up.  

I was getting really excited to get to Sioux Falls (and not just because I had been in my car seat for four hours!).  We were going to surprise Grandpa Chris and Grandma Linda for supper-they had no idea that I had come back to South Dakota with Aunt Rachel and Uncle Kyle!  We went to their favorite place (Red Lobster of course) and pulled up into the parking lot.  Grandma came out to greet us and boy was she surprised!  She asked if there was really a baby in that car seat-she could not wait to get a hold of me!  When we walked in, Grandpa was sure surprised-I don’t think he recognized me at first because he just stared and then a BIG smile came to his face-I smiled back.  :)

During supper, I sat in a high chair like a big boy and ate my puffs (they were new ones that were sour-you should have seen my face when I ate them!).  I also did some flirting with other restaurant guests-I guess no one can resist me!  Grandma could not eat fast enough-all she wanted to do was hold me.  Of course I decided to have a messy diaper almost as soon as she picked me up (I announced it by giving a squeal!).  Then it was Grandpa’s turn to hold me-he brought me out to my car seat (I was really hoping this was going to be a short card ride!) and we all went to Aunt Laurie’s house-Grandma Pam was waiting for me there too!  Talk about attention-it was AWESOME!  I sat on the floor and played with my toys and everyone just smiled and talked to me (so this is what it is like to be an only child!).  When it was time for Aunt Rachel, Uncle Kyle, and Grandpa and Grandma Schumacher to go I whined a little (my fan club was leaving!) but Aunt Laurie and Grandma Pam were right there to continue giving me attention.

Overall, I had a good trip back to South Dakota.  I heard Aunt Rachel say I was such an easy baby and she was definitely ready for her own baby-I think Uncle Kyle gave a nervous laugh.  Now I am looking forward to a week with Grandpa and Grandma Raeder-my brother joins me on Friday.  I am excited to see him but in the meantime I think I will enjoy being an only child…

Love, Evan