sometimes our drive home from Texas takes an hour longer than it should

6.09.2019

Hello, and welcome to the new week! I hope you had a great weekend. 

Thanks to everyone who left comments on my last blog post. I admit that I wasn't expecting it, but I read them all and appreciate the honesty and discussion. This year I've really cut back on blogging just out of lack of time mainly in this season of life, and lately I seem to only pop in when I have something more serious to share. I'm excited to get back to blogging about more fun life things too. It's something I've been thinking about lately, and I want to do more of it! Of course I'm not afraid to be serious, but I've been missing just hopping on here to write and share more casually. I'm grateful to all of you who take the time read, whether you've been following for years or just joined! 

We drove to Texas this weekend to celebrate my niece's first birthday. If it's a smooth trip without hitting construction or having to make extra stops, it takes about 3 hours exactly from our house to my parents. We make the drive every 6 weeks or so, sometimes sooner depending on what family events we have going on. A few times we've gone 2 weekends in a row, although that's for special circumstances. Sometimes our trips are really smooth, and sometimes they are a total disaster. Since having kids, our drives usually fall somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

Our drive home this time was a disaster for so many reasons. We drove right into a huge rainstorm, and people were actually pulled over on the side of the road with hazard lights on waiting it out; we stopped at Whataburger to go to the bathroom and get some breakfast biscuits, and not only were the bathrooms out of order, but the biscuits took twenty minutes and were burnt and hard when we finally got them; we hit two spots of construction, and when we finally got through all of that, J had a giant poop explosion. 

We pulled into Braum's, and I could not believe they didn't have a changing table in the bathroom! But by then it was too late, and poop was literally falling out of his shorts (I found a little bit dried on my ankle later, I'm not kidding), so I changed him on the counter next to the sink. People kept coming out of the bathroom stall, and I'm like, "So sorry, there isn't a changing table in here." The positive side was that since I was right next to the soap dispenser I basically gave his legs a bath with wet towels and foam soap. I'm pretty sure I horrified a few people, but what restaurant doesn't have a changing table??? Has anyone else had this happen, and what did you do? Should I have changed him on the floor? So our little drive that's supposed to take 3 hours took just about 4. Hopefully we earned ourselves a few good trips coming up.

But we of course always love our time in Texas with family. My sweet niece had an adorable "One in a Melon" birthday pool party! So fun. J's birthday party is in a few weeks, and I need to start planning!

After we got back from Texas, J took a nap while R and I played. Then I took the kids on a walk. They are getting heavier to pull in our wagon! I kept asking R to look at me so I could take a picture, and she literally spun all the way around until her back was facing me. Ha! They both crack me up so much.

Hope you all have a great Monday with no bodily fluid explosions!

Lindsay C said...

Oh my gosh ... I think I might have been freaking out if I had that kind of a blow out and no changing table either. Also, quick question did you at least drown your sorrows in Ice Cream when you left Braums?

The Lady Okie said...

😂😂 I for sure thought about it! But there was a huge line and we were already way behind our schedule. Also I didn’t want to have to share haha!

JSpan said...

On our 3-4 hour drives to visit my family, there is a conveniently located Dunkin' Donuts we stop at. Each time, I remember there isn't a changing table in the bathroom - so we do it on a table in full view of everyone! There's no way I'm going to change my 17 month old on the gross floor. Each time, I tell the manager they need a changing table...maybe one day it will happen.

Amie said...

I usually would just change my kiddo in the back of the SUV or on the seat with blanket or towel laid down. Just seemed easier to me, not really sure why though. I am so sorry you had such a rough ride home, for sure you are owed a couple of smooth ones!!

Sarah said...

oh man! that sounds awful. when my son was 8 months, we had a horrible blowout on a roadtrip - there had been construction so we rerouted (thanks google maps) but there was nowhere to stop. finally we found a random hardee's or something. no changing table, so we took care of him on the grass outside. so gross. i've heard that some restaurants don't have changing tables due to liability/insurance but idk.

Ashley said...

I stopped at a Burger King the other day with no changing table! I changed my kiddo in the back of my car. I say definitely no to the floor of a fast food restaurant.

Amanda Bumgarner said...

I probably would have taken him outside if the sink wasn't an option. I drive a Ford Focus, so the backseat is full with the 2 carseats, and the front seats are too small and not flat. Probably would have been the grass somewhere! Good grief.

KW said...

We often change our kiddos in our car trunk, or put our padded changing mat in some grassy area or out-of-the-way sidewalk. Sometimes I wonder if restaurants intentionally omit changing tables from their restrooms to discourage parents from bringing kids to their establishments, haha. But that seems unlikely for a Whataburger. I get more annoyed with businesses that have changing tables in the women's restroom but not the men's, as if it's solely the woman's responsibility to change diapers--or as if a father never would/could take a young child anywhere by himself.

The Lady Okie said...

Totally agree with you! That is super annoying to only have them in the women's. Jordan just prefers that I do it because in his experience when we are on the road, the men's bathroom is not as clean as the women's, which was evidenced when we went in the Whataburger bathroom ;)

Rachel said...

There's almost never any changing tables here (my church doesn't even have one although I have strongly recommended it)...so he's been changed in the car a lot. Our car is very small but it has a hatchback instead of a trunk so that makes it easier. The bathroom floors are typically soaking wet due to squat toilets and hoses so...that is not an option. :P I have scouted out the occasional baby changing room at the mall, but the more western/modern malls are about the only place that will have them. No wonder I like the mall.
I love roadtrips but I think babies and toddlers definitely change the dynamic! We've only done two roadtrips with Cyrus so far, once when he was 3 weeks old to get his passport (he was fine. I was utterly miserable), and once when he was 4 months for a little vacation. So his roadtrip experience is very minimal so far.

Michelle said...

Oh man!!! I’ve had my own share of road trip nightmares. All the sympathy!! How can they not have changing tables?! Honestly, I’m so skeeved out by public bathrooms that I would change G in the car unless it was the dead of winter or something. My big complaint is that men’s rooms need to have changing tables too. DADS CHANGE DIAPERS TOO, GUYS.

Maria said...

Ugh. This sounds awful! Rachel and I were just having a conversation about what will be easier for road trips: potty trained toddlers or toddlers in diapers and it seems like both have their definite downfalls (no changing tables vs. dirty bathrooms). Unfortunately for you, you got to experience both on the same trip :)

Ah, I get so mad when restaurants don't have changing tables, but then again, N HATES them and getting her changed on one takes a whole lot of patience, strength, and prayers. I can't imagine how she would have reacted to a poop explosion. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be pretty for many reasons. Does J mind where you change him?

I've been doing a lot of stand up diaper changes (#1 only, obviously) in the car and that has helped. I got some new pull on style diapers that make it easy.

Sarah said...

Hahaha oh gosh, only laughing because I have been in that situation!!! It always brings out this extreme amount of rage when there is no changing table! I just change them on a booth in the restaurant at that point and I'm like, #sorrynotsorry. What part of DFW are your parents? We're north of FW, but I didn't know if they were more on the Dallas side! I love seeing more of your less-serious posts - keep them up! For me at least, it's like therapy writing these random posts. Plus, they're fun to look back on in the future! PS love your swimsuit!!

Rach said...

We've only occasionally been to places that don't have changing tables in either restroom, but we have frequently been to places where there is no changing table in the men's restroom which is fine when I'm there, but I'm not always with them. That has definitely been frustrating for Christopher in the past. The few times that we have been somewhere (even a restaurant one time!) where there wasn't a changing table available, we have changed her in the car. Not a great option when you are in a terrible rainstorm, though! Also, I saw in a comment above that the car you drive wouldn't exactly be conducive to a car change (no truck, two car seats, curved seats). We had a similar situation before we got our SUV and changing her in the car when she was itty bitty was hard... I can hardly imagine doing it at this age! I'm sorry you had to deal with all of that, but I'm glad it's over. Oh, and waiting for food that turned out to be so terrible. The worst! I agree that you are definitely due a few easy trips after that!

I'm so glad you guys were able to see family, though! That time together is so precious.

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