Smoky Mountains

It has been 3 years since we've been to the smokies.  Growing up, going camping there was our yearly family vacation.  Such great memories!  I will always love going.  

This year we decided to take Vivian for her first trip.  We met my parents and my brother and his family for a few days in the great mountain air.

Vivian loves the outdoors which means she would love being in this new environment.  She had a great time exploring.  Especially throwing rocks, acorns and leaves into the river.  I think she could have done that all day long.

Getting there was a little rocky.  We left out of Wilmington at 8:45am and didn't arrive in Townsend until after 6pm.  A 7 hour drive turned into 9 hours.  Horrible.  It was fine until we got into Asheville.  We were stuck in stand still traffic on the interstate FOREVER.  And for what?  Nothing!  There were a couple of vehicles on the side of the road and that was it.  Pathetic.  Then I missed our turn to Sevierville.  We ended up in the second oldest town in TN, Danridge.  Then the traffic in Pigeon Forge was RIDICULOUS!  Stand still traffic, again.  We hardly moved for an hour.  B decided to take some back roads to Wears Valley Road.  The road was very curvy and steep. Then Vivian throws up because of all the turns.  We sat in throw up until we got to the cabin 30+ minutes later.  It was a mess.  We were glad to get there.

The next day we hung around Townsend.  Went to the top pool of the Little River where you start inner tubing so Vivian could play next to the river.  She had a ball!   We ate lunch and got ice cream later.  A perfect day after a long day the day before.  

Sunday we spent the rainy afternoon at Cades Cove.

We picnicked at the entry when it wasn't raining and once we started the 11 mile drive, the rain came on and off.  We didn't even get to go to John Oliver's cabin.  I wanted a picture of Vivy on the cabin porch and in the meadow with the mountain back drop.  Oh well, we will return.  At least we were able to make a couple of stops between the rain.  After Cades Cove, we drove to Gatlinburg.  We a did a family old time photo and had dinner at Bennett's BBQ.

Can't go to Gatlinburg and not eat at Bennetts.  So good!

Monday, B, Chris, Suzanne and Audrey rode Smoky Mountain Alpine Roller Coaster in Pigeon Forge.  Vivian was napping in the car so I was unable to ride.  They really enjoyed the ride.  After the coaster, Chris and his family had to return home.  We grabbed some lunch and drove to Chimney Rock and up to Newfound Gap. When we got to Newfound Gap, the weather went from the upper 70s to the 50s.  It was cold and windy!  After a quick stop we drove down to Alum Cave Trail  for a little hike.  It was beautiful.

Tuesday we stayed at the cabin all day long because it rained all day long.  We needed a lazy day!

We left Townsend before 6:30am to make our trek home.  Thankfully the drive back was much smoother. No traffic jams, getting loss or sick.  Vivian did great hanging out in her car seat.  We did stop at South of the Border, aka the most random in place in America.  They had a little playground which was great.  We made it home around 2pm.  So good to be home!

Traveling With A Toddler: Car Ride and Hotel Sharing

Traveling with a toddler (15 months old for us) now puts a new spin on traveling.  From taking your time getting to your destination,  to staying out as late as you feel.  That all goes out the window!  

I was super stressed prior to our trip to Asheville for my husband's work.  We almost decided not to go with him.  Vivian is not a fan of her car seat and was unsure how sleeping would go.  Go ahead and expect the unexpected.  

Vivian did surprisingly well.  We had a 2 hour and 15 minute car ride to B's parents to drop off our dog, then a 3.5 hour drive to Asheville.  Vivian was a little fussy before getting to my in-laws because she wanted to fall asleep.  I kept her awake so she would sleep on our second leg.  Mind you, she woke up before 5:30am that morning.  We left around 7:30am.  

Keys to a long road trip:  purchase inexpensive toys from The Dollar Tree, consignment shops, the dollar bin at Target, even Home Goods or T.J. Maxx.  

At the Dollar Tree I got Vivian a couple of animal books...she LOVED animals...and stickers.

From Home Goods I found Baby Connects which were a big hit and bath cups that she kept stacking and restacking.  Those were great pass times! Key thing to remember is to introduce the new toys slowly. 

I even brought along some bubbles.  I didn't care if it left residue or not.  Whatever will keep her happy! 

I also brought along some of her favorite toys and books from home.  

Snacks.  Lots and lots of snacks!  She loves Annie's Bunny Grahams and the Plum/Sprout packages.  You want them to be mess free.  

If your making the trip with someone else, sit in the backseat with little one and interact with them.  Be silly, play peek-a-boo, whatever keeps them entertained.

Toddler friendly phone apps.  I discovered Fisher Price Baby Phone that she really liked.  I also downloaded Sprout's App since she likes that network.  Vivian likes tv shows intros and I recorded her favorites on my phone for her to watch just in case I hit a dead zone where the internet won't work while riding.

If they are awake and not napping, stop every 2-3 hours to let them run around and stretch their little legs.  We hung out at a rest area for about 30 minutes to burn off some energy.  

Keys to room sharing with little one:  expect to go to bed when little one goes to bed.  Sorry.  Know way around that...especially if your child goes to bed at 7pm like ours does and you want to keep their same routine.  Yes, we were huddled in the corner, complete darkness, not making a sound.  

I thought I would be able to push her bedtime a little later, like 8pm, but she was exhausted by the end of the day that she had to down her normal time.

We lucked out with our hotel room at the Doubletree by Hilton.  We had a king size bedroom and to our surprise there was a couch as well that we were able to use as a divider between the pack n' play we brought snd our bed.  If that wasn't the case, I had brought a sheet from home and some push pins to hang from the ceiling to use as a divider.

White noise. All 3 of us sleep with a box fan.  Obviously we brought it along.  You want to drown out the noise going on outside your room.

Keep bedtime routine the same as you do at home.  I brought a bath mat for the tub.  I didn't want her to catch athletes foot or something, ha.  I also brought her bubble bath and a few bath toys to keep it like home.  I also brought her bath clothes.  Her soap doesn't lather up as well with a standard bath cloth.

Bring their bedtime loveys they sleep with.  Put them down exactly as you do at home with the lights out and duck and crawl to your spot that you plan to hang out.  I just played on my phone for a bit.  I was exhausted by the time 8pm rolled around which meant I got some much needed sleep.

Vivian did wake up her normal time of 5-6am.  I thought for sure she would have slept longer since I ran her ragged during the day.  However, our last morning she did wake at 5 am but I got her in the bed with us and thankfully she fell back to slept to almost 7am. Praise the lord!!!

Remember, relax and try to go with the flow.  I'm all about her routine and I did my very best to relax.  She was able to nap her normal time since B was in meetings, but I know if that was not the case, I would have had to go with the flow.

Happy travels!!