Well, we’ve made it! The end of packing was a whirlwind, but we had our final walk-through with the apartment complex manager and turned in our keys yesterday morning around noon. We hit the road and only made a quick pitstop for some much needed coffee and bagel breakfast sandwiches. We made the decision not to set any goals as far as how long we were going to drive. With this being our first day on the roadtrip with Valerie, it’s best not to have high expectations of long hours in the car. Our first day on the road we made it about 6 hours total traveling and landed in Lubbock, Texas. It went pretty smoothly all in all! Both of the dogs and Valerie didn’t seem to mind traveling. We all slept well even in the unfamiliar hotel room, which was something I initially was unsure about. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to have the same mindset today on the road. Because of Bryce’s work schedule we HAVE to get to Lake Havasu and we will be in the car for about twelve hours total. I will let you know how it turns out.)

Minimal Packing is key

We are trying a couple things that I thought might be helpful for us. First, we packed as minimalist as we could. (I’ve made a separate post sharing everything we ended up bringing with us. You can check it out here.) We set the car up so the dogs share the third row and trunk space of the van. Val, obviously, is in her carseat in the back seat and we left the rest of the backseat as open as possible so that I could jump back for baby feedings and entertainment. We also got a cargo hold for the van’s roof, which helps keep the second row of seats clear. Even after just one day on the road, I would say being able to sit next to your little one and breastfeed while driving is a necessity.

Snacks are essential on the road!

Secondly, we have made sure to have LOTS of different snacks on hand for us all in the car. Having food on hand solves multiple potential issues for us. A couple different options to snack on can keep Val content. Snacks for Bryce and I keep us from getting hangry while stuck in a car together. And snacks for the dogs keep them from ripping open and eating our snacks when we stop into a gas station and leave them in the car. I made a conscious effort to keep different flavors of snacks for baby V. I’ve also tried to pick snacks for bryce and I that I can share with her. This way between snacks and breastmilk we should be able to find something she’s willing to eat. The only tricky part so far is finding snacks that are not super messy!

Lastly…

The last thing we have made sure to bring with us is entertainment. I put together one small box of toys for Valerie. This way I can easily grab and change out baby’s source of entertainment. It also doesn’t take up any of my leg room in the backseat. The bin conveniently fits on the floor between the front seat and Val’s carseat. I’ve vowed that during the trip we may get new toys now and again, but for every new toy that comes into the car one must also be taken out. This way the bin never overflows and hopefully the car never gets too messy.

We have high hopes and fingers crossed! 

We took off at around 7 o’clock this morning and are due into Lake Havasu around 7:30 this evening. Heres to hoping the day goes smoothly!

Cheers!