March For Life

C and I went on an adventure last weekend: the March For Life in DC! We left on Thursday noon with M&J on a bolt bus. I was a little anxious about the whole thing, not knowing how a 13 month-old would endure all that time spent in the wrap, but I realized that it would only get harder to go to the march and that this was my chance to do it. About an hour in the trip, C threw up. She was in the wrap, so both her and I were covered. Now, I had very much limited the amount of clothing we were bringing to fit in a backpack, so this would mean that she would have to wear her clean set of PJs for 36 hours. Oh well. Same for my shirt... We both changed at the rest stop with M's help and were therefore less stinky for the rest of the trip. Just less though, because C's hair was still impregnated with vomit until she finally had a bath on Saturday morning... The little accident did not dampen our mood though, C and I were still very happy. We made it to the Cathedral for the vigil mass not too much in advance and it was very very packed. M and I "sneaked in" through the crowd (or whatever you want to call screaming "excuse me" and going through people with a baby in a wrap, a backpack and a folded umbrella stroller in tow) to the Dominican chapel on the side where we attended the mass watching it on a screen and surrounded by teens who told me they loved my baby. By communion (about 9:00pm), Claire, who had slept a total of maybe 20 minutes that day, had had enough. She didn't cry, or yell, she just started to whimper in the most pathetic way. It almost broke my heart. She quickly fell asleep however and so we decided to go to DHS for complines. C woke up right after and joyfully played with her Godfather for a little while before we headed to the Divine Mercy House somewhere far far away where M, C and I were to sleep. C fell asleep instantly as she went in the wrap and stayed asleep through the subway, the transfer, the other subway, the bus, the walk, the chat with M's old roommate, the drop on a mattress on the floor, the night next to Mommy and the first alarm at 7:00am. Good girl. We then got up and C and I went back to DHS for breakfast, mass and finally the march. C walked all over the refectory and ate everything in sight, sang a little during mass then slept and quickly fell asleep in her stroller on our way to the march. When she woke up, she quietly people-watched and was good and happy until we had taken the metro and were in Annapolis. The march itself was great. There were so many people! They say at least 300 000. It was joyful and peaceful and respectful. Of course, there are always people who are a little weird, and chants of which I'm not a big fan, but nothing really bothersome. It's hard to imagine how amongst so many people there would be no trouble makers.
Afterward, we took the metro to Annapolis. Now, we had been there three weeks earlier for Christmas, but three weeks is a long time for a 13 month old. As soon as we got out of the car, before we were even in the house and without hearing them, C screamed for the dogs. She has a very distinct dog cry! So she remembered! I thought that was amazing! We took the bus back Saturday afternoon and got home without any further adventures. During the whole time, I felt a little bit like a teenager backpacking through Europe without a set plan, except that, somehow, backpacking through Europe with a baby is a little different. I'm glad we did it though!

On an unrelated note, after my parents were gone, we decided it was time to get C to sleep through the night. We decided that when she would wake up, we would let her cry a couple of minutes, then I would go in and, without saying anything and without taking her out of her crib, I would put her back down. The first night was very hard. At the time of what was usually her first night feeding, she woke up and cried. I did as planned. But she kept on crying on and off. It was very stressful because I kept thinking that she had finally gotten back to sleep and I would doze off myself and then she would start again. That lasted about one hour and I went back in three times. At the time of her second feeding it lasted about 25 minutes and I went back in twice. The second night they lasted 30 and 10 minutes each, I only went back in once the first time and not at all the second. The third night the only woke up for the first feeding and went back to sleep in about 10 minutes without any intervention. Since the fourth night, she has consistently slept for 11 to 12 hours straight. Even the night at the March sharing a mattress with me (which we never do at home), even in Annapolis in a crib in the same room as me. Good girl, yet again!