A Trip to Michigan

This past weekend we took Savannah on her first road trip (that was longer than an hour) and visited the Kooienga side of the family in Michigan. Savannah did really well in the car! I sat in back with her and kept rotating toys and books so she wouldn't get bored, and when all else failed I resorted to a small bottle or some puffs to pacify her. She took a few short naps, but she's not a very good sleeper in the car; she'll only sleep for about 30 minutes before waking up. I was prepared to make lots of extra stops, but she actually did so well that we only made one stop halfway through both there and back!

Our visit was brief but packed! When we arrived Friday afternoon we went to her Great Grandma and Grandpa Kooienga's house so that they could meet her for the first time. It was fun to introduce her to new relatives!



I had trouble getting her to look at the camera.
She was getting a little nervous that she wasn't in Mommy's arms.

Later that evening we spent some time with Matt's dad and sisters. In the morning we headed off to visit Savannah's great grandma Keim. Savannah met her once when she was just three weeks old. Grandma Keim was in a nursing home the weekend that we were there for some physical therapy and rehabilition related to some cardiac issues that she has been having. She is 91 years old and full of spunk!


Chatting with her great grandma.

In the afternoon on Saturday we took Savannah swimming for the first time! Her Aunt Emily recently had a pull put in the backyard, and she was excited to let Savannah go for a dip. Savannah was a MANIAC in the pool! She loved splashing and completely exhausted herself! She threw a tantrum when I took her out of the pool, and then as soon as she was dried off and dressed she passed out asleep. It was too funny!


Having so much fun!


On Saturday evening we enjoyed dinner with Great Grandpa and Grandma Kooienga and celebrated my 26th birthday. We packed up Sunday morning, had breakfast one last time with her grandpa and aunts, and then headed home. She was completely exhausted after two days of missing out on naps! The only major issue that we've had since getting home is that Savannah has been waking up for her 5 a.m. bottle at 12:45 a.m. - ugh! I pray for the day when this child of mine realizes that she does not need to eat in the middle of the night!!
All in all, Savannah did better than Matt and I expected, and we had a great trip. She was so excited to be home, though. When I brought her into her playroom she squealed with delight! I think she missed her toys. ;-) I've been noticing lately that she is really showing a fear of strangers. For some reason, some people seem to scare her more than others. I've noticed a trend towards her being more afraid of dark haired people. I'm not too worried about this new stage, though. She goes out and about with me several times each week and has recently begun going to nursery at church, so hopefully this continued socialization will keep her from being too fearful.

I'm glad we've conquered our first road trip as a family of three!