ROAD TRIP w/ a NEWBORN

All right, you guys, come with us on our very first road trip with a baby. Now, we've been on a few car rides before with him, but this one in particular is 12 hours across the country. So we're gonna bring you guys along with our baby and how we fare on such a long drive. Yes, it's gonna be fun. I don't know how it's gonna go. Hopefully it goes good. And then also we wanna say a huge shout out to KiwiCo for sponsoring today's video. I definitely think they're gonna come in handy with having this be a peaceful road trip, but let's get into the road trip. Okay, you guys. So we were just about to sit down and read our Bibles. Baby started waking up. Long story short, you guys, we have severe weather coming here for the next like five days, which is kind of crazy. So we're running a little bit of an audible and we are going ahead and leaving for our road trip to go to Iowa today. So Julia had to go take Judah to the pediatrician cause he was supposed to go tomorrow. So Julia's at the pediatrician. Then we're gonna finish our morning routine. Once she gets back and so anyways, I wanna update y'all with what's happening. As y'all can see, I've kind of already started to pack. I've just been going so quick because we have to leave and miss the weather. We just need to get things packed. So my suitcase is packed, ready to go for three weeks. I still gotta pack for Julia, Judah, since she's at that pediatrician appointment. It's crazy. I'm doing my best. So we've got this packed and then also this backpack we're packing as well. Gotta bring the camera so we can keep making awesome videos for y'all. This is mostly packed because we just got back from Nashville. I haven't really taken it out. We got back from Nashville last night, like five. There's a quick turnaround. This is packed. Now I'm gonna keep bringing things past and show you what we're packing and do a time-lapse of everything we're bringing. Okay, you guys, now we are in Judah's room because I have to grab a couple of our things. And I wanna go ahead and give a huge shout out to the sponsor of today's video, KiwiCo. They actually have these different boxes and crates called Panda Crates. This is the three to four month old one since Judah's about to be three months. And it's really cool because there's all kinds of sensory activities, cards, toys, things like that to just help your baby develop. And we are so excited to use these KiwiCo boxes and sensory toys and all of that to just help Judah develop. I just wanna show you guys them really quick because we are bringing them on the road trip to help us keep Judah entertained and also use them once we get there just because Judah loves toys. So I'm in here packing all of his toys. So I just wanna give him a quick shout out since the sponsor of today's video. But let's keep packing so that we can leave on time. All right, so we got size two diapers. He's probably gonna go up in size before we leave. We got his bottle warmer. We forgot this in Nashville. So we used to use a cup with hot water. We also got the baby monitor we're bringing. Gotta go get some more stuff. Got his Owlette saw. Make sure he's sleeping good during the night. Got the rain noise machine. So many things, you guys. Got the snuggle me lounger for him to sleep in. Got some burp cloths. Breast pumps for Julia. Monitor so we can watch him. And we needed a bunch of size one diapers as well. So I'm grabbing that. And we have an extra pack in his nursery. Here are those diapers. Car seat in car, so I'm gonna go do that. Well, guys, this has been the craziest day ever. Hi, Judah. He is such a good boy. He just said, eee. Anyways, we are literally scrambling to get everything. Hi. Hi, cutie. We're getting everything packed up. So yeah, I'm gonna just show you guys me scrambling about the house. Trying to get everything packed together. We literally have stuff everywhere. I'm literally just gonna throw everything into here. This is my pillow. Basket. I have my pumps going too right now. I unfortunately don't have any time to think about this. So I'm just gonna put a bunch of this stuff in here. I'm just literally gonna bring all of this. This is how we pack when we don't have time. When we don't have time, it just goes in. And we just call it good. Figure out what we, I don't even know if you know what we have. This was just what was in the laundry. Oh man, you guys. Hey, this is life with the Petersons. It's crazy, but it's fun. We can't say this isn't fun. It's not gonna make for memories. That side's closed. We can still put some stuff on this side. Let's finish backing this guy up. This might all fit. I think we're gonna make it. Please, Lord, help this fit. Oh, that's gonna be tight. We got this. Yeah, that'd be helpful. Y'all ever had a suitcase moment like that? It's going in the car. Y'all think I should change my shirt? It's also so hard because I don't know what to pack for Judah because he's kind of right in between sizes. So I'm bringing a bunch of zero to three and a bunch of three to six because we're gonna be gone for so long. He might change sizes while we're there. So I don't really know, but hopefully I brought enough clothes. You guys saw how much I put in there. Probably a little bit overkill, but I want him to have a chance to wear all these outfits and if we're gone and he grows out of them, that won't happen. All right, you guys, so I changed my clothes and before we head out, I'm gonna open up Judah's KiwiCo boxes. This is something new that we're trying out and we are super excited about it. I figured that we could bring this stuff in the car and it would be fun for him to play with because we're going on such a long road trip. This is the Panda Crate Plus and with this program, you can receive bi-monthly Panda Crates with new toys and fun sensory things for your kids to play with. Each of the crates come with a resource for the parent, three to six stage specific toys and one big grow with me toy. And I'm gonna show you guys what's included with the Panda Crate that we got. KiwiCo's Panda Crate is amazing and it delivers toys for babies zero all the way to 36 months. So your baby can get a subscription through KiwiCo for a long time. And these crates are specifically designed to help them explore the world around them while also having fun at the same time. And now it's time for me to open this up so we can hit the road. They sent this adorable little Panda plushie, the cutest thing ever. So this is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Look how cute this is. Oh my goodness. And look, this is amazing. This is actually incredible. Judah is gonna love this. I feel like he's gonna use this for way longer than three to six months, which is really gonna be awesome. So this is the grow with me toy that he can use for even far past six months. And then this is our Panda Crate and I'm gonna show you guys what's inside. This is the three to four month sensory box. And he's got these little clips that we can put on his stroller, a little soft book, another little thing that we can put on his car seat and stroller, and these adorable little cubes that make noise. So I am so excited for Judah to be able to play with these research-based toys. It's so important that you have toys that will help their brain development and not be too overstimulating. And things like this are great for that. And they're back with research showing how great it is for a baby's development. Judah loves tracking little things like this with his eyes. So he's gonna love being able to play with these toys. And I feel like these are things that he will be able to play with even far past three to four months. So that's really awesome. It's something that he can continue to use for a long time. So we just wanted to say thank you so much to KiwiCo for sponsoring today's video. So if you guys wanna check out KiwiCo and get your very first Panda Crate, you guys can click the link in the description and use code JULIA for 24% off your first Panda Crate. With that being said, it is time for us to head out. So I'm gonna pack all this stuff up for Judah to play with on the car ride and we'll see you guys in the car. Hey guys. So we are on the road. We made it. We were kind of in a hurry so we didn't update you guys when we left because we were trying to make it through the storms. We made it through the storms and we've been gone for about two and a half hours. So we're doing good. Judah is eating right now. Do you guys wanna see Judah? He's doing, he's doing really good. He slept for two hours, which he hasn't taken a two hour nap and I can't really remember the last time. So that's great. So we're gonna keep on keeping on. Hopefully get him put back into his car seat because he just finished eating and then go before we have to stop again in about an hour and a half. So we will keep you guys updated with how the rest of our trip goes. Okay, so I put my hair up because I have not washed my hair in like three, I have showered, but I didn't wash my hair and I desperately need to. But Judah is enjoying his KiwiCo toys. He loves them so much. He keeps trying to kick at them but his feet aren't long enough to reach them. But he's having a great time. I'm gonna show you guys. I just realized one of the cool things about this toy and I think you guys are gonna think it's really cool. So Judah loves this little thing. This thing is so cute. I can't believe we haven't had this all along but this is like a little rattle. You pull it out, a little star and then a moon. Oh, he's telling you guys how much he likes it. But yeah, he is loving them and it's great for this road trip because usually we just have to like give him my phone or something, but these are entertaining him. And obviously that's way better than screen time. This started out as a 10 and a half hour road trip, like driving, drive time, not like, you know, whatever. And we have seven hours and 23 minutes of drive time left. So who knows? I think we're gonna have to stop at a minimum three more times. That's best case scenario is stopping three more times. So hopefully we will be doing pretty good. And when it comes to be nighttime, hopefully he'll like actually sleep for how long he's supposed to eat and have sleep. My brain is actually not functioning today. So I was telling Jacob to like pack up the car and I wasn't speaking English. I wasn't speaking English with the pediatrician because he had a pediatrician appointment today also. But anyways, I'm gonna go talk to Judah and I will see you guys here in a little bit. All right, you guys. So we are right outside of St. Louis and we're going all the way to the top of Iowa. So that's where we're headed right now. We are stopping for feed number two. As you guys can see, I've got spit up all over me. This is dad life, but the drive has been going well. We're halfway done. We're praying that he just continues to do well and we can get there within like two more stops after this one. So that's what we're going for. Yeah, so we're gonna keep going. I'm gonna go inside, use the restroom and keep driving. And I think Julia was playing with KiwiCo toys. Was he having fun? It looked like, it sounded like it looked like he was having fun. Yeah, he said he was having fun. But anyways, this is pit stop number two and we're still making our way to Iowa. So we'll update you guys once we make pit stop number three and hopefully we can get home soon and see my family. So we'll see you guys soon. All right, you guys, it is, I don't know how well you can hear me, but it's 11, what time is it? It's 1140. We've got about two hours left until we get to my hometown, but we have officially been in Iowa for like two hours and we're gonna get there at like 2 a.m. So pretty on track with what we thought. Honestly, with a newborn, only adding two and a half hours is not bad for this drive. So we'll update y'all once we get there and then we'll have been there. And honestly, pretty uneventful. You know, he's cried a little bit, but that's it. And he did really good eating. It took him like an hour one time to eat, but besides that, he's done great. Let's get back on the road. Let's finish this drive and let's get some sleep. All right, you guys, so we made it to Iowa. Here's my brother's wife and their baby here. Let's introduce you guys to Everly, which is my brother's daughter, okay? Also Judah right here and Everly were born like, I think a month apart, three weeks apart. And Everly is eight pounds and Judah is 13 and a half. So Everly was weighing like really small for her age, which is okay because she's a healthy baby. But yeah, let's go meet them. Everly and Sarah. Hi baby. The cousins are all together. I finally got a shower after four days of not showering, you guys, like that's so embarrassing to admit on the internet, but we got to keep it real over here. Judah, on the other hand. Is happy. Yeah, happy baby. So Judah hasn't gotten to play with the rest of his toys from the KiwiCo crate that we got. So we're showing him the rest of what is in his panda crate. Ooh, what does the card say? Vroom, vroom? Does it say vroom, vroom? Jack likes it too. Oh, you know what he was doing earlier? I think he loves the panda. Do you like the panda? Oh, he's smiling at the panda. And yeah, you like the panda. I think he loves the panda because he loves like black and white, like the contrast boards. That's why he loves this panda. He hasn't gotten to look at the top. The grow with me toy. So every panda crate comes with like the actual crate for the two months. And then it has like one big grow with me toy. And that's this obviously because he can use it for more than just three to four months. And he's just entering into three months. So he'll be able to use this crate for a while. But this little brick is so cute. What's that? Here, show him his. He's gonna go in the submarine. Whoa. Let's see what he thinks of the whale. Do you like the whale? All this stuff is so awesome, Judah. What do you think? You're gonna love playing with it. Oh, he's playing with it. Yeah, he just reached his hand. Yeah, he's playing with it. Do you like the crab? It's a crab. Yay. He said, dad, I'm tired. Once again, huge shout out to KiwiCo for sponsoring today's video. Judah loves your stuff and is gonna continue loving it for a very long time, which is so amazing. And if you're a mom, you need to get on the KiwiCo box subscription plan as well because it's absolutely amazing that they sent you a box for every month to help with their development. And at the stages of development that they're at, I think that's the coolest part because they can actually start utilizing the toys and sensory equipment for how they're developing, which is really cool. And Julia promised you her best tips and hacks from the road trip we went on. And we only added two hours and 10 minutes on a 10 hour drive, which is not bad. So we're gonna sit down and tell you how that went and give you our tips and tricks. All right, we're back. Well, not we're back. I'm, yeah, I mean, we're back. Y'all, I miss my hometown so much. And I'm super glad we came because we dodged some storms. If you wanted to share some tips, I'll just say I drove the entire 13 hours and Julia did such a good job of keeping him like happy and satisfied. And he slept a majority of the trip. Like I was pretty impressed and I only heard him cry two times, which is wild. But yeah, honestly guys, I don't have any like magical tips or tricks that will, no, no, hold on, hold on, no. That will like, I can promise you how a road trip is gonna go. But these are the things that I will say. Having them on a schedule and keeping them, trying to keep them as best you can on that schedule. Like even if they need to eat in 30 minutes and you've only been driving for 30 minutes, like it would be a good idea to stop and eat. Having things in the car, like the KiwiCo, things that they can play with and be awake. That KiwiCo thing that we put on his car seat. Yes, he loves that thing. That was a lifesaver. And so having things they can play with when they're awake and like look at and talk to them. If you're sitting back there with them, that's also really helpful. I know sometimes if you have more than one kid, that's not possible. So obviously we don't know everything. And this is one of our first road trips, but I'm just giving the things that we use, the sound machine, lifesaver. He loves sleeping with the sound machine. It puts him to sleep so fast. And yeah, just having like the bottles ready and stuff before getting him out of the car seat. Another pro tip, pack all the things that you're going to need for the road trip in one bag. Because there were a couple of times where we had to stop and like dig through our stuff to find out like what we needed. I think part of that is because we packed so fast. We just kind of threw everything in bags. But pro tip, pack everything you're going to need for the road trip. And right when you arrive to your destination, somewhere accessible because- You can take the stuff out. Yes, because last night we were digging for his Owlette sock. We were digging for just everything. So just, yeah, have it somewhere that's easily accessible. That way it makes this the easiest on you guys. And you're able to get as much rest as possible when you're going on a long road trip. Yeah, moral of the story, just keeping them on a routine is great. So they don't get too uncomfortable in the car seat. I wish I had like a magical, like, oh, this will be so great. And flying with him was easier, I will say, than being in the car. Just because- How many times we had to stop. Your life can go on on a plane rather than like having to stop everything in a car, which is okay. Like obviously we're okay with stopping and everything. Yeah, all in all you guys, the road trip went super well. Honestly, adding two hours and 10 minutes is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. And there was only one long feed. Like one of the times it took him 50 minutes to finish his bottle, which was like the long one. The last bottle I think took 19 minutes. So overall though, I think it was probably one of the better experiences of road tripping with a baby, especially for a 10 hour and 10 minute drive, only turned into 12 hours and 20 minutes. But yeah, you guys, we made it. Honestly, 10 hour and 10 minute drive turning into a 12 hour and 20 minute drive is not bad. And the trip went great. And so we're here. We're going to be spending lots of time with my family for the next couple of weeks. We only get to visit about once a year. And so it feels really good to be back. We're going to be back. We're going to be back two more times this year, actually. Oh, really? Oh, you're right. Yeah, we are going to be back two more times this year. So that'll be fun. We're coming back for a wedding. We'll keep you guys updated if we're going to end up flying or driving for those trips though, because he will be older at that point. I will say like we've done a couple other like smaller road trips, if you will. Like Nashville was very simple. We only had to stop once. For the longer road trips, we're going to see how it goes on the way back. I think we're going to try and leave early when he's sleeping. So like 3 a.m. See if we can't get half of the drive done while he's sleeping and then finish the rest. So we'll let you guys know how that goes. But that's the video. We love you all. Thanks for tuning in for our road trip. It was crazy and eventful, but we made it and we'll see you guys in the next one. Bye.