Eliana's First Trip to Minnesota

Eliana will be 6 weeks old tomorrow - can you believe it? It's gone so fast, especially when we have spent the last 11 days traveling to, around, and from Minnesota. She had lots of firsts on this trip - the first time seeing grandparents and aunts and uncles (not to mention all the other family members that got to hold and love her!); her first roadtrip; her first overnight away from both Mommy & Daddy; and her first time in a hotel (of many that will occur over the next several months).

Here's a review of our trip: We drove 12 hours on May 21st and made it to Casselton, ND where we spent the night with my best friend, Brandy, and her family. It was great spending time with our 3 beautiful godchildren, even though it was a short trip. The next day we traveled the last 4.5 hours to Willmar, MN. Grandpa Dave and Grandma Vicky fell in love with her immediately (Nick and I were quickly forgotten once Ellie was spotted!). She also got to visit Grandpa Daryl quick at work.

On Saturday, we had Heather and Amanda's bridal shower which turned out beautiful. Ellie enjoyed being passed from one person to the next when Grandma Bev wasn't holding her. Later that night, Nick and I both left to go to Minneapolis for Amanda's bachelorette party and Steve's bachelor party. Ellie spent the night at Grandma & Grandpa's and was so exhausted that she slept all day and night (which was a good thing since Grandpa Dave didn't want to keep her up in the evening...)! Nick and I had a great time at the parties, though I was glad to get home to see Ellie on Sunday afternoon. Nick spent another night in the Cities so that he could see a Twins game this season, but was excited to see Ellie when he got back to Willmar on Monday!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Ellie and Nick spent some time with Grandma Bev, Grandpa Daryl and Great-Grandma Marcus while Jonikka went to St. Cloud for her cousin Sarah's bachelorette party. Nick had his first overnight alone with Ellie that night. On Wednesday, Jonikka got back and enjoyed her Mother's Day treat: a pedicure, spray-tan, and eyebrow wax. That night we had pizza with both the Marcus and Wyffels families.

Thursday was finally a laid-back day where we stayed at home all day and spent quite a bit of time enjoying the beautiful weather out on the deck. On Friday, we packed up all our stuff (a LOT of it as those with newborns know!) and headed to Alexandria for the wedding rehearsal. (More to come on the wedding in another post.)

After the wedding festivities, we had the long drive back to Montana on Sunday. Again, Ellie did FANTASTIC in the car. She was again exhausted from being held so much on Saturday! However, Monday was another story as Ellie soon learned that she wasn't getting the attention and holding that she had received in MN!

We're adjusting to being back home - getting unpacked and everything cleaned and put away. However, it won't be long before we head back for Round 2!!!