Littler Dude’s First Road Trip

I’ve hit another milestone in my travels. Our family is no longer traveling with just one kid. We now have two. With the measles outbreaks, we were waiting until Littler Dude got his shots. We didn’t want him catching it, nor did we want us to be superspreaders. Our first trip was to Marshfield to visit family over Memorial Day Weekend.

The complexity of handling a road trip isn’t a simple one-plus-one addition. It multiplies. Thankfully, we have honed our packing process and are pretty efficient now.

Rear cargo area of an SUV packed for a family road trip, with a teal duffel bag, black luggage, a folded navy stroller, a blue hard-shell suitcase, and a Dream On Me portable travel crib in a black carrying case, surrounded by children's toys and stuffed animals

We also know how to keep The Dudes entertained. Little Dude can watch his shows with headphones. Littler Dude just does his thing.

View from the back of a minivan showing a young boy in a car seat wearing blue headphones, a rear-facing infant car seat with attached toys and a teal sippy cup, and luggage packed in the middle including a blue suitcase and navy stroller, with a baby reflected in the overhead mirror

For lunch, we stopped at Panda Express in Plover. For Littler Dude, we each gave him something from our plates. He really seemed to like string bean chicken.

Panda Express meal on a black tray with chow mein, an egg roll, orange chicken with string beans, and Beijing beef with broccoli and peppers, beside a red Panda Express Chinese Kitchen drink cup

After eating, we hit the road. Littler Dude was getting a bit restless as we got closer to Marshfield.

View through a car windshield of a highway with a green Exit 165 sign for US-10 West toward Marshfield three-quarters of a mile ahead, alongside orange detour signs for North 13 and 34, under an overcast sky

It was too early to check into the hotel, so we headed to my parents’ house for a while. We visited during the afternoon and later headed to the hotel. This time, we decided to get a suite with a separate bedroom. This would allow us to put the kids down without having to sit in the dark after 7-8 PM.

Hotel suite living area with a purple sofa and ottoman, a work desk with office chair, a high-top dining table with stools, a granite kitchenette counter with mini-fridge, and zebra-patterned carpet Hotel room with two queen beds in white linens, a dark wood desk and dresser, a flat-screen television, a curtained window, and abstract artwork on the wall

It also had a kitchenette with real dishes.

Open kitchenette cabinet stocked with wine glasses, drinking glasses, black coffee mugs, and white plates and bowls arranged on a wire rack and plastic stand against dark wood shelving

We got the pack-and-play set up in the bedroom. It fit perfectly between the beds.

Hotel room with two beds and a blue Dream On Me portable travel crib set up on the floor between them, with a nightstand, lamp, mirror, and charging cables nearby

Littler Dude found a place on the floor to settle in.

Overhead view of a baby in a polka-dot outfit lying on patterned hotel carpet reaching for toys, with a pacifier and purple ottoman nearby

We debated where we wanted to eat. We decided Pizza Ranch was the easiest. We headed that way and chowed down.

View through a car windshield of a quiet small-town main street lined with brick storefronts, American flags, street lamps, and a black SUV ahead under an overcast sky Exterior of a Pizza Ranch Buffet restaurant in a strip mall with a brown and tan facade, alongside Mattress Firm and Check Into Cash, with an empty parking lot in front under a cloudy sky White plate of buffet food with a slice of supreme pizza, a cheese breadstick, fried chicken, french fries, and assorted toppings on a wood-grain table

On the way back, we picked up a few things, including some milk.

Two quart bottles of Kemps Select whole milk with red caps on a granite kitchen counter beside a sink, with Maud's coffee pods in the background

The Dudes found something to watch before bed.

Two young boys sitting on an ottoman in a hotel room watching a PAW Patrol cartoon on a flat-screen television set atop a dark wood dresser

Bedtime came soon. We made sure to bring the monitor so we’d know when the kids fell asleep.

Blurry baby monitor screen showing a dark hotel room with two beds, a lamp, and a nightstand in night-vision mode, displaying 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 8:03 PM

We were then able to have the other beverages we bought.

Bottle of Starborough Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on a granite counter with two filled wine glasses, beside a Keurig machine and Maud's coffee pods

The morning was hotel breakfast and The Dudes wrestling each other.

Breakfast plate with scrambled eggs topped with hot sauce, two sausage patties, and tater tots, next to a paper coffee cup on a dark table Two young children lying on patterned hotel carpet beneath a desk playing with toys, with an office chair and hanging clothes nearby

For lunch, we headed out to my parents’ house. We ate typical Wisconsin fare of brats.

View through a car windshield of US-10 West, a divided rural highway under a clear blue sky, with farm silos and a barn on the left and evergreen trees on the right Paper plate with a grilled bratwurst in a bun topped with sauerkraut and ketchup, served with a side of Doritos on a blue and white patterned plate

We also ate supper there. After visiting, we went back to the hotel. The next morning, Littler Dude couldn’t wait for breakfast. He got some Cheerios on a plate.

Baby in airplane-print footed pajamas sitting on patterned carpet eating Cheerios off a white plate, with an orange waffle teether and a green and red sippy cup nearby and stray cereal scattered around

We eventually made it down to breakfast. It’s funny because you can see how different our kids’ eating styles are. The plate in front is mine. The plate to the right is Little Dude’s. The plate to the left is Littler Dude’s. As you can see, Littler Dude’s eating habits mirror mine a lot more.

Hotel breakfast table with several white plates of scrambled eggs, sausage patties, and sliced potatoes, alongside yogurt cups, a green apple, coffee, a child's red sippy cup, and a lunch bag, with a woman eating in the background

After breakfast, we checked out and then visited my grandma. From there, we got gas. Gas has gotten expensive lately. Fortunately, Marshfield was about 30 cents a gallon cheaper than in Belleville.

Close-up of a gas pump display showing regular unleaded at $4.359 per gallon, with a 'Contains Up To 10% Ethanol' sticker and yellow octane rating buttons for 87 and 88

We then swung by my parents’ and then had Kwik Trip pizza and chicken tenders for lunch.

Paper plate with a slice of sausage and pepperoni pizza, fried chicken strips, and Doritos on a wood table

We visited until Littler Dude’s nap time. Then we hit the road for Belleville.

View through a car windshield of a divided highway under a blue sky with scattered clouds, vehicles ahead and green fields and trees lining both sides

We made it to Portage, and Littler Dude was screaming. We ended up in the Walmart parking lot trying to soothe him. He appeared to be teething, so that was probably not the most fun for him.

Large shrink-wrapped pallets of green-bagged mulch or soil stacked in a store parking lot, with parked cars, a traffic cone, and a partly cloudy sky

Once we hit I90/94, traffic got thick. We eventually made it home.

View through a car windshield of Interstate 39/90/94 South-East with traffic ahead, a blue interstate route sign on the right, and green embankments under a blue sky with clouds

Now you may be asking, where was Maya in all of this? The next day, I picked her up from her “hotel.” She was very happy to see me.

Exterior of Country View Veterinary Service, a single-story building with white and tan siding, a shingled roof with skylights, and a dog-and-cat logo, with a Quattro Dog yard sign out front under a clear blue sky

I will say this was a successful first trip for the four of us. Getting the suite with a bedroom was a good call. It allowed Victoria and me to decompress as the kids slept. Containing both of them at once was a bit of a challenge. Regardless, this is the start of many trips that all four of us will be taking together.

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