Baby’s First Road Trip

It all started with a text from my Aunt.

We just booked our Vegas trip.

That was all the motivation I needed to plan out our first road trip with the baby. I was so excited that I didn’t bother asking Bex if she wanted to go. I told her we were going. Luckily, I have the most flexible wife in the world. I also had the perfect plan to convince her.

This wasn’t just Luke’s first road trip, it was our first family vacation. I saw myself like a dad from a travel ad; crisp polo shirt, adoring kids, convertible, and smoking hot wife. In reality, I probably wound up looking more like Clark Griswald. Oh well, at least I still have the smokin’ hot wife. I really wanted to make this something memorable for all three of us. So, I sprung the news on her with a new outfit for Luke. A baby Elvis outfit.

I got some flack for it at first. There’s not a whole lot of appreciation for The King in our house. But the more I played Viva Las Vegas on Spotify, the more she came around. In fact, We  it was Bex’s idea to get a picture of Boy Wonder with the real Elvis outfit on display at one of the hotels. We kept meaning to do it but we were having too much fun with Noreen and Mike.

They met us at our hotel room and the laughter started immediately. As soon as they walked in, Mike swooped past everyone and slid toward the baby with his outstretched hand.

“I touched him first!” He exclaimed.

He was also the first guy besides me to try out the Moby Wrap. Why should I be the only one who has all the fun? It was a good look for him.

It was a blast exploring the Vegas Strip with them. We watched the fountains at the Bellagio, had dessert at Carlo’s Bakery in the Venetian, and saw the Volcano erupt at the Mirage. By the end of day one, we had over 26,000 steps on our pedometers.

The next day, we took Baby Elvis on a walk from the Monte Carlo all the way down to the Las Vegas Sign. We didn’t really have that destination in mind but as we kept walking, we kept finding things to do.  Bex and I got into a high stakes air hockey battle at an arcade in New York, New York. Mike and Noreen even found a drive-thru wedding chapel. Strange how I can’t seem to find the picture proof of that. . .

We had all been having such a great time. I know none of us wanted to say goodbye. Boy Wonder made that especially clear just before we hit the road. I pulled into the gas station to fill up the Dadmobile and by the time I got back in the car Luke was screaming his head off. I had never seen him so upset. We weren’t sure what to do.

It was not a drill. He was in full melt down mode. At one point, Bex and I felt like we were negotiating with a terrorist. Do you want candy? A bottle? All the diapers? Your Aunt Noreen? Ill get you anything you want, just spare the hostages! Bex and I being the hostages. It took a while but he finally shrieked himself to sleep. As I was wiping away my own grown man tears,  a thought crossed my mind. At least he saved it all up for one big meltdown at the end. He had been such an angel the entire vacation, he deserved this one.

After surviving that ordeal, these IncrediParents needed something a little stronger than coffee to get us through the four hour drive ahead of us. Luckily, Las Vegas has our very favorite fast food energy drink restaurant in the world! We loaded up on our Dutch Bros. blended Rebels, put the atomic batteries to power, the turbines to speed, and cruised the Dadmobile through the dark of night.

Looking back, our first family road trip was a success. Thanks Aunt Noreen and Mike for making it such an unforgettable experience! I know that all of us here in the Dadcave are excited for our next trip in August. It will be the Boy Wonder’s first time in an airplane!