Weekend "getaway" quick but long

We made a quick up and back trip to Salt Lake last weekend to see my cardiologist for the one-year follow up on my heart. (For any of you new to this blog who are dying to know what that was all about, you can refer back here.)

Somehow traveling up Sunday and back Monday with an 18-month-old makes a quick trip feel sort of long.

Lydia did pretty well in the car -- she just doesn't like to sleep very long so we had to resort to other things to keep her entertained, like me singing to her. My neck is still sore from craning around in my seat to do the gestures to "Popcorn Popping" (one of the more popular tunes this trip) and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Whenever I finished the song she'd put her little fingers together doing sign language for "more." It was adorable and hey, when your fans demand an encore, you must provide!
We got a little creative later on when I grew tired of Old McDonald's farm animal noises so I decided it was time Old McDonald went on a jungle safari. Derek helped out with his ever-popular zebra sound effect and Lydia is always a fan of lions and monkeys so it worked out well.

But I digress. The trip's main purpose (my doctor's appointment) went great. I was given a clean bill of health and this time the exam did not require an IV. Both of which are always nice to hear.
In addition to seeing the doctor, we were able to visit my cousin, Bryan, and his wife, Lauren, and their cute new baby, Andrew. We also made time for a trip to IKEA and a little time at the mall. Sadly, it was mostly a window shopping venture.
Overall, a pretty good trip.

We stopped in Cedar Saturday night on our way north to see the grandparents. My Grandma Grady gave Lydia this cute toy dog (it barks and walks) in the hopes of satisfying her love of the "gah" (her word for my parent's dog). Sadly, nothing is as good as the real thing and even more pathetic is how disinterested my parent's dog is in Lydia. Still, the new toy proved to be an excellent distraction in the car.

Derek was waiting with the camera when I emerged from the cardiologist's office with my clean bill of health. I think he was pretty excited :)

Lydia and Derek found ways to entertain themselves at the motel while I was at the appointment.

Lunch at IKEA

Taking a break from "shopping" at IKEA to test out the kid's tables.

At the mall Lydia had her first taste of those kiddie rides -- you know the ones that you put in 50 cents while the toy jostles around a bit? Well, at her age, she doesn't even need the jostling. She loved this little bus even though it was at a stand-still.