Tonight is Michaela's first overnight stay away without me.  Despite being anxious about it DH and I have been building her up for it and she's been quite excited about going to see her cousins.

My sister came and picked her up and she just left.  She was fine while I put her seat in the car and strapped her in.  She happily waved goodbye to her daddy.  Then I got out of the car and she realised I wasn't going over too and she started crying and screaming "mum...mum...mum" and trying to grab for me she got worked up really quickly, and because we have quite a tricky driveway I heard her calling and screaming for me for ages before Debs got on the road and drove off. 

I'm hoping she'll fall asleep soon and be fine once she gets over the hill and sees her cousins, and I really hope that the Rimutakas are open tomorrow when I go over to pick her up (my helpful MIL keeps telling me about all the snow throughout the country and warning me the road might get closed due to snow).

She will totally be fine once she gets over to Featherston. And once you get there she won't want to leave.

Make sure yo and your DH enjoy yourselves tonight.

Thanks for your messages. 

Michaela fell asleep within a few mins apparently and has been fine since.  I just called to say goodnight and she was happy to chat to me but only breifly as she had her cousins and their pets to play with.

DH and I caught a train into town, had some lunch, went and saw a movie (Prince Caspian) at The Embassy, and now we're home watching the news uninterrupted for the first time in ages, I've just opened a bottle of red and we're going to watch the rugby in 90 mins.

I'm still feeling on edge but heaps better about it knowing she's enjoying herself.

Hey

We had a great night, nice sleep in (yep, 8:30am is a sleep in for me) and awoke to severe weather warnings so right now I'm not really sure how I'll get my baby back.

As soon as I read the Rimutakas were closed I thought of you Jo. Hope you get your baby back soon.

Hey

Sorry for the lack of update.  It was a mission but we were reunited yesterday.

I decided that the best way to get back to Michaela was to catch the train to Featherston from Upper Hutt.  I made the decision at 9:30am and the train was scheduled to leave U.Hutt at 10:29am so it was a mad dash, I skipped breakfast and just had a quick shower, got dressed and jumped in my car and dashed over the Haywards.  On my way over I heard on the news that although the rimutakas were open a bus had slipped on ice and was blocking both lanes so there's no way I could of got over there (plus I'm not all that keen on driving that road when it's icy - the sheer drop off to the left side puts me off). 

I got to Upper Hutt without a minute to spare.  Rushed to the train platform and ended up waiting around in the cold for about 30 minutes before finding out that (due to large waves covered the tracks between Wellington and Petone) the train was delayed until 11:45am.  Luckily I had my car parked close by and went and waited in there, out of the elements.

When I got to Featherston my Dad was waiting for me at the station with a thermos of hot chai latte (God bless him) and he drove me back to their house where Michaela was happily playing.  She saw me and for a split second she looked as if she couldn't believe her eyes, then she clung to me for the next 10 minutes.

By late afternoon the snow had stopped, the sun had come out and the roads were open so my parents drove us over the rimutakas back to my car.

What a mission alright. I don't blame you for not wanting to drive over them. I hate them.