Elliott in Asheville, NC

Elliott and I had the pleasure of joining Courtney at a Veterinary continuing education seminar in Asheville, NC.  As you can see above, Elliott bundled-up for the cold October weather in the Great Smokey Mountains.  

When we went to Asheville two years ago, we took full advantage of the nightlife, the culture and the beautiful fall scenery the city had to offer.   This time, we traveled in the dark and we spent most of our stay in the hotel.  My, how life has changed.  

Lessons learned during the trip: 

Lesson One: It is much easier to entertain Elliott at home with her dogs, toys and the other distractions our house has to offer.  Confined to a hotel room for two full days, we were limited to the toys we could fit in a small bag and Daddy's slapstick dance routine to break the monotony. When Elliott napped, I sat in silence, in the dark, perfectly still ... as the tag-line for the movie Alien said "in space, no one can hear you scream"... but in a hotel room with a sleeping baby, she can hear you blink.        

I mean really, how cute is this hat.  She spent most of the weekend sitting in the middle of the bed while Daddy did his best to make her laugh.  My efforts met with only marginal success. 

Lesson Two:  When we travel with Elliott, She goes to bed at 7:00 and Courtney goes to bed at 8:30, which leaves me sitting alone in the dark, again.    

Lesson Three: Carrots are messy, really freakin' messy. See what I mean? She is getting better at eating solids, but the Carrots end up on everything. 
Everyone loved watching me walk Elliott around the hotel. They particularly enjoyed watching Elliott checking my email on my Blackberry.  She is an excellent helper, I bill her time at $100.00 per hour.