First Train Ride

March 04, 2014

As I posted about a couple of weeks ago, we took Jakob down to Waterbury to see the train come into the station on Saturday morning. If you need a quick recap, it didn't go particularly well, thanks to the loud noise, fast speed of the freight train (not Amtrak...whoops!), frigid temps, and blowing snow. Well, we weren't deterred by that experience! Dan decided to buy a ticket for a ride from Waterbury to White River Junction for this past Friday. The plan was for me to drop the guys off and pick them up about an hour and fifteen minutes later, since both stops were just off the highway on our way down to CT.

Allow me to further set the stage. Jakob had been sick with a bad cold and fever for over a week and not sleeping well. It was so bad, we kept him out of daycare on Tuesday and Wednesday. Every time we asked him about seeing the train, he remembered that it had some blue on it and was generally excited. But every time we asked if he wanted to ride on the train, he said no without hesitation. Despite all of that, we went through with the plan. Even Dan admitted that he was nervous right before they got on board.

When I saw them in White River Junction, Jakob had his pacifier in his mouth and looked tired, seeing as he hadn't slept well the night before, and it was about his nap time. That being said, Dan had a big smile on his face, so I knew it must have gone pretty well. (Plus, he had called when they were in Montpelier and said I didn't need to pick them up there.) Apparently Jakob spent most the ride running up and down the aisle, stopping to stare at and say hi to random strangers before pointing out his Daddy to them. Dan felt it was a big success, although I think he was relieved that the ride was over when it was. We'll feel much more confident taking Jakob on rides in the future after such a wonderful first experience!