We're off to my best friend's wedding "back home" this weekend and I can't wait! I've been working on my packing list for almost three weeks now and it all seems to be coming together. You may think - three weeks? WTH? But that's how it works. If I were to just sit down and pound out a list right now, I'd forget a thousand things. But, if I start a list weeks in advance, as I'm using necessary things, I write them down... prevents me from having to rely on solely on the immediate power of my brain and allows me to rely on the fact that my brain works in spurts over time vs. on demand! :p ha ha ha.
Here are the things running through my head on a regular basis the last month:
Does my room have a fridge? A lot of hotels have done away with bar fridges. Where am I supposed to keep my milk?
Where will Jane sleep? Do I have to bring my pack-n-play? Does the hotel have "cribs"? Do I really want Jane sleeping in a hotel "crib" (no)? When she does sleep - what will we do? We can't turn on the tv/lights/etc... so we just lie there in the dark from 7pm onward?
What about snacks and mealtimes? I don't carry a high-chair around with me. Most restos have them so that's no biggie for bf/lunch/dinner but what about snack times? I'm not hitting up a resto or store everytime it's snack time. Have to hit up the grocery store on arrival and that leads back to the fridge question (thankfully, I've checked and our hotel does have fridges).
What about heating up the bottles? Most hotels don't have microwaves in the rooms!?!? I'll have to pre-heat in hot water!!! AHHHH! That should be "fun".
Jane's not going to fall asleep with us in the room! She's going to hop up, see us, and laugh. Awesome. Will have to make some fort around her pack-n-play so she can't see us... that should be interesting.
Schedule is thrown out the window I guess. Hoping that doesn't screw up my night's sleeps and the rest of my life when I get home! ha ha ha. On the positive side, it's really the girls at daycare who will have to deal with the consequences - sorry girls! :)
How do you keep a 14 month old occupied during a wedding ceremony?
I should to re-confirm my rental car and hotel and third time. Just to be sure. Imagine if I arrived and there was no car for me. Awesome.
We aren't bringing many toys... is Jane going to go insane? Hmmm, we'll probably be pretty busy running around and Lucy will be around, that's the best toy ever right there! :p
Do I even bother bringing my camera? I love taking pictures but seeing as Dan's not arriving until the weekend, managing Jane and a camera seems like exercise. Nah. Mom will probably have hers and that'll do.
HAH - haven't even mentioned the most exciting part of it all - 1.5 hours on a plane with Jane stuck in a seat with me. Dear Person sitting next to us... you should have paid more and gotten first class. Love, Me. Jane's pretty laid back but, then again, she's not recently be stuck in the same place for almost two hours. Definitely should be an interesting adventure. On the plus, I'm flying Porter and apparently they have free booze. So worst case, Mommy gets tanked and thinks it's funny that Jane is running up and down the aisle yelling at everyone as she passes... :p Here's a thought for you - when traveling alone, what do you do with your child when you have to get into your seat and put your bag under the seat in front of you? Huh. Most people don't think about that until you're on the plane faced with the delima. F. That stupid word again. Seriously? Dilemma. YAY. Only took two tries. Not such a big deal when babes are sturdy enough to sit themselves or stand but the first time I traveled with Jane she was 8 weeks... thankfully, I had my Dad to help me out! On that note. How do you get out your ID and boarding passes and then, WORSE, get them back in your wallet securely with a baby in your arms? Hmmm... Nevermind, I'll have the umbrella stroller. Phew. :p
Oh Man. The airplane is nothing compared to maneuvering security lines and everything. Crap. Didn't even think about that. And people are such dicks too. If I saw a Mom traveling with a baby by herself, I'd help her out or let her skip ahead of the line or something! Sometimes people surprise me though. We'll see. East coasters tend to be kind people - TEND being the key word there. Even "angels" can be a**holes on the wrong day.
K, have to go. I know I'm the worst blogger in the world as far as frequency these days. If you're not back to work yet... welcome to bliss and hell. Bliss in that it's awesome to get back a little of your previous self. Hell in that you want to spend every second you have at home with your sweetie pie and then, when they hit the sheets, you're exhausted!
5 comments:
Girl you make me laugh! First of all don't worry so much, it'll work out. I have taken a flight with my little guy by myself and it went fine. Being seated by the wings (and engine)helped him sleep most of it. I only carried on the diaper bag so it wasn't too hard to manage both the bag and baby. The stroller is a lifesaver:) ring books to read to her. Easy to carry and quiet...I also had to "live" in a hotel for a few weeks with him. We found if we hung a blanket or towel over the side of the PNP we could keep one lamp on and the tv on low. Try to put her in a dark corner if you can. You'll do great!
Thanks Holly - you're the best. Great idea re: the towel/blanket. I'm sure we may even be able to grab an extra sheet or something that we may be able to hang up somewhere so we can divide the room a little! :)
Hi Jen! First of all, I think your imagination is playing this out far worse in your head than it will actually be! Janie is a trooper - - she's going to love the travel adventure! Do have a couple of tips for you though (we travel with the Lila Bug a lot - - she's done 8 round trip flights!): http://coolprogeny.blogspot.com/2010/07/overcoming-air-travel-nightmare.html. Starbucks will be your new best friend. Does the hotel have a Starbucks in house?
Have a blast! (And yes - - forget about routine!)
OH my gosh we so plan things the same way. When I took my son at 18 months on a flight to colorado, since I could have MY carry on and his carry on too.. .HIS was his diaper bag and I strategically packed a few fun things...
dum dum lollipops (those were amazing) LOL
small tubs (the teenie kind) of playdoh (I don't know if they'll let you bring that on the plane now though).... doodle pads or an aqua doodle. stickers and sticker books. those Color Wonder markers and color wonder pads... and seriously... a portable dvd player and Elmo DVDs.
:)
and snacks.... lots of snacks.
I did have to rent a car and funny thing.. the BOY SCOUTS were there at the airport and totally helped me with EVERYTHING! God bless 'em!
That is a very complete list. I am tired just reading it. Think I will copy it and delete all the things I don't take.
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