our road trip adventures

Sorry things have been pretty quiet around here.  We recently got back from a road trip, and then took on a house project.  Needless to say, I've been wishing for more hours in the day to get things accomplished!

We accomplished our first road trip with a baby and we would both call it a huge success!  One of Daniel's friends from college got married in Northern California so we decided to make a whole trip out of it and visit Napa, my best friend, and my college town.  I won't lie, I was having some mad anxiety about being on the road for so long with Nathan.  He generally does pretty well in his car seat, but I was nervous it would take us so long to get up there from all our stops to feed and change him.  Well, we made do and I have some tips I'll share in just a bit that helped.  To say Nathan was amazing is a HUGE understatement, he deserves "baby of the year" award for how well he did on our trip!  In 6 nights we slept in 4 different places, he adapted to wherever we went, and didn't cause too much of a fuss albeit his schedule (used very loosely) was totally off.  He was the life of the party wherever we went, and made many new friends thanks to his adorable smile and happy demeanor.

We've decided that Northern California is truly gorgeous!  Everything was so green and lush, a far cry from our very dry and brown mountains in San Diego.  Napa was just splendid.  I had some great recommendations of where to go from some friends.  We visited the Oxbow Market twice, and one trip included picking up some of the most delicious fresh cheese and baguette to take with us on a picnic.  We visited Frog's Leap, Hagafen, Mumm Napa, and Clos de Val wineries.  We had the most phenomenal dinner at Farmstead, and are still dreaming of our meal.  Nathan went wherever we went, enjoyed stretching on the grass lawn while we picnicked, and tried to get a sip of wine on multiple occasions.

After Napa we went south just a bit to visit my best friend who moved up there last summer.  It felt so good to sleep in a house versus a hotel for a night, and we were just so relaxed.  From there we visited Daniel's cousin on our morning as we headed south to the central coast and went to my "happy place", San Luis Obispo.  That town just gets me every time. The charm and quaintness of it all made me reminisce of college days and miss how simple life was back then.

Along the way we had a few hiccups, but soon figured out how to do things differently.  Daniel and I never argued once, and we worked really hard to be as flexible as possible (which is a huge necessity with a baby).  I don't have the most cohesive list, but here are some of the things that worked really well for us to have a happy baby and enjoyable trip.

• I sat in the back seat of the car for the long stretches on our drives up the coast.  This kept Nathan entertained and happy.  I also took my pump, which came with a battery charger, and pumped him a bottle and gave it to him while in his car seat to avoid having to stop one more time.  This worked out really well!!!
• The ergo was my very best friend!  Nathan went wherever we went, and being able to strap him in and go was a breeze.  This is what we used at wineries or even just walking around.  He is able to fall asleep in it, and I've also mastered how to nurse him while in it as well.  Since we couldn't always be at our hotel for him to take a nap, the ergo really helped him get the sleep he needed. 
• Since we stayed in four different places, it was crucial to be organized when packing up and knowing how to load the car efficiently.  I would typically make sure everything was in the proper bag, and Daniel would load the car up in the mornings.  Mine and Nathan's clothes were together in the same suitcase, which helped a ton in the mornings when deciding what to wear.  
• Having a stash of plastic bags is essential!  When we pulled up to our dinner one day, we quickly realized we had a very big diaper situation on our hands and I will definitely spare you the details because it was just awful.  Anyways, the plastic bags were our life savers!  They also were great to quickly throw trash away in and keep the car clean as we went along. 
• Babies eventually sleep.  Nathan's schedule was totally thrown off.  Normally he goes to bed at 7pm, and we wouldn't get back to our room until 9pm most nights and he would still be wide away.  He adapted and eventually fell asleep, and also slept in till 8:30am (which was much needed for me).  I couldn't stress about his naps so I just tried to listen to his cues, and when I noticed he was tired I'd put him in the ergo to ensure he got some sleep throughout the day.  

We still are so surprised how great Nathan did, and now we are crossing our fingers he is just as wonderful when we embark on another new adventure for us...beach camping!!

tips for flying with an infant

Nathan and I survived our first flight alone...and it was nearly two months ago?!?!  Where has the time gone?  I remember preparing myself by asking friends and others any tips they had, reading blog posts, and saying lots of prayers that things would all go smoothly.  Our trip couldn't have gone better, and I wanted to share some of my tips in hopes that they are useful to some.  

1. Pack only the essentials in your diaper bag.  

Your diaper bag is your carry on and your new "purse" so it is essential to have what you need and nothing more.  I had two extra outfits, diapers, wipes, 2-3 teething toys (which didn't end up needing), a burp cloth, a book, and my wallet.  The rest of what I would need went into my suitcase, and I purchased diapers when I got to Reno so that I did't have to waste space.  

2. Wear your baby. 

I wore Nathan in the Ergobaby the entire time.  Getting through security was a breeze and they let him stay on me while I walked through the metal detector.  Afterwards, they swabbed my hands and I was good to go.  On the plane I had a flight attendant tell me that he needed to come out of the carrier for take off and landing, but that only happened once and the rest of our flights no one mentioned anything.  By having Nathan on me, my hands were free to grab my ID and boarding pass (or money for that coffee I definitely needed).  I could also quickly soothe him if he was fussy either at the airport or on the plane.  He also slept really well in the Ergo, which is something I was nervous about because he hadn't always done this.  

3. Decide where you want your stroller. 

I had Nathan's carseat and stroller with me since we would need it once we arrived.  Friends had suggested I gate check them, so I wheeled it through security and immediately felt overwhelmed.  Luckily I was wearing Nathan but they made me detach the car seat and put it on the belt, and they took the stroller through a separate section.  Once I arrived to my gate I was stuck there because I had my stroller since they don't take it from you until you are boarding.  This is convenient if your baby uses their stroller and I can see doing this once Nathan is older and walking, but for me it was too much.  Flying back I checked it all along with my luggage and immediately felt free.  This made security a breeze, and I could easily rest at the gate without worrying where my stroller was.  Once I landed home, these pieces came out at the "oversize luggage" bin which took a little longer than regular luggage.  

4. Have a pacifier on hand at all times. 

The pacifier is our lifesaver when getting Nathan to sleep, so I made sure to clip it to the carrier for easy access.  This helped him fall asleep once we boarded the plane, and it also was essential for take off and landing.  I had heard to have them either nurse or suck on something for take off and landing. Nathan actually slept through both landings and his ears never bothered him, which was a very big blessing. 

5. Get a window seat if breastfeeding. 

I knew that I was going to need to feed Nathan at some point during the flight, so I made sure to pull my cover out and put it in the pocket in front of me for quick and easy access.  Sitting in a window seat immediately gave me a "shelf" to put my arm as well as some privacy.  Nathan eats on one side at a time, so I made sure to sit on the side he would be nursing on.  The lady next to me at first thought I was going to give him a bottle and then turned away when I replied "nope".  It was tight quarters but no one saw a thing and Nathan was happy! 

6. Use the restroom before boarding. 

Find that changing table and make sure your baby is nice and dry before stepping foot on a plane.  Trust me :) 

7. Take a deep breath and relax!  

Everyone is so friendly, and of course you may get some judgy glances that read, "Oh great, you have the baby that is going to scream the entire time".  I loved proving them wrong when Nathan didn't make a sound and many commented they had no idea there was a baby near.  

I'm still figuring out how to not pack so much for Nathan, and Daniel always has to go through my bag and weed out what we don't need.  One little trick I use is for a sound machine.  Nathan sleeps with white noise every night and our lives depend on it.  Instead of packing it (trust me, I tried) I used a clock radio next to our bed we were staying at and turned it to a static station.  The only pitfall is when it is 3am and it randomly finds a station playing Taylor Swift's "Trouble"...trust me, you will never want to hear that song again!  

Safe travels.  

becoming an outdoor-sy person

The other day I met up with a friend who is training for a triathlon to go on a bike ride.  I couldn't even tell you the last time I rode my bike.  If I had to guess it was probably two summers ago.  To say I was nervous would be an understatement.  My thoughts were trapped by fear that I would fall, get a flat, forget how to shift gears, forget that my feet are literally clipped into my petals and teeter totter over onto the street....and the irrational fear list kept going.  Fortunately the exact opposite happened and the ride was glorious.  The day was gorgeous as we road around Fiesta Island (which is a great spot in San Diego).  The ocean breeze filled the air, the day unfolded before my eyes, and all I did was smile.  

After the ride was over I felt an extreme amount of peace about life in general.  I felt balanced, like everything that I had been worrying about during the week has disappeared and all that remained was a clear day ready to be lived in.  I came home and immediately told the husband that he needed to go ride his bike!  It was that good.  And in that moment I realized that I was becoming "outdoorsy" which is a huge shift in my life.  Growing up I was the kid that wanted to read inside while my sister was teaching the goats how to give her kisses.  Outdoors was messy and uncivilized in my books.  But now I can't get enough of it.  Sunday morning I took Nathan with me on a hike that was just about 7 miles long.  He was amazing, and quickly learned how to not only carry him on my back in the Ergo but how to also nurse with him on my front while also hiking down a mountain without showing anyone my lovely lady parts.  I hope I never take for granted this beautiful earth that God has given us, I hope that Nathan grows up excited to be outside to explore His creation, I hope that we continue to find new ways to get outside as a family and make beautiful memories.