Travel Tips - Flying With an 11 Month Old

The thought of flying to Florida with an 11 month (almost 1 year) old was daunting, to say the least.  We weren't able to get direct flights so we had two there and two back.  I read up on it quite a bit, but the best advice I received was to make it feel like "just another day".

Packing was interesting because both Brian and I are used to traveling for weeks + on just a carry on.  With a babe? Not so much.  We checked one bag and it topped out around 49.5 lbs, just a half pound under the 50 lb limit.  If you go even an ounce above 50, there's an exorbitant fee associated.  So, we packed my purse as a diaper bag, a stroller (with car seat attached) and the checked bag.  We were able to rent a high chair and crib in the beach house we stayed (saving a ton of packing room).

We got to the airport 2 hours early.  This meant waking up the babe at 4AM.  She was OK when we woke up, but refused to nap until early afternoon.. While this was a situation I was terrified of, it ended up just fine.  After we got to the airport, we found a Starbucks, bought some coffees, breakfast and a fruit pouch for the babe.  I then proceeded to walk her around for what felt like forever, trying to get her to nap, but.. it didn't work.

Boarding - When you travel with kids, you're able to board first.  The nice thing about this is getting the stroller gate checked early and getting situated in the seat. We split up and I let Brian board first to get everything in place.  Then, Lyla Grace and I boarded last. We survived take off and landing by offering lots to drink and eat.  I tried nursing a time or two, but she was just not having it.

Here are essentials I would pack again, for sure -

Puffs plus this munchkin snack catcher = clutch.  This kept her occupied for probably hours.  We also got a little play phone (because she's obsessed with ours) that we didn't give her until we left.  It was nice because it was "new" and she was excited about it.  The straw cup was helpful to get her to swallow throughout the takeoff and landing.  She's also obsessed with feeding herself, so the pouches of food were perfect.

She didn't nap for either flight, but as soon as she got in the car to drive to Rosemary, she passed out.  The flight home was similar, but in the afternoon.  It was honestly a bit more difficult because she hadn't napped much at all that day and just felt kind of strung out.  All in all, we survived and I won't be too scared to do it again!

I'm here!

I promise I'm alive.  Occasionally feeling like I'm holding on by a string, but I'm here.  And making it :). Baby girl is doing well.  Here's some of what has been keeping us busy before she gets here...

Baby V. Shower! (maybe part I?)

A few weeks ago we were blessed beyond measure at our sweet baby shower.  My best friend from junior high planned it and with the help of her moms it went off without a hitch.  It was so well thought out and every detail was done with care.  Everyone at the shower told her they want her to plan a party for them.  And really, she should.  She's wonderful.  My family was all there, and almost all my closest friends were able to make it.  I basically just floated around in a bubble of blessings and overwhelmed gratefulness of how loved we and our sweet little one are.  

I don't have a ton of photos on this computer yet, but I'll share a few.  There were tons and tons of balloons floating, with up to 7 foot ribbon hanging from them. Twas pretty magical.  She also spray painted lots of things gold (like the cute little animals on the table), had lots of flowers and rented chairs and tables that matched the decor. The topper was the little (BIG) giraffe she bought us, decked out with flowers, who we have lovingly named George Henry.  

We got lots of clothes (so cute and little!) and a lot of the must haves from our registry.  We really only have a few things left to buy, all thanks to our generous friends and family.   

I didn't get a good picture of my plate with food on it, but a waffle bar was served with fresh squeezed juice, mint and fruit water, and delicious yogurt (that I'm now obsessed with... it's from Trader Joes and its full fat french vanilla yogurt. yum).  

Here she is.  Isn't her dress darling?

I didn't get a good picture of the balloons on the ceiling over the tables, but this was after many of them fell and we put them all in the room off the kitchen.  We kept all the ribbon and are hoping to make a mobile with it.

Letters

via grey likes baby 

Sometimes when we think about it or have time, Brian and I will write letters to our future little one.  We have a small notebook that we keep them in and it's something I hope she'll treasure some day.  Sometimes the Lord gives us a word for her.  When will be the right time to share it with her?  I'm sure we'll know when that day comes.  

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5

Her Heart

With the slew of sickness going around this time of year, I'm so quick to pray for baby V.'s health.  While I know she's well protected right now, its so easy to think that something I do or come in contact with could damage her.  But, what I'm realizing more and more lately is that there is so much more.  What about her heart? What about her mind? Her future?  Brian and I have taken a different approach lately when praying for her.  Sure, we pray about her health, but more than that we've been praying for many other aspects. What does God have of her in her future life and how can we foster and nurture what she is blessed with?  What about her hopes and dreams? How can we protect her from the harm that will come against her? Prayer.  And of course sound parenting.

Baby V. Nursery: Part 4

You guys want to see some more fun coming along in the nursery? It's almost done.  I know. It's early and a bit unnecessary, but to be honest, having this almost out of the way feels like a relief.  I know there are so many other things that are more important and worthy of causing a little stress (you know, like childcare and balancing work), and I just didn't want this to be one of them.  Now, granted, the nursery has basically no eternal value - you know, other than providing a home for the little babe.  But, the decorations, the paint, the toys? They don't really truly matter - and I get that.  But, it's been fun, and it will be fun to watch her enjoy the things we've curated for her. I'm hopeful that they'll grow with her and get her through many years in a room.

Here are some frames we've put up over her crib.  They are from a Rifle Paper Co. calendar.  We took 6 images out of it that we loved and that sort of matched the color scheme in her room.  Ikea did us a favor by selling us super affordable frames (like $9?), and my sister tirelessly sanded them down so that Brian could spray paint them gold (thanks Sis, I owe you).  For those that are interested in this Ikea hack, I can't recommend sanding enough.  We thought we would just prime them, but it didn't stick.. at all.  They needed to have a rough coat on them to accept the gold spray paint.

Sorry for the glare and the crookedness; hopefully we'll get some good pictures when it's all done.

Here's a few pictures I took through the process.  Oh, and the organization of this project? That's all the husband, not me.  I would have probably spray painted them on the ground. Him? Nope, he made a little ladder-thing for them..

Baby V. Nursery: Part 3

I have a feeling I'm going to regret ever publicly committing to this stars idea.  Ladies (and gents) I'm stumped!  The stencil idea didn't work - paint bled through the stencil and the sticker stars idea looks like it's just going to be more work than it may be worth.  The sticker idea either means we use a machine like a cricut or cameo and buy a cartridge and contact paper (which could get expensive).  Or we could just cut out the stars ourselves - ha - that would kind of be a nightmare though.  It's probably going to be 150 stars and they are 8 point, so.. probably not going to happen.  Regardless, the ceiling is painted a really pretty champagne and it looks awesome even if we just leave it as is.

Here are baby V.'s current digs right now.  The shades depend on the lighting, but the walls are a very very light pink (we mixed 1 gallon white paint with about 1/3 gallon martha stewart ballet slipper) and the ceiling is martha stewart fledgling.  BV did an awesome job sanding down the ceiling and flattening it.  Can't wait to show you guys the final result.

We also made a fun trip to IKEA this past weekend to pick up a bookcase, curtains, frames and other goodies.  The frames have been a fun project.  Here's a little sneak peak of what we'll end up with: 

Hooray! I can't wait to share more soon! For now, I'm off to the gym to mope away how much weight I've gained since my last midwife appointment (ugh).  

Baby V. Nursery: Part 2

As I mentioned in part 1, we were really digging this lovely star wallpaper (below).  Not really digging the price tag though.  I've seen it range from $200 - $500 a roll, and considering we would need more than one roll just to cover the ceiling, well that really wasn't going to fly.  We've just painted the ceiling, and are now considering either going the stencil route, or applique like this smart lady did.  The problem with the latter is that we don't have one of those machines that would cut out the stars..

Here she is in action in a few little lady's rooms: 

I can't quite share a success story on this yet, but there's more to come on this little project!

Baby V. Nursery: Part 1

A year ago we didn't know where we'd be living now.  We felt like we were maybe supposed to move (not necessarily cities, but from our current house), but weren't sure of the details.  Well, a year went by and that desire truly subsided and we feel very content where we currently live.  If at some point we're called to move, well we'll do just that! But, for now, we know we've got a little room allocated for Baby V.  

For those of you that like these kind of details, here's a layout of the room and the measurements.  It's approximately a 10.5 x 11 ft. room.  

We messed around with furniture layout a few different ways, but because of the location of the closet, door and windows,  I think we're going to end up with a layout similar to below. 

With the above in mind, we mocked up an inspiration board. While I didn't originally think I was a pink person, I've changed my mind and we're going with a white paint with a pink tint.  It's not over the top, but it is definitely feminine.  Inspired by the Osborne & Little Coronata Star Wallpaper, we're doing a little DIY action on the ceiling.  Now we're on the hunt for vintage furniture, a crib, bookcase, curtains, art, ottoman and many other little things.  

Baby V. is a ....

We found out the gender of this sweet little one inside my belly the Friday before Christmas.  It was such a sweet gift and the suspense and surprise was just perfect.  We had an appointment Friday afternoon and decided not to find out in the room with the ultrasound tech. We had her write it down on an envelope and give it to us to open when we were alone. After the ultrasound, I took the tightly sealed envelope in my purse, went and got my hair done, then met Brian at home.  All the while, he was texting me like mad because he had gone back to work and simply couldn't wait to find out!  He asked if I had opened it already..oddly, I was more OK with waiting than he was.  Our plan was to go to dinner and open it together then.  Well, I made it home and upstairs to change and that was basically it.  We both really wanted to know.  right now.

We opened the envelope and discovered that Baby V. is a...

GIRL!

Oh, we're so over the moon excited.  We honestly were indifferent whether we had boy or girl, but now that we know the gender it all just feels so much more real and wonderful.

Ah, Shucks

Well its kind of a downer when you go and announce you're coming back to the blog-world then spend another 3 months doing just the opposite!  I realized its truly been too long when I just started typing in "www.vee..." and it didn't even appear in my history that I haven't cleared out in months.  Sad indeed.  But, hey, we all get fresh, clean starts right?

There's truly so much that I've missed sharing with this little space on the internet, and I think I'm finally at a place where I may be able to let my grip on things loosen and just be open.  Anyways, I don't think God calls us to be silent, or to hold things so closely to ourselves that we aren't letting others in (well I let most "in real life" friends in, but you know what I mean).  Last year was a rocky year for this little family.  It had some of the highest highs and the lowest lows I've ever experienced in just 12 months.  You know what's amazing? It all turned out for the good.  One of my biggest fears was lived for 7 months (still deciding if I'll elaborate more on this in the coming months), but also one of my biggest dreams was realized.  

Would you like to hear about that big ol' dream?  Many of you have already seen the photo below that we shared on Facebook, but for those that haven't, here you go!

This is me with our little babe at 18 weeks.  That's 5 weeks ago.  Oh boy do I have so many things to share with you in the coming days.. baby V's gender, our nursery plans and progression, dreams we have for this little one and so much more. While I'll try not to bombard with too much BABY(!), I have to warn, it might come on strong. At first.  Then, I'll back off :)  Please forgive me in advance, but we're SO EXCITED!