Our Trip In Pictures

Thanks to a bunch of family, friends, and new online mommy friends, we were able to really explore and enjoy our visit to California. We received a ton of recommendations of things to do and places to go, and unfortunately with Blake we weren't able to check all of them off but we enjoyed trying!

In case you didn't read before, Blake's dad was able to join us. Together we agreed it would be a great idea to have an annual family trip for Blake. It gave us time to connect with each other and show Blake all the amazing things around him. His dad was a great travel buddy and made for an easier trip.

Watching Sesame Street on the plane

We arrived late at night on a Wednesday so we didn't get to do anything except pick up our rental car, check into the hotel, and unpack. But the flight with Blake went well... up until the last two hours... it was tough for him to get back to sleep because of all the commotion but his body knew it was bedtime. He cried for about 30 minutes, or maybe less but it seemed long, before he fell asleep in my arms and attached to my milk jugs. lol! Yes, I just whipped out the milk-milks on the plane but I'm sure the other passengers would rather have a happy, quiet baby than a screaming monster. Usually, I cover up but when he's like that it's really hard to because he gets so hot.

The next day we woke up early and went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Blake absolutely loves water and he has really been into fish lately. I'm guessing it's because we have a koi pond and an aquarium at home. He was able to touch some of the anemones and starfish so he definitely enjoyed his time there. He was more in awe than anything. Surrounded by his fish friends! By the time we finished our rounds at the aquarium, he fell asleep. Perfect timing! So mommy and daddy met up with a good friend and had lunch (and a few beers). ;-)

Mommy and Blake about to head into the aquarium

The really, really awesome Giant Sea Bass was probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen

Blake waiting for his fish friends to say "hi".

We even saw some penguins!

On Friday, we hiked up to the Hollywood sign! When I'm on vacation, I'm not usually one to recommend hiking... or working out... but thought it would be a great memory to make with Blake. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to hike up and back. Blake slept most of the time. It was beautiful weather and it felt great to be out and about. I wish we could have gotten closer to the sign, but at least we made it up that incredibly steep incline! Gotta love the BOB Revolution Stroller!

At the beginning of the trail

The awesome view from all the way up top!

The sign was soooo huge, I couldn't even fit half of "Hollywood" in a frame.

After that hike, we spent Saturday loungin' at Huntington Beach. It was a sunny, but breezy, day so it felt incredibly comfortable just hanging out in the sunshine. We didn't get into the water because it was still too cold, but we brought some back in a bucket for Blake to play with in the sand.

Pointing at girls on the beach

Sunday was a busy day. We had breakfast with my doula (she moved back to California after Blake was born), met up with a couple old high school friends in Santa Monica, explored the pier and then went back to the hotel to unwind. I would post pictures, but I'd like to respect the privacy of my wonderful friends. ;-)

Then on Monday, our last full day in California, we planned a day at... DISNEYLAND! It was truly magical and I think Blake's dad and I were both full of excitement just being there. We rode a few rides. The Finding Nemo ride was Blake's favorite. We also caught It's a Small World, one of my favorites from when I was a little girl. We were hoping to catch some fireworks but found out that they only show fireworks on weekends until peak season. BUT... we found out that there was a parade at the end of the day so we saw that instead. We also just absolutely had to get Blake's first Mickey Mouse ears and a hoodie! He also received a special gift from his friends at Disneyland and we were told to pick it up at City Hall. We went there before the parade and were surprised with personalized, autographed pictures from his buddies, Mickey, Minnie, Peter Pan, Wendy, the Captain, Buzz Lightyear, and Woody!

My little guy was able to nap a bit before his Finding Nemo adventure

A spoiled, tired out little kid

Mommy and Blakey waiting for the parade to start

And... that's all! We really enjoyed our time there and can't wait to go back! It was a fun vacation and two weeks later, I'm still running on all the vacation happiness!

Traveling with a little one

I'm no expert when it comes to traveling with a kid. But after researching and traveling by car for up to ten house and now by plane, I figured out what works for us. This post may or may not help you but if anything, hopefully it gives you some ideas when you travel with your little one.

Blake is not even a year old yet, but we've already traveled down south to the Outer Banks and up north as far as Rochester, NY. This past week, he took his first plane ride all the way across the country to Los Angeles, CA.

The thought of a family vacation was awesome but as our departure date got closer and closer I started to get really nervous. First, Blake is still breastfeeding so I didn't know what to expect on the plane. And second, I was so afraid of being THAT mom with THAT kid on the plane.

Now that we're home, I can honestly say it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

How did I keep him quiet and pleasant during our flight? I packed a ton of little things. Lol! In my carry-on I had:

- a large resealable bag with a diapers, wipes, a small hand sanitizer, disposable changing pads, and a sample size of CJ's BUTTer
- a clear sandwich bag full of different snacks
- a large, resealable bag full of toys and toy cleaner wipes
- a reusable pouch with my manual hand pump to express milk
- a muslin blanket

And that's all we really needed!

I brought a diaper for every two hours that we would be traveling. As for wipes, I had a small sample size.

Our sandwich baggie included his favorite crackers, some organic cheese puffs, goldfish, and two arrowroot cookies. We had more than enough leftover after the flights but it was enough to keep him happy.

To keep him occupied, I brought a variety of toys. Plastic stacking cups, his drumsticks,a small squishy ball, a pretend cell phone, a crinkly counting book, his Indestructible book, and teething keys. I rotated the the toys and books out so he'd only get to play with one at a time. And it worked wonderfully!

The muslin blanket acted as a coverup when I was breastfeeding, a drool cloth for when he had a little dribble when he ate snacks, and as a blanket when the plane got a little cooler. PERFECTION!

So when I boarded the plane, I put my carry-on bag on the seat, pulled all of the baggies out and stuffed them into the seat pocket in front of me. That way I wouldn't have to worry about him and dig through my carry-on when we needed things. I actually had the carry-on stored away in the bin above us so I had a wee bit more leg room.

It's not rocket science but before our departure, it sure felt like it. Oh, and I brought my iPad and kiddie size headphones. I downloaded two episodes of Sesame Street before I left the house so it wouldn't require any Internet while on the plane. When he got super sleepy and fussy, that was my saving grace. He doesn't get much TV time at home so that was a real treat for him!

Three hours behind

I'm finally getting back to the swing of things here. Blake is still on California time, which I guess can be a good thing. Like when he wakes up at 9 or 10 am. But he doesn't sleep until 10 pm... Which means...

I can't drink wine until after that... And by that time, I'm too tired. :P

Just kidding.

It's just a little tougher getting him back on track with our weekly activities, like our workouts, playgroups, MyGym, and his swim classes. All of that takes place in the mornings, but when he doesn't wake up until 9 or 10, I need to rush.

I'll eventually get around to posting a few pictures of our California adventures... But for now, maybe I can share a few tips and tricks and such about traveling with a little one? What do you think?

10 months

Blake is 10 months today. It's super ridiculously crazy how fast time has flown!

I used to think he'd never crawl, he wouldn't stand, and well, that he'd never be a big kid. But he's certainly showing me otherwise.

During the past month, he picked up on so much! The big thing is that he crawls now! And man... This kid should go pro! I definitely need to babyproof the house. I just put outlet covers on but now that he's pulling himself up on furniture, I have to bolt that all down.

But yeah, he's got the crawling down. He pulls himself up and is trying to learn how to walk. He can't stand by himself for more than a few seconds but when we hold his hands, he moves his legs as if he's practicing walking.

Three more teeth also popped out! His two front, top teeth and another one on the side of them. And he loves to use them when he feeds himself.

This past week he picked up how to play peek-a-boo! He covers his eyes on his own and quickly removes his hands when you say "peek-a-boo!" He points to things that he wants, like his snacks or toys.

And that's not all! He also learned how to find lights. Sounds silly right? But when you ask him, "where's the light," he'll lift his head and look around for a light and points to it. If there's no light on, he points out the window where the sun shines!

He also high-fives us and claps his hands. :) He waves bye bye, too!

As for his sign language, he learned "all done" and mastered "milk". Did I blog that he also signs "more" before? If I didn't, well, now I did. ;)

I started playing with Sesame Street ABC flash cards with him and he can pick out the capital letter "A" when I ask for it. :) man... This kid continues to impress me!

He also still says "mama" and this past week he picked up "Elmo" and "ball" which is more like "baw" but he says it when he wants his ball. He says "dada" but it's still a little random. By random, I mean he doesn't exactly say it to his dad but he does mumble it throughout the day. Blakey also plays around and covers his mouth and uncovers it while making noises. Kind of like what we used to do as kids to pretend we were "Indians" doing rain dances.

I couldn't get a picture of him really sitting still so I just sat him on his elephant. And my camera is broken so I had to use the iPhone to capture his 10 month pictures. Hopefully I remember to print them out!