Pensacola Beach - 17 months

My mom, sister, niece, Aunt, Claire and I went to Pensacola beach for a long Mother's Day weekend. The weather and water were perfect (a little cool at times). It was the perfect little get away.

Mom and I rode together. We split the trip down with a night in Jackson. Claire did so well in the car! We flipped her car seat around so that she could watch movies. I brought toys and snacks and we hung out in the backseat. We stopped when we could for her to get out and stretch her legs for a few minutes. We found a McDonald's with an outdoor patio that was perfect for us! She's not a car napper, but 30 minute naps seemed to be sufficient since she wasn't exhausting herself with playing all day. She was wired and crazy in the hotel at Jackson. She didn't want to fall asleep, but ended up going down around 10 and was up at 6:30.

Once we got to the beach on Friday, we unloaded and dressed to go out to the beach for the afternoon. When she first saw the water, she hesitantly walked down to it and said "whoa" the whole time. She was perfectly content sitting on my lap and watching the water. Annie and Michele got there later in the evening to play for a while and then Aunt Mary got there in time for us to enjoy a dinner at Red Fish, Blue Fish. Claire didn't want to sit in the high chair and was crazy at dinner (she was very tired and we were approaching bed time), but we all enjoyed a delicious seafood meal and then headed home for bed.

Saturday was perfect. We all slept well and got up to enjoy a delicious breakfast together. Without rushing, we put on swimsuits and sunscreen and loaded up the beach gear in the wagon. We were on the beach by 9:30 with very few other people. The highs were in the high 70's with a little breeze and calm, clear water. Perfection!

For Claire we brought: beach blanket, small umbrella, sand toys, personal toys, snacks and water. She wore swimsuit, cover up, sun hat, crocs, and sunglasses. She really didn't like the sand to be on her, so she was content staying on the blanket, a chair or a raft. I joked that we could leave her on the blanket, run up to the condo, and she would stay right on that blanket. She loved walking out into the water (carried) even though it was COLD! Claire and Annie played together so well and I got some good time with the women in the fam! The two baby girls and I went in for lunch and nap time for Claire. Michele came in to make lunch for her, mom and aunt Mary to enjoy on the beach. We joined them after a great 2 hour nap by Claire. We joined them back on the beach and stayed out until time to get ready for dinner!

We got dressed and ready for Peg Leg Pete's. We took some mother/daughter pics during our 2 hour wait! This night was a rough because dinner went way past bedtime and Claire was acting up and Annie was so tired. Annie slept with Michele this night, and for good reason because Claire was up a lot crying and coughing and ended up sleeping with me.

Sunday morning, Michele and Annie had to go home. The day on the beach was practically the same as Saturday, just missing Annie and aunt Chele. I went in at lunch to feed Claire and lay her down, and my mom let me go out and enjoy beach time without her while she stayed in during Naptime!!! I napped. Best gift. Again, we stayed out until dinner. We stayed in the condo to eat up extra food so that we had less to take home. We began to pack up. Claire had another coughing fit, but after some Zarbees, she slept well.

We left by 8:30 on Monday morning after one more walk out on the beach. To say that Claire dos well would be an understatement. I don't think she cried once. There was a little whining, but nothing bad. She watched Sesame Street and Mickey. We had toys and snacks. We still stopped every so often to walk around and eat. She messed her diaper 3 times that we had to make special stops for. One place that was great to walk around was the visitors center in Lake Village! So nice and perfect for a busy toddler to roam. We beat all nasty weather and missed any heavy traffic. It was a smooth 12 hour ride. We made it to Russellville around 9. We left to come back the next morning and again, she was great!

I think the greatest thing we ever did was flip that car seat around!!!! (All the praise hands!) I was so proud of how much Claire enjoyed this trip!

Flying with a Babe

Claire and I flew to Georgia to see my sister and her family. I was a NERVOUS WRECK prepping for the flight. As soon as we booked the tickets I thought, "what have I done?!" I instantly went to the Internet and talked to my sis to find out all important information.

Claire was absolutely AMAZING!!!! She only cried when she was in her car seat because she wanted out. Otherwise, she was playing or "performing" for her audience (the sewing club and the older couples flocked to her). On the way home, she got a little fussy because she was so tired, but I nursed her and she fell right asleep.

I thought I'd compile a list of all things I found helpful.

I TRAVELED WITH A VERY AVTIVE 9 MONTH OLD. She prefers to be crawling and playing. She does not nap on me often.

1. Promise yourself to "go with the flow". Being worked up the entire travel day will help you none. Your top priority should just be to keep the babe happy. No matter what.

2. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Babies under 2 can get a ticket or travel as a "lap baby". I strongly suggest going as a lap baby. Make sure you call the airline prior to your trip and make sure they document on your boarding pass that you are traveling with a child. We flew southwest. I was told to bring Claire's birth certificate to the ticket counter to prove she was under 2. They gave me another boarding pass with one for her.

3. TRAVEL SYSTEM: My sis didn't have a car seat or stroller, so we had to take both. I packed the base in my large suitcase (we got 2 checked bags for free) and clipped the car seat into the stroller to push around. When we got to our gate, I went and spoke with the flight attendants. They tagged the stroller and seat for me to gate check. IF YOU HAVE A LAYOVER, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO TELL THEM YOU WILL NEED THE STROLLER AT THE LAYOVER DESTINATION. IF YOU DONT SPECIFY, IT MIGHT GO ON TO THE FINAL DESTINATION. On our flights to Georgia, there were plenty of seats, so I got to take the car seat on the plane. I thought she might sleep in it, but she didn't. It was mostly just a hassle. During the layover, I strapped her into the car seat (in the stroller) and pushed her around while she napped. It was her only nap. On the way home, they planes were way full so there was no room for the car seat. *When we got off the plane, we waited right outside for our things.

3. WHAT TO PACK FOR ENTERTAINMENT: I put a few of Claire's toys away about 2 weeks before we left. I wanted them to be new to her. We had a book, a light up/singing toy, Sophie, a stacking toy, among other things. She mostly just played with the peanut bags, the people around us and the tray. Southwest had free wifi with TV shows. We watched Mickey twice.

4. WHAT TO PACK FOR FOOD: I took a few pouches for her to suck on during landing and take off. She is not an on demand nurser, nor does she take long, so I needed other options to help with ears. She had mums and gerber cookies and a water bottle. I also took puffs and yogurt melts, but they slide away and were easily thrown. Don't forget snacks for mama! You'll be hungry too!

5. WHAT NECESSITIES TO TAKE: Food!!! Antibacterial hand and face wipes to wipe her off as often as possible. I had Wet Ones to wipe off all surrounding areas. Seriously. I tried to wipe almost everything she touched.

6. WHAT TO WEAR: If you're a nursing mom, a piko top with a tank top under was so wonderful! It completely covered the babe and kept me modest. Comfy pants and easy slip on shoes are a must as always. I put Claire in a buttoned romper. It was the easiest to change her diapers and I didn't have to keep up with any pants. Keep the baby shoeless if possible so you don't have to remove those. Take an extra outfit for all!

7. WHERE TO SIT: I spoke to the staff before boarding and they suggested sitting as close to the engine as possible, and sitting by the window. On flights that I knew had a few extra seats, I put my bag in the middle seat to keep others from sitting. Claire loved to sit by herself!

I hope this was helpful in someway! Just stay calm and be amazed at how much attention your baby gets!

(Playing around at the gate.)

(She loved sitting by herself and waving to everyone around her.)

(Popping up after nursing to say "hi"!)

(This is how she rode around the airport.)

Pensacola Beach 2015

Every other year, my parents provide a vacation for our whole family to enjoy together! They get a house in Pensacola Beach, FL that is big enough for our whopping 18 person clan. This year was different for us because we were 100% responsible for a baby! She was going through a face of waking a lot at night, and that stressed me out. I didn't want her to disturb others. Naps were also a struggle because she didn't want to miss the fun and the room was bright compared to her black out room at home. She didn't like to ocean or the pool, but she LOVED watching from the sand! We took a blow up pool, her portable exersaucer, extra clothes, dry diapers, sunscreen and baby powder. We probably spent 3 hours total on the beach every day, but it was awesome and full of good memories. As an extra fun thing, I got to go parasailing with my dad! It was something that we've both wanted to do and it just so happened to be the month for his 60th and my 27th birthday!

I will say that Andrew and I going on our babymoon last summer was a fantastic choice, because beach vacations will never be the same!

(profesional photos by Images by Randy)