Back to the Snowy North

Our holiday was wonderful. :) Lots of sun, and salt water. Sitting on the boat, feeling the wind in our faces, the salt spray in our hair (and occasional big splashes all over us!). The food was tasty, the company superb, it really was a great time. I came back feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. One major highlight was scuba diving - earlier this fall Tim and I got our open water scuba diving certification, so we were able to partake in several fantastic dives. We saw shipwrecks, shark, stingrays, spotted rays, turtles, and many, many fishies. I'm hoping to post some pictures from our diving sometime soon.

We learned quite a few new things about traveling with an infant - traveling with a very young infant (>2 months) is one thing, traveling with an infant when they're alert and active is something very different. Here's a few things that we learned:

1. Whenever possible, travel with others. It is a HUGE help to have many hands to help with feeding, changing, soothing, and giving mom and dad a break!

2. Invest in a good travel high chair - Tim's mom found the Chicco 360 Hook On high chair, which came in handy for mealtime, playtime, when going to restaurants, and even as a secure environment to put Sam when the seas were rough. This little chair is extremely versatile and sturdy!

3. Bring whatever baby stuff that you need with you (i.e. baby food, diapers etc) - the way we pulled this off was that Tim and I shared one suitcase and the other was dedicated solely to Sam's stuff. Baby items are available most places you go, but tend to be quite expensive unless you are traveling to continental US or Canada.

4. Handy way to transport your car seat: Bungy cord it to your suitcase while rolling it through the airport, then leave it at the airplane door. This way you know it's going to be handled safer than if it's put with all the luggage.

5. Bring a sturdy umbrella stroller with a basket. We got ours from Walmart, it was Cosco brand. I think we spent about $25 on it, and it had a little sunshade and two reclining positions. It came in handy for travel through the airport, for getting around at various destinations, and in a pinch we could use it as a highchair and/or place for him to snooze when dinner went late. Also, you can leave it at the door of the airplane along with your car seat, you are allowed to bring a stroller AND car seat.

6. We found our moby wrap invaluable last time we traveled with Sam, but this time we hardly used it at all. I think it would still have been useful had we not brought the stroller.

That's all that I can think of for now, more tips may come to mind. We sure had fun! Can't believe the snow that we came back to! :)