Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Nonticketed Lap Child: Tips for Traveling with Someone Under Two
Since Amelia and I just completed our one millionth airplane trip together, I thought I would share what I have learned about entertaining a toddler on a planes.
1. New, new, new
Probably the most important thing I've learned about traveling with Amelia is to bring a wide variety of things to play with, and to bring as many "new" things along as I can. These things don't have to be brand new--although I sometimes do buy one or two things to take along--just things she hasn't seen in awhile. About a week before we travel, I look over her toys for anything that might be plane-appropriate (see below) and stash it away in her closet. Then I can pack it, and when I reintroduce it on the plane, it's a little surprise! Another way to get "new" things without spending money is to borrow toys from friends. Ask fellow parents if they have any plane-appropriate toys you can take on your trip. Some of the best toys we've traveled with have been toys of Amelia's friends.
2. Dole It Out
Once you've chosen what to bring and packed your bag, be the bag-master. A and I usually travel alone, so we just have a single bag. If I let her see the bag she'd be done with it in 10 minutes, so as we travel, I bring out one toy or activity at a time. I try to think ahead about the best times to do so. For example, if the flight attendant is about to bring drinks, I wait until after that to offer a new activity, because we've learned that ice in a cup is a fine plane toy. (In fact, when Amelia sees the flight attendants, she starts saying "Rice! Rice!")
3. Plane-Appropriate
What are the best toys for the plane? A lot of it depends on the child's age, but here are a few things I've learned. Anything too big is out, for obvious reasons, as is anything too messy. Keep in mind that no matter what you do, a lot of what you bring is going to end up on the floor. Will it be fairly easy to retrieve? Balls and things that roll away too easily are probably best avoided. Also avoid toys that make extremely loud noises--see below re not being annoying. No one wants to sit near a baby and Talking Elmo. Books are good, if they're not too heavy or bulky, but if I bring books I try to make sure they are ones Amelia likes--otherwise they are a waste of space.
Before a trip, I always try to think about what most entertains Amelia at that stage in her life and figure out how to best replicate that on the plane. So when she was under 6 months, her main airplane "entertainment" was nursing, being walked up and down the aisle, and, during one memorable trip, being whisked from my arms by a well-meaning flight attendant. But by 9 or 10 months, I could just bring a bag of stuff she'd never seen before--measuring cups, ribbons, My Little Ponies, whatever, and that worked pretty well. For this last trip, we let her bring crayons for the first time, since she is finally not just eating them, and they entertained her for awhile. (But they do roll away pretty easily). As with anything child-related, what will work best for you is probably unique to your child.
4. Top Toys So Far
That said, we have had some luck with particular toys. As I mentioned above, books can be good. Amelia likes any kind of picture dictionary type book, peek-a-boo books, and touch and feel books. One of her favorites has been a foam puzzle book loaned to us by a friend. It is lighter and more manageable than a real puzzle, and it took up at least an hour (in various 15-minute increments) on the trip we took before this last one.
She also likes flash cards, and we can take a lot of time handing her 3 or 4 cards, one at a time, and then getting her to hand them back. Stickers have worked well for us for awhile. You can stick them on each other, all 10 fingers, your boarding pass, every dog you can find in the Sky Mall book, and if you are desperate, your tray table. Another friend of ours recommended painter's tape--same idea. And still another friend loaned us a doodle board sort of like this one--Amelia had a great time scribbling and making the picture "all gone."
As I mentioned above, art activities might work, if they are not too rolly or messy. I am looking forward to when a coloring book and crayons might actually entertain Amelia. This time, we brought crayons in a fold-up pouch like this one (photos at the bottoms on the page). I did not make ours; it was a gift from Aunt Susan at Christmas (thank you Susan!). Amelia had more fun taking the crayons in and out of the pockets than actually coloring, but whatever. We also took these markers that only write on special paper. We learned that they do in fact leave an odd, wet-looking mark on airplane tray tables, but that comes off easily with a baby wipe. (Another random tip: bring a lot of baby wipes.) Amelia again had a better time putting the lids of the markers on her fingers than coloring, but again, oh well.
I thought I would wrap up the toy section by giving an example of what I meant by trying to replicate on planes what entertains Amelia in general. I bought two new things for the trip home from NC: toys rings and a bag of small farm animals. Both of these I found at a random NC drugstore for under $5. Since Amelia had such putting marker lids on her fingers on the way to NC, I thought she would enjoy the rings. And at her Luli and Guru's house, Amelia had a great time playing with dollhouse furniture and a bucket of seashells. I thought the farm animals were kind of similar. Both of these toys worked very well on the plane--but they wouldn't have a couple of months ago, when they would have gone straight in the mouth.
5. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks.
In my opinion, one of the most important things you can bring on the plane is food, for yourself and your child. Bring stuff you know you both like. Don't be too concerned about being healthy. Amelia's current favorites are salty snacks, so I brought Ziplocks of pretzels, crackers, Veggie Straws, etc. As with toys, it helps to have a lot of different options you can dole out as needed. My own favorites are Luna bars and the Veggie Straws. To simplify things during security, I usually don't bring babyfood (although Amelia is currently obsessed with those squeezey applesauce things, so this time it might have been worth it). I do bring an empty sippy cup I can fill along the way, after security.
6. On Sleep
My experience is that sleep during air travel is pretty hit or miss. Amelia used to nurse herself to sleep, and on this trip her biggest fit was on the way there, crying for "mik." (That was actually the last time she cried for milk, too.) On the way back, she let me rock her to sleep, to the extent that you can rock someone to sleep in an airplane seat, and sing to her. But she never sleeps long. Invariably a flight attendant will park the drink cart right next to us, or the pilot will make an announcement, or I will have to move my arm or leg, and she will wake up. So I try to save sleep for when I know she is really tired and we will be sitting still for awhile. And hope for the best.
7. On Not Being (Too) Annoying
When I first started traveling with Amelia, what I hated most was worrying about annoying other people. Now I am not nearly as concerned about them, but there are a few things I try to keep in mind. I try not to bring anything too loud along, as I mentioned above, and I try not to let her engage in truly intrusive behavior, like repeatedly kicking the back of the seat. If the behavior is borderline--Amelia loves to stand up and play peek-a-boo with the people in the sear behind us--I try to feel out the fellow travelers. Sometimes you get lucky and sit near a grandparent. (Actually that is my number one tip--try to sit near a grandparent.) But, annoyance-wise, there are some things you can't do anything about. If Amelia has a fit, I just try to stay calm. And if someone is being annoyed for no real reason, like the man who turned around and glared at us when Amelia was singing to herself, I just glare back at them.
8. Emergency Stash
Take something you know will distract your child if all else fails and save it for an emergency. We brought out a bag of M&M's 15 minutes before landing in NC, when Amelia was exhausted and just wanted to be free, and it saved the day.
9. Take Care of Yourself
For me, this means drink water. Bring chapstick and lotion. Take a bathroom break. Eat something.
10. On Having Fun
As long-time readers of this blog may know, I am not a natural traveler. But I try to remember that traveling can be fun. Especially when Dean and I travel together, we try to make it a nice day, taking turns reading and entertaining Amelia. Even when I am by myself, I often buy a People magazine or something I wouldn't normally buy to read while Amelia sleeps. And if there a layover that is long enough, I have a mojito, a drink I am pretty sure I have only ever tried in airports.
I hope these tips are helpful. If anyone has something to add, please leave a comment! And happy travels!
1. New, new, new
Probably the most important thing I've learned about traveling with Amelia is to bring a wide variety of things to play with, and to bring as many "new" things along as I can. These things don't have to be brand new--although I sometimes do buy one or two things to take along--just things she hasn't seen in awhile. About a week before we travel, I look over her toys for anything that might be plane-appropriate (see below) and stash it away in her closet. Then I can pack it, and when I reintroduce it on the plane, it's a little surprise! Another way to get "new" things without spending money is to borrow toys from friends. Ask fellow parents if they have any plane-appropriate toys you can take on your trip. Some of the best toys we've traveled with have been toys of Amelia's friends.
2. Dole It Out
Once you've chosen what to bring and packed your bag, be the bag-master. A and I usually travel alone, so we just have a single bag. If I let her see the bag she'd be done with it in 10 minutes, so as we travel, I bring out one toy or activity at a time. I try to think ahead about the best times to do so. For example, if the flight attendant is about to bring drinks, I wait until after that to offer a new activity, because we've learned that ice in a cup is a fine plane toy. (In fact, when Amelia sees the flight attendants, she starts saying "Rice! Rice!")
3. Plane-Appropriate
What are the best toys for the plane? A lot of it depends on the child's age, but here are a few things I've learned. Anything too big is out, for obvious reasons, as is anything too messy. Keep in mind that no matter what you do, a lot of what you bring is going to end up on the floor. Will it be fairly easy to retrieve? Balls and things that roll away too easily are probably best avoided. Also avoid toys that make extremely loud noises--see below re not being annoying. No one wants to sit near a baby and Talking Elmo. Books are good, if they're not too heavy or bulky, but if I bring books I try to make sure they are ones Amelia likes--otherwise they are a waste of space.
Before a trip, I always try to think about what most entertains Amelia at that stage in her life and figure out how to best replicate that on the plane. So when she was under 6 months, her main airplane "entertainment" was nursing, being walked up and down the aisle, and, during one memorable trip, being whisked from my arms by a well-meaning flight attendant. But by 9 or 10 months, I could just bring a bag of stuff she'd never seen before--measuring cups, ribbons, My Little Ponies, whatever, and that worked pretty well. For this last trip, we let her bring crayons for the first time, since she is finally not just eating them, and they entertained her for awhile. (But they do roll away pretty easily). As with anything child-related, what will work best for you is probably unique to your child.
4. Top Toys So Far
That said, we have had some luck with particular toys. As I mentioned above, books can be good. Amelia likes any kind of picture dictionary type book, peek-a-boo books, and touch and feel books. One of her favorites has been a foam puzzle book loaned to us by a friend. It is lighter and more manageable than a real puzzle, and it took up at least an hour (in various 15-minute increments) on the trip we took before this last one.
She also likes flash cards, and we can take a lot of time handing her 3 or 4 cards, one at a time, and then getting her to hand them back. Stickers have worked well for us for awhile. You can stick them on each other, all 10 fingers, your boarding pass, every dog you can find in the Sky Mall book, and if you are desperate, your tray table. Another friend of ours recommended painter's tape--same idea. And still another friend loaned us a doodle board sort of like this one--Amelia had a great time scribbling and making the picture "all gone."
As I mentioned above, art activities might work, if they are not too rolly or messy. I am looking forward to when a coloring book and crayons might actually entertain Amelia. This time, we brought crayons in a fold-up pouch like this one (photos at the bottoms on the page). I did not make ours; it was a gift from Aunt Susan at Christmas (thank you Susan!). Amelia had more fun taking the crayons in and out of the pockets than actually coloring, but whatever. We also took these markers that only write on special paper. We learned that they do in fact leave an odd, wet-looking mark on airplane tray tables, but that comes off easily with a baby wipe. (Another random tip: bring a lot of baby wipes.) Amelia again had a better time putting the lids of the markers on her fingers than coloring, but again, oh well.
I thought I would wrap up the toy section by giving an example of what I meant by trying to replicate on planes what entertains Amelia in general. I bought two new things for the trip home from NC: toys rings and a bag of small farm animals. Both of these I found at a random NC drugstore for under $5. Since Amelia had such putting marker lids on her fingers on the way to NC, I thought she would enjoy the rings. And at her Luli and Guru's house, Amelia had a great time playing with dollhouse furniture and a bucket of seashells. I thought the farm animals were kind of similar. Both of these toys worked very well on the plane--but they wouldn't have a couple of months ago, when they would have gone straight in the mouth.
5. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks.
In my opinion, one of the most important things you can bring on the plane is food, for yourself and your child. Bring stuff you know you both like. Don't be too concerned about being healthy. Amelia's current favorites are salty snacks, so I brought Ziplocks of pretzels, crackers, Veggie Straws, etc. As with toys, it helps to have a lot of different options you can dole out as needed. My own favorites are Luna bars and the Veggie Straws. To simplify things during security, I usually don't bring babyfood (although Amelia is currently obsessed with those squeezey applesauce things, so this time it might have been worth it). I do bring an empty sippy cup I can fill along the way, after security.
6. On Sleep
My experience is that sleep during air travel is pretty hit or miss. Amelia used to nurse herself to sleep, and on this trip her biggest fit was on the way there, crying for "mik." (That was actually the last time she cried for milk, too.) On the way back, she let me rock her to sleep, to the extent that you can rock someone to sleep in an airplane seat, and sing to her. But she never sleeps long. Invariably a flight attendant will park the drink cart right next to us, or the pilot will make an announcement, or I will have to move my arm or leg, and she will wake up. So I try to save sleep for when I know she is really tired and we will be sitting still for awhile. And hope for the best.
7. On Not Being (Too) Annoying
When I first started traveling with Amelia, what I hated most was worrying about annoying other people. Now I am not nearly as concerned about them, but there are a few things I try to keep in mind. I try not to bring anything too loud along, as I mentioned above, and I try not to let her engage in truly intrusive behavior, like repeatedly kicking the back of the seat. If the behavior is borderline--Amelia loves to stand up and play peek-a-boo with the people in the sear behind us--I try to feel out the fellow travelers. Sometimes you get lucky and sit near a grandparent. (Actually that is my number one tip--try to sit near a grandparent.) But, annoyance-wise, there are some things you can't do anything about. If Amelia has a fit, I just try to stay calm. And if someone is being annoyed for no real reason, like the man who turned around and glared at us when Amelia was singing to herself, I just glare back at them.
8. Emergency Stash
Take something you know will distract your child if all else fails and save it for an emergency. We brought out a bag of M&M's 15 minutes before landing in NC, when Amelia was exhausted and just wanted to be free, and it saved the day.
9. Take Care of Yourself
For me, this means drink water. Bring chapstick and lotion. Take a bathroom break. Eat something.
10. On Having Fun
As long-time readers of this blog may know, I am not a natural traveler. But I try to remember that traveling can be fun. Especially when Dean and I travel together, we try to make it a nice day, taking turns reading and entertaining Amelia. Even when I am by myself, I often buy a People magazine or something I wouldn't normally buy to read while Amelia sleeps. And if there a layover that is long enough, I have a mojito, a drink I am pretty sure I have only ever tried in airports.
I hope these tips are helpful. If anyone has something to add, please leave a comment! And happy travels!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Camping With A, Part 3: Mount Elbert
I am still trying to catch up on documenting all of our summer fun.
After our first night of camping with Amelia, we headed for Mount Elbert, Colorado's tallest mountain.
This is a picture of Mt. Elbert from the car window.
I took it the afternoon after the Windsor Lake hike. I was more than a little intimidated.
But Dean assured me that even though Mount Elbert is obviously very tall, it is a relatively "easy" hike because it is also a fairly long, so you gain the elevation over a long distance. We weren't sure we could make it, but we decided to give it a try.
It started off well, flattish and woodsy. We did have to stop after about 20 minute to give Amelia some milk, but then she fell asleep. So we kept going up, up and away as she snoozed. Her sleep is a real motivating factor to keep going. We kept passing a man and his son and their dog, then they would pass us. As the trail got steeper and steeper, the man got more and more tired. His son kept leaving him behind and they would communicate on walkie-talkies. (Well, probably not walkie-talkies really--the 21st century version.) It made me feel better that someone else was having a hard time on the hike, although actually I felt pretty good, much better than the previous day.
After we passed the tree line, the trail got even steeper. You could see a summit in the distance. Dean said it was a false summit. I thought he was kidding. He wasn't.
Here are some shots from after we passed the tree line.
Finally, I got very so tired and hungry that we had to stop, even though Amelia was still asleep. She woke up and we had a little picnic.
Then we packed up and started off again, but we didn't get much farther. Amelia was complaining about being in her backpack and needed a longer break. And I was tired myself. We were still pretty far from even the false summit, so Amelia and I decided to play in the grass while Dean kept going for a little while.
He kept going for about 20 minutes, then passed some descending hikers who told him he was still pretty far from the top. Since the weather was looking a little questionable, with dark clouds in the distance, he decided to turn around.
Here are some pictures from he took while we waited.
Amelia had a fun time standing and playing with rocks and flowers.
In the meantime, the man and his son had passed by me and Amelia. The man, panting, sort of flung himself in the grass beside the trail, and the son kept going.
When Dean returned we went down, down, down. Amelia slept again for most of the descent, but woke up and got fussy toward the end. We were probably pushing the limit of how long we could realistically hike with a baby. We entertained her with songs, but we were all glad to get back to the car.
It was an ambitious hike, and we didn't make it to the summit. But I am gad we tried. We will not have another chance until Amelia is old enough to hike it herself, unless Dean and I go alone, because A will probably be too heavy to carry that far next year.
It was very beautiful. I do think I could have done made it to the top, too, which made me feel good.
After our first night of camping with Amelia, we headed for Mount Elbert, Colorado's tallest mountain.
This is a picture of Mt. Elbert from the car window.
I took it the afternoon after the Windsor Lake hike. I was more than a little intimidated.
But Dean assured me that even though Mount Elbert is obviously very tall, it is a relatively "easy" hike because it is also a fairly long, so you gain the elevation over a long distance. We weren't sure we could make it, but we decided to give it a try.
It started off well, flattish and woodsy. We did have to stop after about 20 minute to give Amelia some milk, but then she fell asleep. So we kept going up, up and away as she snoozed. Her sleep is a real motivating factor to keep going. We kept passing a man and his son and their dog, then they would pass us. As the trail got steeper and steeper, the man got more and more tired. His son kept leaving him behind and they would communicate on walkie-talkies. (Well, probably not walkie-talkies really--the 21st century version.) It made me feel better that someone else was having a hard time on the hike, although actually I felt pretty good, much better than the previous day.
After we passed the tree line, the trail got even steeper. You could see a summit in the distance. Dean said it was a false summit. I thought he was kidding. He wasn't.
Here are some shots from after we passed the tree line.
Finally, I got very so tired and hungry that we had to stop, even though Amelia was still asleep. She woke up and we had a little picnic.
Then we packed up and started off again, but we didn't get much farther. Amelia was complaining about being in her backpack and needed a longer break. And I was tired myself. We were still pretty far from even the false summit, so Amelia and I decided to play in the grass while Dean kept going for a little while.
He kept going for about 20 minutes, then passed some descending hikers who told him he was still pretty far from the top. Since the weather was looking a little questionable, with dark clouds in the distance, he decided to turn around.
Here are some pictures from he took while we waited.
Amelia had a fun time standing and playing with rocks and flowers.
In the meantime, the man and his son had passed by me and Amelia. The man, panting, sort of flung himself in the grass beside the trail, and the son kept going.
When Dean returned we went down, down, down. Amelia slept again for most of the descent, but woke up and got fussy toward the end. We were probably pushing the limit of how long we could realistically hike with a baby. We entertained her with songs, but we were all glad to get back to the car.
It was an ambitious hike, and we didn't make it to the summit. But I am gad we tried. We will not have another chance until Amelia is old enough to hike it herself, unless Dean and I go alone, because A will probably be too heavy to carry that far next year.
It was very beautiful. I do think I could have done made it to the top, too, which made me feel good.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Camping with A, Part Two: The Campsite
We lived in a tent with Amelia for two days.
Here's the site before the tent was set up.
Amelia loved playing in the tent and throwing herself around on the air mattress.
As one would expect, her sleep in the tent was not great. She actually did pretty well the first night, if you don't count being woken up by a barking dog an hour after she fell asleep. The second night, she cried a lot and loudly, and so we let her sleep in the air mattress with us. Unfortunately the air mattress had a slow leak, so we slept--to the extent that we slept--in a sort of U with baby A in the trough.
We were glad to see the mornings come. But it was chilly in the mornings, so Amelia wore her 80's legwarmers.
We had a great view.
Overall, we enjoyed camping. Dean and I are more used to backpacking than car camping so we were excited to have loads of things we couldn't have taken on a backpacking trip, like the aforementioned pillows and a bottle of wine. But we still made a long list of even more stuff we would take if we went again, like Amelia's high chair (she spent mealtimes crawling over her food in search of rocks to put in her mouth) and perhaps a soundproof box for the Pack and Play (haha).
Here's the site before the tent was set up.
Amelia loved playing in the tent and throwing herself around on the air mattress.
As one would expect, her sleep in the tent was not great. She actually did pretty well the first night, if you don't count being woken up by a barking dog an hour after she fell asleep. The second night, she cried a lot and loudly, and so we let her sleep in the air mattress with us. Unfortunately the air mattress had a slow leak, so we slept--to the extent that we slept--in a sort of U with baby A in the trough.
We were glad to see the mornings come. But it was chilly in the mornings, so Amelia wore her 80's legwarmers.
We had a great view.
Overall, we enjoyed camping. Dean and I are more used to backpacking than car camping so we were excited to have loads of things we couldn't have taken on a backpacking trip, like the aforementioned pillows and a bottle of wine. But we still made a long list of even more stuff we would take if we went again, like Amelia's high chair (she spent mealtimes crawling over her food in search of rocks to put in her mouth) and perhaps a soundproof box for the Pack and Play (haha).
Camping With A, Part One: Windsor Lake
So to continue the story of our busy August, after Liz and Oliver left, we packed up for our first camping trip with Baby A. Armed with a car full of essential gear, including an air mattress, the Pack and Play, a sleep sack, and our own wonderful pillows, we set off for Whitestar Campgound, a few miles outside of Leadville, CO.
On the way to the campground, we took what was described in a certain guidebook (and by a certain other person in this family) to be "short," "easy," and "beautiful" hike to a lake.
Beautiful: yes.
Short: I'll concede to short. It was about a mile.
Easy: Um, no. The mile was straight uphill. Up, up and away.
So on the way up this mile, I began to get grouchy, very very grouchy. I generally get at least somewhat grouchy at some point during most hikes, around the same time I run out of breath. But I also usually get over the grouchiness very quickly, either by slowing down, taking a break, or getting Dean to encourage me. He is a pro at making it sound like we really are almost there. But this time, I think I was discouraged by the fact that this "easy" hike was so brutal. Finally I realized that Dean was very out of breath too. The guide book's author, quite simply, is a dirty liar.
To be fair, it really was a short hike. And I suspect that if I did the same hike today I wouldn't think it was quite as hard, because I am more used to climbing up Colorado's various slopes. But at the time it was really hard. Note to guide book authors: short and easy are not the same thing. I will take a long, flattish hike over a short, steep one any day. Not that I am likely to find a long, flat hike anywhere around here. Unless I can convince Dean that we need to hike the eastern plains...
Anyway, it also really was a beautiful hike. There were tons of wildflowers.
And toadstools.
And this cave.
And the lake was very beautiful. The water in these Rocky Mountain lakes is very clear.
When we got to the lake, Amelia and I had a little picnic while Dean climbed to the top of the ridge above the lake, so he could see over the Continental Divide. Then we went down, down, down, and made our merry way to the campground.
On the way to the campground, we took what was described in a certain guidebook (and by a certain other person in this family) to be "short," "easy," and "beautiful" hike to a lake.
Beautiful: yes.
Short: I'll concede to short. It was about a mile.
Easy: Um, no. The mile was straight uphill. Up, up and away.
So on the way up this mile, I began to get grouchy, very very grouchy. I generally get at least somewhat grouchy at some point during most hikes, around the same time I run out of breath. But I also usually get over the grouchiness very quickly, either by slowing down, taking a break, or getting Dean to encourage me. He is a pro at making it sound like we really are almost there. But this time, I think I was discouraged by the fact that this "easy" hike was so brutal. Finally I realized that Dean was very out of breath too. The guide book's author, quite simply, is a dirty liar.
To be fair, it really was a short hike. And I suspect that if I did the same hike today I wouldn't think it was quite as hard, because I am more used to climbing up Colorado's various slopes. But at the time it was really hard. Note to guide book authors: short and easy are not the same thing. I will take a long, flattish hike over a short, steep one any day. Not that I am likely to find a long, flat hike anywhere around here. Unless I can convince Dean that we need to hike the eastern plains...
Anyway, it also really was a beautiful hike. There were tons of wildflowers.
And toadstools.
And this cave.
And the lake was very beautiful. The water in these Rocky Mountain lakes is very clear.
When we got to the lake, Amelia and I had a little picnic while Dean climbed to the top of the ridge above the lake, so he could see over the Continental Divide. Then we went down, down, down, and made our merry way to the campground.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Home in Denver
About a week after the move, we traveled to NC for a (beautiful) wedding, which was at Dean's parents' house, then Amelia and I stayed with my parents for several days. At both places, Amelia basked in her grandparents' undying love. Last Friday, A and I flew home. Traveling alone with her was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
We flew from Charlotte through Houston on the way home, and we flew, I think, over the oil spill. I looked down--which I rarely do in a plane--and couldn't tell if we were over land or water. What was below was brownish, like bare dirty land, but there were tiny specks that seemed to be leaving a wake as in water. After a few minutes the brown gradually gave way to blue. So sad. I have been trying to think of ways we can further decrease our oil consumption.
We spent most of the weekend trying to get our house into order. It is still not finished. I finally took my clothes out of boxes yesterday but now I simply have clothes strewn about the bedroom. The golden age of Amelia sitting and playing with things has mostly passed; she wants to be held or to hold your fingers and pull herself to standing or for you to sit with her and watch her practice crawling. All of which I am happy to do. I just can't get anything else done.
We have fallen into the beginnings of a pleasant little weekday routine. Wake up, breakfast, go to the park, nap, playtime, lunch, more playtime or an outing, nap again, play and snack, a dip in the baby pool, and another nap in the stroller just before Dean comes home. During Amelia's morning nap I have been writing and during the afternoon nap, reading. We've been twice to "Book Babies" at a nearby library and I've met two moms, one at Book Babies and one at the park. Plus our across-the-ally neighbors, who have a 15-month old.
I love our neighborhood. The houses are beautiful, old and colorful. They are pink and yellow and green and blue and purple; one is painted like a rainbow, one is painted like the night sky, complete with stars and a crescent moon. There are all kind of people walking around: old hippies and young hippies and people who look like 80's punk rockers with pierced lips and people pushing strollers and people with sagging pants and teenagers in bathing suits and children in small packs and people wearing suits and ties. Within 3-6 blocks of our house we have a park, a rec center with a pool, 4 or 5 bookstores, 2 or 3 vintage furniture shops, a cool clothing store where I got a beautiful purple skirt, a Goodwill and several other thrift stores, and so many restaurants--sushi, Thai, pizza, coffee shops, brew pubs, breakfast. And, I just found out, a delicious ice cream shop.
In Amelia news: teething. An upper left tooth has come in. I think it is a canine tooth. The right one is working its way out as we speak. It's funny because the upper front teeth (the incisors) aren't in yet. Just call her fang.
Fang is waking up. Gotta go--pictures are coming soon!
We flew from Charlotte through Houston on the way home, and we flew, I think, over the oil spill. I looked down--which I rarely do in a plane--and couldn't tell if we were over land or water. What was below was brownish, like bare dirty land, but there were tiny specks that seemed to be leaving a wake as in water. After a few minutes the brown gradually gave way to blue. So sad. I have been trying to think of ways we can further decrease our oil consumption.
We spent most of the weekend trying to get our house into order. It is still not finished. I finally took my clothes out of boxes yesterday but now I simply have clothes strewn about the bedroom. The golden age of Amelia sitting and playing with things has mostly passed; she wants to be held or to hold your fingers and pull herself to standing or for you to sit with her and watch her practice crawling. All of which I am happy to do. I just can't get anything else done.
We have fallen into the beginnings of a pleasant little weekday routine. Wake up, breakfast, go to the park, nap, playtime, lunch, more playtime or an outing, nap again, play and snack, a dip in the baby pool, and another nap in the stroller just before Dean comes home. During Amelia's morning nap I have been writing and during the afternoon nap, reading. We've been twice to "Book Babies" at a nearby library and I've met two moms, one at Book Babies and one at the park. Plus our across-the-ally neighbors, who have a 15-month old.
I love our neighborhood. The houses are beautiful, old and colorful. They are pink and yellow and green and blue and purple; one is painted like a rainbow, one is painted like the night sky, complete with stars and a crescent moon. There are all kind of people walking around: old hippies and young hippies and people who look like 80's punk rockers with pierced lips and people pushing strollers and people with sagging pants and teenagers in bathing suits and children in small packs and people wearing suits and ties. Within 3-6 blocks of our house we have a park, a rec center with a pool, 4 or 5 bookstores, 2 or 3 vintage furniture shops, a cool clothing store where I got a beautiful purple skirt, a Goodwill and several other thrift stores, and so many restaurants--sushi, Thai, pizza, coffee shops, brew pubs, breakfast. And, I just found out, a delicious ice cream shop.
In Amelia news: teething. An upper left tooth has come in. I think it is a canine tooth. The right one is working its way out as we speak. It's funny because the upper front teeth (the incisors) aren't in yet. Just call her fang.
Fang is waking up. Gotta go--pictures are coming soon!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Tally
Number of minutes I am giving myself to write this post: 5
Number of papers I have graded in the past 5 days: 37
Number of hours I have spent on airplanes in the past 2 weeks: 11
Number of take-offs I have had to endure: 5
Number of minutes baby A cried on said planes: surprisingly, probably only about 45-60
Number of teeth Amelia now has: 2!
Number of houses Dean and I have bought: 1!
Number of blog posts I have written in my head: many
Number of days left to teach: 3
How much I am looking forward to the end of the semester: very, VERY much
I promise updates as soon as I am not swamped with teaching, a teething baby, and uprooting life changes.
Number of papers I have graded in the past 5 days: 37
Number of hours I have spent on airplanes in the past 2 weeks: 11
Number of take-offs I have had to endure: 5
Number of minutes baby A cried on said planes: surprisingly, probably only about 45-60
Number of teeth Amelia now has: 2!
Number of houses Dean and I have bought: 1!
Number of blog posts I have written in my head: many
Number of days left to teach: 3
How much I am looking forward to the end of the semester: very, VERY much
I promise updates as soon as I am not swamped with teaching, a teething baby, and uprooting life changes.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Baby Shower!
Thanks to everyone who came to our baby shower on Saturday! It was great to see everyone, and I was amazed at how many people told me they read the blog. I am always a little overwhelmed at parties in my honor, but it quickly became clear, by how all hands went immediately to my belly, that the real guest of honor wasn't me--I just carry her around. Whew--what a relief!
It was a beautiful day, and the baby seems to have almost everything she needs! We have pretty much reached Liz's suggested number of BumGenius diapers, and we have blankets and a bathtub and a nursing stool... a variety of lovely dresses, pajama sets, and stylish outfits for the baby... many useful items from other moms and dads and grandparents that we had no idea we needed, but clearly do... and lots of toys, including a playmat and two trucks!... and some lovely items for the baby's "nursery," a.k.a. our hallway, including a handmade wall hanging made by Luli! I will post a nursery picture of as soon as we get everything set up (which, as we know, will be by August 31 at the latest).
We are so grateful for our friends' and family's kindness and generousity. A special thank you to Luli and Corrie, for putting it all together, and to Liz and Oliver for driving all the way from Nashville to attend!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Red Line
Several people wanted to know if I would have been on the Metro trains that crashed last week. I wouldn't, but I might have been waiting for one of them if it hadn't been my day off.
There was a nice tribute to the train operator in yesterday's Washington Post.
A page on the accident and Metro's handling of it also included this "local fact:"
"Although the Red Line crash has justifiably raised concerns about Metro's safety, driving is still a lot more dangerous. Metrorail has no fatalities from 1996 to last Monday. In the same period, more than 6,000 people died in road accidents in the Washington region."
This makes me feel better about getting back on the trains tomorrow, but I didn't especially find it comforting on our way up 95 yesterday afternoon.
There was a nice tribute to the train operator in yesterday's Washington Post.
A page on the accident and Metro's handling of it also included this "local fact:"
"Although the Red Line crash has justifiably raised concerns about Metro's safety, driving is still a lot more dangerous. Metrorail has no fatalities from 1996 to last Monday. In the same period, more than 6,000 people died in road accidents in the Washington region."
This makes me feel better about getting back on the trains tomorrow, but I didn't especially find it comforting on our way up 95 yesterday afternoon.
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