Earlier in the month, we took our precious toddler on her very first plane ride! We went to visit her Grandparents and Great Grandparents in New England, and it was an experience.
Let me preface everything by saying that nothing about the trip was nearly as a bad as I had anticipated. The only real problem I had with the whole trip (and SuperScott, I love you, but I'm going to pound on you just a little bit here) is that Scott was fairly adamant that he did not want to bring the stroller. His mom had a spare for us to use when we got there (as well as a spare carseat, crib, changing table, etc...his second cousins (twins) live very near by and are only about 18 months older than Angelica so we borrowed some of their stuff), so he decided we would just carry Angelica through the airport.
Let's just say...sleepy toddler + crowds + strange place = one unhappy child. And that was just the trip up there!
I was also worried that Angelica would not tolerate the plane ride well. Two days before our trip, she was sent home from daycare with a 102 degree fever and a really, really bad cold. I was sure her ears would bother her, but much to my surprise, she did incredibly well on the plane. She sat in my lap during takeoff, and by the time we were in the air, she was sound asleep and slept for over half of the plane ride.
Flying with a tired toddler = bliss. She slept! On the plane! For over an hour!
For nine days she had a blast at her Grandma and Grandpa's house. She encountered big dogs (they have two Great Danes), other kids (SS's three second cousins, ages 5 and 2), a new shopping mall, new shopping mall playground, lots of new friends, and stairs!
Site Note:
Angelica now loves stairs! She sees a flight of stairs and it's like...Oh Mommy! Mommy look! Stairs! I want to climb the stairs! I want to run up the stairs! I want to give you a heart attack by climbing up stairs too fast for you to keep up!
So the flight home...that was the fun part. We flew back in the afternoon, after she had taken a nap, so she was wide awake. Sleep was out of the question here. She did NOT want to sit still in the airport (again, no stroller!), so we entertained her by giving her pink lemonade. Give her a sugary substance and she's your best friend.
Then on the plane, we felt horrible for the people in front of us. Angelica's favorite airplane passtime? Kicking the back of people's seats and reaching through and poking them in the arm. I like to think we both did a good job of restraining her but she somehow grew extra limbs and kicked and poked anyway. She also played a lot of musical parents. If SS was holding her, she wanted me. If I was holding her, she wanted him.
And then came the fun part. That 20 ounces of pink lemonade she drank at the airport? Yeah, that diaper was no match for the amount of pee she had stored up. She was sitting on SuperScott's lap and just let it go....and out of the diaper it went. All over her. All over him.
Karma for him not wanting to bring he stroller, maybe?
So of course, we had packed all of her spare clothes in the suitcase that got checked. Fortunately, we did have diapers in the diaper bag, so she got changed, and took the rest of the flight wearing a t-shirt and a diper. (We dressed her when we landed.)
The moral(s) of the story:
1. Bring a stroller to the airport. It will make managing the in-and-out of security check and waiting to board MUCH easier.
2. Travel early so your toddler will sleep on the plane.
3. Do not give them copious amounts of liquid prior to boarding a 2 1/2 hour flight.
September 29, 2009
September 22, 2009
The Bump's Mommy Blog Awards
This contest was announced earlier today - I would be honored if anyone reading this would nominate Minute for Mom in the Working Mom Blog category!
More interesting posts are to come, including a recap of our recent vacation and how Angelica tolerated her first flight!
More interesting posts are to come, including a recap of our recent vacation and how Angelica tolerated her first flight!
September 1, 2009
One and done, or more than one?
I spent a little bit of time this evening catching up on reading a parenting message board that I used to visit frequently. I had been away from it for a bit, catching up on school work and work-work (and neglecting this blog, too!). I wasn't surprised to see some controversy break out on the discussion board about the number of children the Duggars are having. Yes, Michelle is having baby number 19!
One topic that really struck a nerve with me was one mom's suggestion that having only one child is selfish. It struck a nerve with me because I'm still not certain that I will ever be able to have another child...nor am I 100% certain that I want another at this point. I talk about having another, but when I look at the reality of it for us from a financial standpoint -- another daycare bill when we're already struggling to pay the bills we have now -- and from a physical standpoint -- considering the complications I had with my pregnancy with Angelica and how long it took for us to get pregnant with her, and let's face it, by the time I'm ready to get pregnant again, I'd likely be hearing the words "advanced maternal age" -- it just seems like a pipe dream. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love children. I've loved being Angelica's mom for the past fifteen months, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat with a second child. But I don't think it would be selfish if ultimately we chose not to have another.
On the one hand, I want Angelica to grow up with a sibling she can relate to, and have a sibling to grow old with so that when SuperScott and I have passed on, she won't be without familiarity. She's got her cousins, but nothing is quite like having a brother or sister. On the other hand, nothing guarantees that siblings will have a good relationship. My sister and I fought like cats and dogs until we were both a few years into adulthood. She and I are best friends now, but there's not guarantees that all siblings can form this kind of relationship. That's always the one argument I can see for really trying to make ends meet so that we can have another child.
At the same time, though, I don't think anyone should feel obligated to have more children than they want or more than they can reasonably support. I think those considerations are important and if they result in deciding to be "one and done", I'm all for it. Every family is different, and the number of children a couple has is an extremely personal decision. For me, personally, it's not that I don't have enough room in my heart for another. It's a financial and physical consideration, and right now, those signs point to no.
So, when I think about Michelle Duggar being pregnant with number 19...is it unheard of to have this many children? Yes. Do the parents want this baby and have the means to support him or her? Yes. So why judge? I say good for them. It's a shocking number to hear, and I know I could never do it. But if they can, they should.
Of course, since they do have a national TV show, hopefully they are aware that this opens their family up to criticism...:)
One topic that really struck a nerve with me was one mom's suggestion that having only one child is selfish. It struck a nerve with me because I'm still not certain that I will ever be able to have another child...nor am I 100% certain that I want another at this point. I talk about having another, but when I look at the reality of it for us from a financial standpoint -- another daycare bill when we're already struggling to pay the bills we have now -- and from a physical standpoint -- considering the complications I had with my pregnancy with Angelica and how long it took for us to get pregnant with her, and let's face it, by the time I'm ready to get pregnant again, I'd likely be hearing the words "advanced maternal age" -- it just seems like a pipe dream. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love children. I've loved being Angelica's mom for the past fifteen months, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat with a second child. But I don't think it would be selfish if ultimately we chose not to have another.
On the one hand, I want Angelica to grow up with a sibling she can relate to, and have a sibling to grow old with so that when SuperScott and I have passed on, she won't be without familiarity. She's got her cousins, but nothing is quite like having a brother or sister. On the other hand, nothing guarantees that siblings will have a good relationship. My sister and I fought like cats and dogs until we were both a few years into adulthood. She and I are best friends now, but there's not guarantees that all siblings can form this kind of relationship. That's always the one argument I can see for really trying to make ends meet so that we can have another child.
At the same time, though, I don't think anyone should feel obligated to have more children than they want or more than they can reasonably support. I think those considerations are important and if they result in deciding to be "one and done", I'm all for it. Every family is different, and the number of children a couple has is an extremely personal decision. For me, personally, it's not that I don't have enough room in my heart for another. It's a financial and physical consideration, and right now, those signs point to no.
So, when I think about Michelle Duggar being pregnant with number 19...is it unheard of to have this many children? Yes. Do the parents want this baby and have the means to support him or her? Yes. So why judge? I say good for them. It's a shocking number to hear, and I know I could never do it. But if they can, they should.
Of course, since they do have a national TV show, hopefully they are aware that this opens their family up to criticism...:)
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