On the Road
Today begins the next adventure in the never-ending list of Firsts that is parenting: vacation with Little J.
We're going to Virginia Beach for a week. This is our first trip of any significant distance since well before Little J's arrival. Last year we went to Cape May for a few days which was fun, but not a real getaway of the likes we spoiled ourselves with pre-baby. And its likely to be our most challenging trip yet.
Why, you may be asking? If you don't have a kid you won't get it. I certainly didn't get it before I was a parent. There are a million new considerations to be made. The location, the hotel, the packing list, actually packing, planning your travel time... I could go on and on with the phases of travel that have changed.
A lot of it has to do with the amount of stuff* a baby requires. We briefly considered somewhere further than VA Beach, but logistically we don't understand how people fly with a baby. The toys she'll need to entertain herself for a week alone would cost us $25 in baggage fees. So we're driving, but how do you pack all of her stuff plus yours plus beach chairs, an umbrella, etc.? My choices where buying a rooftop carrier or leaving Melissa at home. I opted for the former because Melissa is handy to have around when Little J wakes up at 4:00 am.
Then there's the travel time. Little J is generally pretty good in the car, but she has limits. Our plan to minimize screaming is to a) split the trip into two parts, and b) start the first (four hour) leg after she goes to bed at 8:00. That's after a full day at work and before a morning of driving another four hours.
But we've got the car top packed, the coffee machine set to turn on at 7:30 PM and our sights set southward. Here's to Family Vacations!
* yes, I see the irony about packing too much stuff on a blog called I Think We Over Packed.
We're going to Virginia Beach for a week. This is our first trip of any significant distance since well before Little J's arrival. Last year we went to Cape May for a few days which was fun, but not a real getaway of the likes we spoiled ourselves with pre-baby. And its likely to be our most challenging trip yet.
Why, you may be asking? If you don't have a kid you won't get it. I certainly didn't get it before I was a parent. There are a million new considerations to be made. The location, the hotel, the packing list, actually packing, planning your travel time... I could go on and on with the phases of travel that have changed.
A lot of it has to do with the amount of stuff* a baby requires. We briefly considered somewhere further than VA Beach, but logistically we don't understand how people fly with a baby. The toys she'll need to entertain herself for a week alone would cost us $25 in baggage fees. So we're driving, but how do you pack all of her stuff plus yours plus beach chairs, an umbrella, etc.? My choices where buying a rooftop carrier or leaving Melissa at home. I opted for the former because Melissa is handy to have around when Little J wakes up at 4:00 am.
Then there's the travel time. Little J is generally pretty good in the car, but she has limits. Our plan to minimize screaming is to a) split the trip into two parts, and b) start the first (four hour) leg after she goes to bed at 8:00. That's after a full day at work and before a morning of driving another four hours.
But we've got the car top packed, the coffee machine set to turn on at 7:30 PM and our sights set southward. Here's to Family Vacations!
* yes, I see the irony about packing too much stuff on a blog called I Think We Over Packed.
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