Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Trip to Oregon/Traveling with a Toddler

Well, we did it. We actually took a plane with Mira and it wasn't so bad. It was our cousin, Jennie's wedding, so Mira got to meet lots of relatives on my dad's side for the first time. Being around relatives who want to talk and play with her constantly definitely help expand her little vocabulary. I honestly lost track of all the new words she has acquired, but so far I have:
"no"
"hat" (she started saying this a week before we flew)
"mommy" perfectly clear
"puppy" perfectly clear
"nice puppy"
"up above the world so high"
"dance" (she was SO cute at the wedding dance. she kept saying "dance" and was a dancing machine! sooo adorable. she was dancing with everyone and just crazy :))
"baby" perfectly clear (she even calls kids older than her a baby which evidently causes some insecurity in girls around age 4ish, haha)
"potty"
"yes"
"pop" for 'pouch' (her puree pouches)
"cracker"
"wa wa" for water
"Yuck"
"icky"
"car"

oh and she's perfected a few more animal sounds. she knows what the "horsey" ("Neeeigh!"), cow ("mooo"), sheep ("BA!"), and kitty ("mow") all say in addition to the puppy, in which she has become obsessed with. every where we go she is asking if there's a puppy. adam says we need to get one now....


Mira had so much fun and definitely utilized the word "weeeee!" at every chance she got. I think it really took the edge off of things with other people on the plane when she said it. Some people get really irritated of toddlers, and I can definitely understand. She did really well though. She still had to move a lot, so we just passed her around the whole time, but she didn't fuss or anything until the very end of the plane rides. I don't think she noticed her ears popping or anything, she just got antsy.

We went to the Portland zoo, Grooms' dinner, Wedding at David Hill Winery, went to the Tillamook cheese factory, the beach, went out for seafood at a restaurant on the shore and tried oysters (not Mira!), went off the trail and drove up a mountain at night and looked over the Garibaldi coastal area, went to uptown Oregon and got ice cream at Salt & Straw (has been featured on the food network and received tons of other press).




Things I learned when traveling, especially by plane, with a toddler:
- stock up on healthy snacks. that way you don't find yourself forking out money for overpriced unhealthy snacks in the airport. √
- bring along the noise maker. we failed to do this and paid for it when Mira wouldn't fall asleep in the hotel room because she kept seeing and hear us get ready for bed.
- bring plastic refillable water bottles of your own. i brought mira 2 sippy cups and a plastic mason jar with a straw for myself. best thing ever when you find yourself dying of thirst after walking all the way to the terminal and no convenience store nearby. √
- bring sunscreen. i still have BabyGanics sunscreens leftover from last summer that come in tiny little 1 oz containers. if your vacation isn't a tropical one, you tend to not think you will need to worry about skin protection, but you end up spending just as much time outside. √
- save room in your luggage and only pack enough diapers in your carry on to last you until you arrive at your destination. √
- basically you have to sacrifice your carryon to be a "fun bag" for toddler things like books, snacks, crayons, a change of outfit, stickers, and any other random things. √
- bring a baby carrier! we used the ergobaby quite a bit. i used it for the flights on the way there because we had an hour layover and she just relaxes so nicely when i'm wearing her. √
- bring a carseat. carseats, strollers, and other baby gear all get to be checked as baggage for free, so don't pay for any of that stuff! i was worried that the carseat would get damaged so we brought Mira's infant one that has a weight capacity of 35 pounds. it was a little snug, but it still works. √
- there was lots of driving. next time i will load up on fruit/veggie pouches right away when we arrive. this trip i ended up just buying 2 here, 2 there, when she was already whining and hungry. i'd much rather just have a pouch ready in my purse than deal with scavenging for a market every day.

I would do it again! :) I definitely wouldn't plan on relaxing, but I knew that coming in ;)

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