Every year I go back to Washington for Thanksgiving, and this year was no exception. After this, I hibernate for the next six months until the weather goes back up over freezing (not counting skiing, of course.)
Traveling with an almost one and a half year old is not the easiest task in the world, especially with two flights and a two hour drive involved, but we have been flying with our daughter since she was 3 months old.
Over the last couple of trips we have really started to get the hang of flying with a toddler, although it makes me miss the newborn stage a little. A few diapers, wipes, and a couple outfit changes, and that’s all you need. All they want to do is cuddle with you anyways, they don’t take up that much space, and if you are nursing, you can nurse them taking off and landing to help their ears, and then 300 other times during the flight to keep them calm.
When they get to be a toddler, all of a sudden they need to be entertained with toys, they get antsy sitting in one spot and need to walk up and down the aisle. God help you if you need to change them in that tiny airplane bathroom.
This time, I managed to learn from my previous mistakes. I brought Rowan’s own food so she didn’t have to eat only applesauce all day (a PB&J sandwich, cheerios, crackers and cookies, grapes and bananas were all hits, and they surprisingly made it through security no problem). Lots of small toys and books. Her pacifier and security blanket were a must. The pacy was definitely helpful when it came to her ears when landing and taking off. And we only resorted to watching her favorite videos a couple of times on the flight.
The flight was not without mishaps. On the way over, we had to book it with fifteen minutes in between flights. I was running with Rowan in her stroller and I was glad I wore my sneakers, that’s for sure. We had to rearrange flights on the way back to make sure we had PLENTY of time in between flights. Definitely not going to be doing that again.
But as always,even with the stress of traveling, it’s totally worth it to see all my family. We had a great time with my parents and brother, grandparents and cousins, and even a great great great aunt.
I am very lucky to have all this family that loves us and that loves my daughter, and I’m always grateful that we have the ability to see them often.
Also, this a cheesecake recipe that I made while I was there that was really delicious. I just used a store-bought graham cracker crust and topped it with cherry pie filling. Though next time I would let it chill for several hours. Maybe it says that in the recipe. All I looked at was the ingredients.
https://www.crazyforcrust.com/the-best-no-bake-cheesecake-recipe/