Hi friends!!
It‘s good to be baaackkkk! I’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do! I’ve officially passed phase 1 of my exams and now have about a 3 week waiting period before I can move forward with phase 2, so in the interim I’m happy to get back on the blog! I figured I’d start with a little recap of our first little family vacation! Over Memorial Day weekend (I know, that was a loooonngggg time ago now), we went out to the desert with Joey’s family and had the absolute best time! It being our first trip away with Avery, I was a little weary going in but she did absolutely fantastic.
We drove out to Palm Springs after I got off work around 3 pm on Friday afternoon and drove straight there after packing the car up (it took Joey 3 trys to get everything to fit in a conducive manner and looking back we definitely brought WAY TOO MUCH S&^**) But hey, you never know what you’re going to need when traveling with a baby!
We spent three days out in Palm Springs and it was the best time. I hadn’t been there since my bachelorette party so it was definitely very nostalgic for me! It was pretty late when we got to our condo on Friday night so we put Avery down and went to bed right away. I had read horror stories about traveling with babies and throwing off their routines and their sleep patterns and was pretty nervous about it because Avery had been sleeping through the night for 2 months at that point and I was not willing to mess that up! To be honest, that was one of the main reasons why we didn’t do much of anything outside of our immediate area (Orange County) for the first 3 months of Avery’s life. I knew I would be going back to work and was pretty serious (not strict) about having some sort of routine and predictability as far as her days went so that Joey could multitask (but we can save updates on that for another post). Avery was 5 months by the time of our vacation and her routine was pretty stable at that point in time so I felt like if something was a little off with her due to the vacation, it was something she could easily bounce back from once we were home.
Avery ended up doing AMAZING and took her naps when she could and still slept through the night in her Pack ‘N Play (which, honestly, was and is all I care about- as long as she sleeps through the night, the girl can skip as many naps as she wants during the day, although it’s definitely not encouraged because Mom and Dad need time to get stuff done too, LOL).
So on Saturday morning, we took Avery to The Living Desert, which if you’ve been following along, you already know is my favorite zoo because it’s not necessarily a “zoo”. I’ve talked about it before and you can read more about it here, if you’re interested!
Avery loved it and got to get up close and personal to a giraffe!!! If you’re ever in the area, I definitely recommend stopping by, it’s a guaranteed good time!
The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the pool and then enjoying dinner with family. Sunday consisted of much of the same, along with the most delicious family brunch! Monday morning, after having breakfast, we left to head home. It was the most relaxing weekend away and was definitely a good introduction to the new normal that is traveling with a baby! We for sure packed way too much stuff- like the bouncer that Joey literally had to unscrew to fit in the car and then screw back together at the condo. She didn’t sit in it once while we were there, so that could have easily stayed home!
For the things that did make my list of must-haves while traveling with a baby, read down below! (Tons of clothes, diapers, and wipes goes without saying)
Simply click to be re-directed & shop!
+ cooling towels : these were CRUCIAL to keeping Avery cool in the heat! We take these everywhere with us now (even to Disneyland)!
+ stroller fan: again, something that we keep in the stroller at all times. But, when you’re somewhere like Palm Springs, blowing hot air definitely doesn’t help cool you down, so the combo of fan and towel was huge!
+ sun hat for baby: we have like every color they make in this hat! It’s important to keep baby’s head covered at all times and these are great for the pool, zoo, etc.
+ pool floatie: perfect for the pool!
+ Pack ‘N Play: This is the one we have and we’ve brought it on 2 different trips now and Avery has no problem sleeping in it.
+ lollipop baby camera: To read more about the camera, you can click this link here (review video at the end). Love the versatility and adaptability of the camera! We take it with us whenever we travel!
+ lots of toys/teethers to keep baby occupied!! This little teether book is Avery’s favorite!
+swimsuits (if you’re going somewhere hot) This leopard one is my favorite! Bought it for Avery in all the sizes!
+sunglasses: because there’s nothing cuter than a baby in shades!
On Another Coast 