Beach and Lessons Learned

We went down to Pensacola Beach this weekend to see my sis and her family and celebrate my niece’s 7th birthday. It was so fun and I learned a few things about traveling with my babies.

1. When the stars align and both are asleep in the car, take full advantage by not speaking, stopping, or otherwise disturbing the peace, if and when you do, you will pay for it, and believe me when the moment passes, it’s gone forever.

2. It is fine to put both children to sleep in the same room, as long as you are not trying to sleep in that room, in which case, it is a bad idea to put both children in the same room. 

3. Wear your child/children out on the morning of departure. It makes for a very peaceful ride home (at least it was for Z).

4. Don’t be afraid to take your baby out of her carseat, when she starts to get a little fussy not that I would ever do such a thing.

5. Cram as many people as you can into one car, so you’ll have more reinforcements.

6. Stop somewhere when you reach the halfway mark. Don’t make everyone stay in the same place for too long.

7. Warn your child ahead of time that he will see his cousins but first we will be in the car for a very long time.

8. Bring familiar bedtime materials from home, but be prepared to hear “I wanna go home” at bedtime.

9. Don’t expect to have a good time in the traditional sense, your fun will more likely be knowing that your child is having fun or it will just be the relief you feel when you know you all survived the trip. (I’m sure if we had had a little more time, I would have been able to break into some actual fun, it was just such a short trip and ended up being more logistical than anything else).

10. Pack minimally, refer back to #5. 

I spent a lot of time in the car. It seemed like Z would fall asleep or Lu would be due to eat whenever we would arrive at our destination, which resulted in me sitting in the car, feeding or waiting.

Z definitely had the best time on this trip. Nick took him to the indoor pool and the beach Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I was sad I had to miss out on these experiences, but I enjoyed my time with Lu, and me and Z hung out at lunch on Sunday.

Saturday night he played with Adam and AG at their house when we went to dinner. I was really happy he had such a good time. And, I’m sure Lu had fun too. She sure enjoyed watching all the big girls playing dress up and running around.

AG was my little helper and entertainer. She, Adam and my sis kept Lu entertained while we were frantically packing up to try and check out on time (another story for another time).

All in all it was a great weekend. We can’t wait to go back soon and maybe next time, we’ll actually get a little sleep!