Home Again and Rules to Fly By

After an amazing three weeks in Oregon we are home again. It seems like Oregon marks my past and Colorado my present and my future. Leaving never gets easier especially when your heart is in both places you never will be truly complete in either place, but you will always have people and things you truly love about each place. Traveling back to Oregon no longer means hopping a plane and sitting carefree with an I-pod and latest copy of People magazine, oh the good old days. If curling now qualifies as an olympic sport, traveling with a baby alone on a plane should be gold metal worthy or at least a girl scout badge of some sort.

There are several types of people traveling with small children 1) The under 4 month crew. The ones with the infants sleeping away peacefully with on lookers saying what a wonderful baby they have and the rest of us mothers looking on thinking oh how lucky and mutter oh just wait. 2) The second group your entertainable kids. The one's who's parents can whip out the same Elmo re-run over and over again while the child will sit watching the ever so valuable portable DVD player. 3) The rest of us in the middle. That is what this blog post is all about. The small words of wisdom for the summer travelers that fall into group three with me.

1) Dress in layers. I am convinced that the classic layered look was created by a mother traveling with a child that got spit up on or spilled on during a long cross country flight. The value of having an extra shirt or tank top on can prove to be invaluable when you are the burp rag of choice. If you don't dress in layers of some sort you will be sporting a new over prices t-shirt that says "I Love (Insert Destination of Choice) from a gate side gift shop.

2) Dress for Baby. Kids follow the same rules as adults it doesn't matter if it is a four inch shoe and a cabbage patch sized coat they still have to take it off so fight the urge to dress the kiddo to the 9's and go simple. When you are trying to balance a baby, diaper bag, your shoes, heading to security for an additional explosive test because you over 8oz liquids, etc you won't care if your kiddo has matching shoes or coat.

3) Unless you possess a skill unknown to the rest of mankind......... buy a variation of baby dry or any long lasting diaper. It will be hard enough to get up out of your seat with a baby and make your way back to the bathroom packing an oversized diaper bag, changing a diaper in an already pint sized bathroom will push any normal person over the edge...don't subject yourself to that. Having your child sit in a semi wet diaper for an extra hour will be far less traumatic than trying to be changed in the airplane bathroom while the rest of the plane curses you for taking to long while they wallow in that second refill they took from the flight attendant.

4) Toys/Books yep bring a little of everything and remember the same thing will never work twice. Isla loved her toy moose going out to OR and could care less about it on the way home. Buy a new toy and don't bring it out until things are starting to get a little crazy. If the new toy doesn't work go free style and try all your back up entertainment options like Sky West magazine ;)

5) Food. For your baby if you make a bottle ahead of time remember your lesson of pressure from basic science 101. Seal the bottle with a cap then put the nipple on for after take off other wise the milk will shoot out everywhere (the poor lady sitting behind me on the flight home didn't get that memo).

6) When or if it all goes to hell remember two important rules 1) You will never see these people again ever in your life and 2) a plane is public transportation if people wanted to have full peace and silence they should have drove alone.

Good luck to all my summer traveling friends. I will post pictures soon of Oregon! :)