Ivan was 4 months old - it was April 2013 - and living in Columbus, Ohio by the time it's April all you can think of is SUNSHINE and dream of SANDY BEACHES ... Especially after 4 months of brand new baby chaos in the grey of winter, a WARM, SUNNY vacation sounds like a DREAM!!! Weighing all factors at hand we decided it was probably best to find a destination within driving distance (Hilton Head, SC) so we could take everything but the kitchen sink & drive through the night while Ivan slept. The little dude had no idea we even drove as long as we did and the travel portion of the vacation worked out perfectly, breast pump and all!
Minus the travel, last years Hilton Head adventure ended up being a disaster - unusually cool and overcast weather, I got the flu, BLAH ... so I wanted to head further SOUTH for Spring Break 2014 for baby vacation #2. We found a beautiful house to lease for the week outside of St. Augustine, FL located in Palm Coast, FL adjacent to The Hammock Beach Resort & Spa (what a great baby + dog destination!)
John and the Nanny headed down the day prior via car ... This affording us a bit more house with 2 less airfares and solving the problem of what to do with Isabelle, the family dog! To my surprise the flight had 100+ empty seats so Ivan and I had a whole row (6 seats) to ourselves! He was a dream ...
In my bag of tricks:
- Maclaren Mark II Umbrella stroller - not the best for steering with one hand, I prefer my Britax B-Agile Stroller any day, but didn't want it to get all beat up
- My old iPhone in the Fisher Price toddler case loaded and ready to go with none other than plenty of ELMO'S WORLD ... aka Ivan kriptonite
- iPod with back up of video's as well as games he has not yet mastered
- BRAND NEW Elmo books and a few other exciting toys he's yet to see (thanks Laura)
- an apple (thanks Stephanie)
- more snacks
- Of course diapers, extra clothes, water & sippy cup, blanket
Our destination airport was Orlando, FL ... what a great airport to roll into with a baby by yourself especially during Spring Break. It's all families - Disneyworld bound - that are overly sympathetic and extremely kind & helpful!
All in all, I'm not sure what I was really so worried about ... just the unknown I suppose. It was less than a 2 hour flight ... the West Coast will be the true test. This Momma isn't brave enough for International with this busy body!