Mom Life: Family

As Grey gets closer to his first birthday, I feel myself becoming more and more sentimental...tearing up all the time.  Happy tears.  Today is no exception.

If you know me, you know I read a lot of blogs.  It's what got me inspired to start this blog.  While my blog is in no way close to the level of those blogs, I feel it serves a personal purpose for me that I wanted it to.  It's a place for me to get out my feelings...to share my thoughts with others.  I tend to really enjoy bloggers that write about "life" - meaning their blog isn't focused on only one thing, such as make-up, decor, etc.  I enjoy the blogs where the writer has a mix of content and lets us in on their own personal life.  This morning a read this blog from a blogger I just recently started following, and it got me reminiscing about the time I met my great grandmother.  I only met her once, just about 12 years ago, but I did get to spend time with her multiple times throughout that trip.  What a wonderful trip to Germany - the trip of a lifetime!  She has since passed, so it makes that trip all the more special.  Here's a few pics (horrible of me, but still special)...

My Omi

4 generations

During the trip, I also had the pleasure of meeting my grandmother's sister, Gisela.

This is just the best picture of that I have of my grandmother and her sister.  

So much joy & laughter!

My grandmother loved being back in Germany - seeing her family.

What a special trip!

I'm so happy that Grey has gotten to spend time with so many great grandparents.  He actually has 4 of them. What a lucky boy!!

Cheers!

Grey's World: 10 Months

Well, now that Grey is almost 11 months old, I figured that I finally should post about his 10th month.  LOL.  There's been lots of changes going on in our household the last couple of months, but I'll save that for a later post.  For now, let's talk about...

THIS GUY

{Favorite Songs: ABCD & If You're Happy And You Know It}

{Favorite Books: Highlights Hello & Quack Quack}

{Favorite Toys: V-Tech Sit-to-Stand Activity Farm}

{Milestones: Crawling & First Two Teeth}

Grey has been a very busy boy!  He started out the month accomplishing be up and on all fours...and ended the month with crawling.  He also acquired his first two teeth (bottom central incisors).  I guess he really won't be a 16 year old eating pureed food.  Everyone kept telling me that, but I wasn't believing it.  LOL.

All of this activity has led to two exhausted parents.  *Yawn*  Grey has been a solid sleeper from the get go, but this has gone by the wayside with all the changes he's been going through.  Apparently teething & large developmental milestones, such as crawling, result in decreased shut eye.  

Another first this month...a babysitter!  Woo hoo!  We finally took the plunge!  It was a scary experience for a new mom, but well worth the time away for sure.  Grey was quite as excited as Mom & Dad though.  One of the characteristics of 9-10 month olds is separate anxiety, and Grey is no exception.  He does great when we leave him at daycare but not with folks that he doesn't see regularly.  He cried for about 30 min or so the first time we left him, but he was good after that.  That just means we need to employ her more regularly, so Grey gets used to her, right?!?!  :)

We also took a random trip back to St. Louis this month.  I told you we were busy.  Here's a few pics of Grey with his grandparents & great grandparents...

...and one with his cousin, Tinsley.

Grey had such a great month!  I'll just leave these other pics here for your viewing pleasure.  Cheers!

Grey's World: 9 Months

The last single digit monthly post...and nostalgia consumes me already!  Grey turned 9 months old a little over a week ago.

{19lbs 3oz & 27.5 inches}

{Favorite Songs: ABCD, You Are My Sunshine & Somewhere Over the Rainbow}

{Favorite Books: Touch & Feel & Llama Llama Red Pajama}

{Milestones: Transitions from sitting to lying & back, rocks on all fours}

{Words: Ba-ba}

This little guy is crazy busy!!!  He transitions with ease from his belly to sitting.  He gets on all fours from a sitting position & rocks, but he either lands on his belly or transitions back to sitting.  He just can't figure out how to works his knees/legs yet to propel himself forward.  That doesn't stop him though!  He moves onto his belly from a sitting position, rolls to where he wants to go, and then gets back into a sitting position once he's there.  Presto!  Who needs crawling?!  LOL.

He constantly has his hands in his mouth...or some other object that he can gnaw on.  Literally...any object.  Just yesterday he rolled on over to where Chad was sitting and started gnawing on Chad's big toe!!!  Ewwwww!  Yuck!!!!  Poor boy still doesn't have any teeth.  We joke that he's going to be the only 16 year old on a date eating pureed food.  LOL!!  Seriously though, we can now see the outline of 4 teeth on the bottom and two on the top.  They even seem to be progressing closer towards the surface, but they haven't shown face yet.  They're definitely bothering him, as you can see in the picture above.

Grey had been on a fairly decent run of health up until the end of month 8 when he was diagnosed with his 2nd ear infection.  This ended up aggravating his reflux, which had gotten much better.  Unfortunately Grey dealt with a week's worth of vomiting before we figured out it was his reflux.  This caused his weight to drop a bit also.  The good news is that once we figured all this out and increased his reflux med, his appetite was back up to normal in no time and he gained enough weight to get back on the growth curve.  Yahoo!! Overall it's been a great month.  We love seeing his little personality shine through!

Here's some shots from his 9th month.

Cheers!

Infant Airline Travel: Navigating the Airport

As promised, here is the 2nd part of my Infant Airline Travel posts.  After you master packing, you'll need to start thinking about the airport.  This is another big mountain to climb.  

First you need to decide on a specific philosophy.  Ours was to check the stroller with our luggage, wear Grey & gate check the car seat. We've done this on both trips so far, and it's worked out fairly well.  Some parents opt for gate checking the stroller also and using it throughout the airport.  For us, it just seemed like another thing to lug (especially through TSA), so we wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.  Regardless of whether you gate check the car seat/stroller or check-check them, you'll want to get covers for them. I've seem plenty of parents who choose not to do so, but we figured that we paid way too much for our travel system to let it get torn up.  Here's the covers we bought for the car seat and stroller - both are working out phenomenally.

Once we arrived at the airport, we immediately packed up both the stroller & car seat and wore Grey in our Ergo 360 on the airport shuttle and throughout the airport.  We knew that we needed to bring Grey's birth certificate, so both trips we've opted to go to the ticket counter to check our bags instead of using the curbside service.  Curbside may work just fine, but we haven't taken that risk yet.

Security...this was much easier than I thought it would be.  All I can say is get there early and exercise your patience.  All airports that we have visited allowed me to wear Grey through without taking him out of the carrier.  They just had me go through the metal detector, swabbed my hands, and then checked our bags.  We kept all his baby food and meds in one backpack.  I was able to take this out quite easily and put it in a bin.  We also had to bring a soft-sided cooler with a hard, plastic ice pack for Grey's prescription meds. This was all easy - just takes time.  One other word of advice...do not - I repeat do not - use a soft ice pack.  I've watched several of these be confiscated at security.  Only use the hard plastic ice packs.

Once you get through security, you're home free.  Give yourself a pat on the back for sure!! Here's a few other suggestions for the flight:

• Buy water after security to use on the plane for bottles & sippy cups.
• If gate checking an item, don't forget to check in at the gate before boarding.
• Feed your baby on take off and landing...unless they're sleeping.  Our little guy didn't have any problems on take off or landing if he was sleeping.
• Most planes have a changing station in one of the bathrooms.  on the Southwest flights we were on, the changing station was located in the front bathroom.  It pulled down over the toilet.  Tight fit but manageable.  Take only the supplies you need.  Most flight attendants will assist you if needed.
• Buy new toys and bring them out on the plane...but not before!!!
• The barf bag proves to be a great toy/puppet.

As I mentioned before, we are definitely not pros.  So there's a thing or two we'd do differently knowing what we know now after these first couple of trips.  The most apparent of these is...Uber or hire a car to/from the airport.  Why you ask?  Because lugging all that stuff is a pain in the a$$!  The long-term parking at the KC airport requires you to take a shuttle to/from the actual terminal.  The ride is short, and the busses are a decent size.  However, it's not a quick process to lug a car seat, stroller, two suitcases, two backpacks and 2.5 humans on/off the bus.  When you arrive at the terminal, other passengers just want to get the heck off as they scramble to their gate...or they want to get the heck on anxious to get to their cars.  This does not lend itself to the two trips that it takes to gather all this stuff and lug it off or on the bus.  Next time...we're taking an Uber who can drop us off or pick us up right at the terminal.  No more shuttle busses when I can help it!  We'll try this out in October - our next schedule flight.  Until then...

Travel safe.

Travel smart.

Cheers!

Infant Airline Travel

I wouldn't call us professionals, but we're definitely seasoned travelers in regards to flying with an infant.  We've taken two trips so far with Grey - at 6 & 7.5 months.  So I thought I'd share what worked & didn't work for us.

First up...

Packing - Carry-Ons

This is probably one of the most important steps, as it is the items that you will need easy access to throughout your travel.  No pressure, but you MUST get this right.  I can't remember where I read this - probably another blog when I was researching travel - but it said to use backpacks as carry-ons to free up your hands.  Each person traveling with an infant will need 5 additional hands, so it's important not to unnecessarily tie up the two that you actually have.  We decided to scratch the actual diaper bags that we have, even though they can be carried "messenger" style.  That wouldn't have helped the person wearing the baby (which I also recommend you do).  If you have a diaper bag backpack, then you're a step ahead.  We didn't, so I just pulled out some old backpacks that we had. Worked great.

It's interesting how your carry-ons used to be about you...iPad, magazines, books, etc.  I'd suggest taking one of those.  You may get a few min to yourself if you're lucky and have room on your lap.  I wouldn't pack more than one of those items.  The space in your carry-ons is precious, and you'll need every last inch of it.  We took 2 backpacks with the following items.  One we designated for food & bottles, while the other had toys & meds.

* Passports/IDs (Will need birth certificate for infant)
* Plane tickets/boarding pass (if not using electronic)
* Bottles with pre-measured formula amounts in them (Plan for 1-2 bottles extra)
* Bibs & burp cloths (pack extra)
* Baby food & spoon (pack an extra)
* Diapers (Planing for 1 per hour of flight should give you the extra you'll need)
* Diaper cream
* Wipes (pack plenty for wiping down seats, arm rests, tray tables, etc.)
* Changing pad
* Thin blanket
* Extra clothes for you & baby
* Meds (prescription & over-the-counter, such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl, Gripe Water) - Don't forget the vessels you use to give the medication to baby
* Toys (pack a new toy or two)
* Pacifiers
* Travel size baby wash
* Ziplock bags
* Snacks for you & baby
* Magazine/Book/iPad (choose one)
* Pen/paper

Packing the Suitcase

After you've finished packing the carry-ons, focus your attention on the suitcase(s).  I've never been a good packer - always taking more than needed.  Well, traveling with an infant will make you take a good, hard look at your own belongings.  Why?  Because infant require soooooo much stuff!!  It's amazing!  Here's what you'll need to consider bringing for baby:

* Accessories: Hat, sunglasses & shoes
* Outfits: 2 per day  (Packing these in individual ziplock bags with their accessories means no hunting for the outfit.)
* Baby Toiletries: Lotion, baby wash, shampoo, sunscreen, etc.
* Bibs/burp cloths
* Feeding: Extra bottles, spoons, etc.
* Diaper cream
* Nail clippers
* Toys
* Brush
* Blanket

I suggest buying the following at your destination or shipping it there ahead of time to save room in the suitcase.  You'll be lugging a lot around the airport.  No need to lug more...or pay additional luggage fees.
* Diapers & wipes
* Formula
* Baby food/Snacks

Additional gear to consider:
* Car seat  (We suggest purchasing a car seat cover & gate checking it.)
* Stroller  (We also bought a stroller cover & chose to check it.)
* Pack-n-Play or something to sleep in
* Baby carrier, such as Ergo
* Shopping cart/high chair cover


It really is crazy how much stuff you need to bring.  On our two trips so far, I think the only things that I didn't need was the blanket in the carry on and a few outfits.  I would not consider forgoing these items though.  We could have easily had a blow out and needed those outfits, or the plane could have been cold.  I'll write a separate post on maneuvering the airport with an infant.

Happy Packing!!

Grey's World: Eight is Great!

So we have an 8 month old in the house.  No big deal.  Whatever!  That means in another 3 months, we'll have a 1 year old!  Holy crap!!!!  I know I just delivered him yesterday, right?!?!?!

{Weight: 18lbs 8oz}

{Likes: gnawing on everything, acting silly, standing, clapping & singing}

{Dislikes: getting dressed & the sun in his eyes}

{Favorite Foods: sweet potatoes, avocados & ice chips}

{Favorite Toys: stacking rings, silicone spoon, Baby Einstein piano & 

Fisher Price lunchbox}

During Grey's 8th month, we took our second trip with him on an airplane.  He did much better this trip, which we attribute to flight times.  (More on this in another post.)  This time we visited Chad's mom & grandmother back in Rochester.  It was a great trip.  We were lucky to visit lots of family.  

The rest of this month has just flown by.  Here's some pics of our whirlwind month...

Visiting his cuzzie's

Fun at daycare

  

Grey, Grey and more Grey

Grey's World: Super Seven!

Holy moly!  This handsome little guy is 7 months already!  I know  I probably sound like every mother out there, but where does the time go?!?!  It really all seems like yesterday that we were bringing this tiny human home and now...

...there's this!

{Likes: Solids, Exersaucer, videos of himself, baths (finally!), 

being naked & watching his kitties}

{Dislikes:  getting dressed}

{Milestones Reached:  Sitting Unsupported, Clapping, & Belly Laughing}

{Parental Milestone: Surviving First Plane Ride & 

Changing a Huge, Poopy Diaper at 20K feet}

Yes, yes...you heard it correctly.  We all survived Grey's first flight!  Three cheers for the Gravelles!!  This past month was a busy one for all of us.  Grey visited with 3 out of the 4 sets of grandparents.  (More to come on that later.)  One of those visits involved us traveling to San Antonio.  Grey was a trooper given that we woke him up 3 hours early for the flight.  I was completely stressed about the TSA, but that really was the easiest part of it all.  Grey took his bottle on both "take offs" and slept through the descents.  The flight attendants on both flights were quite helpful & nice...and even announced to all passengers that Grey was having his first flight.  Can I get a round of applause???

The plane ride home was a bit of a different experience...most for Chad & I.  Grey was exhausted from not getting enough sleep for several days.  So waking him up for the crazy early flight didn't fare well.  Yep.  We were those parents with the screaming infant...in both airports.  We did manage a bit of happy time though.

Grey also experience his first...and second...Zoo visits this month.  The first was here in KC and the second was in San Antonio.  

I love that the weather is getting warmer now.  I can't wait to see what adventures this Summer holds for us!  Here's some fun shots of the past month...

Daycare Fun

Grey loves his kitties