We booked our tickets for the States last week. Ryan is going to Connecticut for the first time, on the outside, in June!
One thing I've noticed already is that traveling with an infant is vastly different to our normal experiences in travel. We decided to fly from Stuttgart, and change planes in Frankfurt. We did this because we felt like the ride to Frankfurt at 4:30 am would be really stressful for all of us. We used to wake up at 4:15 to leave by 4:30. If we had to leave at 4:30 am now, I would probably not sleep the night before, mostly out of fear of waking up our little demon at 3:00. It takes so long to get the baby out the door. There is a diaper change, get dressed time. And, I can't just throw Ryan down on the changing table, there is a lot of tickling and laughing involved, to coax out his good mood :) Then, there is run to the diaper bag and run around and grab any last-minute toys that might be necessary. I have a feeling that I'll need to pack the diaper bag at least a day in advance, and not my typical at midnight the night before.
We're also flying out in the afternoon, just to make our lives signficantly easier :)
We're not bringing very much, because, well, there will be gifts and shopping galore. But, we need to bring 30 bags of formula, I'm only slightly over-estimating, he goes through about one bag a day. I thought about buying bottles at home, but Ryan will probably go through quite a few bottles on the plane, since, knowing Ryan, he'll have a few sips from a bottle here and there, and I don't see how I can wash his bottles between uses. I'm also planning on using a special diaper called an All-in-2, or Ai2, that is like a cover with changeable inserts. The brand I have, Flip, has disposable inserts. I have 2 covers for the trip, and I have to buy some inserts. I also need to remember to pack a tiny bottle filled with vinegar, so I can make a vinegar/ water solution for a quick spray-out of the cover during diaper changes.
I'm busy preparing a list of items to ask my stepmom to pick up in preparation. I always used to go by the rule, "all I really need is a passport, toothbrush, and a change of underwear." Not quite the case anymore, and my cloth diapering only makes it worse. We need baby wash, baby oil, butt cream, and diaper inserts. We need nursery water, because our little forumla guy uses nursery water here. We need a place to change diapers, and of course, we need some kind of bed situation. We co-sleep here, but I'm not sure we should co-sleep at home, unless we buy a king-sized bed.
Then, there is the stroller issue. What stroller do we bring? Do we bring one?
And the car seat. Do we buy a convertible car seat, or do we borrow someone's infant car seat?
In February, as we trudged to the embassy, it felt like once we got Ryan's both passports, the trip home would be an easy one. Ha!
But, I am so very excited for Ryan to meet his family in person, especially his grandpa. It will probably be one of my most exciting trips home!
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