Florida Fun

Livia and I spent 4 days in Florida with my grandparents.  It was fantastic!  Before we left I was so focused on packing and planning that I forgot to be excited about the actual trip, so when we stepped out of the airport and got that first blast of tropical air and sunshine it was like a wonderful surprise. 

Here are some things I want to remember/discuss:

Livia on the plane:  I was so nervous for the 4 different flights roundtrip (no direct flight), but it really wasn't THAT bad.  On both flights going there, I ended up having an extra seat next to me so I could let her wiggle more and have more room to nurse.  On the way back she was extremely restless and so I was exhausted from trying to keep her in one place.  I took her carseat and frame stroller, those were gate-checked.  I checked one large suitcase.  My carryon was a back-pack.  I wore her in our new ring sling a lot.  By the way, I love the ring sling.  It's working great for us right now...lightweight, easy to use, can double as a blanket.  The pilot held her for me while I took down my stroller outside of the plane.  He asked me "do you want me to just take her in onto the plane to get out of the draft?" (it was kind of chilly).  I thought he was joking because NO I don't want you, a stranger, to take my infant child out of my sight.  Just funny--no one offered to help me pack up the stroller or carseat, but lots of people offered to hold the baby.  I let them, because I honestly needed both of my hands at those times.  Everyone was very nice and no one said anything to me about having a baby who ocassionally fussed.  No one gave me any rude looks or comments about breastfeeding on the plane.  Of course Livia was restless so she wouldn't just eat and then be done, she kept getting distracted and latching on and off so that was annoying. We stopped nursing with a cover about a month ago (just not comfortable for either of us anymore) so I'm sure some people on the plane saw a little bit of my boob, oh well. The flights were very successful and I feel much more prepared for our upcoming flights to Brazil.  I know the long flight will be horrible for ME because I won't be able to sleep, but I know that it is temporary. 

Retirement life and babies.  My grandparents are in their mid-seventies.  This type of lifestyle (Florida retirement) is extremely conducive to baby time.  Everything is laid back.  "Getting dressed" takes all morning.  Livia loved rolling all over their plush carpeting and basking in the sun.  They have a pool right by their condo so it was easy to just go for a short swim, since that's all she can really handle at this age.  Everywhere we went there were no other babies, just lots and lots of retired people aka grandma's!  She got SO MUCH attention everywhere we went, it was kind of ridiculous.  But she loved it and I of course loved showing her off!  The best part was seeing my grandparents really get to interact  with her and love on her.  My grandpa was singing and laughing and being a really good babysitter, which I wasn't expecting--he is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and is usually very focused on his own needs.  So it was a lot of fun to see them so happy.

Going back to the same place every year.  My grandparents bought this condo when I was in 5th grade, and I have been there every year since then.  We would drive 24 hours in the heat of the summer to stay there when I was a kid--it was basically a free vacation.  It was so satisfying to take Livia there--we have all of our favorite places to go and even just staying in the same room.  When I was a kid I would imagine taking my friends there or someday my own family and it was really special to have Livia there with me.  She went to the beach and played in the sand.  She put her toes in the ocean (Gulf of Mexico).  The same beach that made me feel close to Kayla last year.  Last year when I was there I was newly pregnant, scared, still lost in grief.  This year we watched the sunset and I held my baby girl and just felt peaceful.  And happy.