Michigan Trip: The Wedding and a Whole Day Away from Baby Girl

Last month, while in Michigan, I was honored to be part of the most beautiful wedding. It was perfect. And magical. And fun. And gorgeous. And PERFECT.

Every detail was carefully thought out and executed. It was a dream.

I had the BEST time and will never forget it.

S and A were getting hitched and I got to be the matron of honor. I am so happy that I got to spend this day with them. I admire them and their relationship very much. They make it look effortless and seem like they truly have a BLAST together. I love it. They are perfect together and there is nothing fake or forced about it. They will still be this happy and in love in 60 years, I know this for sure.

A little bird poop on the groom right before the ceremony ain't no thang...

While I was at the wedding my dear friend M came and watched my baby girl. I've been away from Makaela before but this was the longest stretch (about 15 hours). At this time Makaela was new to foods, and was still drinking quite a bit of breastmilk. I was nervous about having enough milk for her, because as you may recall, some leaked on the plane. But I knew, worst case scenario M could always bring Makaela to me at the wedding for a quick feeding. Fortunately, it didn't come to that and there was plenty of food and milk to keep my girl going while I was away.

M was such a doll. She took Makaela swimming in the pool, took her on a walk at the beach, brought her tons of toys to play with, went out to lunch with her, facetime'd with Daddy and kept her happy all day long (all while she was teething! her first two teeth popped through 3 days later). She is a miracle worker. I never worried and knew that she was in good hands. I am so thankful for what M did. I am always blown away by my wonderful friends' kind hearts and generosity.

It was really nice to have this day be baby-free. I mean, I love spending time with my girl, but this day was for spending with my favorite bride!! We drank delicious coffee and ate yummy sweets while getting our hair did, we took a "detour" to the wedding venue which was full of laughs, we got ready in the bridal studio and jammed to old school Christina and other late 90s/early Y2K hits, and had a blast with her amazing photographers (they were so sweet, they even worked around my need to pump! haha).

Once the wedding started, the fun continued. S and A wrote their own vows, and they were the PERFECT (I know I keep using that word, but it's true) balance of funny and sentimental. They even snuck in a surprise tribute to their mamas. They made me get teary eyed in front of the whole crowd.

The reception was the best party ever. I didn't pass out or choke during my speech, so that was good. There was delicious food, yummy cupcakes, tasty local craft beers, late night pizza, smores at the fire pit, cigars on the balcony....I told you....every detail was perfection. The music was awesome and we danced the night away. That bride and groom know how to throw a par-tay.

Afterward, a giant school bus came and shuttled anyone who needed a ride back to their hotel or to the after party at Applebee's. Holla! I skipped out on the after party, but heard it was awesome. I'm not surprised.

Michigan Trip: Makaela's First Flight

Earlier this month we went to Michigan for a friend's wedding that I was lucky enough to be part of (the wedding was phenomenal and I can't wait to talk more about it in a special post). We weren't sure if Tim would be able to go or not due to his school schedule, and unfortunately at the last minute it ended up that he couldn't come. We toyed with the idea of making the 13 hour drive, but since me and Mak were going solo we thought flying would be the better bet. Thirteen hours probably would have turned into something like 20 hours, road rage and lots of tears and headaches.

Of course we've all heard the horror stories of flying with infants. The ear pain. The screams. Exploding diapers. Glares from fellow passengers. Man, I'm getting anxiety just thinking about all that COULD go wrong.

Honestly, I think I was most nervous about the logistics of traveling alone with a baby. Two extra hands would have definitely put me a little more at ease. Babies have A LOT of crap. I seriously had nightmares about toting all the baby necessities, plus normal travel necessities AND a little one through the airport....oh and then onto the shuttle to the car rental site. Hives anyone?

Sit here while mommy gets everything situated, okay?

Now that I've set the stage for a disastrous experience, let me blow your mind by saying the trip went better than I could have EVER imagined. Like blue skies, sunshines and little-birds-chirping good.

There were several things that got me through the travel...

1. I packed very lightly for myself. Normally, I'm indecisive about my outfits. But this was CERTAINLY not the time or place to be indecisive. Everything I brought I would have to carry. I planned each outfit carefully and matched things so that I wouldn't need to bring many pairs of shoes.

I kept reminding myself that worst case scenario, I could just buy what I needed when I got there if I left something out. I also checked with those I was staying with to see if I could do laundry at their homes.

2. I arranged to borrow the big stuff from friends and family. I would have had a serious meltdown if I had to tote a stroller and a pack and play through the airport. Thankfully, family and friends stepped up and offered to let little Mak borrow theirs while we were in town. They also offered toys and other helpful items like bouncers. I couldn't have survived without this help!!

I bought diapers and a majority of her baby food when we got to Michigan so I only packed what I needed for the flight and first day.

3. I checked her carseat with my luggage. Carseats are heavy and awkward and I complain just carrying it into the grocery store, so I knew I didn't want to lug the baby in that thing through the airport . We had a short layover, so I also knew gate checking would be a hassle because I would have to wait for them to unload the carseat, and then re-gate check it. Since our layover was only 40 minutes I had JUST enough time to get off one plane, change the girl's poopy diaper and jet over to our next gate (which of course was in an entirely different concourse, thanks Atlanta, thanks.)

I complain about Delta all the time, but I have to give them props on this one because they allow you to check carseats for free.

I wore Mak through the airport and it was easy-peasy and it freed up both hands. Hallelujah.

4. I accepted help when offered. Nine times out of ten when people offer assistance I respond without thinking and say "Oh that's okay I've got it, thank you though!" Not this time! On the way back when a Detroit Airport employee offered to have someone get me a cart and transport all of my stuff from the rental car shuttle to the ticket counter and oversized baggage drop, I jumped on the offer.

5. I let the TSA agents know I would be carrying on baby food and breast milk. I'm sure they probably figured I had that kind of stuff since, after all, I did have a baby strapped to my chest, but I gave them a heads up anyway. On our way there they tested some of the milk in their little bomb testing machine. It took about 5 minutes and then we were good to go.

6. When I booked my flight I told them I needed the "infant in arms" stamp on my ticket. On our first two flights (Dothan to Atlanta and Atlanta to Detroit) I had NO ONE sitting next to me. Yes, you read that right. The first flights I've been on in YEARS that weren't overbooked. On the first flight there were only two open seats, so I felt very fortunate to have one next to me. On the flights home, I did have people next to me, but the seats next to me were the last ones to be filled (they got taken by standby passengers). So here is what I think: If you have the "infant in arms" designation on your ticket early on, I believe that the airlines do their best to keep a seat open next to you if at all possible.

7. I let the baby do whatever she wanted on the plane as long as she wasn't disturbing others or harming herself.  That meant letting her look out the window, playing with the tray table, chewing and crumbling SkyMall, playing with her toys and nursing. I'm relieved to say she didn't have any meltdowns. I also had nice passengers behind me and in front of me that would make silly faces at her. She loved that.

8. I took my time. Slow and steady wins the race keeps their sanity. I didn't rush at all. I made sure to allow much more time than I would have normally needed. At one point when I was unpacking the rental car the representative started to take my luggage to the shuttle. Normally, I would have gone into panic mode and just quickly through everything together to catch that shuttle, but instead I told him I was going to need another 5 minutes and would rather wait for the next shuttle. No biggie!

The airport nearest our house is super small. Like, I'm pretty sure the ticketing agent also runs the gift shop and cafe. There is only 1 gate, and 4 flights a day. All of which go to the same place. With that being said, it made things less stressful on travel day. I didn't have to worry about crowds of people rushing, as I figured things out.

On one of our flights she decided to sing and entertain the whole plane. It was nice to hear everyone laughing instead of seeing glaring eyes. The girl is SUCH a ham though. She was literally hanging over the arm rest and flirting with anyone who would make eye contact with her.

On our very last flight, I do believe that her ears bothered her at one point because she pawed at them and fussed for a couple minutes. My ears bothered me almost that entire flight, which is odd for me, so I'm thankful that my little girl wasn't in too much pain.

Now the flights and airport adventures weren't completely flawless, don't get me wrong...

The plane we took from Dothan to Atlanta was SMALL and I mayyyyy have accidentally knocked Mak's head into an overhead bin as we were trying to find our seats. Oops.

And then on the plane ride from Atlanta to Detroit one of her bags of frozen milk some how thawed and leaked all over the floor of the cabin. Of course I didn't realize this until I picked up the cooler when we were deplaning and saw milk dripping all over the place. I was able to clean it up, but was stressed about losing milk!! I already was freaking out that I might not have enough to get her through the day she would be away from me, but more on that in another post, this is getting wayyyy too long.

Oh and I can't fail to mention the fact that Mak pooped on each flight. She's a master at pooping in the most inconvenient places at the most inconvenient times. She'll go days without pooping with no problem, but put her on a plane and apparently multiple poops in one day are absolutely necessary. Thankfully our flights were short, and she didn't poop until the end of each flight, so I was able to change her in the airport bathroom. Phew.

So there we have it. Mama and baby survived baby's first airport, flight, rental car extravaganza. It went so well that I'm not afraid to do it again. I mean, don't expect Mak to become a frequent flier just for the heck of it, but we definitely won't be afraid to get out!

Sensory Sunday Funday: At the Beach!

This weekend we took a little day trip down to Destin, FL (which is right on the Gulf) to enjoy the sun and the beach. It was one of those last minute trips where you wake up in the morning and decide to go for it. See you can still be spontaneous with a kid, hahah.

I do love that we are only 1.5-2 hours away from some really great beaches. The drive is just the right length for a Makaela car nap :)

Last week we played in fake sand (brown sugar) and this week she got to play with the real deal. Man did she love it. She picked it up, dumped it, pushed it around and ate it, of course. 

The weather was great. Warm water, a nice breeze, quite sunny but not too hot. We rented an umbrella so we could seek refuge from the hot rays. We didn't explore the area TOO much because it was just a quick trip, but we'll definitely be heading down there again. I did notice lots of places that cleverly had "destin" incorporated into their name. "Destin-y's Landing" "Destin-y Villas" etc. Har har har. 

We tried going to a restaurant that had been recommended by several people but that was a total fail. Wah Wah. Apparently on Saturdays they don't serve food? Bummer! So it was basically a bar and people looked at me awkwardly as I fed Makaela applesauce while Daddy finished his beer, lol. 

So...we ended up elsewhere for dinner. When in Rome Florida....

I mean, if you're going to go to Hooters you may as well do it in Florida where it all began. Notice how Makaela is not looking at the camera....just like Daddy she was checking out the umm hooters. And can I just say I don't think this will be Mak's last time here. Those Hooters girls swarmed the table like flies to play with my girl! Daddy was in heaven. I must say, they all were really sweet and the food was actually quite delicious.

Destin, I can't wait till we meet again. I want to get to know you inside and out. 

Let's go to the beach, each, let's go get away...

Guess who went on a mini-road trip to Panama City Beach?!

That's right, we did. One perk of our new location is that we are only 2 hours from some gorgeous white-sandy beaches.

Truth be told, I'd been feeling a little burnt out on the 'bama. Life was feeling a little repetitive and this is exactly what we needed to spice it up. The fact that baby girl actually slept in the car for the first time in a long time really sweetened the road trip deal. 

The hotel we stayed at was family friendly, but there weren't many kids around being that most schools down here are already back in session....jackpot. 

The weather was picture perfect and comfortable, and this is coming from the girl that gets moody in the heat. We enjoyed hanging out by the pool and taking Mak for a swim. The child loves to kick kick kick, I could see her little diaper butt going up and down all the way from the other end of the pool. 

Did I mention we started out the stay with some free drink coupons? Of course Mak came prepared with her own special cocktail. 

As per usual, we stuffed our faces and then asked each other whyyyyyy we allowed ourselves to overeat again. But in the heat of the moment, countless shrimp and crab legs are impossible to turn down. We've all been there, am I right?

We enjoyed a walk along the beach before bed. The sand was heavenly. Like the kind you can actually go barefoot on without cutting your feet on rocks and shells.

At night the resort also put on some fun shows. There was a magician, there was a hula dancing show (the cutest hula girl is pictured below) and right before bed time they even brought out a huge outdoor movie screen and played a movie poolside.

In the morning we got up early (no need for an alarm clock when you've got a baby that is hungry every few hours...) and went down to the beach to take a dip in the gulf, and contraire to what the picture looks like below it was NOT a skinny dip, haha.

The little girl loved having her toes in the water, ass in the sand piggies in the sand, and she loved going in the Gulf, however, she did NOT like standing on the shore and having the water pull the sand away from under her feet. Gotta draw the line somewhere. Sheesh. 

After hanging at the beach, we got some yummy breakfast and some of us took naps. Not going to name any names....

Then, I went and got a massage, a lovely much-appreciated birthday present from the hubs. It was just what I needed and daddy and daughter got some one on one time at the pool that ended like this...

We didn't want to leave. I must admit, the south is growing on me. This was a great overnight trip that I hope we can do again soon. We've heard great things about the beaches in Destin and want to check those out as well. 

And I would like to end with a little PSA if you will. I'm going to have to assume that second to last bullet point had to be added after some sort of "incident." I have no words.