We're back from our vacation and while I will say it was nice to be in sunny weather for a week and to see our families, it was not really a vacation. It was more of a stressful learning experience.
Lesson #1:
Don't take your kids for a well baby visit right before you go on vacation. They will get sick. Max and Tessa caught colds (their first colds) and ended up with RSV. We figured out it was RSV after an ER visit in Florida.
Lesson #2:
Dr. knows best...what? You thought your family and friends had a lot of different opinions. Well, don't expect all doctor's to have the same advice even for the basic cold. Take this medicine, don't take this medicine, cool mist, warm vapor, the list goes on. I have been very surprised that there is such a difference in philosophy from doctor to doctor. It's kind of frustrating, but I guess it's just the beginning of situations where we'll get more than one opinion tossed our way. I will say that I LOVE our pediatrician and feel very comfortable trusting her advice. Oh, there's even different school's of thought on sun tan lotion. Use the highest SPF vs. anything higher than 30 SPF will result in a rash.
Lesson #3:
Don't try to put your umbrella strollers in their travel bags right before you gate check them. It's a hassle and not smart since when you get off the plane you don't want to have to remove them from the bags right away. I'm sure a few other traveling parents got a laugh out of watching us try to put them in the bags.
Lesson #4:
You can spend all the time in the world researching just the right travel seat to use for the babies when you go out to eat or just don't have a high chair and none of them will be perfect. After more than 10 minutes in any type of chair for a seven month old is too much and you will have to hold them on your lap. I bought the totseat and while everyone else was impressed with the seat, I thought it was just ok.
Lesson #5:
Dreams of lounging at the pool...Ha! I spent so much time worrying about the plane ride that I didn't think about what it would be like once we got there. I had visions of happy babies in the sunshine and naps on the beach chair. Naive, I know. I basically had to pack a suitcase just to go to the pool and then spent the majority of the time there doing laps around the pool with the strollers so the babies would nap or not fuss. I also felt like my family ended up helping most of the time which cut into their relaxation. I know that bothered me more than them, but still.
Lesson #6:
It's all worth it just for the few minutes I got to see my babies kick their feet in the water and LOVE it! They splashed, kicked and laughed just with their little piggies in the water. It was also pretty cute seeing them in their shades and beach cover-ups.
Would I do it again? Absolutely!
