Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Next Up: Summer Travel (and a Word on Lovies)

Mr. Love Bird and I have been gearing up for summer travel! I had written at the beginning of our summer about our plans and while not everything's panned out, Uka did get his trip to Vegas in and we're heading to Long Island this weekend, followed by DC the next and Columbus after that. While we're taking LIRR to Long Island, Bolt Bus to DC and flying to Columbus, in consecutive order, we definitely didn't intend to progress in distance/difficulty traveling but now I realize it's a good thing especially with Nia. Each week can be practice for the next which is very important because  . . .  

It will be Nia's first time flying! I have a list of helpful posts I've come across that I've been reading little by slowly to help prepare for the journey (I'll share in a separate post). I'm very thankful that I'm still breastfeeding and I'm 100% positive that this will make the flight easier. Last night Uka lamented how he thinks flying with Nia will be a disaster because of the effect of pressure on her ears, but I reminded him how she has a high pain tolerance (she's always face planting, barely whimpers when she gets her shots, busts her lip weekly and bumps her head constantly with nary a blink).

Besides breastfeeding the other key to an easy trip I believe will be her lovey! I never knew that was a term until I was pregnant with Nia. I guess I had one as a kid - his name was Poopsie (a stuffed white seal) - but I always thought it was kinda corny to purposely get a baby hooked on an object of affection only to have to wean her off it at some point. I've been thankful that Nia didn't take to swaddling/sleep sacks, binkies or bottles because for us, that's meant less things to wean her off of! However, she's discovered her own loveies: a stuffed monkey and a stuffed bear.

I mentioned in her last Life With Nia post how she's suddenly started showing affection towards everyone and everything and out of the blue she's latched onto her monkey and bear showering them with hugs and kisses. It's actually very precious! They help her get to bed too; when she sees either in her crib she wants to join it and will snuggle up beside it and go to sleep.

Today she was playing (taking CDs in and out of a storage box) then suddenly ambled over to her bear, laid down and snuggled with it. Doesn't this make your heart melt?


Anyway, if you have any travel tips to share please do and also let me know what your opinion on lovies is!




4 comments:

  1. You are both going to do FANTASTIC!! You are right, breastfeeding helps a ton! That saved us through all of our flights! And those lovelie stories are soooo sweet! How did you get her to like them? Lil' J thinks I'm her lovelie. Haha.

    And yes!! I still need to share some pics from meeting you at blogher!! Someone has got to see that cuteness!! I met you and another reader. Both so beautifully pregnant! :) I'll have to do a post special for y'all! Hehe.

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  2. I 100% agree w/ pp - nursing while take off and landing is key. sometimes would fall asleep for the flight like that too. both our girls have lovies - Kaias more attached to her's more than Olivisa - they also have passys and thats what we have to have to travel and sleep w/. I'm sure you'll be fine!

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  3. @Baby Making Mama Thank you for the encouragement! One day Nia just suddenly started hugging on her stuffed animals (and us too!). I had kept them in her room for about 3 months and kept showing them to her - I was mostly met with blank stares until last week, but a friend of ours gave her the monkey around 4 months old and while she's smiled at it, she's never hugged it or carried it until recently.

    I've heard mother moms say all the love we pour into our babies just one day returns to us when they figure out how to show affection. My husband asks, "Did you teach her that?" especially when she hugs him and pats his back (SO precious!). I say, "Nope! She's just reciprocating how we've been with her!"

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  4. I remember "POOPSIE". Daughter, I am soo proud of you raising your own daughter, my grandbaby that I adore! Love You.
    mom

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