Eighteen Months

Today my little man turns 18 months old. I'm not quite sure how this happened so quickly. I knew it would, it's the advice everybody threw at me given the chance. "Cherish every second, they grow fast."  It's something that hasn't fully hit me until recently. This flies by. Luckily, I truly have cherished every second, but it's still mind-blowing.

I'm learning that he is far more mentally and physically advanced than I realize most of the time. 

As an example, five minutes ago on the airplane, I asked the sweet flight attendant if she would fill his cup up with water with which she complied. She then got me a glass of water as well and set my tray table down for me since my hands were very full. 

At this point, Grayson began very adamantly needing something, which I assumed was his cup of water. "Nuh uh." I tried handing him his sucker that was just out of his reach. Nope. So then I said "Grayson show Mama what you want baby, I don't understand." He replied "Bub" which in our world means Bubble Guppies. 

What I didn't realize is that the pattern before I take out his DVD player on the airplane goes as follows. Take DVD player out of backpack, open tray table and then play his DVD. It was only natural in his world that the next step after opening the tray would be watching "Bub." 

Last night, my mom grabbed her purse to take into her bedroom and all of the sudden Grayson chased her down repeating "die" over and over. Now before you think this is a morbid story, "die" is Grayson language for "outside." He observed that usually women grab their purse before going outside. He has made the same observation with shoes.

I love intelligent moments like these that remind me how much he is learning. He is so observant and really studies everything. His memory is amazing. He is starting to leave his tiny mark in the world. He is making his own waves and is figuring out his place in this great, big world around him.

What an amazing thing for me to witness. 

From 15-18 months, his mental understanding has really blown me away. He is very adamant about letting us know what he needs or wants. If he doesn't know how to pronounce a word, he will grab our hand, lead us to it and put our hand directly on what he wants or needs help with. I always use that moment as a teaching opportunity to give him words for things he wants. 

With mental understanding, of course, comes many fits due to not having access to the things he wants. My kid spends a lot of time on the floor these days. The "step-over" him approach seems to work well. However, it takes all I have not to laugh when he stands up, walks within my sight and then resumes said fit. 

We're in that awkward stage of not really a baby, not really a big boy yet so sometimes Mr. Independence gets frustrated. He wants to do everything all by himself all of the time. It's hard for me to stand back and watch him try to figure out such simple tasks, but I do it so he can learn for himself. 

The good news is, when something is a clear danger he allows help. He knows to always grab my hand around stairs. He knows we don't go by water without holding my hand. He knows my "this is serious" voice and respects it most of the time. When he is in a dangerous situation and doesn't follow my direction, that is when he gets spanked. I am the mom who will find alternatives to spanking until it becomes a danger issue of any kind. This approach works well for us. I can't halfway spank because he thinks it's a hilarious game. So, when I do make the decision to spank, I have to mean business and I'm not about to be one of those parents spanking my child every five minutes for every little thing to the point where it doesn't even phase him anymore. No, we will save that for real problems. 

As for vacation, May was simply incredible. First we got to go to the unmatched Grand Cayman 7 mile beach. Now, we are on our way back from our home away from home, Destin, FL. I want to live at the beach. After this month I'm going to be craving sun, sand and turquoise saltwater until next time. Think like school girl crush on a cute boy and she just wants to seeeeee him... That's me, except my crush is on the ocean and I just need to beeeee (live) there.

Sigh.....

Well, I do have many photos to share. :) 

Flying with Children Under Age 2

We like to travel. We also like to bring our son along. This means we inevitably must bring our son on airplanes. Nine flights later, I have learned a few dos and donts. I have compiled a list below based on my personal experience in an effort to help some of you first time flying mamas. 

The first time we flew with Grayson, he was almost 9 months old. The most recent, he was 17 months old. I'll be doing it all over again next week, by myself, with MUCH less.

(8 months and 17 months)

When Grayson was 8 months, we flew with him as a lap child. This means the baby has no option of sitting alone and a parent must be holding him at all times. For a relatively active child, this will be challenging although it can be done. 

If you can afford it, I highly recommend purchasing your baby or toddler their own seat even if they're under 2 years. For one, it is the safest way for them to travel by air. Secondly, they are strapped in and unable to wiggle all around the airplane. Given that airplane tickets are usually $300+ a ticket and money doesn't grow on trees (darn), this may not be an option. If it isn't, my advice would be to bring a lightweight car seat and a wheeled car seat transporter attachment. If the flight is not full, they will allow you to use your child's car seat in an extra seat if one is available. If the flight is full, you simply gate check the car seat and transporter and your child will then ride in your lap. 

With the car seat transporter, they can ride in their car seat through the airport like it is a stroller. Practice hooking up and unhooking the device from the car seat several times before you get to the airport. 

If you don't use the car seat transporter, you will need a stroller. The cheaper the better. If you are going to have to bring your stroller to use at your destination anyway, I recommend gate checking it so it isn't ruined during normal baggage checking. They sell gate check bags for relatively cheap if you are concerned with your gate checked items getting dirty. 

If your flight has a layover, make sure you pack enough clothing and supplies for yourself and your child to last 24 hours. I had always heard this was a good idea. I have done it each time I've traveled with Grayson. I was beginning to think it was pointless because I had never needed any of it. That was up until our last flight when we ended up in Detroit overnight spontaneously after a missed flight and lots of airport drama. Now, I cannot stress this enough. I had told Jason he should put some extra clothes in the carry on while we were packing and he chose not to. Guess who was scurrying through the airport purchasing travel sized everything and wore the same outfit 2 days in a row... I'll give you a hint: it wasn't Grayson or I. ;) Besides, odds are that even if you don't end up somewhere unexpected, your baby will spit up on you, have a blow out, spill something, throw up, etc. It happens to me every time. 

I purchased a backpack diaper bag specifically for use while traveling. In my opinion, this is essential. It frees up both of my hands to carry other necessary items and tend to Grayson. It's spacious enough to put 24 hours worth of diapers and snacks as well as other items that I feel are crucial to airport survival. 

Toys. Leave the toy box at home or pack the toys you will need at your destination in your checked bag. I packed an entire Trunki full of toys for the airport. Grayson pulled each toy out for about 3 seconds during our layover and then stood up and wanted me to take him for a ride on the escalator instead. Let's face it, if you have a child under 2, toys don't hold their attention for very long. Children at this age are far more interested in exploring the world around them. I did not open the Trunki a single time on the airplane. Not once. He did enjoy a nice game of airplane ticket fetch with his dad. Another fun one was smack dad in the head with an empty water bottle. Another hit was learn how to remove and put socks back on his feet. My point is, bring a couple of toys but don't waste good carry on space with junk that will satisfy your child for 3 seconds. You'll end up overwhelming your baby and yourself. 

When we're on the airplane, whatever keeps Grayson quiet goes. I pay the consequence later when I have to despoil him, but if it gets us through the flight it's worth it. This is bad for consistency, which is key to parenting. However when I'm flying with my son I go straight into survival mode. If he's not screaming, I remain calm and happy. He gets away with things he wouldn't normally. For instance, as much milk as his heart desires and lollipops, Cheetos and junk food galore. I would recommend keeping the sugar at a minimum since it will most likely backfire in the form of a sugar rush. If he wants, he gets to watch his portable DVD player the entire flight. We play the throw it down and watch Mom pick it up game repeatedly. Again, if it keeps him seated and relatively silent it's simply worth it to me. 

Everyone recommends feeding the baby during takeoff and landing. I have always attempted this, but even when Grayson isn't receptive to the idea his ears seem fine. Others on the airplane expect that your child maybe fussy during this time anyway. Don't over stress about this.

If you're worried that your child may cry and bother other passengers, keep in mind that most people wear earphones on airplanes these days. I will be bringing a cheap box of ear plugs on our next flight for anyone around us who may want a pair. Grayson decided to let out an excited high pitched scream on our last flight. There was an 80+ year old man in the seat in front of him and it startled the poor man so much that he jumped and let out an audible yell of fear. Luckily, everyone thought it was hilarious because it was so random and he was so happy. It was Grayson's first time to scream like that, but I will be prepared next trip so that we don't cause any medical emergencies for our elders. 

Bring a thermometer and any treatments for illness. You won't want to be caught off guard with a sick child on an airplane. Bring children's Benadryl. You never know when your baby might develop an allergy and you definitely won't want an airplane emergency. I carry Benadryl with me on a daily basis because Grayson is always trying new foods. You'll be glad you did if a problem arises.

While I'm thinking about germs and illness, bring travel sized Lysol and Clorox wipes. On our last flight, I opened my tray table to discover crumbs and stickiness. It was gross and I was so glad that I had disinfectant wipes. Airplanes are disgusting and kids like to touch things and then stick their fingers into their mouths. Bad combination. Yuck!

Bring a blanket for your baby. Airplanes can get cold. Cold babies get mad. Mad babies cry... You get the point. 

Bring as much as you need, but as little as possible. Keep in mind that everything you bring will have to be carried and most airports are pretty big. You won't want to be lugging a ton of unnecessary baggage around all the while trying to content your baby. 

If you're really lucky, your child will nap the entire flight. It's happened to me a few times and I felt like super mom with the perfect airplane baby. Just don't get too big of a head, scream time will come sooner or later. 

Cayman Islands Family Vacation

I write this blog post as I sit in an airplane above the ocean. My sweet little man is asleep on my chest and all is calm and right with the world. (Pictured below)

As I stare down at Cuba (pictured below) outside the airplane window, I am filled with amazement and wonder at just how big and beautiful the ocean is. 

Grand Cayman is the most gorgeous place I have ever vacationed. The water is an unmatched crystal clear turquoise blue and the ocean floor is visible from many feet above. The sand is so plush and perfectly cool underfoot. The people are so kind and welcoming. Every place on the island closes for church on Sundays. 

While we were there, we got to make use of our snorkel gear many times. We snorkeled right outside of our condo and also had a boat carry us out into the larger reefs.

We also got to go swimming with sting rays. It was the second time for me to be able to do this. In 2008 we spent one day in the Caymans via cruise ship and chose this as our shore excursion. It was during that trip that I knew we had to return one day. These are incredible creatures that are very calm by nature. These specific Cayman sting rays migrate to sting ray city (which is a shallow sand bar in the middle of the ocean) by choice to visit the people and eat the squid dinner we bring. Their barbs are in tact, but they are not interested in stinging anyone. Their skin feels very similar to a dolphin's.

We also went to Starfish Beach which was so unique. The water is about knee deep and starfish are all over the bottom. It was fascinating how the starfish suctioned onto the human hand.

Grayson had so much fun. There aren't words to describe the amount of fun he had. When we were loading our luggage up on the airport shuttle this morning, he took my hand and led me to the pathway that leads to the beach. When I told him that we couldn't go to the beach today, that we had to say "bye bye beach," he threw himself on the concrete and had an all out screaming fit. I didn't bother to discipline him. If I lacked a social filter as a toddler does, I would've reacted the exact same way. 

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to experience this past week and most of all to be able to share it with my husband and son. Children have such a special way of bringing wonder and excitement into life. Yes, vacations have changed tremendously for us but I wouldn't have it any other way. In looking through Grayson's eyes, it's like I am experiencing everything for the first time all over again.