my best friend's wedding: part 1

My bestest friend in the whole world got married last weekend.  Married!  This guy is perfect for her.  Perfect, I tell you.

Meghan is originally from Cincinnati and her husband (!) Nick is from the Pittsburgh area, so their wedding took place in the picturesque, historical and quaint town of Gettysburg.  I'll tell you more about the actual wedding and location in Part 2 - that it was incredible is an understatement.

Since the wedding was out of state, I had to make a big decision:  drive or fly.  Another decision that was made for me:  I would definitely be taking Connor.  He's still up all night long and still nursing - done deal.  He's never been the greatest in the car seat and eight hours of driving on three hours of sleep obviously wasn't appealing.  I decided that we would fly, and I actually convinced my sister-in-law (Jeff's sister) to go with us!  Woo hoo!  You're the best, Jackie!

Deciding what to pack was something I spent quite a bit of time thinking about prior to the trip.  Checking a bag was not something I felt necessary, so I needed to fit both mine and Connor's things into a carry-on.  Now that the trip is over, I can say with certainty that I am so happy with the few items I brought for us.  I took into consideration Connor's age - 6 months was perfect.  He sits up and was able to play on his own (in the airport, hotel, etc.), but not crawling so fast that I had to chase after him.  He's also not so big that I had to buy a seat for him in the airplane.  I boarded him as a lap infant.

WHAT SAVED US ON THIS TRIP:

• NURSING.  You guys, I don't think I could've managed this with formula and bottles.  I know it's been done before by Supermoms but it would've been so stressful (finding clean water).  Breastfeeding eliminated so many items that would've taken up space in our suitcase, and any time Connor fussed on the plane (which was as soon as we sat in our seats) I put him up to the breast and he would calm right down.  He ended up sleeping straight through three out of the four flights.  We had no issues with ears hurting from the pressure difference - in fact, I did a lot of reading that said LEAVE THE DAMN BABY SLEEPING, don't worry about having them suck during take-off and landing.  So I didn't.  And it was perfect.

• A MEDIUM-WEIGHT STROLLER.  I really struggled with this one.  My other options were my heavy Chicco stroller and a small umbrella stroller.  Ya'll, take the medium weight.  I have this one and it was the best decision I made for our trip.  I mostly used it to transport the diaper bag because Connor likes being held, so it was crucial that I was able to push/maneuver it with just one arm.  It also has storage underneath and two cupholders.  One for Jackie's grande hazelnut latte and one for my grande decaf soy vanilla latte.  BAM.  We gate-checked it for each flight, and most airport cargo workers were very helpful with folding & unfolding, etc.

• A CARRIER.  Most Mommy's these days have a carrier of some sort and it makes so much sense to travel with it so you can have two arms.  Mine didn't get used a ton on the trip, but it was imperative in the situations where I did use it.  (One being at the reception when Connor was tired and a little chilly.  I put his hat and sweater on him, strapped him and and he was out within seconds.)  Something about hearing Mommy's heartbeat and the low hum of laughter, chatter, and Beyoncé's Diva in the background just puts a baby to sleep.

• TOYS.  This seems obvious, but there were a couple toys that were essential and prevented tantrums of gigantic proportions.  1 - A binky strap.  What's the real name?  I don't know, but those things that connect the pacifier to the baby's shirt/stroller/car seat are amazing.  Even though Connor refuses to suck on it, he likes to chew on it.  There were many instances where I needed him occupied but didn't feel like handing him a toy.  2 - Links.  The best.  (I couldn't find the exact package I bought but I believe they're Sassy brand from Target - these are similar) You can connect them to anything to make things longer or reachable for your baby.  I just hooked a long chain of them onto the stroller tray while we were walking through the airport.  Since they're connected, you don't have to worry about the toy falling on the ground and thus saving yourself a sanitizing session.

One thing I do regret is not taking my nice camera.  For some reason I thought it'd be too bulky but now that we've been through it, I see that it wouldn't have been any trouble at all.  Darn.  

Anyways, after doing some sight-seeing it was time to get ready for the wedding!  I'll be back with details!