Monday, November 19, 2007

Texas Bound

I don't think I've ever looked forward to heading down to Texas more. It's like a sanctuary from our DCFS-ridden lives in Chicago. I was up late last night packing- it's a whole new ballgame now that we have Landon along for the trip. There's bottles, wash cloths, bibs, blanket, toys, and clothes to think about. His outfit selection process was much more involved than my own. He has so many cute things and we're planning to have family portraits done tomorrow morning at a place recommended by a commenter, so I had to figure out our casual and holiday ensembles. Very tricky- you want to blend together without being too matchy-matchy. JP couldn't understand the dilemma and suggested outfits that would have clashed horribly. Packing for me is always tough because I have way too many shoes, necklaces, earrings, etc. It's very hard to only pack one pair of black heels for 4 different outfits when I have others that would be even more perfect for certain tops, but I sacrificed for the suitcase space. Another layer of difficulty was added by my lack of a baptism outfit. Mom and I looked as hard as we could, but it's impossible to find a young-looking, church appropriate dress right now. It's either holiday cocktail dresses or super matronly shapeless ones. I'm 24, not the grandmother of the bride. So we're going to look in Texas- but this means I need to bring a few extra pairs of shoes and some jewelry just in case I find something that doesn't match the shoes I brought. Do you see the challenge?!

Anyway, all that is left to do is arrange our carry-ons. Our carry-on list includes: Landon, his gate-checked car seat and stroller, my purse, his diaper bag, and another bag with my laptop, JP's magazines, Landon's extra clothes, and extra tops for JP and I. It almost seemed excessive until I realized that if Landon were to spit up or have an explosive diaper, the ejected materials would be all over us and we (and whoever gets stuck next to us) will be very grateful for the change of clothing. I'm hoping Landon will sleep on the plane, but he's been doing this thing where he screams and cries right before falling asleep. I'm sure the other passengers could do without that little routine (as could we). Oh, well, we'll do our best. We have the bulkhead, it's only a 2.5 hour flight, and Landon is so cute maybe people won't send too many evil glares our way.

6 comments:

  1. He'll [most likely] do great on the flight, but definitely pack extra outfits for him and an extra top for you. also a pacifier and some things for him to look at. Give yourself plenty of time and ignore any looks/comments from unkind strangers!

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  2. You'll easily find one in Texas, the land of the overly dressed ladies. It looks hot down there --hope you packed cool clothes!

    Pumpkinhead flew a lot from 3 months on. I would wrap little presents or put them in bags and pull one out when he needed a distraction. I think he loved the paper more than anything. I also got a portable DVD player and put on Baby Einstein movies (yes, I let him watch TV). A bottle on takeoff and landing is also helpful to clear their little ears.

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  3. Good luck! I always find traveling with babies as akin to planning the invasion of a small country. There are so many things to plan for! Be sure to bring a nice full bottle onto the plane.

    Have you tried Ann Taylor Loft for outfits for the baptism?

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  4. I hope you have a wonderful trip home. I'm sure you will get some really cute pictures. We bought entirely too many but they were all too cute.

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  5. I also recommend the Steinmart there if the Ann Taylor stuff is too pricey. I bought a ton of cute dresses there 2 months ago. If you overlook all the older lady stuff they have some really cute things for good prices. And why pack more shoes when you can buy more?

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  6. The Lord bless you GREATLY as you visit in Texas. Let your family love you into blissful oblivion for a while. Still thinking of you and praying.

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