Our first time traveling as a family of four was one for the books! I was so nervous about the process, the flying, and being able to get comfortable with both girls in the air.. to my surprise, everything went great! Our flight was scheduled to take off at around 830 am and we arrived at the airport closer to 7am. We are so incredibly lucky that Justin's recruiting co-worker was able to give us a lift so we didn't have to pay a daily fee for our car to be parked at the airport. Once we got into the airport, I think this is the first and last set of anxiousness Justin and I both had. We had SO much stuff with us (two bebes, two carseats, 2 carry on luggage bags, one camera bag, one diaper bag, and two large luggage bags to be checked)!

We weren't able to use our print off boarding passes (at least for me and Olivia) because when you have a lap infant, you always have to go up to a representative to have them print out your boarding pass. We also had to show proof of id for us and the baby, including her immunization records. This required us to stand in the longest line... Once we made our way through the line for checking baggage, printing off boarding tickets, and our load not being quite as heavy - we were golden. The TSA lines were not terrible, though they did require us to wait a little bit. Ava was so adamant about pulling her own ballerina luggage bag, so the pace she had was that of a slug on the way to the line. 

I loved that going through TSA doesn't require your children to take off their shoes, it doesn't require you to stop baby wearing your infants, and they didn't take forever to sift through our baby gear/food/bag. Once our entire family made it through TSA, we were golden. I believe we had almost 20 full minutes before the plane started boarding to use the restroom and to get some breakfast. We were able to do both and before we knew it, it was time to board. Can I just say how much I love Southwest and their seating policy? Definitely a different experience than we had the last time we flew with this airline. Family boarding comes after the "A" list boarding members, so we were able to snag really great seats. 

I sat next to the window, Ava sat in the middle, Justin sat on the isle. I nursed Olivia during take off and she fell right asleep. I also fell asleep, but while we were snoozing - Justin and Ava were chatting up a storm and coloring. The flight to Chicago was less than two hours long, so we weren't in the air for very long at all. We knew we had one more flight to go before NY, so we crossed our fingers for the best! 

♥- Leilani

Tips For Flying (While 36-37 weeks pregnant)

This has been a highly requested blog post since I traveled to New York while being a day shy of 36 weeks pregnant. I was so nervous when I got closer to our travel date, simply because everything on the internet talks about all the cons of flying later in pregnancy. There were very few resources I found that were actually helpful, but the amount of worries with a pregnant woman flying were abundant. I have mentioned in other posts that my flying experience was far from terrible, and that part was true. We had a couple contingencies while traveling that were airline related, but other than that, it was a smooth trip both ways for me. The two MAJOR things that really assisted me during our travels were:

1) Compression Socks
2) Hydration
3) Hygiene toilet seat covers
4) Comfy clothes/ loose fitting shoes

I was most nervous about dealing with blood clots and/or swelling in my feet from being so high in altitude and I really think the compression socks helped immensely. I had zero swelling, zero blood clots, and absolutely no pain in my legs what so ever. On the way back home, I didn't get up and walk around nearly as much as I should have, but even then, I had zero discomforts. I slept more on the plane ride home then I did on the plane ride to New York. I did get up and walk to and from the bathroom each time I had to go, but that wasn't nearly as much walking as some do. Each of our flights were completely packed (holiday travels, gotta love them), so I didn't like having to move my way through isles of toddlers, people sleeping with half their bodies in the isles, etc.

I brought my filtered Brita bottle on board, and I made sure to take advantage of the complimentary drinks that were being served by the flight attendants. When I wasn't drinking, I made sure to suck on ice cubes. It was a pain in the rear to continue to get up to use the bathroom so frequently, but it did work out. I also made sure to bring my own toilet seat covers that I ordered from Amazon... Boy, am I glad I did this. Not only are airplane restrooms freakishly small, but NONE of the Southwest bathrooms came equipped with toilet seat covers. I seriously would have lost my marbles if I hadn't brought my own. I am a germ FREAK when it comes to public restrooms, and airplane bathrooms are not exception. That really isn't pregnancy related, but for a woman that already feels huge and would like to use the restroom with added comfort... yes, those toilet seat covers are golden.

Dressing comfortably was also the smart way to go. I think everyone who travels for the most part, dresses comfortably. I worse a lose fitting sweat outfit that I bought a week before we left, I also wore really loose Roxy boots that I could slip on and off really easily. My feet never hurt, but they did get a bit sweaty at times from the compressions socks. Justin took care of Ava bug pretty much during the entire time we were actually traveling and I can't rave enough how much of a saving grace that was. I got sleep when I wanted to, Ava and daddy got to have some quality time together, and when we were landing... I got to glance at them looking out the window at the pretty city lights.

If I had to mention a couple other tips or discomforts.. I would say to sit on the isle row. With a family of 3 in our own seats, it was so nice not to sit next to strangers. I sat on the outside so I could access the bathroom a lot easier. My pregnant belly was too big for me to put my table down in front of me (huge bummer), but either Justin or Ava sat in the middle, so I just used their table. We had a lot of luggage during our travels as well, but the only thing I carried was Ava's gate checked carseat from time to time. Justin was such a trooper with gathering all of our carry on bags, and checking the huge luggage bags that needed to be checked. Walking through the airlines wasn't completely ideal either, but if we were early enough to our seats, I got to sit and relax and put my feet up.

Overall, that's all I took into consideration while flying just days away from my due date. When I got home, I did head to Labor and Delivery triage to get myself and the babe checked out, we both got a clean bill of health. This pregnancy has also been low risk and uncomplicated, which allowed me to receive the green lights from my providers. Had there have been some concerns, I most definitely would not have risked traveling at all. Every pregnancy, every woman, and every situation is completely different. I would still recommend discussing travel plans with your provider, assessing the risk factors for flying, and then making the best educated decision from there.

If you have any further additional questions, or if there was something I didn't list that you were eager to know, feel free to email or message me!

Happy Monday all!

♥- Leilani

Travel Prep & Ultrasound

My toddler actually went down for a nap today, so this mama has a free moment to blog out this past week. And, yes. Sadly, Miss Ava has decided to completely kick her beloved nap time... and while it's taken a bit of an adjustment for our family, we are working out the kinks. I shouldn't say she's gotten rid of naps entirely, she just no longer prefers to go down at the "normal" time. We've had to push up lunch time so she eats prior to a nap, and now she goes down around 1-2.. but we don't allow her to sleep past 3pm. Sleeping past three means no bedtime at 8pm... and our bedtime routine CANNOT be changed. Ava gets the perfect amount of sleep at night when she goes down accordingly. I should probably write up a 2.5 year old update on my little girl, I'll make a mental note to do that sometime before Olivia arrives.

Anywho, like always, this week has been mega busy. More busy due to the fact that we are prepping for our trip to New York for the holidays. We've been on the go and shopping much more than I'd like (surprising, right?), and getting our travel gear squared away. I ordered a snowsuit for Ava from OshKosh.. only to find out that my toddler is indeed officially in everything that is 3T clothing.. including coats and heavier clothing items. I was floored, but we had to exchange it. We picked up some super cute festive clothing, the new snow suit, and various other items for Ava for her new size of clothing. We also bought her a new carseat for traveling purposes. Don't get me wrong. I ABSOLUTELY love our Chicco Nextfit Convertible Seat, but it is huge, heavy, and bulky.. not truly ideal for traveling. Since we made the decision to gate check her seat, we also had the risk of damaging her expensive seat.. I wasn't okay with that. After talking to a million traveling parents, reading online, and calling the airline for help.. we finally decided to buy an aircraft approved, lighter, more manageable seat for our travels.

We made a list of food items to pick up this week for our plan ride, and we loaded up Ava's tablet with fun movies, apps, and games to keep her well entertained during our airtime. We even purchased headphones specifically for younger tots. I love how comfortable they seems and Ava's ease with them. I feel like I've called the airline a million times just to make sure I've got everything correct. I was really pleased with the fact that there is such a thing as family boarding with this airline. With it being the holiday season, I was worried we wouldn't be able to sit together, but right after the A class folks board, they call for families! We will be boarding well before 100 other passengers.. that eased my worries a ton.

The last time I flew with Ava bug, she wasn't even 8 months old... can i just say how relieved and excited I am to be traveling as a family? I know having Justin with us will make this trip even smoother than I'm imaging. My main goal is to stay hydrated during the flight, keep my compression socks on to help with swelling and such, and walking as much as I can. I absolutely DO NOT want to go into labor while we are on vacation, so I will definitely be taking OVERLY good care of myself while we are away and during our plane rides.

Speaking of, I got to see my littlest girl this morning.. and it was just amazing. Seeing her weigh in at 5 lbs 3 oz was foreign to me.. due to the fact that her big sister nearly weighed that at birth. I truly think we are going to have a 7 lb 6 oz babe... and if that's so, she'll weigh as much as her mama did at delivery. I could tell the discomforts I've been feeling lately came on a lot sooner than I remember them with Ava. I had a photo session yesterday and got really low to get great shots of the baby boy I was taking photos of.. yeah, I'm paying for that today. I'm achy, I have a bruise, and I am so incredibly tired.  Justin is pretty much off work for the rest of the week, so it's so nice to have his support and helping hands.

I have a 35 week OB appointment tomorrow, since I won't be in state for my 36 week appointment, and my fingers are crossed that everything will still check out amazing with my pregnancy. My biggest worry at this point for my pregnancy has been my potential gestational diabetes.. with my numbers being so excellent, Olivia's growth scans being so perfect, and the fact that I have no other risks.. I'm feeling pretty cloud 9 right about now. Here's to the last five weeks or so I have of pregnancy. I still can't believe how quickly these last 9 months have flown by, but I am most certainly ready to be a family of four.

Here's the best profile pic they could snag of our sweet Livy bean! 

Happy Monday all!

♥- Leilani

Flying with my (almost) eight month old

Where do I begin? My first plane ride with Ava didn't cause as much anxiety as I originally anticipated. And the anxiety I did feel wasn't from traveling with an infant. I'd say I was most relieved by that. We arrived at the Killeen airport an hour and a half before my flight was to take off. That airport is so small, and cute. It took about .5 seconds to get my boarding pass, bags checked, and get Justin a gate pass. Ahh, gate passes. Those things are a god sent (thank you Victoria). Justin was able to go through security with me and help me with Ava bug.. which actually turned out to be a good thing because I was selected for a random security check. I won't lie, I was actually shaking after being patted down, and touched. Granted it was a woman, but I have never had that happen before. I'm glad our airports are taking a much higher security measure though, it's making sure we are all safe. Other than that, going through security was a breeze. It seems like when you have kiddos all of their items are exempt to the "do not bring" list. After we got through security, Justin made sure to set our things right next to the gate, and we said our goodbyes. No tears from this mama (shocked), but he started his journey West as soon as he left us.

 Ava was so fussy while we were waiting for our flight. Another tooth has cut through her gums, and while I am thrilled for my Bug to be getting teeth, the pain seems to just be god awful. I ended up giving her teething tablets, and a little Tylenol for her fever. 225 pm came around so much sooner than I was expecting, and soon I was boarding with Ava on a smaller, charter plane. I gate checked the infant car seat and base, and I am so glad that I did. I definitely think giving Ava the tylenol helped a bit because we got minimal fussiness (and I chalk the fuss we got up to teething). I nursed her during take off, and she fell asleep almost instantly. It would have been nice for Bug to get a nap in, unfortunately the flight from Killeen to Dallas felt like five minutes. When we got off the plane, I waited on the bridge for my gate checked bag. It took all of two minutes for that to come up.

Going through the Dallas airport was like a maze. Initially I tried carrying my infant car seat on my back, my diaper bag, my checked bag, and Ava in the ergobaby carrier all at once. I did that when I went to the first incorrect terminal (thank you Expedia) for my flight. I really had to use the bathroom, (and I am SO GLAD I DID) because I started a conversation with a couple of really nice people that were also waiting for their flight to.. Longview, TEXAS! I figured out I was in the wrong place, and they kindly helped me load all of my things on a luggage cart, and directed me (in what they thought) was the correct terminal. I went back up to the skyrail, and I went to the second incorrect terminal for my flight, and by this point I was just fed up. Ava was an angel through all of this though. So curious, and content in the carrier. My flight was due to leave in like 35 minutes and I had been all over this airport. I finally just went up to a rep behind an airline counter, and asked her where my flight was. It was easy peasy for her to look that information up, and she told me not to listen to expedia in the future. Apparently they always have the wrong terminal information. I was then on my way to the third terminal, luggage and Bug in tow.

A kind couple on the skyrail held onto my luggage cart, all the way to my next terminal. I finally arrived at the correct terminal with just enough time to use the bathroom and board our flight. I gate checked the infant car seat, yet again, and this time they gave me the option of picking it up on the bridge, or baggage claim. I chose bridge, since that's what I had done the first time. Once getting in our seat, I felt so much better about this final plane ride. Until the person beside us sat down. Ava and I had the window seat, and there were these two huge military men who occupied the other two seats. I felt crammed, uncomfortable, and I thought the flight was going to be horrible. It was surprisingly entertaining. The military men kept Ava entertained. I was able to sit her on the tray that is attached to the seat in front of us, and I let her play with some of her toys I'd packed away in the diaper bag. I got her to sleep for a little over an hour, which was nice. When Bug was asleep I took that time to order beverages and something to snack on. When she woke up I pointed out our window and she was able to see Mt.Rainier, and the Seattle skyline. Though I know she was unaware of what she was looking at, it made my heart all warm knowing my baby was seeing something dear to me for the first time, home!I kept her in the ergobaby carrier the entire time she slept on the plane, and after we landed and made our way to baggage claim. This trip went so much better than I expected. 

Tips for flying with an infant

• If you are flying alone, get a gate pass for whomever is present to help you get through security
• Use a baby carrier so you are able to have free hands at all times
• If you have a teething baby, bring teething tablets and/or feeders (whatever you use to help soothe baby)
• Make sure you know where your terminals are AHEAD of time. 
• bring baby toys to keep your little one occupied
• Try to get an isle seat (I wish I would have)
• Definitely nurse, bottle feed, or have a pacifier handy during take off and landing (I think nursing was the real reason Ava wasn't fussy during those times)

 ♥- Leilani