In Pursuit of Perfection

This is a long post because, well, it was a very long process...

Back on May 23rd I lost one of my contact lenses. I wear rigid gas permeable lenses and they last longer than soft lenses. This set has lasted about 10 years or so. I have worn contacts for so long that I can no longer see very well with glasses and get terrible headaches, so I was a little concerned about how long it would take me to get new contacts here.

So on Monday, May 25th I went into an optician's office and made an appointment. Two days later I went back for my exam.

I guess I should have known at that stage that this would be a long, drawn out affair. As I was waiting for my appointment (I had to wait nearly an hour! Very un-Swiss!), an older man came in to purchase plastic clip-on sunglasses for his prescription glasses.

Keep in mind, these are the plastic things you can purchase off a rack for about $5 at any Wal-Mart in the United States without the need for assistance from a sales clerk.

But the sales clerk first removed his glasses and studied them to make certain they were appropriate for plastic clip-ons. Then she went into the back and returned with some plastic clip-ons. Still holding the man's glasses in her hands, she put the plastic clip-ons on the glasses and studied them to make certain all was correct. She took them off and put them back on a few times. Then she flipped them up and down to verify all was in working condition.

She next placed the man's glasses, with the clip-ons, on his face and studied them. She removed the glasses and made some adjustments on fit, then put them back on. Now satisfied that the plastic clip-on lenses were acceptable, it was time to instruct the man in the use of the clip-ons. She showed him how to attach the clip-ons and then watched him do it himself a couple of times. Then she showed him how to flip the sunglasses up and again he had to prove he knew how to do it.

Finally she was done. She escorted him to the cash register and charged him, and I am not making this up, 49 chf (about $45 USD) for plastic clip-on sunglasses! And the entire transaction took about 30 minutes.

So I shouldn't be surprised that it is now July 8th, I have had 7 appointments for exams & fittings and I still don't have my contacts lenses.

Oh, I have contacts in my eyes. At first they gave me disposable soft lenses to use until the trial pair of rigid gas permeable lenses could arrive. Then I had to wear the trial pair for a week and come back to see how they fit. Even though the lenses felt fine and I had no problem with them, they determined the fit could be better. And so a second pair of trial lenses were ordered. I wore them for a week and this time the fit was deemed acceptable. So finally my permanent lenses have been ordered.

But don't think my appointments have ended. Oh no, not yet. I will need at least two more. The first to get the lenses and check the fit. And then another appointment a week later to make certain all is still ok.

You know, sometimes good enough is fine. I really don't have time to wait for perfection.

Especially not when I have to figure out child care for all these appointments. Each one takes at least 30-45 minutes and Global Baby does not have the patience to wait in his stroller next to me for all of that.

And I'm still trying not to think about the fact that the trial lenses have been worn by others before me and will be sent back to whomever to be worn by someone else after me. Yeech!

Lost in Translation

We've been working on the incredibly long and complicated process for the second adoption. For the Swiss, everything must be filled out in German. (Or French or Italian, but our best bet for help is German!)

GLH purchased a translation software program to help us. He was convinced we could just write everything in English, run it through the translation program and send it in as is. "May not be perfect," he said, "but it should be close enough."

I decided to have my German tutor help us on it. Am I glad I did!

Otherwise, I would not have discovered that the software program translated "Bachelor's Degree" to the German language equivalent of "degree in bachelor's parties." Or that my statement that I am a "stay at home mother of a 9 month old baby" would become an "uncaring mother who looks old."

Languages have many subtleties that require human interpretation. Preferably by a native speaker...

Parenting Styles

For the first several months of parenthood I was a pretty laid-back mom. Global Baby went with us everywhere and we took him all over the place. Everything went very smoothly until he was about 5 months old. Then it quickly spiraled out of control.

Global Baby required holding and/or movement to sleep. I held him or pushed him in the stroller for every nap. At night I held him all night long. His sleep patterns were all over the place. He was cranky and he cried more as an older baby than he ever did as a newborn. GLH and I got almost no sleep.

By the time he was 7 months old I was barely functioning due to sleep deprivation. Very confused and completely exhausted, I did what I always do when presented with a difficulty. Research and reading.

I found my answer in a book I like to call "Baby Voodoo." It's published title is Sleepeasy Solution. Within 3 days of following the program, Global Baby was sleeping in his own crib, going down for naps and bedtime on a predictable schedule and a much happier baby. Which makes for a much happier Mama. Which also makes for a much happier Daddy.

Within a week he no longer had dark circles under his eyes and there was a nonstop smile on his face. He also had a huge surge in developmental milestones. Although it is just as likely it was coincidence rather than finally getting adequate sleep, I'm not going to experiment with that theory.

I immediately stopped being a Laid-Back Mother and became a Schedule Mother.

My sphere of existence has shrunk. During the week I rarely go further than a 20 minute walking distance from the house. I save our times when we change his schedule slightly to days when we are all together as a family. I am very focused on keeping Global Baby on his schedule, especially with a Maybe Baby #2 potentially coming in October. Otherwise I have no idea how I am going to handle two babies at once.

Fortunately it is all made bearable by the fact that I am also meeting other mothers of similarly aged babies. All within a few minutes walk of me. So I have new social outlets. And I reason it is only for a few years. Once Global Baby and Maybe Baby #2 are old enough to drop their morning naps (generally at 12-18 months old), I can once again go further afield. The older they get, the further my sphere will expand.

The only question has been how we will be able to continue traveling?

Well, obviously for at least a few years we will not do as much traveling as we have done in the past. Neither of us have any issue with that as Global Baby is more than worth a little less freedom to travel at whim.

And when we are traveling I become militant about Global Baby's schedule. Even more so than at home because everything else is different. We are limited in how much we can see, but we still are able to see and do enough. And more importantly, Global Baby's routine is maintained. Which means he remains a happy, smiling baby.

Although after our recent trip to France, it also likely means we will limit our travel to child-friendly places. Italy, for instance, was extremely child-friendly. France? Not so much. (Why is it that in many smaller French towns the only restaurant open before 7 pm is McDonald's? 7 pm is Global Baby's bedtime.)

Pretty sure France will still be there when Global Baby and his potential sibling are a little older...

Road Tripping France

On Sunday we returned from a road trip through France. On this trip, with the extra baby help provided by my parents, I managed to take a few photographs!

We began our trip with three days in Paris.

Our favorite Paris moment from this trip? Watching a man in a 3-piece suit, listening to headphones and singing at the top of his lungs while riding a rental bike down the middle of a busy street during rush hour. Unfortunately it happened too quickly to get a photo!

We also met Paris-based blogger and fellow Minnesotan, Ksam. But I won't link to her blog because I'm not sure how she feels about it. It was fun speaking Minnesotan in a teahouse owned by a Kansan in the heart of Paris!

After Paris we headed for Normandy.

The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach was sobering...

Followed by a very cold & windy trip to Utah Beach. We are still trying to figure out why the two young men with clearly British accents were dressed in full vintage US army uniforms. It was a little odd.
Leave the battlefields behind we went to the playground of the French Renaissance. The Loire Valley has chateau after chateau, each more extravagant than the last. Pictured below is Chambord, perhaps the most famous of them all.

We have no photos of Lyon. I forgot to turn off my camera before putting it away after touring Chambord (Baby hungry now!) and the battery died. But it also was a lovely visit!

It was a great trip, but after 9 straight days of driving through the French countryside and trying to maintain a semblance of a routine with a 9 month old baby, I think we were all happy to head home.

Almost a week later, I am still trying to get caught up on laundry. It just keeps accumulating!

Teaching Early Independence

Now that we have Global Baby, we are starting to meet our neighbors. (Apparently friendliness is not allowed unless you have a child.)

There is one neighbor whom I have met a handful of times.

Each time she has told me that it is time to let Global Baby play in the street with the other children.

I thought she was joking, laughed at her joke and the conversation moved on.

However, each time I have seen her, she has repeated herself. In fact, she practically chastised me.

She said I should leave Global Baby with the other children and come in for coffee. After all, the little girls love babies. And Global Baby will never learn independence if I keep him too close for too long. (Yes, she actually said that!)

There is no way I am leaving my 9 month old child in the care of a group of children ranging from 3 - 8 years old while I go have coffee and a chat! Even if we do live on a quiet street in a small town.

Do the Swiss really do this? I guess thinking back I have seen very young children playing on the street. But I just assumed the parent was somewhere within sight and they were with their older siblings.

What is up with that?

Heavenly!

We decided we have lived in Switzerland long enough, and are going to live here for the foreseeable future, so it was time to upgrade our Ikea bed.

We looked at several different options and debated this for several weeks (almost several months!) before deciding on the spur of the moment.

On our recent trip to Florence we stayed in a Westin Hotel. It made us remember how unbelievably comfortable the Westin beds are. In fact, it's their schtick. They call it the "Westin Heavenly Bed." And heavenly it is!

I did a bit of research and discovered you can actually order the Westin Heavenly Bed and have it delivered to your home!

We called the number for European orders and now, 8 weeks later, our new bed has arrived!

I think what I enjoyed the most about the delivery was the Swiss delivery men, looking with puzzlement at the pillow-top mattress. They eventually decided the pillow-top was for extra warmth in winter and you used the other side during the summer. They didn't quite believe me when I assured them the pillow-top was for year-round usage, but put the pillowy side up just to humor me.

But my favorite part will be sleeping on it tonight!

One Easy Lesson...

...in How to Freak Out Your German Housecleaner.

On a hot day, hold your baby in front of a fan to cool him off and make him giggle.

Apparently this can result in dire consequences. I'm not sure what. But she was very upset.

Introducing Foods

I've decided to hereby completely ignore the photocopied brochure Global Baby's pediatrician gave me regarding the introduction of foods and follow the English-language book from the US instead.

When I follow the US guidelines, Global Baby does just fine. He spits up maybe once or twice a week. When I decide to try a new food using the Swiss schedule, clothing changes tend to happen!

It astounds me at how different the two schedules are! Are babies really that different?

Let's go back and talk about Global Baby's lactose intolerance. In the US there are many options available for babies who are lactose intolerant. In Switzerland, we could not find a single formula that worked for him. Once I started reading labels, I discovered why. It is virtually impossible to find formula that doesn't have some lactose in it. Even the soy formulas had lactose added!

And when we were still in the US and Nicholas was having difficulties, the US pediatrician told us to try the lactose-free formula first. Worked like a charm and Global Baby instantly stopped having stomach problems. The pediatrician said lactose-intolerance is quite common, especially in babies under 6 months old. That is the one they usually start with when a baby is having discomfort.

However, the Swiss pediatrician said lactose-intolerance was extremely unlikely. He would be more likely to have a milk protein allergy.

Complete opposite of the US theory. I suppose it's possible, given Swiss cuisine, that Swiss children are simply not allowed the luxury of lactose intolerance. But is it also possible they are far less likely to have it?

So I've been wondering. Is there some kind of genetic link to this and that is why the advice is so diverse? Is it possible that babies of some ethnic heritage have more problems with certain foods than others?

When we first considered adoption we looked at the various options, international and US domestic. One article intended for parents adopting from Asia said that Asian children are quite likely to have lactose intolerance and therefore should be watched closely when given dairy products. So, I guess it is possible.

Or is it that Swiss children simply have more stomach discomfort and vomiting and that it is considered within the norm.

What have been the experiences of other expat parents in Europe?

Making a List

My parents are coming for a three week visit.

After giving them a couple of days to recover from jet lag we are setting out on a driving tour through France. But when we get back, we are putting them to work.

The reason for the three week visit is that there are some major organizational tasks around the house that I must get done. And I simply do not have time to get them done in the short bits of time during which I am not caring for Global Baby.

Here's the List:

• The office will be reorganized and completely cat-proofed. The cats are being moved into there.
  
• The current cat room/huge walk-in closet (also known as a bedroom!) will be thoroughly cleaned, baby-proofed, reorganized and decorated as a nursery.
  
• The kitchen cupboards will be emptied, cleaned and completely reorganized.
  
• The hall cupboard will be emptied, cleaned and completely reorganized.
  
• Our storage room in the basement will be emptied, sorted and reorganized with everything we don't need either donated or disposed of.

Mom and Dad will do Baby Care while GLH and I work on the above tasks.

Woo hoo! We sure know how to show our guests a good time!

Unexpected

We've known for a bit, but it seemed weird not to post something so major here...

About three weeks ago Global Baby's birth mother contacted us. She is pregnant and would like us to adopt this baby as well. The baby is due in October.

For reasons I won't go into involving legal complications, this adoption is even less of a certainty than when we adopted Global Baby. Likely I won't mention the adoption process unless it comes to pass.

But we are preparing in case we may have a second baby this Fall.

Preparations include car shopping. Over the weekend we purchased a minivan. The back seat of our car was crowded with just one car seat. We get visitors on a regular basis and were already considering the purchase of a larger vehicle. The thought of squeezing 2 car seats plus all the various baby accoutrements (times 2!) pushed it over the edge. Extra passengers would have been impossible.

We pick up our new Chrysler Grand Voyager on Friday afternoon.

Homage to the Weber Grill

Picture from Weber.com

We love grilling in our household. We use our grill year round and cook everything from the standard meat to artichokes to pizzas on it. So in honor of the Official Start of the Grilling Season in the United States (Memorial Day Weekend), I thought I would write about the Weber Grill.

The first Spring we spent in Switzerland we noticed the grills popping up at the local hardware stores and immediately went to purchase a Weber Grill.

We were surprised when a couple of weeks later a Swiss visitor said, "Oh, you've purchased a Swiss grill!"

Later, a German visitor proudly proclaimed it a German brand of grill.

And I was very surprised when even later I was told by an Australian that Weber is an Australian company.

Let me take this time to dispel all of this.

The familiar kettle grill was invented by George Stephen, Sr. in Palatine, Illinois in 1952. He was a welder with the Weber Brothers Metal Works and originally made the grill for just himself. Others saw it and liked it and he made a few more. The grill business took off. Eventually he purchased the company and renamed it Weber-Stephen.

I think it interesting that the Weber Marketing Department has been so successful in placing their brand that so many others swear the grill is original to their country. After all, when you visit the Weber website, it asks you to select your country and language. You can select from 29 countries and 22 languages. Pretty impressive.

But make no mistake.

The Weber Grill is 100% American!

And while we are on the topic, may I just mention something else that drives me a bit batty?

Cooking on a grill is called "grilling."

"Barbecuing" is a very specific method of cooking involving the use of spice rubs or at least a spicy sauce. Please stop using it to describe any type of cooking on an outdoor grill. (I specifically address this to the Australians out there! It's time to start saying "Throw another shrimp on the grill!")

Thank you for your attention.

Forgetfulness

We carefully gathered all necessary documentation and headed to the US Embassy in Bern to renew Global Baby's passport and apply for a Social Security Card.

We had been warned to arrive at least an hour before they opened at 9 am. Others had said the line starts forming at 6 or 7 am.

We arrived at 8:50.

Got our number and sat down to wait. We were Number 2 for service. Which didn't matter because when they opened, they opened two windows. So we were first!

Only difficulty? Guess who forgot the bring the new passport photos?

So I covered myself up with a white blanket (Thank goodness I had one!) and held him to the side in the passport photo booth at the Embassy. I got him to look at the screen by tapping my finger on it moments before the picture was taken.

Not the best photo. I am partially visible and you can see the remnants of his first bug bite on his forehead.

But it was deemed acceptable.

We were finished and on our way back to Zurich within 30 minutes.

Our afternoon activity? Car shopping. More on that later...

Passport Photo, Take 2

We're off to Bern on Friday morning to renew Global Baby's passport.

Usually a child's passport is good for 5 years. Due to the adoption, GB's passport expires after 1 year. We have to take the adoption decree and the new birth certificate to prove the adoption has been finalized.

We also, of course, have to bring an updated photo. Here are the best results from the photo shoot earlier today.

It was actually easier taking the passport photo at 1 week than at 8 months. He's a bit more mobile now!

We're hoping it will be accepted. Having it done professionally is not a good option. Someone has entered into Separation Anxiety/Fear of Strangers Phase. Pretty sure a professional photo shoot would not go well!

Swiss Joke

Today I heard my first Swiss joke. Not sure if it is the company I keep or whether the Swiss do not have many jokes, but I thought I would share it with you.

*******************************************************************

A member of the Swiss Bundesrat* boarded a Swiss Airline flight. When he boarded, he took the first available seat in first class instead of his assigned seat on the other side of the plane. He immediately opened up his briefcase and set up some work for the flight.

A flight attendant approached him and explained he was in the wrong seat and asked him to move. He refused to move, stating that he was a member of the Bundesrat and could sit wherever he liked.

The flight attendant alerted the flight crew manager who also approached the passenger. She tried to reason with him. She cajoled him. She demanded that he move to another seat. He stated he was too important to comply with her and refused to change seats.

So they alerted the plane's captain to the situation.

The captain approached the passenger and spoke with him quietly for two minutes. Without further protest, the Bundesrat member packed up his belongings and moved to his assigned seat.

The flight crew asked the captain, "How did you do that? What did you say?"

The captain replied, "I told him that the seat he was in was going to a different destination. If he wanted to go to his destination, he would have to move to the other side of the plane."

*Definition of Bundesrat: A council of 7 officials at the highest level of government who are elected by the United Federal Assembly of Switzerland.

To other Switzerland-based Bloggers: If you know a good Swiss joke, please post on your blog and let me know in the comments field of this post!

Bella Italia!

We have just returned from a 5-day trip to Florence, our first trip there. But perhaps not our last?

Unfortunately, I got sick on the way down to Florence (making for a very fun ride!), but at least we had decided to splurge on the hotel. If you are going to be sick on vacation, you may as well be sick in a 5-star hotel.

I saw a lot of this view for the first couple of days: 

The worst thing about being sick was that eating gelato was a risky thing. So unfair! But at least I could take pictures. And when I was feeling better, I made up for it!

Traveling with a baby made the trip very different from past trips we've done as we tried to keep with Global Baby's schedule as much as possible. Which meant we frequently ate in empty restaurants!
I do not know what kind of schedule Italian babies keep, but it definitely wasn't lunch at 11:30 am and dinner at 5:30 pm! Fortunately, the Italians LOVE babies. We had restaurants that allowed us to come in before they were open so we could feed Global Baby and also eat ourselves!

Which also meant that the restaurant staff had more time to come by and play with the Bella Bambino!

In keeping with a baby's schedule we went back to the hotel every afternoon for a nap. A habit I highly recommend, whether you are traveling with a baby or not! When we would go back out again, we felt refreshed. And bore no resemblance to the other tourists who stumbled about the streets in an accurate imitation of zombies in the late afternoon.

We also kept to Global Baby's schedule when touring the sights. We had pre-arranged our tickets to the Uffizi and Accademia museums, cleverly scheduled for morning nap time, which meant we could bypass the incredibly long lines at both locations. With a sleeping baby, we calmly strolled through the museums and looked at our leisure. Although because of the sleeping baby, we did need to keep moving. Otherwise baby was no longer sleeping! And we were limited to about an hour in each museum.

By the way, museum guards also loved the Bella Bambino. As evidenced by the fact that I was always ushered quickly past the security gates (without having any type of search or scan at any of them, which surprised me) with all the guards grinning at Global Baby as we went.

And we did manage to see quite a lot even with a baby and the fact I was sick for the first 3 days of the trip, such as...

Michelangelo's David at the Accademia. Pictured below is the copy of David standing in front of the Palazzo Vecchio (also called the Uffizi), it's original location. Photographs of the actual David are strictly forbidden and enforced by a small army of guards.

The exterior of the Duomo. Unfortunately, the Duomo has a dress code, which we did not meet as GLH was wearing shorts and my skirt was above my knees. Although we likely wouldn't have gone in anyway as the line was too long to wait with a baby. (Remember the "keep the stroller moving" rule!)

We also walked across the Ponte Vecchio on the way to see the Palazzo Pitti.

The Ponte Vecchio was built as a covered bridge to connect the Palazzo Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti. The walkway is on the upper floor while the money-loving and practical Medici's rented out the space on the ground floor to jewelry stores. To this day, all the shops on the bridge are jewelers. Nice to look at. Too much money to buy!

We also strolled about the streets, just taking in the sights and atmosphere.

There only two things that made Florence somewhat less child-friendly. The extremely narrow and poorly maintained walkways that made it difficult to push a stroller. (The Bugaboo would have handled the walkways better than the Maclaren, but would also have taken up more of our car's luggage space!)

The second is that green spaces were very difficult to find. And if you did find them, they were either not particularly green or may as well have been named "Needle Park." Or they cost 10 euros per person for admittance!

On our last day in Florence we discovered the park just to the north of the Fortezza. A bit out of the way, but worth it when baby needs sunshine, fresh air and a break from the stroller!

Although you do need a wet-wipe handy to pick up all the cigarette butts before setting baby down!

Tunneling

The Swiss love their tunnels. And who can blame them? For a fair amount of the year it is impossible to get over the mountain passes. Tunnels are definitely the way to go.

But there was one particular tunnel we have been waiting to open since we moved here in January 2006. The Uetliberg Tunnel, connecting our side of the lake with the Nord-Ring, a beltway that partially circles the city.

Up until now to get to the other side of the city, we would have to slowly creep our way through the city, frequently in gridlocked traffic, because the highway went right through the center of Zurich. Early on Sunday mornings we can be from our house to the airport parking garage in 20 minutes. In rush hour traffic, it could take more than 2 hours! Not terribly convenient.

But the Uetliberg Tunnel solves that and should make our runs to Ikea and airport pick-ups much less of  a hassle.

Originally the tunnel was to open in Fall 2007. Then they changed the laws on Tunnel Safety Requirements in Switzerland and the brand-new tunnel had to be completely renovated before it could open. So it was delayed to November 2008.

That date came and went and we discovered it was delayed again. Never did figure out why.

But we finally heard the tunnel was completed and ready to open.

However, before opened, they had a party in it. The last weekend in April was West-Fest, a 3-day carnival to celebrate the completion of the tunnel.

We thought the tunnel would open the following Monday. Only to discover they had to remove all the rides, booths and other carnival-related items. Clean-up took an additional week.

Finally, it was announced the tunnel would open on Monday, May 4th! Yeah!

But the actually opening time remained a secret. See, they didn't want people lining up to be the first to go through the tunnel. That would cause gridlock, which the tunnel was intended to prevent!

So in the wee hours of Monday morning, they quietly opened the tunnel and then sat back to wait.

The Swiss are a little upset that the first car to drive through the newly opened tunnel had German plates. (Perhaps they should have arranged it so a Swiss car would drive through first?)

But at least, after so long of a wait, the tunnel is finally open!

Annual Mayday Riot

Every year there is a riot in the streets of Zurich.

It happens every Mayday. Because it is an annual event, the police are ready for it, all dressed up in their full riot gear.

This year they did not disappoint. On Friday, May 1st about 12,000 people gathered for the Labor Parade. Approximately 200 of the protestors wore masks and were obviously up to no good. A small riot ensued. It was immediately quieted and around 30 people were arrested.

Does anyone else find it humorous that the Swiss schedule their riots?

American Smorgasbord!

Yesterday we had a party to celebrate the adoption finalization.

It was truly an American Smorgasbord!

Perhaps the most fun we had was using our authentic Swiss fondue pot to make a Velveeta cheese dip for the nacho chips! We also served American-stye "Swiss cheese," which is vaguely Emmental-esque and Cheese in a Can, just for shocks and giggles. I wonder if we will get kicked out of Switzerland for committing cheese related crimes?

And here is the Star of the Day, playing Pony Boy on GLH's knee:

Ich habe eine Putzfrau!

I am a relatively meticulous housekeeper and like to keep things tidy and clean. But since Global Baby's arrival, that has become increasingly difficult to do.

Before GB's arrival I generally spent about 5 hours a week cleaning the house with a thorough cleaning every season.

I just plain don't have that time any more. But I was reluctant to find a house cleaner (Putzfrau). Partially because I felt weird having someone clean up after us. Partially because I wasn't certain how to deal with the logistics of finding one. And partially because I would hate to pay someone a lot of money and have them not clean as well as I do when I have time. 

Not to mention that I dreaded not being able to speak with them as most cleaners in Switzerland have German as a second language and tend not to speak English. Two non-German speakers stumbling over the language? Bad idea.

GLH took the decision out of my hands. He knew how it upset me to not have a very clean house, especially now that GB is crawling, and announced he would arrange it all.

And he did! Or rather, his assistant did.

Frau C starts Monday morning. She's from Germany, so speaks Hoch Deutsch (more language practice for me!) And it was all arranged through an agency, so we don't have to figure out all the various employments laws, liability insurance or anything else I was dreading we would have to figure out. We just pay the agency and they deal with it all.

Yeah!!!

Top 10 Tips for Traveling with a Baby

We are back. Struggling to stay awake. Doing mountains of laundry. Figuring out how to restock our empty pantry on a Swiss Holiday (grocery stores closed).

I'll post more about our trip this coming week. But I thought I would do a Top 10 Tips for Traveling with a Baby...

1. Try to keep as close to your regular routine as possible. Too many changes, too late dinners, too much stimulation causes Baby Melt Down.
   
2. Vacation with extended family. Grandparents and aunties are very useful for extra hands, running to get something or taking over when you need a nap, a pedicure or a romantic dinner for two with your spouse. (First romantic dinner for about 6 1/2 months!)
   
3. If flying with another adult, one of you should get on the airplane with all the stuff and set up. The other person should stay at the gate with the baby and be the last passenger to get on. Everyone, other passengers included, will be happier that way!
   
4. In addition to a change of clothes for baby, remember to bring a change of clothes for yourself when on a long flight. I highly recommend you NOT wear white. Learned this one the hard way.
   
5. It is not possible to have too many short-sleeved, white onesies. Bring more than you think you could ever possibly need.
   
6. Bring a large, light piece of cloth that packs easily and can be put on the floor, ground, wherever so baby can stretch out and play a bit wherever you happen to be without worrying about the germs in the hotel carpet or floor of the airplane or restaurant. Remember which side is the germy-side!
   
7. When Baby is very young, consider vacationing in places you have visited before. That way you know where things are and you aren't upset when you can't get out and see as much because Baby needs a long nap (not just a quick stroller nap).
   
8. If you can stretch your budget, fly Business Class for long flights. It is so worth it. Plus it's fun to see the faces of the other Business Class passengers when you sit down with a baby!
   
9. Invest in a sturdy, lightweight umbrella stroller that has a recline for naps on the go. We really liked the Maclaren Quest we purchased as our travel stroller.
   
10. Bring a blanket to cover the stroller for nap times. Not just to block the sun, but also to stop complete strangers from reaching in to touch the baby, thereby waking the baby from his nap!