Travel Notes

Nigel and I are getting into a rhythm traveling together. There are some things that work for us, and some things we'll do differently next time. For starters, I think it was really helpful to practice going to the airport. The week leading up to our RVA trip, Nigel pulled his carry on bag around the house, pretended to walk through a security scanner and practiced taking his shoes on and off. Fortunately, I was allowed to carry Nigel through the scanner to and from RVA, but at least we were prepared.

On our way out of DFW, we got to the airport pretty early and also found that our gate had changed. Lucky for us, DFW has a train system that loops around the airport. Nigel (left, on the train) had a blast riding around. Our flight left a little after our normal lunchtime, so we packed sandwiches to eat before boarding. Additionally, DFW has playareas scattered throughout; there was one right next to our gate, so Nigel got out some extra energy! We had no issues on the way to RVA; Nigel watched his DVDs and behaved very well.

Our return to DFW was a little more challenging, but nothing major. First, I was given two tickets for Nigel and none for me.... and I didn't realize it until I was almost to the TSA agent. After I ran back to the ticket booth and we cleared security, we learned that since the plane had to depart from a short runway, the pilot could leave behind 30 people or dump fuel. He chose to dump fuel, which meant we had to make a pit stop in Nashville to refuel. I left the DVD player overhead in my pack, thinking I would get it when it was safe to use electronic devices and the seat belt sign was off. Mistake! There was so much turbulence that the pilot never turned off the seat belt light during the hour-plus-long flight. Nigel got a bit restless, but somehow I managed to keep him from a meltdown with snacks, books and the in-flight magazine. Next time I'll be sure to have the DVD player in my lap when we take off.

The next time we travel I'll also leave behind the stroller. Nigel hardly ever uses it anymore, but I brought it along just in case. Each way I checked the stroller at the ticket counter, and each time we landed I didn't remember it until we were halfway to the car. Not a big deal, but considering we didn't use it the entire time we were in RVA it was an unnecessary worry. I'll also bring along smaller suckers for the ascent and descent. Nigel wasn't able to suck on the Tootsie pop and Blow Pop (random suckers I'd saved from various places since we don't buy candy), and therefore he did complain about his ears.

How do you and your child navigate the skies?

No Sleep 'Til Richmond!

Nigel and I leave for Richmond one month from today! (Tim will be joining us one or two days later.) We're getting really excited about seeing our family and friends.

I'm also looking forward to meeting with my RVA clients and working on a travel story for Cleveland magazine! Thanks for the super cool suitcase, LaLa!!!

The Move

We bought our RVA house in 2004, so we had accumulated a ton of stuff. We had a yard sale this summer to weed out things we didn't need, which helped. Tim packed a lot of stuff before he left for TX; Sarah's brothers and Tim's friend/Nigel's Uncle Joey helped pack, toss and organize the rest a few days before the movers came. Nigel was a real trooper considering most of his toys were packed away in the garage for the better part of two months (we had to de-clutter while the house was on the market)

Our totally awesome friend Debbie and one of her daughters had Nigel over to play the morning that the movers came, but he made it home in time to see the inside of the big truck.

The day before Nigel and I left for TX.

Have we told you lately that our house is still for sale? It's a great buy! Give Anne a call!















Flying with Nigel was a breeze. We had talked about what would happen — in extreme detail — for weeks. So, when we got to the TSA agents he knew he had to take his shoes off and walk through the "tunnel." Once we were on the plane, we ate the lunch I had packed. He asked me "are we flying?" and then went right on back to eating his sandwich. He woke up twice during his nap, but never once cried or screamed (other parents on the flight weren't so lucky). There weren't any TVs on this flight, but thankfully I had bought a portable DVD player the week before. He watched two short Thomas the Tank episodes (thanks, Rachel B!) and then we touched down. Because I was flying alone with Nigel, we opted for a direct flight. Obviously that's costly so we won't do it each time, but it was well worth it this time!