I hope to enjoy more ‘multigenerational time’ with grandkids and their parents, along with other family and friends.
Our move to the grandkids’ city has been complicated with their private elementary school closing (so figuring out best location in their large city for us to purchase a home), so I am thinking through going to help DD1/SIL once their PT nanny time ends and DD1 returns to FT work, by driving there and helping for some weeks then flying back while DH ‘holds down the fort’. As they say, go through best options and your/family priorities.
More extended family time will be in FL at Thanksgiving.
I had agreed to watch my GS this morning. I usually get there round 9. My son texted me at 8:15 that GS had PT at 9. I had to rush to get there in time to take him. I don’t know why he didn’t let me know earlier in the week. @SOSConcern I pass by three schools between my house and my son’s house. If it’s drop off time I can get delayed. Today I hit drop off at 2 of the three. It will be a speedier trip in a few weeks once school lets out for the summer.
This was my first time observing his physical therapy. I’ve been to OT and feeding but not PT. I’m so grateful for the services provided by the county and state. I hope he can continue and they have adequate funding.
IDK if your DIL is more on top of the schedules. I know DD1 is on top of it all, while SIL doesn’t even know some basic things with schedule (he is a day-by-day need to know person). You certainly don’t want to be where you have to drop everything and race because of no advance information.
In the south, schools finish earlier because they also start earlier in the fall. I heard a part of a commencement speech Dolly Parton gave - it may have been a HS.
Wanted to share our notes from our recent travels with a 25-month old toddler (who so tall and athletic for her age that she gets mistaken for a 3-yr old!).
We stayed in a condo rented through a property management company. The condo did not provide cribs, but gave us contact information for some baby equipment rentals. They could provide a pack and play for $150 a week… except this kid was too big for a flimsy pack and play! Out of pure curiosity, I looked up if anyone made portable full size cribs/toddler beds for kids who have outgrown pack and play but yet can’t sleep in a twin bed. Lo and behold, there is one! So I bought it after carefully checking the reviews.
I figured if some folks can travel with a giant golf bag, certainly the 40-pound box with the bed can fly, too. And it did! We could have tried having the baby sleep on a mattress on the floor, but it would have made our vacation less enjoyable since she was not used to that yet.
To transport the boxed bed, I found a lightweight duffel bag which was on sale at REI. We opened the bed, checked for any issues, then put it back in the box so the luggage handlers would not destroy any parts. The boxed bed fit perfectly inside this Roadtripper 140.
The portable crib has a firm mattress like bottom, so I added a 2 inch mattress topper from Amazon. I aired it out at home then packed in a vacuum bag so it went compactly into our suitcase.
We decided to take the car seat with us on the plane. Nuna Rava is what they had, and it was heavy! I purchased this handy cart which Amazon delivered in 5 hours! Navigating the airport was much less difficult with the seat on the cart instead of carrying it in a backpack case (I was afraid SIL would whack someone with it while walking through the airport!).
We just used the bungee cords to secure the seat to the cart. Some reviewers said they wheeled their kids in the car seats that way, but Bebe traveled through the airport in her stroller.
ETA: this is how it rolled.
Headphones. I bought the headband recommended in this thread, and after a few minutes of fussing, Bebe figured out that Moana is best watched with this contraption on her head.
In the airport Friday in Chicago, I saw a child perched on her rolling hardcover suitcase (four wheels on the ground/flat edge for her to sit on) and the parent/adult pulling it by the extended handle.
We will find out at Thanksgiving how DD1/SIL/5 grandkids make it on their one leg flight from TX to FL with all the car seats and their luggage. Kids will be ages 7, 6, 4, 2, and 8 month old baby. Flying Southwest and purchased tickets under more generous baggage (prior to 4-21 change). 7:30 am flight. They have the express TSA screening.
We were stunned when they announced baby #5 (their household needs both incomes, and DD1 is primary breadwinner).
I would have avoided doing this flight, but the parents think it will go OK, and they would rather limit drive time despite financial and ‘energy/emotional’ costs doing this flying scenario. When all is said and done, I imagine it will be a story to tell for a long time - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Ahaha! I wanted to have a peaceful night every night. Instead of worrying that the kid would slip out of the room, go outside of the condo, and get locked in the elevator (we stayed in this place many times, so I knew the building specifics).
The crib was $150, it actually was quite compact, and checked bags were free. So that sealed the deal.
The car seat was a must. Kept her corralled and contained in her seat throughout the entire 6 hour flight.
I don’t know if they fly a lot and have their preference, but I’d advise to board and head to the back of the plane. I see so many families take seats at the front and they are so cramped (if there is a hope of an empty seat or two, it’s in the back). I head to the back. I can get an aisle or window. Your D’s family can take a whole row on the left and the right, parents on the aisle and block those kids in. Bathrooms right there. At least during boarding the flight attendants will be cooing over the kids, giving extra snacks right away.
Thanks! It was much easier than (back in the day!) trying to figure out how to import two cats from half the globe away without sending at least one in the cargo section!
Only the 6 YO (GS1) has flown in 2024 (with his mom to Orlando on his Disney World Magic Kingdom time Aunt sponsors one time for each child). When the couple lived in our state, we actually took GD1 to Disney and drove her home (the whole family was also in FL, but they drove back directly with the younger kids, while we stayed the extra time with GD1 and DD2). The 4 YO will probably fly in the spring with dad/SIL taking him to Magic Kingdom with Aunt purchasing her nephew’s ticket. GS2’s aunt (DD2) and our niece both do the Disney 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon run weekend, and so family will be together there at that time. DD2 lives in Orlando and can host 4 YO (GS2) and his dad. GD1 and GS1 will be a help with having the airline flight be an adventure for the 4 YO and 2 YO. 2 YO (GD2) will probably be more managed by dad as mom is breast-feeding GD3. We have all done Thanksgiving for a number of years hosted by our niece, and her children (who are now 12 and 8) love their cousins (they are cousins once removed as DD1 and their mom are first cousins, but they all call each other cousin), and DH and I are all called uncle and aunt even if we are great-uncle and great-aunt to our niece’s DDs. DD2 is known as ‘the fun cousin’ and by DD1’s kids as ‘the fun aunt’. (they only have one other aunt - SIL’s brother’s wife, and she is nice and good but they don’t see her as often and she is a mom to two girls; DD2 makes efforts to be ‘the fun aunt’. In fact, for DD2’s birthday, our niece posted pictures and video on her FB site about DD2 and acknowledged that “she is fun, and she is ours” – the post made DD2 cry as it brought out lots of very good memories.
If Southwest has them board early as most airlines do with young kids, yes, the preference would be at the back of the plane and get in and settled in. They should have their seats together with this early purchase. They will ‘learn’ with the flight to Tampa on how to best handle with the flight back to TX.
Yes, and IDK when they purchased their tickets what seats DD1/Family selected. But it makes sense to be in the back of the plane for reasons stated by another on this thread.
I don’t think SW’s assigned seating is in effect yet. They have to retrofit all the planes to have different types of seats, extra leg room, etc. Anyone who bought their seats before May 28 still gets to have the 2 free checked bags.
Well in addition to the Parents Caring for Parents thread I am now qualified to participate in this (happier) one! My beautiful granddaughter was born on Tuesday in MA and we just got back to NJ. My daughter had to have an emergency C-section and it was traumatic for her, but it all worked out and everyone is fine. I will probably be going back up to MA this month to be chief cook and bottlewasher as D and her husband recover. The C-section will mean a longer recovery for her and I think her husband will also need some relief. He has 3 weeks off, then 3 weeks of WFH, then another 3 weeks off. But It’s still going to be hard for them. I have this whole month off; will be teaching a summer course in July/Aug but only twice a week so I can still go up to MA Thurs. through Mon. as needed. We got the text that they were going to the hospital at 9:30 p.m. We left the house in NJ at 10:30 p.m. and made it to Salem MA in 4 hours, a record. Great drive, no traffic, too bad we were so tired. But I do think in the future we will travel in the off hours. Coming home today, it took 6 hours.
D and her husband will be at the birthing center until Sunday probably. It’s good because they have a lot of support for establishing nursing, etc. I had 24 hours in the hospital in 1993 and they kicked me out. I went home not really knowing how to nurse etc. and I had a terrible time. A “silver lining” of the C-section is more time in the hospital for guidance.
This was a completely ordinary pregnancy, young healthy mother with no risk indications, but D had a placental abruption during labor that was totally not expected.I am just so grateful for the care and expertise of the hospital staff and the wonders of modern medicine. 50 years ago, the same conditions would have led to cerebral palsy or worse.
Instead of worrying that the kid would slip out of the room, go outside of the condo, and get locked in the elevator (we stayed in this place many times, so I knew the building specifics).