Pumpkin Patch Fun

This is Emma's first Halloween and it was my first time visiting a pumpkin patch and a corn maze. We have other friends that have kids and we are learning new things everyday about what kids like to do. We went to Sweetfield Farms located about 40 minutes north of Tampa. We will be back next year, I'm sure that Emma will enjoy it more. 

Like always, we end up using our phones and the last 2 pictures were my favorite pictures of the day. 

What we learned on our 1st trip with a Baby

Our last day in Canada was spent traveling by car to buffalo and then flying to Tampa. Emma was so good at her flight that the people sitting behind us said they didn't notice that there was a baby in front of them. She slept most of the flight. We got upgraded to first class thanks to the random seat assignment from AirTran and probably good luck that the flight was full to sit Andre and me together with Emma. I can see that she is going to like traveling and I'm more than happy to say that we had an amazing time with her. It was exhausting and by the time I was done with the cycles of feeding (milk), applying sunblock, feeding her solids and keeping her entertained it was time to start over again. I have to admit that the first night I was so tired that I told Andre that I don't like traveling anymore. I was wrong because as soon as we came back I started to think where we would go next. It is a lot of work traveling with a baby, but it's not impossible. I'm not ready to go alone with her on a trip just yet but I'm sure that I will get there.

For our next trip I'm ready to do a few things different:

• Keep my ID and phone in a separate bag than the baby bag. I have a small cross body bag that I take to theme parks and it is perfect. We have been to Busch gardens a few times and that way I can keep my things separate from the baby things. Diaper bags get heavy and things get "lost" in them. 

• Clorox wipes are still coming with me even if I embarrass those who travel with me. Changing tables are not the most appealing places to lay your child. I became an expert on changing diapers on my lap or using the stroller. This is only OK for wet diapers. 

• Keep clean toys in separate bags. I used a few zip lock bags to help me during the trip and I would clean them at the end of the day. Airplane floors are probably never cleaned. Next time I will take less plush toys and more plastic ones that are easy to clean. 

• We took a portable bed rail to install in the hotel bed. It was the best way to be safe when the 3 of us shared a king bed. I requested a crib once and it was not that great. They are metal and extremely cold. Sleeping is a privilege these days and if she gets cold is another reason to wake up. 

• Most hotels have microwaves if you request one. I had no idea you could get one. At the end of the day we sterilized her bottles and pacifiers. 

• Take at least 3 outfits a day. I took 2 per day and I was running out of clean clothes by the end of the trip. 

• There is baby food everywhere but babies are picky with new flavors. Take enough food even if it means a heavy bag to check in its worth it. I bought a few things in Canada that according to me tasted better than the ones Emma eats but she hated them. She now wants to eat what we eat and it was difficult to find something that she could eat. She can have fish or chicken or veggies but they are mostly too seasoned or cooked in ways that she is not used to. As gets older this will get easier. 

I'm sure that as we travel more often I will add more lessons to my list. We have a trip planned next month and I am more prepared this time. 

Canada Day 4, Sightseeing in Toronto

Since we only had one full day in Toronto, we decided to buy tickets for the double decker bus. We followed the tour from our hotel towards the CN Tower and the waterfront. The bus tour included a free boat tour. I'm a big fan of doing this kind of tours when the time is limited. It is flexible and they follow the best routes to show you the most popular places.  We needed it because Emma is heavy and that way we could also take a break while doing some sightseeing. It was the best decision. I feel that we saw a lot more of Toronto than if we tried to take the subway or any other way of public transportation to the tourist places. 

When we were on the boat it was the first and only time that I took my camera out this day. I was more concerned about the baby's sunblock, hat and food than to take pictures. Maybe I just need to go back to my point a shoot camera otherwise I will just have iphone pictures. 

Toronto Skyline

Emma fell asleep on the boat and we took the tour bus back to Dundas Square. It was almost 5:00 PM and that was one of the last full tours of the day. We were able to see all the stops included in the tour. I decided to stay on the bottom level to let Emma sleep comfortably. After having a late lunch/early dinner, we walked back to the hotel. I was exhausted from the day. It sounds silly but I was exhausted physically and also mentally. I'm Emma's favorite person (which I love) but this also means she wants to be held (by me) most of the time. A 20 lb baby is heavy enough to leave you exhausted at the end of the day. I think that I did a good job keeping her out of the sun, taking naps, drinking water, eating solid foods and also drinking her bottles. Traveling with her was a challenge and we didn't get to see as much in one day. However, I'm happy with what we saw and for our first trip, I think we did great! She was a great tourist. I'm really proud of her. 

Canada Day 3 - Toronto & Niagara on the Lake

When we were on our way to Toronto from Niagara Falls we made a quick stop at Niagara on the Lake. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. We didn't plan to come here but we wanted to see Lake Ontario and a friend recommended that we ate here. We were full but we still wanted to see this place. It was beautiful and we had a nice break at a park looking at Lake Ontario for the first time. Emma still hates the car seat and she was very happy to take this long break. 

As soon as we got close to downtown Toronto, we got stuck in traffic for at least one hour. Emma was not too happy but we finally made it to our hotel. After checking in, we walked towards Dundas Square. This place reminded me of Times Square, only a lot cleaner and more organized. We were starving and didn't know what to eat. We ended up eating at the Hard Rock Cafe. I have to admit that it was good. I had a salmon with vegetables and everyone else got hamburgers. We wanted to try something Canadian (which I still don't know what it is) but we were tired and hungry. 

Happy Tourist

This day was Andre's birthday. We had plans to go out that night. I didn't do my homework of reading the travel books that I got. I even forgot to pack them for the trip. I also forgot his birthday card. On the good side, I did not forget ANYTHING that I needed for Emma. This is a clear example of how my brain decided to prioritize my new life. I'm happy that I forgot about something like where to go out instead of her bottles. Since I didn't know where to go, I remembered that the Yorksville area looked very nice from the few things that I saw when I read about Toronto. It was really nice, the problem is that they close everything very early. It's a shopping district and by 8:00 PM on a Saturday nothing was open. I was expecting restaurants or bars in the area, but it was dead. We walked towards the metro again and ended up having gelato instead of a drink and calling it a night. I was worried about Emma and wondering if she was having a rough night again. As we suspected, she woke up while we were gone and she was upset. Unlike the night before, she fell back asleep. We could have stayed out longer but we were tired. We definitely don't have the energy to stay up at night and keep up during the day.