October 2008 Archives

A lost day for me is a day when I don't get to spend a decent amount of time with the baby, a day when my husband is traveling for work and things seem overwhelming at home or a day that I'm just a crab for no reason and don't get to appreciate the fabulous people and things that I have in my life. (I particularly hate that last one.)

Wyndham Worldwide recently launched 'UNWIND WITH WYNDHAM' to encourage Americans to take their "heart"-earned vacation time off and to reclaim their unused vacation days with great mini-vacation packages, allowing us busy women to get in one last weekend romp with our families before life as usual returns this fall. As a part of the program, Wyndham is asking what happens to those days that are earned and not used - those "Lost Days", and is encouraging people to submit their info to LostDays@wyndhamworldwide.com.

I lovelovelove vacation! Seriously. I am a huge fan. This trip to the Wyndham Rio Mar was so incredible and we had such a fabulous time. The baby knew, when we piled into the car on Wednesday night in his pj's and already past his bedtime, that we were in for an adventure. He was super alert and took in everything - the people that we met in the airport, the fun snacks that Momma shared, the big trucks that loaded the meals onto the plane .. He was pumped, giggling and pointing at everything and really was building the excitement for all of us.

We had an easy flight and arrived in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday. The babe woke up long enough to enjoy the shuttle ride to the car rental (BIG fun for him). He did, however, fall asleep while we were lost, driving around Puerto Rico. We found our way after stopping to ask a nice policeman where the heck we were going and arrived at the resort around 4:30 am - tired and wiped, we headed right to bed.

My little one has reactive airway disease, which is a lot like asthma for babies. He has two inhalers, a nebulizer and an airway clearance vest that attaches to a small machine. All of those necessary meds/devices translate into a very long packing list, as well as a heavy carry-on bag.

Traveling with a family member with special needs -- be it medical, physical or mental, can be difficult. When I travel with my wee one, I carry extra prescriptions for the steroid that we often use when he comes down with a bad cold since he's more prone to pneumonia, ones for the inhalers just in case I lose one or run out while we're away, and I always, always let my doctors know when we're traveling for an extended time so that if I need something while we are away, they know that I am not available to come in for an emergency office visit.

A good friend of mine, Colleen, just got back from an eight-day business trip to England and although she had a super time, it was bittersweet because she had to leave her 16 month old at home with Dad while she was away. Though she said that it was the hardest thing that she has done (aside from giving birth), they had such a great plan in place to keep them connected that I just had to share.

So, Plan A was to set up a webcam so that Colleen and her son would get to literally see each other each day. Unfortunately, that plan fell through when the camera that Colleen brought to England didn't work properly. Luckily, there was a back up plan in place (smart girl!).

All of a sudden, the wee one has his own opinions. Very strong opinions. With very loud noises to accompany those opinions. He hasn't put down his electric toothbrush in days, is sleeping with his plastic spoon and as soon as he gets up, signs for "more". More what you ask? Not something that I need to ask, as he is ALWAYS hungry and ALWAYS wants more.

(Though I will tell you (puffing up my chest) that he also verbally said "Thank you" when I gave him his eighth cracker with cream cheese over the weekend. Yup, he's got manners. Love it!)

We are heading to the fabulous Wyndham Rio Mar Spa and Beach Resort this week and I simply cannot wait! As I have previously mentioned, Rio Mar was featured in Parents Magazine as a top 10 family beach destination, which prompted our long-weekend family get-away.

As you moms know, packing for the family typically falls to us. So, although we have a million other things going on with the holiday weekend, I have to add packing for myself and my son to the list of things to do. Now, typically I'll start a packing list two or three times because I always seem to misplace the last one and let's face it, it's easier to start over than to search through the piles of "important papers" on my counter or the mess in my purse (I currently have this mysterious powder of what I can only assume is Gerber Puffs that have escaped from a long ago discarded baggie lining the bottom of my bag.... Yup! Staying out of there if at all possible.). Well, let me tell you something, ladies. I recently got an email from MomAgenda (of which I am obsessed) and they have just launched new free lists to download for those of us who need a little help in staying organized (yes, that includes me). Check out the travel checklist as well as the packing list ... love them!