Logan's first trip to California

What an amazing trip!  It is hard to be separated from Charles’ family and it was so nice to get to spend some quality time with everyone.  Logan is such a huge part of our lives and every day and it was weird not having everyone know him as well.  We are so lucky to have such a happy and fun kid and it was fun to share. 
We were nervous about the flight to California since it was Logan’s first time on a plane.  We decided to make little baggies of candy for the people around us and put a little note.  Logan ended up doing well so we probably didn’t need it, but it felt good to be prepared and put our best foot forward.  I nursed Logan on take-off and landing which helped with the pressure.  Both times he fell asleep while nursing, but like usual, woke up shortly after.  He stayed awake the remainder of the flight and only had a few fussy periods.  I was worried some of his musical toys were going to annoy those around us, but the plane is so loud that Logan could barely hear them!  Overall we survived and were in California but with a pretty tired baby (he’d been up from about 4:45 to 10:30). 

LA was 8000 degrees, seriously, maybe 8050.  Okay it was really between 100 and 110, but given that we live in Seattle AND have air conditioning, it might as well have been 8000 degrees.  After we landed, we put Logan in the stroller and he conked out.  He slept while we collected bags, rented our car and loaded our car (which ended up being a little more complicated and HOT than we had hoped).  Then he woke up when we put him in his carseat and stayed awake until we got to the hotel at 1:00.  We went to Sharkey’s for lunch and he was happy and looking around (in blessed air conditioning).  Once we got back in car Logan got hotter and hotter and then one errand after his nap resulted in a hot, sweaty, crabby baby.  We resolved to camp in the hotel the rest of the LA trip as much as possible.  I got an awesome hair cut/dye from Gina though, and that was great!

Our hotel was perfect.  We paid a little extra to have a big room and it was completely worth it.  It meant that Logan could sleep in the bedroom half of the room (separated by desk and tv unit) and we could sit/eat/read on the other half.  Given the fact that he naps three times a day and goes to sleep at 6:30, it was nice to have somewhere to hang out.  It wasn’t completely sound proof, but there was separation and he couldn’t see us.  There was a long hallway from the door so we could turn on the light by the door which lit our seating side but kept his half dark.  We brought the Microsoft Surface (Microsoft’s Ipad) on which we had recorded his mobile music and could play white noise.  We used this and it helped to simulate his home experience and give us some cover for a little noise. He ended up taking perfect naps and sleeping through the night every night in LA.  It was a little weird having him in our room and being able to hear him stirring, but we did fine and slept decently well.   

While we were in LA, we saw Maria, Gina and Everett, and Patrick and Barbara.  It was so nice to get to visit with everyone.  Unfortunately we can’t order up Logan’s mood and it meant that everyone got different versions.  Maria got to see Logan at his happiest: giggling and smiling.  Gina and Everett saw Logan in his zonky state, where he was contentedly staring around like a zombie.  Patrick and Barbara got a half smiley/half grumpy kid.  Oh well, it all worked. 

We left the valley on Monday afternoon at about 2:30 and made it up to Santa Maria by about 5:30 pm.  It was a perfect drive with only the smallest amount of random traffic between Ventura and Santa Barbara and the rest was smooth sailing.  Logan stayed awake all but a short 20 minute cat nap and played happily with me in the back seat.

When we arrived at Grandma’s house it was both blessedly cooler and hotter than the valley.  Overall it was much nicer, but the lack of air conditioning actually made things more complicated.  Logan was too hot to put in his sleeper at night so he slept in his onesie and woke each night when he was cold.  This developed a night waking habit that continued when we got home until last Wednesday (the 17th) when we made him cry it out again.  Overall though, he managed the adjustments at Grandma’s house really well considering that the room was much lighter, the room was hotter, and there was more noise than in the hotel.  I am really proud of him.

We held to the same napping schedule in Santa Maria and took outings in the afternoon between 2 and 6.  It was certainly a different trip than others, but it worked out and I feel like we got to spend a good amount of time with everyone, which was of course, the most important part.  Logan was really social and did a great job playing with Grandma and everyone else.  He even had his first bath in a real bathtub (with mom in the tub with him) and got a few other new experiences. 

Developments on trip: Logan seemed to change quite a bit on the trip.  I’m not sure if it was taking him out of his previous surroundings that made us notice, or if he just loved all the stimulation.  He started to babble a lot on the trip and it was so fun to hear.  He also became even more smiley.  Anytime Charles or I would come into vision, he would smile at us (boy is that amazing!).  He also smiled and played with the other family members really well.  Also on the trip, he reconnected with his feet and enjoyed holding and playing with them.  We also think he started teething more in California, as he was only happy if he was chewing or sucking on something. 

Since he got home, we noticed even more changes: He sits up!  It kinda came out of nowhere, but Logan sits really well with only the occasional tip backward.   He started doing pretty well the day after we got back and the following day was doing minutes at a time.  Additionally, he now rolls onto his side by arching his back and pushing up on his feet, rather than curling up into a ball and tipping over (his old method).  His hand eye coordination has really improved too and now he can sit up and chew on objects.  Given the teething behavior, it is really nice that he can hold on his own toys while he chews!

Overall it was a magical (but a little exhausting trip)!  I can’t wait until we go down next time, but Christmas seems so far away.  It’s amazing to think that Logan will be 1 by then and will go from my little scooting/sitting baby to a walking and maybe a little talking baby.  It is going to be an incredible time for all of us!  Thanks to all the family for being so flexible with Logan’s schedule and going out of your way to come to us (especially in LA!).  We are really grateful for the time and the ability for you to connect with our little bundle of JOY!