Travel days are always an experience! We started in Vegas and had an overnight flight from LAX to CDG. Total travel time of about 15 hours. As of right now Sunny’s still considered a lap infant so Aaron and I chose to upgrade our seats to a set of two by the window rather than in a row with another person. This gave her freedom to wiggle around, look out the window, and it gave us easy access to the aisle. Which felt especially important to me at 19 weeks pregnant.
Sunny slept for a collective 2.5 hours on the flight to Paris. We felt so bad for our sweet girl. Her little body needed some serious recovery. By the time she fell asleep the second round, the cabin lights were turned on and we were about an hour away from landing. The real kicker happened when dad, who had been holding her, had to use the bathroom and she woke up shaking and screaming while she was being transferred over to me. She'd finally fallen asleep only to be awakened by mom and dad. This was the one moment during this adventure that I questioned both the trip and our parenting.
The flight attendants were angels on earth. They made every effort to make our flight as comfortable as possible. Even more than that, they were empathetic and kind. We also sat in front of the sweetest couple who played peek-a-boo with Sunny during the flight to contribute to keeping a smile on her face. I know there are a million reasons to feel annoyed or frustrated with a little one on an airplane, but we just felt incredibly supported by these total strangers.
Once we landed, after about an hour of waiting, the airline confirmed that her stroller didn't make it. They didn't know where it was so we proceeded with filling out a report, praying that it would show up as quickly as possible. During the flight I'd kept telling myself, "Once Sunny's in her stroller, she may be able to nap on our way to the hotel." In the moment, this felt like a much more significant blow than it really was. AirFrance provided us with a replacement "stroller" that truly looked like it was fit for a babydoll. The wheels weren't functioning properly *imagine pushing a broken shopping cart on cobblestone* but at that point we were just ready to get out of the airport and felt grateful we had something for her to sit in.
With stroller in hand, we grabbed our tickets for the metro which, as we continued to discover during the trip were pretty quick to stop working. We later found out that if the paper ticket is placed by a credit card or cell phone, it can deactivate. Something to keep in mind on your next trip to Paris.
After exiting the metro, we we inundated with cigarette smoke. I am not exaggerating when I say that cigarette butts were flying left and right. I caught myself for a majority of the walk to the hotel having some strong feelings of longing for the comfort and safety of our larger and more protective stroller. Aaron said "Sunny traded in her Maserati for a 1999 Fiat." Even that feels generous. Bobbing and weaving a toddler away from flying cigarettes was not what I had in mind for our first day in Paris. Fortunately, this was the worst of it for the duration of the trip. I'm not sure if it was the area we'd gotten off or the time of day, but this was much less of an issue the rest of the week.
Once we made it to our hotel, we ordered room service, set up the slumberpod #ad (hands down the best decision we made to bring this thing), and went to bed. It's just under 8 pounds and essentially it’s a giant blackout sleep tent that can be put over a small crib or pack n' play. It's also pretty pricy but truly worth every penny. We had learned on a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park that Sunny no longer can handle sleeping in the same room as mom and dad. If she can see us, she thinks it's party time. So this was essential. My sister has been swearing by it for years and it will be coming on every adventure from here on out. Sunny slept for 14.5 hours and woke up ready to go. Finally her little body was able to catch up on all the sleep she missed! With the three of us being in a small room together, it was especially great to have the option to turn on lights/get ready without waking her up.
Travel days are a marathon. The moments on the plane when it seems like we should be landing any minute only to see 6 hours of flight time remaining feel brutal. We've found that it's totally worth it in the end, and we're super grateful for the opportunity to travel as a family and to all those who showed extra kindness on each of our flights.
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Bonus: Our tried and true travel items
Similar Osprey Backpacks: I've had mine for over 10 years and it's still in great condition after lots of travel! Aaron has had his since I gifted it to him sometime before we got married, ha! I think for about 6 years. We love them. They are spacious but also fit under the seat in front of you in a pinch!
Our Giant Rolling Suitcase: This thing is awesome. It's really helped us condense down our packing. It's hard to miss on the baggage belt and it comes in tons of fun colors! We've covered it in stickers with all the places it's traveled.
Sunny's Maserati: We did get our stroller back! I think the very next day, which was several days earlier than expected. Aaron felt a calm reassurance that it'd get returned to us safely while I was concerned it was lost and gone forever. Even a day without it made me that much more attached. I love that it has one wheel in the front. It makes zipping around much easier.
Similar On Sneakers: I was about 19 weeks pregnant on our flight out. Pregnant or not, I almost always travel wearing sneakers. I especially love these ones because they are easy to slip on and off during security and they are so comfortable!
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