My Travel Crib Saga

First, let me say that I hope no one perceives my quest for the perfect sleeping solution while we travel as (a) bragging or (b) complaining. I am an information gatherer by nature, and have to get lots of info before I feel satisfied in a decision. (You can just ask Ma' Chauffeur and she can tell you the in-depth conversations we have over text about EVERYTHING!) I feel so blessed that we are able to travel as much as we do. I owe most of that to my amazing husband.

Since I was unable to gather the information I wanted online, I turned to my trusty mom friends on Facebook. Here is the summary of the advice.

1. The Pack n' Play is much too large to take to Europe. We have the Grayco travel play yard - which is the lightest of the series, but it's still quite bulky. Many moms were concerned that it would be too large when opened for many of Europe's small B&B's.

2. The Baby Bijorn is the top-rated travel crib by Baby Bargains and a few other sites. While it comes in around 11 lbs, it folds up like another suitcase. It is bound to take up valuable room in our rental car and other forms of transportation we may need to use.v

3. Kids either love or hate the PeaPod - and it may have some recall issues. I'm currently trying to get my hands on one to try it out and see how Baby Peach does with it. It is certainly the lightest of the options, but may not curtail my active kid.

4. Jury is still out on the Phil &Ted's travel cot. I found one person who has used it, and a bunch of mixed reviews on Amazon.

5. The best suggestion, though, is going to be our back-up plan. If all else fails, train the baby to sleep in the bed with us before the trip. It's the cheapest of the options.

I was able to procure the Phil & Teds travel cot, and I think it's our big winner. Although the official dimensions are the same as our travel pack n' play, it is quite smaller and much lighter.  (See Comparison Photos) When packed into its bag, it will easily fit into our rolling duffel. The online reviews say it's hard to put together, but I had no trouble. I had no directions and it took me about 20 min. Now that I've seen it together once, I'll be able to do it in 5min.

I'll have to get back to you on how Little peach likes sleeping in it, but he has enjoyed playing in it. It has a side and top zipper, so I will be able to zip him completely into the bed.

*Update 2/23/12* So far Little Peach is a fan of the Phil and Teds Sleeper. I bought mine used, but just found this one on Zulily today.

Take a look at this phil&teds Black Traveller on Zulily.com today - it will be there till Wednesday (while supplies last!)

http://www.zulily.com/invite/enewcamp260/p/traveller-black-30512-2537213.html?tid=social_sms_iphone_shareviaicon_na_modal_81d3df7c94ef103a2f585ba338f5a92f&pid=2537213

Finding my moment of Zen...

I've had quite a few frazzled moments lately, thanks to separation anxiety, teething, and working on a nap schedule.

1) About a month ago, Lil Bee's separation anxiety kicked into high gear. At first, I couldn't even leave the room to grab something to eat let alone take a shower without him screaming his head off. Luckily I got a tip from another mommy friend to play Peek a Boo. This seriously worked! I would say boo and peek around the corner, then progressively get farther and farther away from Lil Bee. Now I can proudly say I just have to do this occasionally (and his little yelps now signal either boredom with his latest set of toys or that he's due for a nap).

2) He's still working on those stubborn first two teeth. I've tried everything from refrigerated teethers, to teething pacifiers, to frozen washcloths, to celery sticks, to baby Tylenol, to teething tablets (both the Hyland's and Orajel Natural tablets). His solution has been to mouth his favorite set of Melissa + Doug blocks, a blanket, or the teething bead necklace that we were gifted for Christmas. At this point, it keeps him happy so I roll with it (especially since I know now that this cruel process will last until he's about 25-33 mos of age... siiiiiggggghhhh...)

3) We've successfully established a nap schedule which is HUGE since sleep has been an ongoing battle with Lil Bee. At the very beginning, Lil Bee had his days and nights mixed up which took about 9 weeks to resolve. We read the Happiest Baby on the Block before he was born so every time we put him down, we made sure he was changed, fed, then rocked him to sleep in the recliner/swing/Rock and Play sleeper and kept him asleep with the Sleep Sheep (for the white noise). As he got bigger, he slept in his crib mostly through the night by 3 mos (with some hiccups here and there thanks to growth spurts). But with the recent teething fussiness, some days the old tricks wouldn't work as well (or even at all). I ended up following the Baby Whisperer method (a very simplified version is here). He now naps at 9, 2, and 5 (this can vary depending on what we do during the day) but always goes to sleep by 9 PM. He whines at first when I put him down but as long as he has his Peter Rabbit stuffed toy and Sleep Sheep going, I can wait it out and know he'll be out within 10 minutes. Some days teething can still throw him off but for the most part, I have a little bit of my sanity back haha.


Throughout all of this very stressful time, I've been very fortunate to have great friends I could chat with, regular playdates that give me & Lil Bee a reason to get out of the house (because a change of perspective can be all it takes to lift my mood), and a supportive husband who would watch him and give me the occasional night off.

Paper and glue sticks

Last Friday, I had an amazing experienceworking with some kids who have been adopted (or are in the process of beingadopted).  A dear friend of mine worksfor a private, non-profit agency that helps kids and families transition duringand after placement in this state.  Inaddition to many of the services this organization provides, they alsoroutinely have get-togethers on Friday nights; as it is important for kids tosee and interact with others who have also been adopted because they feel less “weird”about their experiences. My friend coordinated with me so that I could help thekids on their lifebooks.  A lifebook is aspecial scrapbook that relays the story of adoption from birth to placement orlonger. 

There were six kids ranging from 5to 15 on Friday night.  I had preppedgoody bags for the kids—glue sticks, paper, markers and some stickers.  My initial plan was to go over some basics,like what to include and to encourage them to write down (or journal) what theyremembered.   My plan quickly got thrownout as I watched the kids open their goody bags.  Almost every one of them said something tothe effect of “this is for me?”   I gotvery emotional as I watched their excitement grow.  Each one carefully pulled out all the paperand looked through their small stack and it was fun to watch them plan.  Especially for these kids who have bouncedbetween foster homes and their birth homes, it was also important for me togive them ideas on writing about their experiences because pictures may nothave traveled with them.   As they cutand pasted, some began sharing some of their own story with me.  A twelve year old girl, with the mostbeautiful smile was showing me pictures from her finalization…which happened onChristmas Eve 2012.  No doubt, she hasseen a lot of heartache in her life, but felt loved now.  Her mom was there with her and hugging herand giving her a hard time. This girl had been with the family for only twoyears, but it was sure fun to see the love they shared for each other.  As the parents worked with their children onpreserving history, I soaked up as many of the smiles and shows of creativityand completed pages that I could.  Whoknew that paper and glue could bring out so many smiles in such a short time?  I didn’t get any “teaching” done but I wassure blessed beyond comprehension. 

I think that I will be able toreturn and help them again and will probably start pestering my friend for thenext date soon. I was reminded of how seemingly effortless it can be to make someoneelse’s day; those kids probably aren’t going to remember my name, but I betthey remember that one lady who came on a cold, rainy Friday night.  I think wherever the USAF takes us; I willtry and find a similar agency to volunteer at. Again, I was reminded of the blessing of foster families. It certainlytakes special people to love on a kid for an unspecified amount of time; I’m thankfulfor all of them. 

Friday's Favorite: Bottles & Sippy Cups

Baby Peach boycotted the bottle pretty much from Month Four on, so I have no strong opinions on bottles. I do, however, have an opinion on sippy cups. Since Baby Peach started using one, I have been searching for the perfect cup, which means (a) he can use it on its own and (b) it limits spills. I finally found one: The Safe Sippy2. The cup has handles, which means H can use it. It has a choice of a straw or a sippy valve (we use the straw so he doesn't have to tilt the cup back) and it has a replacement valve that keeps it from spilling when we are on the go. It can be a bit annoying to have to replace the valve when I travel, but I have been unable to find a cup that doesn't spill... so this is a winning combination for us.

Great Travel with Baby Blog

I'm way behind on updating everyone on Puerto Rico with the baby, but I am already planning our next adventure!

I'm planning a trip to Europe with the hubs and little one, and just came across this great travel with baby page recommended by Rick Steve's: http://www.deliciousbaby.com

I love reading blogs and, now that I've got an RS feeder on my iPad, I can read them when the little one is sleeping in the car or wherever we may be. I also love reading tips and tricks about travel with the baby - I can never be too prepared for a situation. So if your looking for reviews or other information check out Delicious Baby!

Friday's Favorite Thing: Travel Accessory

I went walking with a dear friend this morning. (We will call her Mrs. Orange, as she hails from California and was stationed there with us). Mrs. O just found out she will be expecting Baby O in September. Inspired by our discussion, I thought a run down of favorite baby items each Friday might help her with her registry.

Mr & Mrs. O love to travel. They love heading back to CA whenever they can and are always out on an adventure. I am a true believer that you can still travel even when you have a baby - it's just different. My favorite travel accessory is the ERGO CARRIER. I love this sucker. It is comfortable and I can take Little Peach with me everywhere I go: I use it in stores, hiking and even around the house to get some work done. Mr. Peach finds it quite comfortable as well. I have figured out how to nurse while wearing it  - which makes airports and other adventures a bit easier. (It's a bit of a feat though!)

Ok... I couldn't just list one. I'm also in love with our Inglesina 2012 travel high chair. It puts Little Peach on our level and clips to everything, thanks to arms that screw instead of clamp. (We have even had it fit on a picnic bench and a bar!)

Alright... lets give Mrs. O a nice little list of favorite travel things!

The adoption agency

One of the first things folks ask when they found out we are adopting is “how did you pick your agency?”  That answer has several facets, as do many big decisions.  First of all, it is difficult to compare agencies; while each agency is required to do mostly the same things, each agency is not required to call each step by the same name.  In fact, several agencies use similar titles for different steps in the process.  As you can imagine, it was extremely difficult, if not nearly impossible to compare apples to apples.   So, we had to prioritize what was most important to us in regards to the agency.  We decided it was of the utmost importance that our agency was on the up-and-up and honest as far as we could tell, (which would decrease the chances of them being involved in child trafficking),   we wanted the children to be well cared for—whether in an orphanage or foster care system and we wanted the option to get a child as young as we possibly could.

1.        Reputation was a huge selling point for this agency.  This agency’s founding couple went to congress to get laws passed for international adoption 50 years ago.  As far as we could tell, the social workers at each branch worked diligently to follow the law and in some cases, the agency shut down an office in another country because of workers suspected of pushing the legal limits (notice I didn’t say breaking the law, ethics are not the same from culture to culture...i.e. bribing is not acceptable behavior here, but in other countries it is. Our agency wanted nothing to do with questionable behavior.)  There is the hope that they can reopen those branch offices, but a child’s safety is paramount to how they run their programs.  Also, this agency's first priority is to keep the child with his or her biological family, second priority is to find an adoptive family within the country and international adoption is the last option. We agreed with those priorities as well. We eventually went with this agency based on a personal recommendation, their current reputation and historical reputation. 

2.       Our agency provides three meals a day to children living in orphanages and some children (such as ours) have been in foster care their whole lives...with an assumed high level of care.  Also, our agency provides children with regular medical check-ups (well baby checks) and medical care as needed.  

3.       Our agency follows country laws in regards to adoptable ages.  While S. Korea used to send out kids at 4 or 5 months, 18 months to 2 years is still pretty young in the grand scheme of things.

I’ve noticed in the last few weeks, there have been a few of those dreaded horror adoption stories in the news.  Parents spending time and money to go pick up a child from a “private” agency in another country only to find out the agency had shut down or “moved.”  Or worse, they bring home a child and later find out the child was kidnapped from his or her parents. Sometimes children are even sold to a “private agency” to put up for adoption. I don’t write all of this to scare you away from adopting, just be wary of deals that sound too good to be true.  If a private agency can place a kid in your arms in weeks instead of months or years—do some more investigating.  The agency you choose does a great deal to provide peace of mind, both in the short term as you wait and in the long term after you have your child home.   Happy agency shopping!