It’s October!! :)

My favorite month has arrived! Woo-hoo!

It doesn’t really feel like fall since it is still in the 90’s most days (blah!) but the calender tells a different story. I haven’t even felt like getting a pumpkin spice latte yet….it just doesn’t feel right! Oh the horror! Someone tell TX to turn down the damn heat already.

Even if the weather doesn’t feel like fall we are still determined to enjoy our favorite season. Harper’s halloween costume arrived today and it is the.cutest.thing.ever. We are taking her to the pumpkin patch on Sat. to get some pictures and enjoy the petting zoo & hay rides. I can’t believe that this time last year she was this itty-bitty baby who couldn’t even sit up! Last year we kept trying to balance her against the pumpkins for a picture…..this year we will be lucky if she stays still long enough for one shot! I cannot wait to see her reaction to all the activities at the pumpkin patch this year though. Having a toddler is so much fun (except for the “pull your hair out” moments!) 😉

After our pumpkin patch adventure we will be in high gear getting ready for our anniversary trip!! I can’t believe it is already here! 4 years of wedded bliss. We altered our trip a bit and dropped Budapest. We decided to add the days to Paris/Prague/Munich instead. The train trip to/from Budapest was long and it just felt like too much running around with a baby. We have our lists of items to pack and have bought all the gear we need for the baby.

The first time Dan and I traveled to Europe together we overpacked in an embarrassing way.  Actually Dan did great….I went overboard! Once I was done packing we ended up with two huge suitcases, a small toiletry bag, a backpack, and my purse. Oh.My.Word. The trip from the airport to our hotel in Paris was horrifying. It took me all of 30 seconds to realize we had made a huge mistake. On our second trip overseas we did a lot better (and lucked out that we had a car so we could cart our things around easier)…but we were still carrying too much. Each subsequent trip we have reduced our luggage and now are pretty good about travelling with a bare minimum.

But now we have a third person in this party….and she can take up room!

Our first concession is going to be the cloth diapers. I hate hate hate disposable diapers but the cloth are too bulky to take on an overseas trip (plus I don’t want to deal with washing/drying them in the small European washers!). We will pack enough sposies for a few days and buy more once we reach Paris.

For clothes we plan to pack enough for each of us to wear for a week. We will have a place to wash them so we can just rewear them 3X on the trip. Luckily Harper has a few reversible dresses so we can just flip them and have a whole new outfit if she gets dirty! Toiletries are hard to decrease but I’ve learned to make do with minimal makeup and hair products. We plan to bring a big bottle of Harper’s CA Baby shampoo and use it for all three of us. Harper’s only other requirement will be diaper cream (stupid sposies often give her a rash).

Our goal is to have two small carry-on sized suitcases (one for each of us with Harper spit between), the umbrella stroller, and a backpack (to be used as a diaper bag). We went back and forth on the idea of if we should bring a stroller or not. Harper isn’t crazy about them and they are a pain in the butt to carry around…..but 3wks of carrying a 22lb toddler on my back could be rough. We finally decided to purchase a light umbrella stroller that could handle the rough cobblestone streets. I spent a long time looking up different strollers and comparing/contrasting the features. Maclarens are highly recommended by moms, but I honestly didn’t like the feel of them. I LOVED the Baby Jogger City Mini but it was bigger than we really wanted/needed. In the end we decided on the Aprica Presto. So far we really like it, especially how tall it is! Much nicer for Dan 🙂  We figure we can leave it at the apartment in the morning and use our wraps until we get tired or Harper wants out and then grab it for the late afternoon/evening. Hopefully she falls asleep it it one or two nights so we can enjoy a nice meal out!

We have also stocked up on lots of little toys/games for her to play with on the plane. The dollar aisle at Target is perfect! I am hoping that Harper falls asleep soon after dinner is served on the flight….but I’m not holding my breath. 9 1/2 hours from Houston to Paris…..I am very very nervous! We did decide to purchase a portable DVD player and a few movies as an emergency plan. If all else fails we can buy our neighbors a free cocktail and pray for landing! Harper has been on over 20 flights but they were all before she started walking and wanting to explore on her own.

I just keep telling myself that a 9 1/2 hr flight is worth it for 3 amazing weeks in Europe with my baby girl and wonderful husband!! I can’t wait!!!!