It seems like just yesterday that I was packing up to head to BC to visit my friend Mallory for her wedding.
The last time Andrew and I headed out West, things were different. Andrew and I took 3 weeks and drove out to BC, stopping along the way to visit friends and family. We leisurely took our time. We enjoyed ourselves at Mallory’s wedding and I got rip-roaring drunk at her bachelorette. That was in 2016, 2 YEARS AGO. It doesn’t even feel like it’s been that long.
Now? Both Mallory and I have wee ones. So this trip wasn’t quite the leisurely drive of 2016, but slightly nerve-wracking flights with a baby. Andrew was out West for 3.5 weeks for work, and since I’m not working we decided that I was going to take a little vacation and visit him so that he could see us in the week he had in between jobs. Tie it all up nicely with a visit with my bestie, you didn’t have to ask me twice.
I did a little post about travelling with a baby, but I hadn’t actually taken the trips yet when I wrote it. So, how did my original post fare? Actually, I wasn’t too far off.
Heading Out of Toronto
As this was the first time that I’ve dealt with Kaiden in an airport and I was by myself, I won’t lie – I was frazzled. A little bit overwhelmed. I am already a little bit more of an anxious traveller – Andrew is way more relaxed than I am. Until I am on that plane sitting down, I’m constantly worrying that I’m going to miss my flight. I haven’t yet, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying!
This might have changed from ye old days of travel, but now families with young kids get sectioned off to a separate line for the security check. This took a huge load of stress off my shoulders. I was envisioning crowds of people behind me getting more and more annoyed as I had so many things to unpack. The first time through, I made mistakes. I forgot to take some of the liquids out of my bag (his squeeze food pouches). Some of my electronics didn’t get out of the stroller. Whoops! The security was all super nice about it though, I’m sure they could see how stressed I was. But we made it through and I didn’t freak out too much about it!
In a side;
I didn’t have to check any luggage, but that did mean that I was pushing a stroller and dragging a suitcase one-handed. My stroller was smaller than I normally use, but it’s not really meant for one-handed pushing! Would have been much easier with another person. Or just check the damn bag. It also meant that I did not have a hand to hold a tea with, so no Timmies for me!
So I’ve checked in, made it through security and now I’m headed to the gate. Of course, my gate is literally at the ends of the Earth. I had to take 3 elevators to get to it, roam around underneath the terminal and then finally made it. There was a Timmies right in front of my gate, but no hands! We did get to relax a bit once I got there. I folded up the stroller and handed it to the ladies so that they could put it on the plane.
On the plane, Kaiden was SO GOOD. The flight wasn’t sold out so we had the middle seat free (which was really nice) and the girl next to us didn’t mind that I used it for Kaiden. He fell asleep for about an hour and then played Peek-a-boo with the seats behind us and just played. That definitely made things so much easier.
Arriving in Kelowna
It was awesome to land because Andrew was able to pick us up from the airport. It was just after 8 pm when we landed and while Kaiden was tired, he was still super happy. Happy to see Andrew, that’s for sure! I was happy to have someone else push the stroller for me.
We drove to Mallory’s house and I really need to start arriving in the daytime. Her poor dogs always freak out when I arrive! It was great to catch up, although Kaiden was still so UP! I’m like, it’s 1 am at home GO TO SLEEP. But he wasn’t really acting tired and we weren’t going to bed so no harm was done.
A Week In BC
While none of us had any major plans, and Andrew and Geoff had to work a little bit, we had planned a couple small excursions.
Lake Country has this interesting (yet weird) Kangaroo Creek Farm. They are home to 3 types of kangaroo/wallaby breeds and you can go into the pens and pet them. They also have capybaras, birds, goats and ponies. Such a random thing to have in the middle of BC, but we went and had such a good time. It’s quite amazing to be able to pet one of these big creatures! Plus, red kangaroos are so soft! I had no idea.
After an exciting afternoon of petting animals, we then had a quick picnic in the park before Geoff had to head to work.
Mallory and I spent most of the time talking and having fun with our babies. Henry is 2 weeks older than Kaiden and fully motoring around. We went to the park, went for walks, went to the beach. On Saturday before I left we celebrated Henry’s 1st birthday – I was glad I could be there for that.
So much fun! But so much work. We watched a couple movies and even were able to go out for a double date night (we watched Infinity War – ermahgawd the feels).
By the time Sunday rolled around and I was heading out, I definitely was ready to head home. Both Kaiden and I were tired, and I think he was starting to get sick because he wasn’t sleeping quite as well at night!
Returning To Toronto
This flight went much smoother, in terms of security. I’m an old hand at it now! I remembered about things I forgot the first time and had things easier at hand. I zoomed through security (which is good, since Kelowna is a much smaller airport than Toronto).
Managing to get a tea and muffin before heading to the gate for breakfast was a huge win. This time I snagged a WestJet worker to help me bring my baby to the gate. So much easier with help! Also – next time remember to bring the cup holder for the stroller!!!
This flight was packed though. Toronto had a windstorm the week we were gone so they had some cancelled flights that they put on ours. Not a huge deal but just a little more cramped. The gentleman next to me was super understanding about Kaiden and even played with him a little. He didn’t mind when Kaiden would reach out to grab him sometimes. I tried to catch him but sometimes even I’m not fast enough!
Again, he fell asleep for an hour and then just played the rest of the time. He only cried for a bit on the landing, but it was because he was tired and ready for nap time. He fell asleep just as we landed and he got jostled awake when putting him in his stroller.
If travelling alone with a baby has shown me anything, it’s that people are so nice and helpful. On the flight home, I was more willing to accept help from strangers. They helped carry my suitcase and get it down from the overhead compartments. They also show me pictures of their kids and it’s always nice to hear the understanding of other parents. It was a nice way to end a trip.
Now, it’s Mallory’s turn to get her butt out here for a visit.
We’re both hoping next year (fingers crossed) and it would be nice if she can come out for Kaiden’s 2nd birthday, but I think it’ll depend on the weather. May isn’t always the greatest in Toronto!
I love visiting BC and I can’t wait to do more travel with Kaiden in the future. Have you travelled with a baby? How did you find it? Let me know!
J x
