I was maintaining an 8:15 min/mi pace until the last three miles. I hit a wall. When they tell you to do the same exact thing that you do for your long runs during race time, they aren't just talking to talk! I forgot to bring carbs along with me, and I hit an effing wall at the end. I didn't run slower than nine minutes the whole race, until the end. Oh well. My goal was less than two hours, and I did it!
First of all, Maui was gorgeous and I am so thankful we were able to go with my parents (thank you). It was the trip of a lifetime! However, traveling with Micah was very intimidating. I had a nervous stomach a week prior to takeoff. I read several articles and they all said different things (of course). Our pediatrician told me to nurse him on takeoff and landing, so I did and we didn't have any issues.
Oh my goodness gracious did we have to pack a lot for our little son. What I think made a difference was his sheets from home (unwashed), and his swaddler (unwashed). The smell I think comforted him, and made him relax. Who the heck knows if this is true or not, but this is what I like to think. There was a four hour time difference in Maui, and you couldn't even tell with Micah. He slept 8 hours each night we were there! I think we kept him busier than ever, so he wanted to crash out at night. I guess there was a lot for him to take in.
Would I recommend traveling with a four month old? Well, it all depends. Would you worry about your child when you were away…the entire time? Would you miss him/her and be miserable on the trip? Four months is a little young, so I didn't want to leave him. He is still nursing, and I didn't want to deal with pumping that much prior to the trip. To be honest, leaving him wasn't even an option in my mind. However, when he is a little older, and if a trip like this comes up I definitely would probably leave him behind. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't have done it without him…but as a mother, you can't really enjoy it ALL. You are constantly trying to make your child happy on the trip. If he's fussy, you figure out ways to calm him. It isn't relaxing, is what I mean to say…but what part of parenting is?
I was informed by my mom that the next eighteen years are going to be stressful, and that I won't ever get to totally relax…haha. Micah was a trooper though! He did so well that passengers complimented him on both flights! I'm telling you, we are lucky! I just think the traveling part is a little hard!
Anyway, I have a friend who will be traveling in June, and her daughter will be five months by then (right!?) and she has total confidence in her in-laws because they are with her daughter all of the time. Her mother-in-law also ran a daycare! She is debating about whether to bring her along, and my opinion is if she has people who do great with her, then maybe she can leave her daughter behind and feel good about it. No one was really around Micah too much, so I worried that both Micah and whoever watched him would have a rough five days. Five days is a lot though even if you have someone to watch your child at home.
A thing that really helped us in Maui was baby rental places! They deliver what ever you need wherever you need it. I thought this was a clever idea. It helped us a lot! Just google baby rentals, maybe they have this in a city you are going to!
Anyway, hope all is well!!!
