Flying with an 8 Month Old

I wanted a separate post for going on a plane with Eli. I wanted to show other parents what we did in hopes that it might help others. I titled this "Flying with an 8 Month Old" because I believe the age of the child makes the biggest difference in taking them out in public. At 8 months old Eli is a fun and happy little guy. He is crawling and standing up which had its benefits and disadvantages. 

So, let me start from the beginning:

• Flight Preparation- Eli went as a lap child, but because it was an international flight we still had to pay a few hundred dollars for him. This allowed us another carry on, checked bag, and stroller/car seat. We chose the car seat as we were borrowing a stroller once we got to Norwich. It was a little harder to keep a hold of our carry on luggage and Eli walking through the airport, but we managed. 
• We made sure to pack several snacks and toys. I read from other mothers to not overload on the toys. We alternated the few we brought and it worked. 
• I made these about an hour before we left for the airport (don't mind the sloppiness). My sis gave the me the idea and I researched Pinterest for the wording to make these index cards attached to a pack of gum for the passengers around us. 

• I brought my pump, Eli's sippy cup with water, baby food pouches (these were so much easier to handle while traveling than a spoon), and breast milk. We had no problems going through security with these items. TSA was very helpful and calmed my fears of having to dump or taste the breast milk.



Can you see how excited he was for the flight?

• DFW, as well as Heathrow airport, were wonderful in providing a clean family restroom to change Eli before the flight. I'm not a fan of airplane bathrooms and tried to keep the changes down to a minimum.
• American Airlines did not pre-board families (strange?) on the flight to the UK, but we had very little trouble making our way to the back of the plane with the rest of the poor people with children.

He loved looking out the window

• Before Take Off- We wanted to get Eli as comfortable as possible in the beginning. We let him look out the window and wave to the passengers around us.
• I didn't know how Eli would do with the pressure so we clipped his pacifier to his pajamas and let him use it as much as possible. 
• As another way of comfort, we kept him in his pajamas so he knew that it was night-night time.
• As soon as we sat in our seats, I remembered from another post to put several diapers, wipes, and changing pad in the pocket in front of our seats. This truly did come in handy and we weren't reaching under our seats when we needed these things most. 

• During the flight (Dallas to UK)- All flights from Dallas to the UK are overnight. This worked in our favor as we took off at 9pm (8 1/2 hour flight) which is also Eli's bed time. I would recommend overnight flights again because within the first ten minutes he was sound asleep. The pressure never bothered him. 
• Chris and I took turns holding Eli while we ate or watched a film. We got an hour or two of sleep before landing. 
• We did ask American Airlines about a travel cot for the flight, but they said they were mainly for babies who were younger than Eli and that he wouldn't fit.
• During the flight (UK to Dallas)- The flight back to Dallas left at 12pm (9 1/2 hours). Eli was wired and ready to go during this flight. We got his snacks out and let him meet the people around us. There were several families around us and a very nice Indian woman sitting next to us who greeted us upon arriving in our seats. She even held Eli numerous times during the flight so we could eat or when he got a little fussy. 
• Eli only slept an hour on the flight back. Chris and I took shifts holding him. Since I nursed Eli, Chris changed him in the bathroom. Even though it was a tight squeeze in the bathroom, Chris seemed to complete the task flawlessly.

• Nursing- Because Eli fell asleep within the first ten minutes on the flight to the UK and slept almost the rest of the 8 1/2 hour flight, I needed to pump. I brought batteries to use my pump because I was afraid that the plug adapter would short out my pump. I bought a new one a week before we left and never used the battery portion until the flight. I brought the wrong batteries for it and unfortunately could not pump. I was a bit uncomfortable the rest of the flight and had to wait until Eli woke up. I had planned on pumping in my seat with a blanket over me as the lights were very low, most of the passengers by us were sleeping, I was by a window, and it was very noisy in the plane.
• On the return flight I did exclusively nurse Eli with a blanket instead of my cover because the blanket was right in front of me. It was a little harder being in the middle seat and being so close to the bathrooms as people kept walking back and forth, but it worked. I never felt uncomfortable or that people were staring at me.

Sound asleep

• Exiting the plane- We waited for everyone else to move past us before we got up. There was no point in rushing when we had so much to take off the plane. The flight attendants were very helpful and didn't rush us off the plane. I held Eli while Chris collected all of our things and we headed for customs. You can see our UK trip here

Waiting for everyone to move so we can get off the plane

All in all, we had a great flight experience. Reading other blogs and being prepared helped us feel more comfortable taking Eli along. I'm sure I will have to research and write another post when we have more children as the dynamics will change.

Eli Goes to the UK

We took Eli to the UK, specifically Norwich, to meet Chris' family and friends. It was a lot of rushing around, but it was worth it for everyone to meet Eli. We stayed in an apartment in the city center, which was very nice and modern. This was a nice way for us to unwind from the busy days and enjoy the city sights and sounds.

These are just some of the highlights of the wonderful people in our lives across the pond

Tash and Eli playing together

Eli looking back at his Nan (Chris' Mom)

We went to Mass as a family at the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Norwich

Michelle came down for a day to shop with us

Celebrating Grandma Gilburt's 90th birthday

Visiting history at the Norwich Castle

Enjoying Eaton Park

Eli on his first plane ride

Playing around at Nan's 

Four generations of Wilds... Kate (Chris' sister), Grandad Wild (Sue's father), Sue (Chris' Mom), Chris, (our nephew) Billy, and Eli

Eli and his cousin, Billy

Chris' childhood friend, Bryony, with her little girl born two days after Eli

Chris' childhood friends Bryony and Genna

Eli and his Abuela (Chris' stepmom) and Great-Grandma Gilburt

Carrying Eli on our walk around the lake

Our car for the duration of the trip

Eli hanging out with his Aunt Kate and Billy

Eli, Chris, and Eli's Papa (Chris' dad) playing with the ducks

We went shopping and Eli tried on a few things. I wish we would've bought the hat

Eli talking to his Great-Grandma Gilburt

Eli's Papa taking him for a walk around the lake

Playing on our bed

Eli and his Aunt Kirsty

Eli and his Great-Uncle Michael

Eli and his Great-Aunt Judy

I got to go sailing on the boat with John and Kate

Daddy and Eli picture

Such a perfect picture of Eli playing in an English garden with lawn statues

We are so glad that Eli met everyone with a smile and quickly warmed up to them. He was a fun guy throughout the trip and loved seeing his daddy's country. We hope to take him back again, but may have to wait until we have a few other Gilburts to join us.

Our Trans-Atlantic Honeymoon Part 2

 We woke up to a pretty morning and decided to walk out and enjoy it!

 The roads were so tiny and blew my mind how people will speed right through them. My heart was in my throat most of the time we were on roads like this.

 The only time we saw horses. They reminded me of Texas

 We took a trip to Holkham and viewed Holkham Hall. This hall was different than Blickling Hall because it had been in the same family for centuries and had a line to royalty. In fact, Lady Anne, of the family name Coke, was a bridesmaid at the Queen's coronation. They had her bridesmaid dress on display at the house, but Chris snapped that picture on his phone.

 I wanted this bathroom so bad. It had paintings all over the walls, a fireplace, and a huge bathtub.

 All over the house, they had family pictures which gave it a feeling that it really was a house where people live. We toured during the months that the family allowed visits.

 And on one of the tables was a picture of the royal family that was signed.

 This was the cutest VW bug complete with daisies and eyelashes.

 While we were in the city center, Chris decided to get a hair cut.

 On our last Friday night, we met up again with one of Chris' oldest mates, Steve, and his wife, Leigh-Ann. They took us out to an Indian restaurant for my first taste of Indian food. I cannot remember the name of the Indian food that I had, but I was pleasantly surprised.

 Chris trying out his new hair cut and apparel, with my KJZT sunglasses. These KJZT sunglasses were the best thing. I wore these everywhere and of course, with free sunglasses, I never lost them.

 I tried Pimm's for the first time. It went really well with Sprite and a lime.

 We were at the grocery store and they had a bunch of mixed drinks in cans. We don't usually see these in the States so I decided to take a few pics.

 On Saturday night, we had a barbecue at Chris' stepsister's,Shauna's, house. It was a beautiful evening with lush green grass and friendly bugs. We had hot dogs, potatoes, "crisps", and a special chocolate cake and cheesecake!! Shauna did a superb job!

 Chris' sister, Kate, and his nephew

 Uncle Chris and Billy horsing around

 Sunday morning, we went to Mass at the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Norwich. It was beautiful and very special. It is really amazing to go to a church so far from your home, but still hear the same readings, prayers, and Eucharist.

 Later that afternoon, we went to the Norfolk Mead Hotel for a very nice dinner celebrating Chris' grandfather's 90th birthday. If these cars don't tell you how nice it was, I don't know what will.

 Billy and Mason hanging out in the Drawing Room. They wouldn't take a picture if they knew you were taking it.

 Enjoying capers and drinks with Chris' mom, grandfather, stepfather, and stepsister

 Kate and her boyfriend, Ian

 Our scrumptious feast:  my appetizer...I forgot the name, but I know it was salmon.lol

My entree: Chicken... a ton of chicken. I had to pace myself and it also came with vegetable sides

And for dessert: Treacle tart and ice cream

 The pavlova looked delicious too!

 Chris talking with his grandfather and mom

 The biggest kid carrying the littlest kids

 After lunch, we decided to head to London for our final two days in England. It wasn't exactly planned, but somehow we managed to go through the main part of London and see some big sites. This is the London Bridge

 Since the Olympics were just a week away, we saw plenty of preparations for them. This was a lane specifically for Olympic personnel, but no one was looking

 A billboard with the Royal Family on it

 The Eye

 And Big Ben...Parliament. If you've ever seen National Lampoon's European Vacation, you got that joke.

 

We found this hotel online and it was a nice quaint place in the Kensington area. Each room is different and came with free WI-FI. Since we had our iphones, we put them in airplane mode and strictly used WI-FI wherever we could get it for maps, information, and Facebook. 

 Out of all of the different drinks I had in England, this one is my favorite. Kind of funny that we have the same name. It was just the right amount of sweetness and lightness of a cider that I like.

 Funny story with this picture. Our hotel had complimentary breakfast, but only if you went downstairs to get it. Chris went downstairs to repark our car and I stayed in the room to finish my hair. I heard a knock on the door and it was room service with this tray filled with food. I told them that I didn't order any so he ran downstairs to double check. He came back and said that my husband had ordered it. I took the tray and thought of what a sweet husband I have. I drank a little bit of the orange juice and then waited for Chris to come back to the room. A few minutes later Chris came back and asked where all the food came from. Uh-oh! I told him the story and he said he never said that. We took it downstairs, so that we wouldn't be charged, and ate in the breakfast room. The front desk said that another room had called for it and they were sorry for the confusion. They immediately took the tray back upstairs. I couldn't help but think about the person who was going to drink the orange juice after me! We didn't tell them that I drank any, in fear that they would charge us.

On our last full day in England, we decided to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum. This was an old choir book used in the Medieval and Renaissance period

 The really cool thing about this museum was that they encouraged the visitor to interact. They had tunics to wear, so Chris got into the act to look medieval.

 There was also a puzzle with tiles and you had to try and assemble so that everything matched correctly.

 In the Medieval and Renaissance part, there was an abundance of religious artwork. This was one of my favorites.

To make the most of the day, we only stayed for a bit and then headed to the Natural History Museum. This was a statue of Medusa.

 It was neat to go up the escalator into the world

 And one of the most exciting attractions was Dippy the dinosaur. This part of the museum really made me feel like I was in a movie. The museum was so huge and just had an overabundance of artifacts and information.

Our last stop of the day was to Harrod's.This was a department store beyond belief. It had so many well known, and expensive, designer name brands. It even had a fancy grocery store inside it. It was nice to dream in that place. I had to take these pictures for my sister. She is a choc-aholic and I had never seen anything like this.

 Chocolates

 And truffles

 We saw these cupcake liners and decorations.

For our last meal, we walked to a restaurant and had one last cider and some pasta.

We enjoyed our time and look forward to going back again. We told people that we weren't saying goodbye, but see ya later. So see ya later, England xx