Ciao Roma! After a twenty-four hour travel day, we arrived at our AirBNB. Definitely lost some sleep, and possibly some brain cells along with our lost luggage as we embarked on a new continent. The espresso we chugged at the bar coming off the plane didn’t last long, but we made it!
We left our home in Seattle just over five weeks ago. Since then, our family of four traveled to Oregon, Phoenix, Austin, and finally, Rome. It was a whirlwind seeing almost all our family and friends before we headed overseas. Papa joined us for an extra set of hands (and a bit of a pack mule) and we met my sister Taryn in the Eternal City. And while it was so worth it, I’m very much looking forward to the next phase of this adventure: rest and routine. No more packing and jumping on planes and trains every six to twelve days. In a couple days, we head to Florence for an entire month to soak up the Tuscan sun. What’s first on my Firenze to-do list? Museums? Stroll the Arno? Apertivo? Okay, well maybe apertivo first, but right after, find our market in the closest piazza and cook an amazing homemade meal.
While it’s fresh on my mind, I’ll share my two cents that no one asked for on traveling with an infant and toddler across the US and to Europe. Pretty sure I’ll soon black out the fun and not so fun parts of traveling with two little ones.
CJ’s formula almost said ciao Hawaii instead of ciao Italy
One story, I’ll never forget though – we were boarding the plane in Austin, heading to JFK on our way to remove, and we just realized Camden’s formula container was still on the restaurant table. I was convinced we’d never see that thing again and I already thinking through plan A, B, and C. But, for those of you who know Josh, “no” isn’t really in his vocabulary. He was getting off that plane and getting it back. Me? This was how my husband was going to get arrested by the airport police. Has anyone ever seen any movie? They do NOT let you off the plane… fortunately for everyone, I was wrong.
I’d never admit that to him though… he doesn’t read this blog, right? Josh sprinted to the restaurant, but in an attempt to be helpful, they gave it to the nearest gate – a flight headed to Hawaii. Boarding doors were already shut with the formula in the first-class compartment… He convinced them to open the doors, got it back, and sprinted back to our plane just in time to take off.
So, PSA, they will let desperate parents off the plane to keep babies fed and happy.
Would I do it again?
Would I take a four-month-old and almost three-year-old on two road trips and four flights in five weeks? Absolutely. Trust me, we’ve had our fair share of not fun travel and parenting experiences since we started this adventure. We’ve had misspelled passport adventures, lost luggage, epic jet-lagged toddler tantrums in the middle of the Colosseum, four-month sleep regression… but that’s all life. If you have to go through a sleep regression, why not be in an area of the world where they encourage espresso shots all day and night (as long as there’s no milk after noon)? It’s also amazing to see new cultures through Beckett’s eyes. The first time he entered a church in Rome, he glanced up and let out a “woah”. Shocked by the beauty and immensity of the views he’s never see in the States. Unsurprisingly, he quickly started asking for gelato and pasta every time he needed a snack. You’d think he’s dying if he wasn’t having cioccolato gelato every six hours. The best part – it’s only beginning. Ciao Roma!
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