Playing on the hotel floor...of course I put a blanket under him. Can you imagine the germs and gunk on hotel carpets! At least at home I know who (and what) has been walking there.
Last weekend was All-State Band weekend in Savannah, and Robert had been asked to be the percussion coordinator for the 9-10 Concert Band. Basically, that meant that he was responsible for assigning all percussion parts, gathering and transporting all equipment to and around Savannah, and filling in on parts when necessary. But, he also was comped for hotel stay for four nights (at the Hilton De Soto downtown), meals and mileage. So we decided that Nicklas and I would drive down separate so that Robert would have a car down there (he drove a rental Penske truck to haul all the marimbas, tympani, etc) and we could hang out.
Now, I normally love Savannah. I love the history, the restaurants, the old trolley tours, the garden squares, everything! We went nearly every year when I was a teenager because Jonas and I were in All-State band every year. But Savannah with a baby is not much fun at all. First of all, Robert was in rehearsals most of the day, and when he was, I was stuck in the hotel trying to get Nicklas to take a nap. The hotel staff were very noisy and I had a hard time getting him to sleep (and staying asleep). When Robert was on breaks, we were rushing around to eat or get something he needed for the band before rehearsal and/or Nicklas needed another nap. And when I tried to leave the hotel (alone) I found it impossible to carry the baby with all the "stuff" that I was sure I was going to need. Needless to say, Savannah is NOT stroller friendly! The sidewalks are old and often broken, and there are so many brick and cobblestone streets, you can forget trying to take a stroller through there. Often, one of us would carry Nicklas and the other would carry the stroller!
So the trip pretty much blew a big one, which is sad because the weather was so nice and I really wanted to get some touring in. I even put a deposit down on the Old Town Trolley tours, which picked up and let off right outside our hotel, but I was so busy with naps and getting Robert after rehearsal that I never even rode it. By Saturday, I had had enough, so I left for home right after lunch and abandoned Robert in Savannah for the night. His group's concert wasn't until 5:30, and they were paying for his hotel stay that night, so he drove home in the truck Sunday am.
On the bright side, I got to have lunch with my cousin Susan McGahee (who lives in Savannah) down on River Street on Saturday. Actually, she's my dad's cousin, so I guess that makes her my second cousin, but whatever. We had a good time talking and catching up, and we even got to make a trip to the candy store to get my dad some fudge (per his request). And the weather was beautiful, I got to break out my flip flops!
Here are some pictures I was able to squeeze into our trip. It's hard to remember to take photos when your alone with a seven-month-old and carrying everything you own with you...
On Friday we had breakfast at Clary's, one of my favorite places to eat in Savannah!
He got so dirty with us trying to feed him in restaurant high chairs that I had to give him a bath in the sink of our hotel bathroom. There was no tub, to my dismay...
We've discovered that this rubber ducky will calm a fussy baby better than any pacifier. Needless to say, I pulled it out ALOT during this trip!
It was so warm out on Saturday, we got to pull out our first little shorts outfit of the spring. Isn't he cute!
5 comments:
I'm so sorry that your trip wasn't as fun as you were anticipating it being! Traveling with little ones is really tough, especially in hotels. I know it's kind of too late now, but I should tell you that I almost always ditch the stroller in favor of wearing Rachael now.
I have a Moby wrap (which is much easier to tie than it looks), and I wear Rae on my front and a bookbag on my back. My hands are free, for Mac or doing stuff, and I have everything I need (and a ton of stuff which I invariably don't) because a book bag holds a bit more than a lot of diaper bags. A lot of people look at "babywearing" as some kind of statement about their parenting, but really for me, it's just easier! Especially going places like the zoo and aquarium, because then she's up high and can see stuff, and I don't have to wrestle a stroller everywhere, in crowds, and find elevators instead of stairs or escalators. (And, I can confess, that I even go the restroom while I'm wearing her when I'm out. I don't have to go with the door open since the stroller won't fit in the stall with me, and I don't have to put her down on the yucky floor!)
Lauren's plan makes lots of sense! Hands free!
Or take Nana with you...I would like that!
Great pics. They really show his personality.
I did wear him around alot, but I had on too many clothes and got so hot, it was miserable. Plus, my diaper bag was too bulky, it would have been easier to have a bookbag, if I would have thought about it ahead of time.
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