viva espania!

As y'all know, we're traveling for the first time with Trent in September. I'm so excited about our trip and it's always occupying my thoughts these days. Thoughts about what to buy, what to pack, what to set up at home, what we need for Trent, what it's going to be like at our destinations. In Switzerland, walking through the quaint town with the beautiful vistas and views around us, trying to understand the language, eating SWISS CHOCOLATE in SWITZERLAND! Seeing Ben and Nadia get married, traveling on the train. And in Spain, visions of hanging out on the beach building sand castles with Trent and his Nana and Grandad, walking along the promenade, eating dinners with my parents, egging my dad on to indulge in desserts with sparklers in them with me (not that he'll need much egging, mind you). Just spending time with my most cherished people on the planet. Oh how I can't wait to go!
I usually don't get hung up in details. I'm usually a go with the flow, kinda laid back, person. This trip is different only because it involves a major unknown. Trent. So I am finding myself hung up on the details because I want this trip to be a success. And I measure success in the following terms:

1. We make it onto all of our flights


2. Our flights arrive safely in our destinations


3. Trent is cool and easy going throughout the journey


4. My nerves aren't frayed when we get there


5. We have FUN!

Without the "Trent factor", these things would all be of little concern, or even taken for granted. Item 1 in the list is easily achieved by arriving on time, and, well, for item 2, we don't have much influence over what the pilot does. With the "Trent factor" other success factors being met depends on a bit of planning and forethought. Take item 3 in the list above, for example. It's a simple goal, right? but dissect that into what's needed to achieve it and you have quite a list of things to do. For example:

• Trent won't sit on anyone's lap for more than 2 minutes. Given that...
  • we are trying to "train" him to sit on our laps for brief periods at a time. Not going so well.
  
  
  • order an infant bassinet, which the airline provides. It straps to the bulkhead. This hinges on the hope that Trent will sleep the whole time. Which is unlikely, plus it's awkward at meal times. It also hinges on the hope that the bulkhead seating is available for us.
  
  
  • back up in case above fails: hope for empty seat on the flight and find a way to get him to sit still in it. How?
    • ok, so we know that Trent is calm most of the time when he's in his car seat. So we need to create a similar environment for him on the plane. But we don't want to take his car seat. So enter CARES. Child Aviation Restraint System. I'm hoping that the harness will make Trent feel like he's in his car seat, and will cut down on temper tantrums. This all hinges on having the seat next to us available, though. The good thing about this is that it's small enough to fit in your purse, so no big deal to carry it on board even if you can't use it. It is, however, not cheap. I found a woman in Florida who will rent me hers for $20, though. What a great idea.
  
  
• Bring things to entertain the kid. Such as books, toys, and his favourite DVD, along with a portable DVD player. Now we're getting tricky because only the first 10 rows of coach has power outlets that don't need an adapter. So now I need to find out if we can reserve one of those rows so we can plug it in. Otherwise we have only 2.5 hours of power and a 9 hour flight. You do the math.

Now take item 4 - Keeping my nerves in tact. What could we do to encourage that to happen? well, maybe a tranquilizer dart for Trent, but that seems to be socially unacceptable. Some duct tape on his mouth might do the trick, but again, society has their opinions of what good parenting is... and that falls outside of acceptable parameters. So we can pack some Benadryl. I have tested this medication out for legitimate reasons on Trent, and he did well. So in a pinch, I think it will work. Then there's always wine (for me, not Trent - he has to wait until he's at least 2 and can handle his liquor (like his cousin Louise)). What about Brian's nerves? just give him a coke and some pizza and he's fine!
And finally, item 5, have fun. This one is probably the easiest one to achieve. Once we're in our destinations, this one should take care of itself.

So that's what's going through my head today. It might appear like worry to the untrained eye, but it's really not. It's just a proactive approach at managing circumstances that might cause me to have a stressful journey. That's all. And honestly, even to focus on the little details of this trip is kind of fun, because it keeps me anticipating and thinking about the end result, which is me spending time with my all the loves of my life - Brian, Trent, mum & dad, all at the same time, and in a fabulous place in the sun.