Well, we took our first family vacation and Jeremy survived his first flight. I am not sure the other passengers on our flight did, but so be it. We purposely booked the flight during his nap, bought him a seat and brought the carseat along (FAA recommends children under 40 pounds fly with a car seat). Brent lugged the carseat through the airport on his shoulder, secured with an old luggage strap. Unfortunately, he cried through most of the flight, but this does not deter us. The rest of the trip was great and we shall of course travel again!
We went to Clearwater Beach, FL (flying into Tampa). We stayed at Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites on Sand Key. We had a great deal -- free night with points and the other nights were $167 and $175. All rooms were suites -- ideal for traveling with a toddler -- Jeremy had his own "room" complete with a free crib. The hotel was very child-friendly and Jeremy particularly loved the brightly-colored macaw in the lobby named Lisa. Now that we're home, he imitates Lisa's talking all the time! We didn't have the best weather, but we enjoyed collecting shells on the beautiful beach, visited the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, and played at the fabulous Common Ground Park (gorgeous playground with various play zones designed for children 2-12) in Lakeland while visiting friends. Clearwater Beach had many nice playgrounds (on the beach), but it was way too windy. Jeremy greatly enjoyed the trip to Publix to stock up on snacks and fruit. Our shopping carts in Philadelphia DO NOT have a set of double steering wheels!! In fact, we don't use carts in here; we enter the store in a stroller and that's how we shop!!
