Jeremy Goes to Florida!

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!!

All Aboard!

We recently took Jeremy on his first train ride and it was a success! We have lots of Amtrak points so we thought that would be a good way to visit our newest baby friends in New York City. Apparently, 30th Street Station no longer has non-valet, on-site parking, but luckily we had left enough time to find a local lot near the station.

The train ride was a fun adventure! Jeremy sat on the seat the whole time and read books and admired the scenery. The only problem we had during the weekend was that we planned to walk 40 blocks uptown in order for him to nap, but he was so stimulated by the exciting walk through the city that he didn't nap at all! On the way back we took the subway, which was an adventure in itself.

I highly recommend the very family-friendly Milburn Hotel on 76th and Broadway. We had a suite (separate bedroom and living room) and a very mini kitchen (fridge, microwave, sink) for $199/night. This included a crib that rolled between the rooms (so we visited with friends while Jeremy slept in our bedroom and when the friends left we rolled him into the living room, sound asleep). It also included continental breakfast.

All in all, we had a great weekend and have a new way to travel!

Constructing Play

Jeremy and I went on a solo field trip last week to the Philadelphia Center for Architecture at 1218 Arch Street. They have a special exhibit called "Constructing Play" and it continues through January 29. This free exhibit includes a hands-on section and then a short walk through the history of classic building toys (ie: Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Erector Sets). We were glad we stopped by.

SEPTA Fun!

I'm back, sorry about the hiatus. Jeremy and I went to SEPTA headquarters at 1234 Market Street on Monday. To sate Jeremy's obsession with "choo choos," we were hoping to visit the SEPTA Transit Store to admire the train items and play with the Thomas train table. Unfortunately, it was closed for MLK Day. Instead, we took the elevator down (a fun adventure in itself) and climbed aboard the retired trolley car. The seats are low and the driver seat is accessible -- Jeremy had lots of fun! We'll be sure to return (when the store is open and when my camera is charged)!

Teeth Tips!

We have been having problems brushing Jeremy's teeth (he is not interested and tries to squirm all over the place). This result occurred despite cleaning his gums with a washcloth beginning at four months as instructed. Up until now, we have only been using water because toothpaste isn't necessary at his age. We didn't love the ingredients found in some of the toddler toothpastes, but were happy to find that JASON/Earth's Best (as well as several other brands) makes a more natural toddler toothpaste, which we bought on Diapers.com. We also now alternate between a regular toddler toothbrush and a GUM Crayola Power Toothbrush (purchased in Rite Aid). This is for slightly older children, but we help him, and it works for us! He likes having his miniature Sonicare. Here's to a lifetime of health teeth!

Lands' End

Just another little plug for Lands' End. I bought Jeremy his winter coat and adorable polar bear snow boots from Lands' End (online) this year. (Also got him $10 snow pants, but we haven't been able to play in the snow yet!) The Toddler Squall Jacket is great because it's warm enough for -10 degrees, but isn't too bulky to wear in the carseat according to the very strict carseat installation inspectors. The quality and prices are excellent, free shipping is always able to be found, customer service on the telephone is so helpful, and the return policy is great because you can return items to Sears with no time limit! I make most of my purchases through the "overstock section." It is very easy to search by size, price, etc. Also, if I notice a price has been reduced shortly after I order something, they refund the difference. (Unrelated, but his summer 2009 bathing suit collection came from Lands' End -$5 each!)

Happy New Year!

I am definitely going to post more frequently in 2010; that is one of my goals. Happy New Year, everybody! Today we saw a bit of the Mummers Parade which is always a very Philadelphia and fun thing to do. Jeremy didn't know what to make of it. Then we attended one of the free (monthly) PNC Grow up Great concerts at the Kimmel Center. This was our first concert (the schedule is on a previous posting). We had a wonderful time and I highly recommend this. Today's performance was World Music with Daria and she was excellent. The Kimmel Center had free balloon creatures and face painting and was a perfect New Year's start!