Cronin Travel Nightmares

Okay. I'll admit it. That title is a bit of an exaggeration, and was intended for shock value. Mostly to shock my dear friend KW, who is planning a trip with her little one in a month or so, and who I know will be checking my blog and hoping to read all good things to glean some courage for her trip. Kirsty, it wasn't all that bad, I promise!

But, having said that, who wants to read about a perfect travel day with no headaches? NO ONE. People want the dirt. And there was some.

First off, we arrived at the airport 3 hours before departure and barely made it in time to board. We literally strolled up to the gate, didn't stop, and heard they were boarding travellers with young children. No time to buy a magazine or a bottle of water!

Travel Tip for KW #1: US security is nuts these days. Get there early.

Rhys was a rockstar on the plane. However, take off was tough on him, mostly because he hadn't napped at all since we needed to take him out of his stroller through security, and he was totally overstimulated. Fun Fact: The flight was 7 hours long, and Rhys slept a total of 45 minutes (once for 15 minutes, and once for 30 minutes). He cried for maybe 6-10 minutes total (felt like longer) as he fell asleep. The rest of the time (6 hours and 10 minutes) he was awake and happy.

Travel Tip for KW #2: Bring a small diaper bag within your diaper bag (that has just one or two diapers, some wipes and cream) to take to the change table, because the changing area is TIGHT quarters! Also, a binky leash is a must.

When we landed, we were in love with Rhys for being so great on the plane. That's when our luck turned a little bit. We learned a big lesson that I couldn't stop beating myself up over. We should have brought OUR OWN DAMN CAR SEAT, instead of renting one with the vehicle. I'm sure all the seasoned moms out there are thinking 'Well, DUH!', but I wanted to avoid the cumber some cargo and the part of having to install it when we got there. WELL. Turns out the car rental company doesn't install them for you. We assumed they did. Cut to us, 7:30pm Maui time (10:30pm Calgary time), after travelling all day, in the dark, in the rental car parking lot, trying to read & comprehend an instruction manual for the sketchiest looking car seat we've ever seen. HOLY CRAP it was hard not to lose our cool. My mom said Warren & I handled it great, but I was seriously having an internal meltdown. My mom was strolling Rhys around (who is normally fast asleep at this time) while we went through 2 different 'styles' of car seat trying to figure out at least one of them. Oh. My. Gawd. I want to barf just thinking about it. It sucked. But, in the end, it got installed. Then, once we were on the highway, Rhys (who was WAYYYY over tired) began to shriek and cry for 20 minutes straight to the point where he was spitting up and coughing he was so worked up. That was stressful. It felt like we were torturing him. Poor little soul. 'Sorry this is so rough on you buddy, but mom and dad really want a hot holiday, so...sorry'. Oh, I felt like the worst mom ever.

In the end, he fell asleep in the car, and was a trooper when we had to transfer him to his new crib, in a strange, hot, humid place. He slept well after that.

Even with all that, I can tell you it's worth it. This condo complex we're staying at is a GEM. Truly. We are so blessed.

Pics and more stories to come, I'm sure. Now - off to bed! Need to recuperate, even after a laid back day today.