Today Danny and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. I can hardly believe it's already been five years since our little country wedding, followed by a weekend escape to Kilmarnock, and a three week honeymoon to Bavaria. The past five years have blessed us and tested us, but stints of unemployment, severed friendships, and broken-down cars have been overshadowed by the love of our families, successes in the workplace, and of course, more than a few amazing vacations - ultimately succeeding in bringing us closer together as a couple!
We've had so many grand travels and adventures together - our most recent #EurSoGypsy excursion being no exception. It brought a lot of firsts and lasts to our relationship. Our first trip to Greece, our first encounter with Paris, our first time driving a sporty BMW on the Autobahn (booyah!). It was also most likely the last time we'll travel to Europe as a couple.
Wait, what?!You see, in the midst of packing our suitcases and cleaning up the house the night before our departure, we learned that we'll be starting a brand new adventure at the end of the year...
We're pregnant!
Time to start figuring out all the ins and outs of infant passports, baby travel accouterments, and how to travel with a kid in tow! We're really excited about starting this next chapter in our lives, and though it will undoubtedly impact our travel lifestyle to one degree or another, we don't anticipate that we'll ever stop traveling. I mean, Baby Gypsy already has a country count of four - s/he needs many more countries than that, right?!
In the short term, though, Baby Gypsy has already had an effect on our travels in the sense that I've hardly had enough energy to survive a full day at the office, let alone the stamina or motivation to start dishing out on my backlog of travel adventures. Hopefully, that will soon change, and I'll be back to doing more than passing out on the couch by 7pm (true story).
Meanwhile, if you already travel with kids or know the well-guarded travel secrets of someone who does, please leave your best advice in the comment section; we want to know what items are a life-saver on trips, what items to leave at home, and how to plan an itinerary when you're carrying a little one in your arms!
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Curious about how Danny and I ended up being together? Wonder no more!
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| Yeah, our child will probably end up looking something like this. Source. |
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| Linking up for the #WeekendWanderlust! |
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| Linking up for the #SundayTraveler! |
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| Linking up for #TravelTuesday! |
Oh wow!! Congratulations!! That's such exciting news!
ReplyDeleteI agree on the whole "traveling with baby" thing... my mom always says "we'll keep your (future/currently non-existent) kids when you travel," and I'm like NO! They need to see the world too!
Thanks, Emily! My parents always took us traveling domestically, and I credit that with giving me a travel bug. I hope to do the same with ours! Although, I can't say that sometime in the future I wouldn't take my parents up on a little babysitting while me and Danny sneak off on our own at least for a weekend. ;)
DeleteHuge congratulations to you both!!! Perhaps the greatest adventure of all will be wading through unwanted/unsolicited parenting advice via Facebook :)
ReplyDeleteSo apropos as always, Hannah. ;)
DeleteOh wow!!! Congrats! That's so exciting!! I'm so happy for you as you get ready to take on this new adventure and make a transition to family travel. I kept wondering 5 + 1 = 3 - huh?! Lol! :-)
ReplyDeletePeople probably think I'm just bad at math! ;) Thank you! We're excited, although it definitely will make traveling a completely different ball game in the future!
DeleteCongrats! I kinda guessed it when you left me a message saying you had a big announcement (and that you haven't been feeling well since you got back from your trip). So happy for you! :)
ReplyDelete:) Yeah, I'm not good at keeping secrets. Thanks! This is the first grandbaby on both sides of the family, so figuring this whole thing out will definitely be an adventure in and of itself!
DeleteCongratulations! Welcome to the most exciting phase of your lives! My advice? Don't stop traveling. We've been traveling with our now 11-year old daughter since she was 3 months old. Infants don't pay for airline tickets until they are 2 years old, so take advantage. Best wishes to all 3 of you!
ReplyDeleteThank you! We definitely don't plan to ever stop traveling - it just might slow down or look a little different than when it was just the two of us. :)
DeleteThis is such a fun announcement! Now Little Dude will have another friend to play with!! The first few months really wiped me out- so I totally get being out by 7! Rest when you can as often as you can! I don't know much about traveling with little ones as I am still figuring out what I need to know about little ones! ☺️ You will be a great mom!! So excited for this new adventure!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, we are, too! Can't wait to explore the world through a pair of little eyes. :)
DeleteCongrats to you all! That's so exciting although I have zero advice :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Polly! This might explain why I'm so noncommittal about meeting up. :P Until the exhausted symptom lessens, I barely know from day to day if I'll have the strength to do anything!
DeleteCongratulations! it may never be the same but it will be great! while I am all for the family travel, you should go to Europe as a couple again for sure (don't underestimate the babysitting powers of relatives and nannies!) Ideally, there should be at least one couple's vacation every year:)
ReplyDeleteThank you! And yes, we will definitely still covet our time alone just as a couple since we're lucky to have enough family and close friends willing to stand in as babysitters! But I can't wait to travel as a family and view the world through a pair of little eyes. :)
DeleteCongratulations and welcome to the traveling baby club! And you are right, biggest adventure of all!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I just love the Q&A post you did with your hubby. Going to be frequenting your site more often the closer we get to our little one's arrival and time for us to travel with a baby in tow, too. :)
DeleteOmg!! CONGRATS!!! I'm so excited for you two! I can't wait to hear about your new travel adventures with baby! In the meantime, just relax, rest plenty, and take care of yourself!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna! We're so excited. I never traveled internationally until I was an adult, and I am SO excited about showing our baby the world!
DeleteCongrats to you both! So exciting! Traveling with children is definitely doable...we've always found that even if a trip was a challenge, it was far better than not going at all. Joseph has more stamps on his passport than most adults! Anyhow, this stroller is my recommendation for travel with baby in tow...it folds one-handed & stands on own once folded (allowing free hand for holding onto children, luggage etc.). It also has a one piece handlebar, which allows for pushing one-handed, again hand free for luggage, or holding a vaporetto/subway pole:). Seat reclines to almost flat to accommodate an infant who can't sit unsupported yet (I used with Joseph traveling at 4 months old). This is model we have (still have original 3 kids later), but others on Combi website look good too. Happy traveling, can't wait to meet baby!! http://www.combiusa.com/Cosmo-p/2420.htm
ReplyDeleteThanks, Candice! Wow, that's exactly the kind of tips and recommendations I'm looking for! My mom had just been asking the other day what kind of stroller I wanted (I didn't realize it's like shopping for a car - there are SO many options!), so this is really helpful!
DeleteHow exciting for you two! should done 5 years 2 people + 1 adventure = 3 haha ..how "at the end of the year" is it?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I knew the math would leave people scratching their heads. ;) What can I say - I was an English major! The official due date is December 30th.
Deleteoohh, maybe it'll arrive by my birthday (27th) :)!
DeleteIt very well could. :) I'm just hoping it doesn't happen on Christmas day itself, so they have their own separate day to celebrate.
DeleteCongratulations! On both occassions. But such a huge adventure is ahead of you! Travelling with kids is different to travelling alone, but lets you rediscover the same places, look at them differently, as if see them through your kid's eyes. And I love that. Both our kids were abroad for the first time when they were 2-3 months old. It is doable and so much fun. As to things you might find useful while travelling with kids - you'll most likely have to figure it out on your own. Each child is different. Parents are also different. What suits one family (one child even!), might not suit others. I'm so happy for you! (You'll pass the falling asleep early phase soon enough). I'm so happy for you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Joanna! I am most excited about "seeing the world through a child's eyes" when it comes to traveling. I didn't travel internationally as a child, but my parents took us on many regional and domestic trips. I can't wait to share the same experiences with them and to rediscover it through their eyes!
DeleteA huge congratulations :D
ReplyDelete- Marcella
Thanks, Marcella! :) We're excited to transition to traveling as a threesome and can't wait to share the world with our little one!
DeleteCongrats! Such an exciting time ahead for you guys :-) Love the picture with the sailboat on your blog - where was it taken? Cheers - Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellen! The picture was taken on Dividing Creek, which is a tribute of the Chesapeake Bay near the Rappahannock River on Virginia's Northern Neck. :)
DeleteWow, double congrats are in order! Happy Anniversary and congrats on the exciting news! Traveling with a baby/kid is tough but I feel like it's more fun/rewarding cause you get to take them places and show them things that most people have never been/seen before :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine! We're excited and nervous and all the other appropriate adjectives about this next phase of home and travel life! :)
DeleteCongrats!!! That's awesome news! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Van! We can't wait!
DeleteOh my goodness!!! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you and looking forward to seeing how you guys navigate this next part of life!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Adelina! It's going to be quite the adventure. I can already feel that instead of being a "soccer mom" I'm going to be a "passport mom" - trying to get as many stamps on our kid's passport as possible and all the experiences and adventures that go with it! :)
DeleteAw my gosh congrats Katrina!!! An already well travelled baby gypsy ;)
ReplyDeleteGotta start 'em young, right? ;)
DeleteCongratulations!! Indeed I'm all for travelling with kids. I started travelling with my parents domestically aged 6months (mostly road trips to spend time on my grandfather's village) and internationally (Europe) aged 5..no need to say that when I'll have kids I will take them travelling too!!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! My parents traveled extensively with us as kids, but only in the U.S. However, my husband spent every other summer in Germany, so now he'll be on the flip-side of traveling with a kid!
DeleteAhhhhhh a million congrats! So exciting!
ReplyDeleteThank you! We're super stoked!
DeleteWoohoo, congrats on the baby! Such a fun adventure awaits you!
ReplyDeleteYou've got that part right! It's already been a fun adventure. Can't wait 'til she's kicking and squirming her way around the world!
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