Packing

I've always been a touch strange...I've always enjoyed packing. I love going thru my clothes, deciding which outfits go together, what I'll need for make-up, jewlery, shoes...and then trying to be organized enough to fit it all in to one bag. Plus, I always thought...if I'm packing, then that means I'm traveling...which I ADORE!! Times have changed though...I now have a different view on packing. I think it changed when I had to start packing for 2...well, more like 2 1/2. Hayden needs SO much STUFF...even for just a few days!!! He not only needs clothes, but he needs EXTRA clothes because...well, because he's 2. He needs special toiletries, toys, diapers, wipes, books, his 2 blankies, pillow, toys, Tulsa Monkey, medicines (just in case), thermometer, toys, his breathing machine (again, just in case). He needs special cups and silverware...and did I mention toys? Then there's the big stuff...his pack-n-play (depending on where we're going), high chair/booster seat thingy, stroller...I swear...it's NEVER ENDING!!! PLUS...there's the stuff we'll need in the car...the DVD player, the extra books, diapers, wipes, snacks, drinks, sunglasses, cds...

Packing all of this stuff literally takes me an afternoon. And then of course, I wonder why I have forgotten MY UNDERWEAR!!!!

Sure, I can travel with the logic that...yes, almost everywhere we go there is a Target or WalMart nearby, so if things are forgotten, it's not the end of the world. However, if I leave the house and realize I've forgotten something...even something simple that can easily be replaced once we reach our destination...I'm thrown in to a panic. Silly I know...it's my OCD acting up.

Then there's the upside-we're traveling. This also has become a new and unexpected challenge since I've entered the craziness of motherhood!!! At home we're on a schedule...on vacation, we try to stick to that...it's impossible. So there are meltdowns. At home we try to eat fairly healthy food, ie. not french fries daily...on vacation I struggle with this. Oh...and the most fun...the baggage that now goes with us on the daily outtings DURING the vacation. The diaper bags, the cups of water, the snacks, the cars that he insists on driving around his stroller tray and dropping 5 million times. (yup...there's also the stroller)

BUT...thru the frustrations and the challenges, there's also the fun of vacationing with our son. Of doing things as a family that neither Jay nor I got to do...at least not often. There's the excitement of getting to show him things, and watching him take it all in. There's the forming of family traditions and memories.

And that, my friends, makes the packing and the challenges 100% worthwhile. (Ask me again in 7 months when I'm packing for 3 1/2)