Travels With The Boys

So the boys are nearly four months old and so far they have travelled way more than most. They have gone clear across the US on three plane rides to Montana (and then another three plane rides back to C-ville). Then for Christmas, we drove them six hours to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for three days. Thankfully, because they are so young still, the monotone sounds and gentle vibrations of planes and cars keep them sleeping quite well during their travels--something that I am sure will change in the next few months. 

We have decided that just because we have twins, doesn't mean that we need to stay in the house and never go anywhere. Although we don't always follow through, our goal is to be adventurous even while these boys are young. It isn't convenient, but like my friend who took her seven week old daughter all over Europe for three months said, "You just have to laugh when things don't go well or get frustrating." And boy can things get frustrating--like trying to tandem nurse in the back seat of a Camry while smashed between two car seats. :)

So here's to adventures with little ones!

Josiah on the plane

On the plane to Montana

Christmas in Gatlinburg

Christmas Day

Some things we have learned in our travels:

1. Babies do NOT sleep well when they are not at home. Ours wake up every 4-6 hours during the night crying and the only thing that will soothe them is if I feed them. They woke up constantly in Montana when they were two months old. Now at nearly four months, they only cried a lot the first night of our stay in Gatlinburg and then slept fine the rest of the time. 

2. Travelling usually means that the babies will get a little off their normal routine--and it isn't the end of the world, but sometimes it does make things harder for parents. 

3. When we took them on the plane, we didn't want to worry about a stroller. I had Elliot in a Moby wrap and Samuel had Josiah in a baby backpack. We would just lay a blanket on the floor between flights so they could have a break from being held. It worked well for us.

4. Although we tried to keep a pacifier in each of their mouths as we ascended and descended in the plane, they didn't always want it, but it didn't seem to matter. I think aircraft cabins are much better pressurized than they used to be.