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A few weeks back the family went on a vacation to see Aunt Sarah and Uncle Thomas in Hermosa Beach, California. We decided to pay for a direct flight from Orlando, Florida straight into LAX. It was about a 5 hour flight but we would rather do that instead of switching planes with a 9 month old. We got through security, got to our gate, and had bottle ready for Wesley so that he would nap for the first bit of the flight. In case you have not heard, Wesley is a very good baby. We knew that if we could just get the timing right that he would sleep for a good bit of the flight.

We did everything perfect. The flight boarded a little late so he fell asleep while Erin was feeding him at the gate. We very quietly and carefully boarded the plane. We strategically had Erin carrying Wesley and me carrying all the bags. We even planned who was in front of who while boarding based on the seating arrangement. We got to our seats, we got our bags in the cubbies and under our feet, we sat down. Wesley was still passed out. Then, just as Erin and I were looking at each other, giving each other mental high fives. A speaker right above heads went “THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING AMERICAN AIRLINES. THIS WILL BE A FULL FLIGHT THIS MORNING. PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN TAKE OFF”. That’s when Wesley’s eyes opened wide. He looked around and did not know where he was and immediately got fussy. So that was cool. Thank you American Airlines for that. Maybe turn down those speakers a tad? Truthfully the flight there was really not that bad.

Wesley had a tough time adjusting to the 3 hour time difference. We were constantly up at 4:30am and would go for walks so that we did not wake up Sarah and Thomas. It was exhausting but it was also nice to spend some time chatting with Erin and the view wasn’t too bad either.

We also got to do some early morning shopping since Wes was up so early.

We went for lots of walks on the beach. Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach were right next to each other so we visited both. Hermosa Beach was gorgeous and Manhattan Beach had an aquarium so both were pretty awesome. There were also a few houses for sale right on the beach there if you are interested and have like $15 Million to spend.

There was also a lot of time spent relaxing and recovering at Sarah and Thomas’s apartment that was nearby. They were only like 10 or so blocks from the beach which was really convenient. Only part that was not convenient was the humungous hill that you had to walk up to get back. We live in Florida where there are no hills. So any hill in general is a hike for us. But holy moly was this hill steep. And we had to push Wes up this thing!

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The second to last full day that we were there I guess we decided that we had not walked enough. Even though I had averaged like 15,000 steps per day we decided it was time to go for a hike. The place that we hiked at was called Terranea Resort. It is right on the beach with amazing views. I did notice a lot of dogs on leash as well so huge bonus if you are a dog owner and want to travel somewhere cool with your pup.

This was such a nice hike. It was very sunny and hot but it was not humid at all. In Jacksonville, we are used to at least 50% humidity daily so this weather was not too shabby at all. Wesley seemed to enjoy being out of his stroller this time and he let us know the whole hike. There was a lot of chatter coming from him that was basically “blah blah blah. Dah, blah blah blah”. It will be fun when we can finally hear what is going on in that 90th percentile head of his.

Obviously we had to plan a beach day while we were so close to the ocean. For those that do not know, going to the beach with an infant, is hard. You have to pack all the things. The stroller, diapers, sunscreen, baby food, water for the baby, a hat, clothes, extra clothes, doggie bags for poopy diapers, extra towels for the baby to lay on, umbrella, etc. Strollers do not push well through sand either so plan on carrying that. We made it though. And after we put down like 8 towels for Wesley to crawl, he immediately started separating them and finding the sand. Most parents are probably not as crazy as I can be but I did not want him getting sand on his hands. He is still at the age where he does not understand no exactly and everything goes in his mouth. So I was not looking forward to him eating sand and getting it in his eyes. But its fair if you just call me crazy.

We also had some time to visit some family that we only see about once a year normally. They were a bit north of where we were but when do you get the chance to drive on one of the most busiest interstates in the world? Well, I guess a lot of people do. We decided to avoid rush hour as much as we could and take a short trip to see Kira and Pierrick. I really wanted to see them and the house that they had just bought had a hot tub. My calves were still screaming from all the walking and hiking so I am gonna get in that hot tub.

The drive there was really just over an hour and I learned fast that anywhere you drive in California, is probably at least an hour or so. Their house was amazing, we were so happy that we made the trip. I already mentioned the hot tub, but they also had a pool to go with it, lots of outdoor space, a huge kitchen, and a HOME THEATRE. I’m just saying, I have a lot of ideas about the room that is currently my man cave. I know we said we would turn it into a play room for Wesley but there has to be a way to make it a theatre playroom… maybe? It was sick. Before we hit up the hot tub, we needed some lunch and you cannot go to California without at least one stop at In and Out Burger right?

Pierrick also showed me his new bicycle that had some kind of rider assist function. I do not know what that was but if you live somewhere that has hills, buy that freaking thing. It was the weirdest sort of satisfying mixed with bewilderment feeling. The bike sort of propels itself when you pedal. Think of how bikes have gears, but then pretend that superman is also flying behind you and pushing you while you are pedaling. That’s the best description I can give you. Now that I think of it, that’s exactly how it feels.

Our last night that we were there, Wesley woke up at 12:30am and would not go back to sleep. We had fought with him in the middle of the night to get him back to sleep the previous two nights so we were extremely exhausted at this point. Erin finally put him on the bed where he was only supposed to be momentarily but then he passed right out. So we gave him plenty of space between us and just let him crash there. We did get some rest after that but it was not good sleep. we were both worried we might roll over on him or something so we were trying to be extra careful. But it worked, little man slept like that until we had to wake him up to go to the airport.

So we packed up and headed back to LAX to take our flight back home. This one was a little shorter, 4 and a half hours. Thank goodness Erin is the best Momma in the world and thought to bring Wesley and extra change of clothes in case he had a blow out, because he did. He had a blow out in the airport before we even got on the plane so he would have been wearing just a diaper for the whole flight if it weren’t for Mom. Dad certainly does not think about that stuff until it is too late.

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So here goes nothing, time for flight number two. I will say one thing about 9 month olds. They are smarter than you think they are. You try putting a 9 month old on an airplane when he just had his first airplane ride in his life 5 days earlier that was 5 hours long and see what happens. As soon as Wesley woke up from his nap, looked at the seats, the windows, the people, he knew immediately where we were and he was not happy. He was fussy and crawling all over Erin and I for about the first hour and a half, maybe more. Then he finally got tired and fell asleep. Thank goodness.

After 4 and a half long hours we finally landed back in Orlando! We had used the airplane’s lavatory to change Wes a couple times but once the plane starts descending and the stewardess says stay in your seat, they mean it. So even though there were things happening in Wesley’s diaper, he had to wait. Oh, and there was also lightning in the area, so they would not get our stroller for us. We were stuck carrying this 23 pound wiggling bowling ball through the airport. So we found the nearest bathroom we could and Erin went inside and changed him. And guess what.

Even the best Mom in the entire world had not accounted for the possibility of not one blowout, but two blowouts! Come on man! Ugh. Now we look like the crappy parents that just carry their kids around in a diaper. Oh well, at least Erin had a baby blanket laying around so that it was not too embarrassing.

What a trip though. Traveling with a 9 month old is not always easy but we made the best of it and now have memories with Wesley that we will never forget. We had so much fun visiting with Sarah and Thomas and loved their new city. They make really good tour guides if anyone is looking for one.