Left his heart in San Francisco!

After a million shots and rides down this slide, Dan captured a sweet slide photo of the happy slide boy! "Wheeeeeeeeee!" Gavin got to go visit cousins and auntie Jessie earlier in March! It was a weekend of many firsts: first flight, first overnight away from his own room, first time meeting a bunch of his cousins, first ocean experience! I think Gavin was a pretty fantastic traveler. I get it - people hate sitting by babies on planes and everyone gave us the evil glare/stare, from boarding to seating to the drink cart to de-boarding.
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So I have a few thoughts about traveling with a baby.
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1. A quiet baby doesn't equal a good traveler. How many times have I had to sit by the fat guy with bad breath that hogs the arm rest and won't shut up? A good traveler makes a semi-pleasant experience for their neighbors. So big guy, shut your pie hole, order a diet soda, give me back 1/2 ownership over the arm rest and brush your teeth. I'm not here to make friends. I don't care about your granddaughter or your political views. Here's some listerine. And judgemental passengers: If this kid cries a little, he's getting his needs met. Like: "Hey, what the heck is happening here? My ears hurt. Can you get me that bottle please?" or "Holy crap, I'm bored out of my mind. Can we get a little entertainment going on in here?" He doesn't have the social conditioning or the skills yet to ask in a less "annoying" way for his neighbors. I do regret your having to hear his misery, truly, but he's just expressing what we're all feeling and with my way overpacked bag of tricks to keep him happy, I'm on it... I'm keeping him as happy as I can. Big, loud, smelly, arm rest-hog guy should know better. Do I not also deserve a comfortable flight *every*single*other*time*I*fly???
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2. Help us out. Remember having a kid? Remember having all that crap to lug on board? Or for that matter, every-single-where you ever go? So help us out! We brought half of this crap for YOU people! For a 90 minute flight, we obviously don't need 3 flavors of fruit bar, applesauce, milk, back up milk, juice, an extra bottle just in case, videos, toys, a banana, pretzels, books, and 14 diapers. We had to check a bag for a SF trip for goodness' sake! Who does that!?! People who are trying to give their neighbors a nice flight, that's who. The least you can do is help us stow our crap. :) I'm just sayin. Don't stare with that "Oh god, a baby" look. Or do stare and then offer these harried parents some help. I'm not saying hold the child... I'm saying take the bag out of my hand and put it up! Thanks!
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3. Hey airline, bad job. You should've let a family with a toddler board in the first wave. I appreciate the stroller help (drive it up to the door and then there it is in SF! Sweet!) but preferential boarding sure would've been nice. Then maybe the overhead compartments would've been less hoarded by travelers who can't stomach the $25 check-bag-fee, and who can blame them? Hey, airline, bad job there too. $25 to check my bags? Each way? How dare you?
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So on a bright and shiny note, Gavin loved the Bay Area. He LOVED the sand at the beach and loved him some cousins. He really liked cousin Tim and enjoyed all the hill walking. He drank a teenie tiny mocha (chocolate sprinkled over steamed milk) at a coffee shop and tootled around China Town with his Dad. I think the pace of the city was fun for him! It'll probably be a while until we travel again. It was the most exhausting vacation we've ever taken. And next time there will be two of them!