It’s a tradition that Zach and I go on trips for our birthdays each year.  Last year for my birthday we went to Las Vegas for a long weekend.  Vegas wasn’t doable this year with Sloan.  Can you imagine us toting around a 3 month old through the casinos?  Do people do that?  The thought makes me cringe.  So this year, as a family of three, we decided to go to California.  It made perfect sense.  Short flight, warmer weather.  It was the perfect opportunity to test out the traveling waters with Sloan.

Zach did a little research and found a great spot, perfect for families.  We picked Hermosa (just south of Santa Monica). We left Thursday after work.  My brother had a convention the exact same weekend and joined us on our flight.  It was great to have him.  He is always so willing to help and I love getting the chance to talk to him – other than chaotic family dinners on Sundays.

I was really nervous to take Sloan on her first flight.  It was a mix between a fear of her disrupting everyone on the plane and the fact that she might hate to fly in general.  I was convinced that because Sloan was such a good baby that she would hate to fly – we couldn’t be that lucky.  I did as I was told and nursed her right when we were ascending.  She didn’t make a single sound the entire flight.  She finished eating and slept for all but 10 minutes until it was time to prepare for landing.  I nursed her as we were coming back down and she didn’t skip a beat.  This is another instance when Sloan convinces me I want 10 babies.  I know our second baby will crush that lofty dream – but while this stage lasts, I am going to soak it up.  We still can’t believe she crushed her first flight.

Since Blake didn’t have anything going on until the next morning, we conned him in to coming along with us to dinner at Unami Burger in Hermosa.  It was really mellow because it was before the dinner rush, and we all enjoyed our burgers and fries.

We dropped Blake off afterwards to get his rental car and we parted ways.
Then we checked into our hotel.  This is where my husband won a gold star.

Zach is fantastic at researching travel options.  He really took some time to find the best set-up for us.  We stayed at the Beach House at Hermosa – a tiny boutique hotel right on the boardwalk.  Not only was it steps away from the beach, but it was nearby the pier as well.  We got checked in, turned on the fireplace, and put Sloan down for bed.  As soon as we saw the kitchenette, we had a plan.  There was a nearby quick-stop and Zach walked down the street for a six pack of Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper and some other treats.  We stocked our mini fridge for the weekend.

The next morning I fed Sloan when she woke up and then Zach watched her while I went for an early run.  The weather was perfect and I couldn’t believe how many people were out and about that hour.  Runners, joggers, speed walkers, dog walkers, it was so much fun.  I got to run by all the modern beach houses and then down the pier to watch the surfers.  By the time I got back, Sloan was down for her morning nap.  So Zach and I decided to order room service for breakfast.

 

It sounds crazy, but breakfasts were my favorite meals of this trip.  The LA area is a very health conscious city, so I love that you can order an awesome, healthy meal [and not have to guess on calories – they usually include those].  I liked my egg white / black bean / fancy “free range” chicken breakfast tacos so much that I ordered the same thing the next morning.

When Sloan woke up from her nap we got her all ready for the beach.  Zach rented a surfboard and an umbrella and we got a nice spot all laid out for Sloan and I.

 

 

I think the thing that impressed me the most was how clean Hermosa Beach was.  The demographic was much different as well.  I am used to Venice and Santa Monica – where hippies, the homeless, and the unseemly dwell.  This beach was pretty desolate with the exception of a few volleyball players and small families.  And there was NO trash – zero waste scattered around.  It was gorgeous!

When the wind picked up, we made our way inside to shower up.  We then drove to the Farmers’ Market for lunch and did some shopping at the Grove.

 

We left with some Sprinkles Cupcakes to go.  They came in handy later during our inevitable battle with LA rush hour traffic.

 

 

By the end of our first full day, Sloan was accustom to diaper changes in the back seat of our rental car.

 

The next morning was a repeat of the first.  Run, surf, shower.  With the exception of Sloan and I on the beach.  It was much cooler the second day, so Sloan and I opted to stay in and watch a movie while Zach caught some waves.  When Zach got back in from surfing, he found both Sloan and I asleep.  I haven’t taken a nap during the day since Sloan was 4 weeks old.  It was heavenly.  When we are at home I work while she naps, so being in the hotel with no work to be done was the most relaxing way to spend the morning.  We both woke up bright eyed.

 

 

 

By lunchtime we made our way to Santa Monica to shop around at the Promenade.  Sloan hasn’t had a ton of opportunities outside, considering she is a winter baby.  She loved watching the hoards of shoppers.

Zach didn’t even mind shopping one bit, cause he got his Pinkberry fix early on.  I tried their chocolate chip cookie flavor – still think Peanut Butter is my favorite, though.

We braved the traffic again and made our way back to our hotel.  Sloan was exhausted [and probably a bit over stimulated] so we put her down and decided to have pizza delivered to our hotel room – a little New York style pizza place Zach has dined at before.  It totally hit the spot.  I am embarrassed at the amount of breadsticks that I consumed.

The next morning was a lazy one.  The three of us cuddled in bed until it was time to check-out.  Sloan loves her a good cuddle in the morning.

 

We loaded all our stuff in our rental car but weren’t quite ready to leave.  We decided to take a stroll along the boardwalk and down the pier.  It was probably our favorite part of the whole trip.  

 

Sloan was entranced.  The seagulls were her favorite.  While I loved the beach and breeze, I spotted something that was a favorite of mine.  Girl Scouts.  On scooters.  Selling cookies out of their wagon.

Sloan and I snatched two boxes of thin mints for the plane ride home, obviously.

We picked up Blake from LAX, returned our rental car, and boarded our plane to go home.

The flight home was much more turbulent that the flight out.  We hit some major bumps as we approached home, but Sloan didn’t seem to mind.  I nursed her as I had the way there and she didn’t even realize how much we were jumping around in the air.  She just held on a little tighter.

The weekend went way too fast.  I couldn’t have picked a better way to celebrate my birthday with my little family.  Everyone told us before Sloan that we ‘better travel now, because you will never travel with kids’.  It totally bummed me out.  I always thought we would continue to travel, even as our family grew.  True, it requires more luggage than usual, but it is totally worth the extra packing and preparation!  We have mastered feeding and diaper changes in the back seat and praise Nordstrom mother’s lounges.  You make it work, and it works just fine.  Zach and I would have done the exact same things if Sloan weren’t with us on the trip.  The only difference would have been where we dined at night – but we’re not fancy!  I realize we only took a trip to California, but this little test trip has geared us up for future trips as a family.  Sloan must love to travel as much as her parents do.  Maybe it’s the only thing she inherited from her mother…