Monday, May 11, 2009

BABY WEEKEND GETAWAY

Diaper bag? Check. Baby wipes? Check. Bottles? Check. Pacifiers? Check. Now multiply all those items by ten. Check.

This weekend our family went away for my first ever Mother's Day. We were very nervous because we wanted to be prepared. We didn't want to leave anything to chance. We brought Hannah's pureed food, ice packs, and lots of extra onesies. Can't forget her favourite blanket, disinfecting wipes, and toys. We checked and double-checked. Finally we were ready to go.

Left early on Saturday morning and headed across the border with our six-month old. I was worried about the weather as thunderstorms were predicted. Luckily, we only had a few minutes of light showers and then it cleared up. Whereas in previous shopping trips, I would head straight for the women's section, this trip was purely children's wear. It got to the point where my husband asked, "Are you going to buy anything for you?" I wanted to, but who could resist the adorable baby clothes? From Carter's to The Children's Place to Baby Gap and Target, it was sizes 6m to 18m for me. Although (in Canada) we have excellent sales racks for babies, I find that there is no comparison. I highly recommend the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls (formerly the Prime Outlets) and specifically Carter's and Osh Kosh. They were having a super sale from 40% to 70% off featuring summer apparel.

At Walden Galleria, the only hitch was finding eateries who would give us some hot water to warm up the bottle. They were very busy because it was a Saturday, but finally we found one place willing to take the time. Next trip, we'll probably bring our own hot water somehow.

After loading up on cute little outfits, we checked in at our hotel. We enjoyed a late dinner at Eastside Mario's (surprisingly not busy on a Saturday night) and then went up to relax in our hotel room. With wireless Internet and two cozy plush beds (in separate rooms, so we could've had guests), it was just like home. Turned on the basketball game until we fell asleep. We had an exhausting day.

The next morning we went across the street to Fallsview Casino and took a look at the shops. Came back and my husband gave me my Mother's Day gifts. Grabbed a Starbucks coffee and Tim Hortons' bagel and muffin just before checking out. Visited the Canada One Outlets, but they were hugely disappointing compared to the day before. The Nike Outlet had been reduced in size and the other shops didn't have the greatest of sales. The rain held out, but it was a little breezy. Early afternoon and it was time to head home. Had a short rest and then we headed out for dinner. Afterwards we took a neighbourhood walk to Second Cup to try out her new stroller and finally it was Hannah's bathtime and bedtime.

All in all, it was a successful first trip. Hannah slept in her first hotel room. No leaky diapers on either day. Finding hot water was a challenge, but making it was easy as we had brought our own kettle to use in the hotel room. Crossing the border was smooth and we were waved through once we declared that we purchased a stroller and baby clothes. We went to the Falls on Sunday morning and avoided the crowds of tourists.

Now that we have our first trip under our belts, we're more confident about doing it again. We were well-prepared and any little thing we missed are etched in our heads. Can't wait for the summer. There will surely be more of these weekend getaways in our future. Perhaps even earlier than the summer because it was such a fun mini-vacation. Maybe Father's Day? Hmmm...


4 comments:

Friendly Fly said...

I love that outfit with assorted pink and green HEARTS! Your Baby is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
adorable.

Martha said...

Sounds like a great first overnight family trip! I love Walden Galleria! All the shopping and they have a Cheesecake Factory. Awesome.

Vivien said...

I love your mini getaway trip! Shopping is always my cup of tea! I think I'll do the same looking at baby clothes for most of the time when we shop, oh especially my hubby too he does the same!
Thanks for the good tips about the weekend getaway, we'll have to do practice run before we plan for any longer trips!!

Hip Teacher Mama said...

Hi Vivien! Yes this mini-getaway was definitely successful. Not only was the U.S. shopping great, but also the smooth border crossing, how well Hannah was in the car, and all our preparations paid off. We didn't find ourselves scrambling for extra diapers or wipes! :P That is a GREAT success in my eyes! Hope you and your family get to travel some in the summer.