Mnemo's first out of town + tips for baby's first flight

We spent two weeks away from the city and literally out of my usual network – no social media, no texts, no calls, no hang-outs. Our summer + Holy Week vacay in Bicol was super fun, as the whole family joined the trip for the first time in a very loooong time. And yep, Mnemo’s there, too!

~May’s here again, oversharing stories about her child.~ I know I shouldn’t be sharing my daughter’s life, but I can’t blame myself on feeling excited. It was Mnemo’s first bus ride, plane ride, and out of town. And sorry, Mnemosyne, for posting silly, ugly pictures, I’m just to thrilled to share this experience!

For her first quarter I opened an insurance policy as assistance for her future schooling. The plan is to further invest on the same and explore other ways to financially secure my Mnemo. Everything’s doing well now, thank God. And as a way of saying thanks, I registered her as a donor at UNICEF, supporting other kids and helping them enjoy life. It’s my gift for Mnemo’s first birthday and I am looking forward to teach her more on extending a helping hand.

We had a mandatory leave during the holy week this year, and luckily enough, Mnemo’s birthday was at the midst of my leave. I grabbed the opportunity to extend the vacation to another week to attend the fiesta at the province, and to roam around the island.

Interacting with unfamiliar people, Mnemo learned a lot. She knew how to wave goodbye, call someone, call a dog, call a chicken (yes, you read it right), she learned to stand on her own, walk on her own (a couple steps, lol). And then she got her first three teeth. We don’t normally force her to learn how to walk or stand or eat alone or whatever, because I want her to learn things at her own pace.

Our trip wasn’t easy. Traveling with a one year old sounds scary, what more if you’re there, taking care of her? There are crying, shouting, running. Mnemo is the kind of baby who eats a lot and frequently, it just doesn’t look like it. So the trick was to bring food and water for the little monster.

To help a little to new moms, I listed some tips when traveling with an infant. I’m not sure if this would work, as every child is kind of different from one another, but here you go:

Bring the lola. Or anyone she’s close to. Since I went back to work from my maternity leave, Mnemo has been very close to her lola. Sometimes, she treats her like she’s her mom that I get jealous, but I can’t quit my job so okay.
Bring food. Or take advantage to free snacks during the flight. On our flight to Virac, Mnemo cried a loooooot. But she came okay on our flight back to Manila. She loved Crossini, the croissant with chocolate filling, and she emptied her small water bottle twice within the one hour flight.
Entertain her with the view outside. I thought she’d be afraid of heights, but I realized she wasn’t. She loved looking outside the plane windows and shouting “aaaaah”.
If you have enough budget, buy her a seat. I didn’t consider this as I didn’t buy her a carrier ever since. We don’t have a car, and I think a carrier won’t be as much help. So I didn’t get her a seat when I booked for plane tickets, I wouldn’t buy an Php11k carrier just for one or two flights! But if you have one and you have enough budget for another seat, let her have one.
Rest the baby. Mnemo was asleep on our way to the airport, so when we got there, she’s wide awake, ready to play and monster around. But a well-rested baby will less likely to throw tantrums.

Mnemo also experienced the beach for the first time. Though it wasn’t as pretty as planned and expected, she did enjoy the dip. I don’t have a picture but her smile was super wide, she made me smile super wide, too!