the preparation
i can't believe how much we had to pack for 4 days. travelling was so much easier when gabe was 5 months old & nursing...just pack lots of clothes, diapers and the hooter-hider. this time we needed activities, treats/food supplies, and comfort items. it was our first time on a plane since last march, and it took a lot of planning. anyways, 2 suitcases and 2 carry-ons later, we were ready for anything!
the flight
now that we have nexus passes, we got to use them for the first time to fly out of bellingham. love it! unfortunately our flight was delayed by almost an hour, so gabe was in FINE shape by the time we boarded :P at least there was another toddler on our flight so they got to play together for a bit. gabe was excellent on the flight to vegas...we had new leap frog books for him, new dvds (too bad our dvd player crapped out after 30 minutes), we had lots of treats, and he even took a 30 minute nap! it would've lasted longer except the descent bothered his ears so he screamed for a while :(
the hotel
aria did not disappoint...it was clean and modern, the staff were friendly, the restaurants were fabulous, and the rooms were amazing! our standard room seemed super-spacious with lots of room for gabe to run around, it overlooked the back entrance with a view of vdara's pool (the palms and rio were in the distance, and the bellagio beside us), and we had twice daily housekeeping (i really like turndown service!). and to add to the luxury of the room, everything was controlled by a touch screen panel (not ideal with a toddler...gabe managed to hit the "turndown" setting, which turned on the tv to the music channel, dimmed the lights and closed the sheers - and then 10 minutes later it closed the blackout blinds and turned off all the lights :P).
thanks to great weather in las vegas, we managed to take gabe to the pool twice. we haven't been swimming since his lessons last summer, so he wasn't a fan at first. but once he saw trevor having a good time, he warmed up to the idea and on the 2nd day, he was kicking his legs in the water!
the food
a trip to vegas wouldn't be complete without excellent dining options! we ate most of our meals at aria...buffets (sunday brunch, breakfast), 2 dinners - julian serrano (spanish) and sirio ristorante (italian). and of course we ventured off the strip for dinner at nobu!
the kids
there's nothing more unpredictable than kids. trevor took a while to warm up to gabe, and gabe didn't know what to think of trevor. there was hugging, bowing, pushing, sharing, crying, screeching, laughing, and everything else under the sun. by the end of the trip the boys were best buds and chasing after each other.
the lessons learned
#1 - gabe hates new things...whether it's new clothes, new shoes, new environment...he just has a hard time adjusting.
#2 - gabe hates the potette potty...we used it for alaska when he was 11 months and he took to it immediately! in hindsight we should've practiced before vegas, but he's obviously outgrown the floor potties and only likes to sit on the big toilet (he wouldn't sit on the potette on the toilet...it's obviously not comfortable for him). so i spent 4 days chasing him with the potette and cleaning up accidents from the floor :P i'll be buying ANOTHER portable toilet seat for our trip to toronto :P
#3 - gabe's growing up...over the weekend, i made the big leap and let gabe feed himself at the table. i hate the mess, but at some point, my boy's gotta grow up and do things for himself!
#4 - go with the flow...as much as i would've liked gabe to keep with his nap & bedtime routines, he would fall asleep at the most inopportune times. to make it worse, since we would be out-and-about, he would only sleep for 30 minutes. so by dinnertime, he wasn't the most cooperative toddler. bottom line, we made the best of our situation and did what we could :)
all-in-all, it was a great mini-getaway and the boys have already received an invitation from aria for a return visit! gee, i wonder why... :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment