Lexi’s great grandma Gladys passed away and we made our way to Vancouver for the funeral. Lexi was lucky enough to meet her last summer when she came to visit. This week we packed up our bags and flew to Vancouver to say goodbye.

Lexi was awesome on the plane. It is only about 2.5 hours but with a 15 month old it seems like 5. Once we were in the air we just jumped through hoops to keep her content but once that plane starts descending there wasn’t much we could do to comfort her popping ears. If you are ever going to fly with a baby around this age here are a few good pointers.

• Get the bulk head. It is the first row in the plane so there is more foot room there. On the way out it was already booked but we managed to get it on our connecting flight back home and it was a lifesaver. If the bulk head is pre-booked (like we tried to do), look for a row and book the aisle and the window leaving the middle seat open. If the plane is not full there is a good chance that middle seat will remain open. We pulled off the open middle seat both ways and it was much needed.
• Pack lots of snacks and let the little buggers eat whatever they want. They have a lifetime to eat healthy crap and you want them to eat so fruit loops were a winner on this trip. Shan even made a fruit loop necklace with her to keep it interesting and prolong the eating a little.
• Don’t let them drink too much during the flight. Save the sippy cup for the way down when the ears start popping and you will save you both some grief.
• I brought the laptop and broke out some Elmo’s World near the end of the flight when Lexi couldn’t sit still any longer. A bag of favorite toys or new toys will also serve this purpose.
• Gentle tugging on the ears seemed to work a little too on the way down.

Once in Richmond we stayed at the Holiday Inn on No 6 Road. I tell you this because the people there and the accommodations were super. I also really enjoyed the free breakfast each morning. The staff there loved Lexi and always played with her when they could. They treated her like royalty and called her the hotel mascot.

We were a little nervous about how Lexi would sleep in the hotel room, especially with us watching TV and with Uncle Tim sharing the room. We put her to bed the first night around 9pm and sat in bed expecting a battle but it never happened. At one point after some rolling around she stood up and looked over at us. I told her to lie down and go to sleep and that’s what she did. I was amazed. We were amazed.

Lexi also took ownership of the pool. She was in there every morning after breakfast and again at night before bed. It was great to have so much fun with her in the pool. She is really liking it more and more since she started her swimming lessons. She is now jumping in off the side while we are holding her hands.

It was a great trip and nice to see some family while we were there. We went to the aquarium and although it was a long day for her Lexi was a trooper. It is getting so easy to travel with her now that she is eating more and napping less. We even had some time to stop for her favorite sub in honor of Uncle Paul.