Traveling with a one year old

At the end of last month, our family escaped the never-ending, shitty winter weather, to beautiful Miami for two weeks. And I’ve got to tell you, it was probably one of the healthiest decisions we’ve made as a family in a long time.

Winters are hard for everyone, but I think it’s especially hard for those who work from home or spend their days raising little ones. Between the cold and winter storms, being trapped inside for months can feel isolating, so this escape was very much needed. The weather for each of the days we were there was 27 degrees and sunny.

Hat: Rag & Bone, Glasses. Clearly, Dress: Target, Shoes: Loeffler Randall

We split our trip into two sections, the first 5 days we stayed at the beach in a newly built hotel and then for the next 10 we were with my grandparents.

Sweater: Alice & Olivia, Skirt: Tanya Taylor

Last year, Sterling and I came down (I shared about my trip with a 7 week old, traveling alone, here) but as my grandparents weren’t there, I knew this trip would be much more special. I also thought it was really magical that the ages of the people on this trip are Sterling: 1, Trevor and I: 31, my grandparents: 91. 1, 31, 91. A truly special trip.

Flights
We planned our flights around nap-times and found great success with Sterling. Our flight to Florida departed at around 6pm, and although Sterling didn’t sleep on the 3 hour flight he was easy and calm due to the late hour. The minute we landed he fell asleep in our ErgoBaby until we picked up our rental car. On the way home, we arrived at the airport at 10am for our 1pm flight, and Sterling made some friends with the people around us, and passed out on top of his dad until we landed.

We took our ValcoBaby Stroller to Miami. Diaper bag is Skip Hop

Hotel
We spent the first 5 nights about a 20 minute drive away from my grandparent’s place in Aventura, at the newly built Costa Hollywood Beach Resort. We decided on this resort for a few reasons:
• their proximity to the beach and boardwalk
• A full kitchen. As Sterling goes in and out of picky stages with food, preparing and having essentials on-hand is key
• A separated living space and bedroom. Sterling is a great sleeper but goes to bed around 8pm, so having a space for us to be in was key

The location was truly amazing. A 1 minute walk to the beach where you could spend your days on the touristy but family-friendly Hollywood Boardwalk which is lined with restaurants, ice cream shops and little stores. On the Friday and Saturday nights, most of the restaurants had live music and the streets were filled with people.

Dress: Farm Rio

The hotel staff were friendly and knowledgeable about local restaurants as well as the area. Our room was great, very modern and sleek. I did a room tour and it’s saved to my Miami 2019 Highlight on Instagram. They also had a small breakfast available each morning, which was great because croissants are key for Sterling and coffee is mandatory for this mama and both were delicious.

Food
The first few days Sterling had a hard time adjusting to the break of routine around meal time. So we focused on simple meals and invested in an Ikea highchair so he could sit properly with us during family meals, and almost immediately he started eating better.

We didn’t really go out to eat much so unfortunately we didn’t hit many of the spots on our must-eat list, but rather ate where it was convenient. Feel free to DM me on IG or leave a comment if you want more details of the spots we did go to.

Jacket: Joe Fresh, Dress: Target

For Sterling, we brought a bunch of his favourite food pouches PC Organic Banana Kiwi Strained Baby Food and once we got to my grandparent’s we made his regular smoothies for meal times, which consist of blueberries, bananas, peanut, nut or seed butter, yoghurt and whatever else we have on hand, like spinach or strawberries.

Overall, traveling with a baby (almost toddler) is never going to be easy, but being flexible with your schedule and rules can allow for a painless trip. I really enjoyed the extended time-off, typically vacations are one-jammed-pack-week of sight-seeing and activities, but this trip to Miami for 15 days, meant that we could keep each day light and enjoyable.

Snow Day

Okay winter. Calm down.
The weather in Toronto over the next few days is filled with snow to blanket the city and slow down what is suppose to be a busy week.

We leave on our first family vacation in one week and I cannot wait to escape. I typically can handle the cold temperatures fairly well (1, 2, 3,) and feel confident driving in the snow (I’ve always invested in the best winter tires) but now, with Sterling, it’s harder to prioritize leaving the house when conditions are bad. Meaning we’ve been home bound for a while over the last few weeks. So I’m looking forward to spending time outside while showing my son one of my favourite cities and spending time with my grandparents.

But first, there are a lot of planning to do for this vacation, and my number one plan for success is giving myself the most amount of time to do every task, especially on travel days.

Sterling and I traveled to Miami last year, when he was a few weeks old around the same time, but he was a newborn and only the essentials were necessary to bring along. This time he has a pretty good, yet flexible, routine. Lately, he’s become more picky with food, but he definitely has his favourites so I can plan and make sure I’m prepared.

I’ve already started pack, like 3 weeks out. I started with Sterling, checking out this spring wardrobe I’ve been building for a while now. I picked up a few shorts, bathing suits and new shoes which will give us more than enough for him, plus I’m sure I’ll be hitting up a Target upon arrival.

I also began trying on my summer stuff and didn’t love most of what I have. It’s been about a year and a half since I’ve bought non-pregnancy clothes and the few pieces I did buy this summer are probably the ones coming. So I also picked up a few things that I’m excited to wear and show you.

So, until next week when #theNegins escape to Miami, I’ll be hibernating, making lists and packing while trying to get over this cold.

Puffer: Lacoste, Sweater: Zara, Pants: from my grandmother, Boots: Uggs (old but similar), Glasses: C/O Clearly

Sterling Turns One

It was a few days before Christmas (and I was so sick), when it dawned on me, that I had to get moving on planning my son’s first birthday. Sterling was born a few days after the start of the new year, so over the next few days I would need to arrange everything, rather quickly, as businesses would be closed during the holidays and New Years.

I decided to keep it intimate affair, inviting only our families and a few friends to celebrating this milestone in our home. With that in mind, I also worked with Sterling’s nap-time schedule to ensure a happy baby during the party.

I designed the invitations, elegant and shark themed, inspired by his favourite song, Baby Shark.  And although I’ve heard Baby Shark thousands of times, I love how excited he gets when he hears it, so I’m all about it.

I served brunch and included all of our favourites: bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon, egg salad, tuna salad, a giant charcuterie board filled with meats, soft and hard cheeses, olives and assorted crackers and breads.

We ordered custom cookies (which were as delicious as they were beautiful) from Little Rose Cookie Co, who was so amazing to work with. She created the Baby Shark cookies and Sterling couldn’t stop smiling when he saw them.

Sterling had two cakes, a decadent hazelnut chocolate from the bakery Sweet Olenkas that we served to our guests and a naked smash cake that I made using the Betty Crocker’s Rainbow Chip and layered with frosting and sprinkles.

The smash cake was a big success. At first Sterling didn’t understand what he should do,  but with some encouragement he loved destroying and exploring the cake, tasting it a bit before dropping every last piece onto the floor (which we lined with a plastic table-cloth for an easy clean up).

I still can’t believe that I have a one year old, but I’m falling more in love with the sweet boy he’s becoming. He’s funny, creative, loves to read, obsessed with both Monkey and Taco and I can’t wait to see all of the milestones we will reach together this year.