On Thursday, the “Fit” family flew down to Raleigh, North Carolina for a very special wedding. One of Nick’s college besties was getting married and he was a groomsman. We chose to bring Tommy along and hire a sitter to come to the hotel. Logistically it could not have worked out better.
I called the hotel months ago asking for a sitter referral. They said they had a woman who babysat for families at the hotel for over 7 years. I trusted their recommendation and the concierge set it up. I chatted with Jean, the sitter, a couple weeks ago and felt very comfortable with her taking care of Tommy during the rehearsal dinner which was off-site and the wedding which was at our hotel, The Carolina Inn.
Tommy was a champ on the flight, earning himself his first A on the flight. He slept for the first hour and then enjoyed playing with us and chewing Sophie the last thirty minutes. Flying with him has been so much less stressful than I imagined. This time, I brought my boppy pillow and it made such a positive difference for sleeping in my arms on the plane.
We arrived in Chapel Hill around lunch time and used Yelp to locate the best spot to grab something to eat. We ended up at the Mediterranean Deli and were in heaven. I got the grilled chicken plate which came with hummus, tabouli and pita bread.
Afterwards, we strolled around Franklin Street and I got a mani/pedi at a near by salon. Nick watched Tommy back at the Inn. We had dinner at TOPOs and called it an early night.
Tommy and I took a long walk throughout the University of North Carolina’s campus. It was over 85 degrees but didn’t feel terribly uncomfortable. Tommy seemed to be just fine as he slept more of the walk.
After our walk, I did some planks and push ups with him on the lawn at the Inn. He loves when I put him underneath me during the moves. I finished with a few squats holding him which are becoming quite difficult as he weighs about 20 lbs now. I pretty much did this Mommy + Me workout.
The rest of the day was spent shopping. I bought a bunch of clothes at Bevello. I haven’t really gone shopping since Tommy was born but he was so chill, I took advantage and tried on a bunch of things. The dress below is by Jack by BB Dakota, I can’t find it anywhere on the internets to include a link! I wore it to the rehearsal dinner and tried to get a cute photo with T but he is in a hair eating phase…
When Jean the sitter arrived, she could not have been sweeter. Tommy immediately began flirting with her with his infectious smile. I nursed him before leaving and hoped he would take a bottle of breast milk if need be and go to sleep easy.
The rehearsal dinner was at the Fearrington Inn. They had the most delicious food! It was honestly so good and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a place that can serve a large group in the area. It was buffet style and each option after the next looked more delicious. Thank goodness we were limited by the size of our plates! Tommy drank a little bit of milk from the bottle and eventually went to sleep. For his first non family sitter, we were relieved to get the text that said he had finally gone down.
Since I’m breastfeeding, I couldn’t drink much. I did have 3 glasses of wine spaced out over the course of the evening. They say, if you feel OK to drive, your milk is probably fine. Tommy didn’t wake up to eat again until 2:30 AM at which point I was most definitely fine.
In the morning, I went for a run using a map given to me by the hotel front desk. I followed route 1 (3 miles around campus) with Tommy on Friday and attempted route 2 on my own which was a 5 mile trail run. I’ve never run a legit trail before, crossing creeks and having zero people around in the middle of the woods. I was scared the entire time that a wild animal or crazy person was going to jump out of a bush. This made me realize how much of a city girl I’ve become! I only took one bad turn and realized it quickly.
I must admit, I liked the adventure and not knowing where I was going but the stress was a bit much. The entire time I had no idea what direction I was running and just trusted a little postcard from the hotel. I felt doomed that I would come out on the other side 5 miles away from the hotel instead of back at my starting point. Finally, the trail became paved and there were lots of people around to ask for directions if I needed them. I made it back alive needless to say. I only saw one snake and yes, yes I did scream out loud when I almost stepped on it.
We went back to the Mediterranean Deli for lunch and relaxed the rest of the day before the wedding. Since everything was at the hotel, I planned to just nurse Tommy before the ceremony and dinner. He used to take bottles but since we rarely give them to him, he no longer takes them without a fight. Obviously this is frustrating for me, and I’ve got my work cut our for me moving forward if I ever want a night off.
For the black tie event, I used Rent The Runway, having my dress delivered to the Carolina Inn. It was my first rental and I did it because I wanted a long dress but didn’t want to deal with storing one in my closet to be maybe worn again next year? I don’t go to many black tie events anymore so storage space is more valuable to me than a dress.
It was a lovely evening and could not have been more perfect from the weather to the food and of course our babysitter! If you plan to travel with your little one and need a sitter, try calling the concierge for a recommendation. It worked out so well for us and Jean was fabulous. If you live in Chapel Hill – you should call Jean actually. We could not have lucked out more. And yes… I basically wore Duke blue to a UNC wedding. Oops.
On the way home, Tommy again was great on the flight. I nursed him on the way up to keep his ears from causing him too much pain from the altitude and pressure changes. He slept again for the first part of the flight. I tried to nurse him on the way down as well for his ears, but he turned me down… for once!
As much fun as it was to get away, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about flying with an infant until at least the fall again.
I hope you all had an amazing Memorial Day Weekend!