Day 1- Traveling to Chicago

I am going to try to post our Chicago trip ever day so I can keep up with everything. Our first day was spent traveling (I will get to the traveling part in a bit).

Normally, I pack stuff and don't worry about what I am packing. This was not the case this trip since Brayden was coming on this trip. I wrote out a list of everything he will/may need. I packed the usual baby stuff, but I also had to pack extra things since we weren't staying in a hotel with a kitchen. We ended up buying Playtex Drop-In bottle specifically for this trip. The bottles are easier to clean since you just throw away the drop-ins after each use. I just washed his bottles and they never touched the sink....yay for me! I will probably post a traveling with a baby tips after this post to help you know what to expect. I really think that being prepared helps make things run smooth.

Now, to the traveling part.... We arrived at the Jackson airport at 5 pm to provide us plenty of time for our 6:35 flight. Everything went great through security. Our plane didn't arrive on time, but Brayden was having fun laughing at his daddy so it was okay. Finally, we boarded the plane, but to our dismay we found out there was a malfunction on the aircraft and a mechanic would have to take a look at it. We waited forever. We had planned to wait until we were going up in the air to feed Brayden so his ears wouldn't ache. Brayden waited patiently and never got upset during our wait. We finally took off after 7. The plane was not full so Brayden got an actual seat. This made me happy, because it is so much safer for a baby to travel in a car seat. He ate, and then slept the rest of the way. He was so good! Our flight attendant brought him a certificate signed by all of the crew and his first set of wings. We landed at 9:05. Brayden woke up and was all smiles. He smiled and laughed while we waited at baggage claim...again...he was so good! We couldn't have asked for a better baby. Once we got our bags, we caught a cab that drove us 45 minutes to our hotel (Midway Airport to Schaumburg takes 45 minutes). Brayden talked, drank, laughed, and slept in the cab.

As soon as we got into our room, I began unpacking us and getting things settled. We ordered a pizza and bread sticks (they were delicious) and just took it easy since we had such a long day. Brayden ate and went right to sleep. It was a long day for him and he did great!

The hotel is very nice. We are staying at the Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg from Tuesday until Friday afternoon. Justin's trainings are at this hotel. After his training on Friday, we will move to the Marriott hotel in downtown Chicago on the Magnificent Mile and stay until Sunday. Since Justin will be in classes all week, Brayden and I are just going to relax and go to the pool. The weekend is when we are going to actual do Chicago stuff. It will be fun....can't wait to post about it! If you have any suggestions on what to do in Chicago, please post a comment.