Reflections from the Riddicks

Good morning!!! Happy Tuesday! I hope you all are doing well and had a great weekend and start to your week! I have missed this little space the past few days! We needed yesterday to recover a little from our week and get laundry, life and the house back in a little order... 

I wondered where I should start with all of life recently for this blog post, but then I thought that we have done so much and learned so many little things throughout our adventures, and I didn't want to forget any of them, so I thought I'd start a little blog series called "Reflections from the Riddicks." 😂 

Not sure how many of these there will be or when they'll come, but we started last week with an entire half of our downstairs under construction, then proceeded to have four flights with a four month old, spend four days half way across the country, and end the week at an NFL football game downtown Nashville. Safe to say, it wasn't our ordinary week by any means hahaha 

So here are just some random little tidbits that we've tucked away for later the next time we decide to make an eight hour travel day happen, take down our popcorn ceiling or take a newborn to a football game hahaha

1. Headphones are a must for a baby at a football game. 

Pierce grew up as a drummer and has always been concerned about ears and hearing, so we had ordered these sound canceling headphones for Jane a long time ago, but the football game was the first time we truly put them into practice and let me tell you...they made all the difference. Highly recommend if you have a little one and are somewhere pretty loud...especially come touchdowns and field-goals haha 

2. Popcorn ceiling scrapers don't work. 

Pierce learned this one the hard way... This thing looks so handy, especially with the fact that it has a place to attach a garbage bag...but it really doesn't do the trick like a normal drywall scraper does. I'll have him do a post at some point about the ceilings, but I definitely know this is one of the biggest things he learned...

3. Take a cozy sleep blanket for the plane. 

We learned this maybe flight number 4 out of 6...we finally pulled out the blanket that we normally use for her bedtime routine, and that sweet little thing finally helped her fall right to sleep... Maybe it was the smell or the feel or just a little bit of home, but it worked every time after that. 

Speaking of working every time...we will absolutely take any and all travel tips with a baby that you may have hahaha

4. Long layovers aren't necessarily a bad thing with a baby. 

This is also a little tip we learned this trip... When booking trips before, we always tried to choose the shortest layover time. And this trip, our flight route got changed and the layover ended up being much longer than expected. Well, Jane had time to play on a blanket for bit, spread out, get changed, nurse, etc all while not being squished on a plane...it actually made the day so much better for us, which was an unexpected blessing. 

5. I don't know why we ever said it was "hard" to get out to Wyoming before. 😂

Also speaking of travel...and unexpected blessings...this is the moment we landed in Jackson...and everyone (including Jane) was so relieved hahaha Pierce's parents have lived out there in the summers for several years now and every time we were trying to plan a trip, the thought would always cross our minds that it was pretty hard to get out there...

After this trip with Jane, we were wondering why we ever thought getting on a few planes and watching a movie and eating a few snacks was hard 😉😂 hahaha

6. Drywall dust gets everywhere. 

This is just a fact that I'm coming to terms with and simultaneously vacuuming every hour or so hahaha 

7. I function better when things are in their place...

I remember reading Shay's blog when their house flooded and it was under construction for many months...I couldn't really imagine what that would look like, but knew it had to have been a lot. 

Well, our house did not flood and it is not NEARLY as bad as that, but it does seem to take a bit out of you when part of your house is blocked off. To compensate though, our kitchen and study have never been tidier hahaha

8. Don't take a bag to a football game. 

(Unless it contains a nursing pump.) Learned that one the hard way...hahaha in the back of my mind, I thought I remembered the clear bag rule, but it had been so long since we'd been somewhere big like that and after traveling and going through security with so many exceptions for a baby, I thought for sure they'd let me take a little diaper bag into the game....but you definitely cannot...unless apparently it has a little nursing pump in it. So, just FYI for future football games you might attend haha 

9. Nursing mother's lounges are amazing. 

These were my saving graces in the airports we were in and at the football game. A little tucked away room with a rocking chair, dimmer lights and a quiet space in the midst of a lot of sensory overload for a little one. I was so surprised that these little rooms even existed, but was definitely so blessed by them this week! 

10. On the water is most definitely our favorite place to be. 

And Pierce and I say this all the time, but being on the water is just really our very favorite. We paddle boarded this week while Pierce's mom watched Jane, and it truly felt like Heaven. A fun little tidbit for us to remember for sure. You can find us there again soon. 

And that about wraps up the little reflections that we've come across this past week. We wanted to jot them down for the next time we have a crazy week ahead of us. I'm sure when that comes, we'll be learning even more. 

Thanks for following along in this crazy little journey. What advice/tips do you have for us?! We'll take all that we can get!!

I'll see you back here in the morning!!

❤️Tab