Aaralee's First Weekend Getaway

Ryan and I like to be on the go.  As much as we love our house, it's nice to have a change of scenery once in awhile. As a flight attendant, it's difficult for me to stay in one place for too long. 

We stayed close to home throughout the month of August, just in case our baby decided to join the world early. She didn't. September was a blur of being overdue followed by adjusting to life with a newborn.  

October rolled around, and needless to say, I was getting pretty stir crazy.  Having a c-section has limited me in that I can't leave the house without my husband to carry the carseat or anything else that is heavier than the baby.  My outings had consisted of nothing more than the odd trip to the grocery store.  

We decided to have a weekend away, partly for our sanity, and partly as a trial run for traveling with an infant.  

Our go-to destination is Canmore. We've spent many special occasions there, so it was only fitting that we bring Aaralee to one of our favourite places!  

After spending Friday night in Red Deer visiting my mom, it was time to hit the highway. It would be Aaralee's longest car ride yet! We broke it up with a stop in Calgary to visit our friends Jon and Dixie where we indulged in burgers and milkshakes from our beloved Peter's.  

Ryan's parents were camping in Banff, so we stopped by to enjoy some campfire food and drop off our other baby, Niko. He wasn't allowed to stay in our hotel, but fortunately he loves camping and spending time with his grandparents.  

After we left the campsite we drove into town and wandered some of the shops before returning to our hotel to check in. After Aaralee was fed it was off to Boston Pizza for Ryan and I to enjoy some food as well. By the time we'd finished our nachos and pizza bread it was past our bed time so we retreated to the hotel for the evening. We tucked the baby into her bed for the evening... a laundry basket. She is still tiny and a playpen would take up far more space than necessary. She slept more consecutive hours that evening than she had in several nights... perhaps baskets are cozy? 

On Sunday morning we checked out of our hotel, had breakfast, and headed to pick up Niko from his evening of camping.  Our only plan for the day was to drive home, but we opted for the longer, more scenic route with a few detours along the way.  We drove to the provincial border so that both Aaralee and Niko could visit British Columbia for the first time. 

Autumn in the Rockies is gorgeous. Ryan and I stopped for a few photos, but it was cool and windy so most of the day was spent from the comfort of our car. 

Overall, it was a great weekend away.  We've discovered that road trips with babies require a bit more versatility, but we didn't mind the extra stops to change diapers and feed our hungry girl.  Ryan even managed to change a diaper on the front seat, on his lap.  Talent? I think so.

Aaralee slept the majority of the trip, but we are pretty sure that she thoroughly enjoyed her first mountain adventure on the outside world!  There will certainly be many more to come in her future.