korea part 3: by jean

here are my final thoughts on my trip to korea.

in terms of packing:

i forgot to mention that i packed a saline nasal mist for miles.  i don't know about you but my nose gets very dry whenever i fly so i end up putting aquaphor up my nose (i know that sounds gross but it really works).  miles started to get lots of dry boogies so i used the saline mist on him a few times throughout the flight so it wouldn't bother him.

here was  my post about my list of things that i was planning to pack.  one of the big things i was contemplating about was whether or not to bring a pack and play.  i knew miles could sleep on the floor but because he moves around so much i was concerned that he might roll out of his sleeping area, or roll over the pillows i put down to create a boundary.

in the end, i was able to buy a used graco pack and play off of park slope parent's classified section and it worked WONDERS!!  (kathleen huddy, you can breath now!)  i was able to put him down in the pack and play and walk away when it was time for him to sleep, like how i do back at home in his crib.  my parents were so impressed by how i could simply put miles down to have him fall alseep by himself rather than getting him to fall asleep and then putting him down.  (read about miles's and logan's sleep trainig here!  it's the best thing i ever did!)  they kept saying miles's was such a "chak han" (nice/good) baby to fall asleep himself.  i said, sure he's a good baby and all....but it's also called sleep training!!

because he was able to fall asleep by himself, once he adjusted to the local time, (and got used to being with his grandparents) we were able to leave him before bedtime to go out and meet with friends for dinner. i still asked my parents to text me once he fell asleep but all in all (except for two big meltdowns), he slept well once we left him.  sleep training, it does a body good!

in korea:

because my parents lived about 30-45mins outside of seoul, we typically hung out around their area during the day and then went out to the city at night by ourselves.  we did take miles on the bus once, and that worked out pretty well.  we made sure we left right around his nap time so he fell asleep the whole ride on the bus.  i also put him in the bjorn and just wore him the whole time to be safe.  the few times we did take him to seoul with us, we took him by car with my parents.  i was too chicken to take him on the bus/subway into the city in case we couldn't find baby friendly places to change, feed him...and since he can't eat everything we eat yet, it was too much to pack for him!  traveling with a baby was definitely very different.  we didn't get to venture out as much as we had hoped, but we were grateful to have a happy baby during our trip! :)

on the plane:

miles overall travelled VERY well.  as i mentioned in korea part 1, miles JUST fit in the bassinet that attached to the wall so he slept for about 5~6 hours once it was his bedtime on our way back.  AND the flight wasn't full. our seat was by the window so the lady that had the 3rd seat in our aisle got to move to another area so we had the whole row to ourselves.

miles enjoying his flight back to nyc!

meal for miles: gerber's mangos and rice, some japanese crackers, soy milk for babies, gerber's mixed fruit juice, and mushroom/carrot/beef/rice porridge

in the end, our trip to korea was a success!  as scary as it was to think about being on the plane for so long and dealing with jetlag, it was great to be with family.  we are now dealing with jetlag AGAIN so i'll keep you guys posted!  hopefully miles will adjust back to ny time soon!!

Korea part 2 : by jean

Jetlag.  It's the worst thing ever.  Why can't everyone just live in the same time zone?  ;)  Dealing with your own jetlag is hard enough, but dealing with your own jetlag plus your baby's is a whole new level of jetlag. 

We first arrived in Korea around 5pm and got to my parents by 7pm.  (Read about our plane ride here!) That day is still a  bit of a blur.  We gave Miles a nice bath once we unpacked and settled and put him down by 10ish.  I think he woke up about every 2 hours that night.  I felt like I had a newborn all over again.  My friend Dave, a new dad, said it best: "8:13am feels like 3:13am"!  When you have a newborn, you try to sleep whenever the baby is sleeping.  When you are jetlagged, your body knows it's not really time to sleep, so you aren't able to sleep when you want to.  This results in you being in a daze for the next few days. 

By the 2nd or 3rd day, Miles had some sort of a schedule going:
- 9:30pm-1:30am sleep
- wake up, drink bottle, play for a bit
- 3:30am-6am sleep
- wake up, eat breakfast, bottle
- 9:30am-??? he seems to sleep about 6-7 hours during this time since its "night" time for him
- 7pm wake up, play, eat, drink bottle, bath...and the cycle begins again.

Now, with only 1 week left in Korea, Miles's schedule is like this:

- 5:30pm-5:30am sleep (full 12 hours!)
- wake up, drink bottle, play for a bit
- 7am-8:30/9am nap
- wake up, eat breakfast, bottle
- 2nd nap anytime around noon-2.

I've heard that some parents wake up the kids a bit earlier to help them adjust to the local time.  I have been too much of a chicken to do that yet since I didn't want him to be more fussy than he needed to be especially since Miles had a bit of diarrhea the first couple of days from the change in water.   He woke up at least every 1-2 hours because of his upset stomach and diarrhea.  The diarrhea resulted in bad diaper rash which resulted in me having to hose him down after each poop diaper instead of using wipes to help alleviate his rash.  Note to all parents: ALWAYS TAKE TRIPLE PASTE WITH YOU!  Thank God I brought it with me because it works wonders!  Also with the water change, I initially thought boiling regular water would be the same as giving bottled water so we were making his formula with boiled tap water.  But once he had his diarrhea, a nurse friend of my mom's suggested boiling bottled water to be extra cautious.  So far, that's has been working. 

By the 5th, 6th day, Miles adjusted well to the local time.  Its also been great having him sleep full 12 hour stretches so we can go out and explore Korea a bit when he goes down for the night.  Back at home, he normally slept from 7:30/8pm~6:30/7am so he's doing great getting a full 12 hours of sleep every night.  I just worry what his schedule will be like once we are back in NY.  For now, I have seen the sun rise EVERY morning.  Hopefully, I don't have to do that once we are back!

view of thde daily sunrise from my parents' veranda

hanging out at the playground

Korea part 1 : by jean

We survived!  After 3 bottles, 5 diaper changes, countless amounts of Cheerios and Puffs, 1 hour nap before flight, 45 min nap during flight, and 6 hour sleep mid flight, we made it to Korea!!

our plane to korea!

In the end, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Maybe because I had planned for the worst!  Flying with a baby had its own advantages starting with the VIP treatment you get as soon as you get to the airport.  The airline we took, Asiana, has a special "happy mom" service. "Happy mom" provides "3E" services – Express Check In, Express Boarding and Express Baggage.  It's great!  They have a special lane dedicated to moms, so there is no need to wait in line to check bags.  You also board first AND all of your luggage gets a "priority" tag so your bags come out much faster!

Also, their press release says they offer:
(1) A free nursing cover: I wasn't offered one maybe because I didn't ask?
(2) Free sling: I didn't know about that either! But, I didn't walk around enough so maybe they didn't offer?
(3) Cabin baby seat installation and renting service: If you buy a seat for your baby, then the airline offers free installation upon reservation.  It doesn't say if the rental is also free, so I'm guessing it's not, but that still saves the hassle of bringing your own car seat along with all of the other baby luggage you have to take with you!

During mealtimes, they provided baby food.  I brought along several pouches of Ella's Kitchen (which he ate SOO well) so I was set but I still asked for it so I can see what they give out.  They gave baby food made from Beech Nut. Have you guys heard of that brand?  I haven't given Miles juice yet and I think jarred chicken isn't very tasty so I only held onto the fruit.

meal #1: bananas, pears, and chicken & chicken broth, with apple juice

meal #2: apples & blueberries, chicken & rice dinner, chicken & chicken broth, and white grape juice

If you are an expecting mom, they have what they call a "pre-mom" service.  You get an exclusive check-in counter, as well as an electric cart service to the gate so you don't have to waddle there.  Isn't that great?!

miles checking out my seat

miles playing in his bassinet

sleep time for miles!

Overall, Miles was a champion traveler.  During the few times he got fussy, we gave him a brand new toy he's never seen, which helped occupy him, and lots of cheerios or puffs.  The bassinet that was attached to the wall in front of our seat was great because he could not only play in it but also sleep in it, so we didn't have to carry him constantly.  The only issue was that he would wake up easily since he had hardly any room to roll around.  But with lots of patting on the back, he managed to get in 6 hours of sleep once it was his bedtime.

During take-off and landing, I was instructed to hold Miles on my lap.  I would strap myself in and hold him, giving him a bottle in case the pressure was bothering his ears.  During landing, since he played so well in my lap, I strapped myself and him together in my seat belt.  However, I was told that wasn't safe and that I was supposed to only strap myself in and hold him.  I will have to look into this but what if there's bad turbulence?  How is just holding him safe enough?

Getting ready for part 2 next week: All about being jet lagged and taking care of a jet lagged baby. Oye!