Packing Travel Tips

I've had a lot of requests about what to pack for bringing your kids home. Here's what we packed for the kids - along with some adjustments and lessons learned. This list was in light of bringing home a 2 1/2 year old and 11 month old. Hope it helps!! :)

Kids

Travel First Aid Kit

Pedialyte – 3-4/day, individually packed

Medicine – Neosporin, Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Triaminic

Diaper bag – diapers, wipes, changing pad, Tide-To-Go, Band-Aids, hand sanitizer, baby Tylenol, mommy Tylenol, floss, teething gel, butt paste, bibs, formula, change of clothes and socks

Burt’s Bees Shampoo + Conditioner and Shea Butter Moisturizing Hair Lotion

Diapers + Wipes: Addise: 8-10/day; Judah: 5/day = 75 Diapers

Clothes – 1 outfit/day + 2 extras

4 pairs of PJs

1 pair Shoes

4 Bibs

2 Blankets

Stroller

Ergo

5-6 Toys – stackable, stuffed animal, nothing that rolls

3-4 Books

Blank paper – Washable markers and Stickers

Communication Photo Album

Portable DVD player + 1-2 Baby Einstein DVDs

Food

o Cheerios

o Crackers

o Snack foods

o 4-6 jars of baby food – fruit & veggies [Addise didn’t eat any of it!]

o 2 plastic bowls & spoons

o 4 bottles

o Formula: 32 oz/day



Pack for Airplane

We ended up bringing on the plane the diaper bag, roller suitcase with changes of clothes, and 2 backpacks

Diaper Bag stuff [see above]

o 8-10 diapers/kid

o Snacks – cheerios, crackers

o Pedialyte

o 2-3 Toys

Ergo and Stroller

2-3 changes of clothes for parents and kids [in case of diaper blowouts, vomit, or whatever!]


Final Travel Tip: If you fly Ethiopian airlines, your first flight will be 17 1/2 hours! We learned the VERY hard way that it's a L-O-N-G flight for little ones who've never flown before [much less for adults!!]. We ended up postponing our 2nd flight to LA and spending the night in DC to give everyone a breather, rest, and get out of airplanes with recycled oxygen. It was one of the best parenting decisions we've made to date. I'd HIGHLY recommend taking an extra day to fly to your final destination, especially if it still entails several hours of flight time.

8 Comments

April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.

Here we come, Judah and Addise!

I can hardly contain the fact that we are leaving on Friday morning to be re-united with our children [one of our friends is house sitting for us in case you're thinking of robbing us...ha]! This past week has been a blur of activity as we've prepared to travel to Ethiopia [it's crazy how quick you can plan a trip to Africa!], worked myself into 10-week maternity leave [for the 2nd time], and celebrated our last days as just "Brian and April" [some days have been better than others].

[another picture where we aren't all looking in the same direction!]


If you'd like to pray us through the next 10 days, here are some things to guide your prayers...

PRAYER REQUESTS ::

  • Bonding with Judah & Addise :: Pray that God would melt our hearts together so it would feel like we've always been a family. Pray that they would immediately sense deep in their little beings that we will always love them and care for them!
  • The Basics :: Health, sleep, and eating for J&A.
  • Mercy Traveling :: We are more than a little terrified about traveling 30+ hours with 2 little people who've just become ours. Pray that we'd acquire an airplane bassinet for Addise, they'd both sleep well, they wouldn't have any medical issues - including flight pressure/ ear pain, they'd eat well.
  • Co-Parenting :: I'll write more about this in the future, but pray in our first days co-parenting that we'd be simpatico with each other. Pray that we'd be gentle with each other, sense how we can serve each other, anticipate each other's needs, and give each other grace. We're new to this, but we're head long into it, too!
  • Financial Hiccups :: Canceling our first trip actually gave us cheaper flights, but not finalizing our adoption in 2010 is a HUGE financial set back. Pray that God maneuvers a change for us.

CELEBRATING :

  • Ethiopian Christmas :: Who would've guessed that we'd still experience a Christmas miracle on January 7th when we leave to get our babies?!?! We are so grateful that God's promises are true and that he always comes through.
  • Time Off Together :: God has provided abundantly through both Brian and my jobs to allow us some paid-time off together. It's not fully what we normally earn, but we are crazy grateful for this gift from our workplaces. We are so grateful for the 4 weeks off we'll have as a full family and the financial provision to make it possible. We love that we work for organizations that support what we do theologically and practically!!!!
  • Mummert's and Mitchell's :: The other 2 families who were a part of our travel group were informed TODAY that they got the 11th Embassy date, too!!! We will meet in DC for our flights together. So grateful that God's moved MOUNTAINS to allow them to be with their kids this week!
  • January 14th :: The day that we will enter our home as a family of 4. I've wondered if this day would ever come.

See ya on the flip side. Can't wait to share this next season of life with you!

15 Comments

April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.

A Roller Coaster, Yo-Yo, and Blender

Last week after we got the news that our 28th Embassy trip didn't look possible, I had a meltdown [and continued having them for the past week]. Brian sat down on the couch, held my hands, and prayed for Judah and Addise and for us. In his prayer he acknowledged before an all-knowing God that this process has been a full-on roller coaster, yo-yo, and blender all wrapped up into one. The last image of a blender was how I've felt this past week, but it didn't feel "mmmm". Thus the blog and social media silence. My heart's felt broken and though we've had hope that someday Judah and Addise would be in our arms, "someday" was just too ambiguous and painful to ingest. Honestly, I've been in a pretty dark place for the past 7 days.

Until Today! I got up early and immediately checked my email. Nothing. I was on my way to work early this morning and checked my email again - 3 emails from our case manager. WE HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR THE JANUARY 11TH EMBASSY DATE - CLEARED FOR TRAVEL - GREEN LIGHT TO GO GET OUR BABIES!!!!!

We've re-booked our tickets and will be on our way to pick up our babies in 8 days!!!!! Remember my friend that heard God say "Christmas, Christmas, Christmas" as she prayed for us [read that post HERE]? Well, we are leaving on January 7th which is Ethiopia's Christmas. If I'd only known God was speaking in Ethiopian time, it could have saved me buckets of tears! It was truly a gift to have this piece clarified because haven't understood what God's already said with that's currently happening. A little is making sense now...

Regardless, after 22 months we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and it feels goooooooood! We will be home with Judah and Addise Diaz on January 13th. :)

NOTE:
Please continue praying for our friends the Mitchell's and Mummert's. They were in our original travel group and have not been cleared to travel yet for the 11th Embassy date. Their hearts LONG for their kiddos like ours do, my heart aches for them as they continue waiting without understanding.

19 Comments

April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.