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Baby's First Trip to Puerto Rico

9/29/2015

We took B on his first flight a few weeks ago - to visit our family in Puerto Rico! While we were extremely excited to introduce B to his family, the trip was also bittersweet because it was our first time there since the passing of my grandfather two months earlier. Needless to say, his absence was incredibly difficult, but the baby smiled and laughed non-stop, filling all of our hearts with joy. It was very much needed and B reveled in all the attention and love!

The center of attention

B loves his bisabuela!

Beach Babe

Our travel style has changed quite a bit with a three month old. Long gone are the jungle hikes, surf lessons and late nights out in Old San Juan. However, one thing remains the same - beach time! We happily spent many afternoons enjoying the island's best features - white sand and turquoise water. In September, the water in San Juan is still calm, clear and very warm. The only nuisance is that it's the beginning of jellyfish season (Sept-Nov), which we somehow never knew before. AFTER we dipped B's toes in the sea, Chris went for a swim and came back with his first jellyfish sting. It was minor and disappeared within an hour but we were very glad the jelly missed the little guy!

Here are some shots from Isla Verde and Luquillo beaches:

Lovely day at Luquillo beach

Like father, like son

Good Eats & Old San Juan

One day we ventured out to central Puerto Rico where we finally ate roast pig at a traditional lechonera (read more about that excursion here). And of course, on another day, we had to stroll through Old San Juan and grab a mallorca and cafe con leche at Cafe Mallorca (YUM!). We also stopped by our wedding venue - Casa de Espana - for a quick trip down memory lane.

Cafe Mallorca with Nani

The Casa de Espana courtyard: We were married here just over seven years ago.

Dancing at the Mall

It would't be a proper visit with my grandmother without a trip to the mall. Although she is in her mid-80's she still exercises regularly (she was a physical education teacher after all). She takes zumba classes at the local mall and one day I joined in the fun.

We've got our uniforms on and are ready for Zumba at the mall! I had to borrow pants from Nani. No shorts allowed at this shin-dig. These are proper ladies - all class.

At least a hundred ladies dancing zumba at the mall. The teacher was super engaging and his students adored him!

Taking a break at the brand new Mall of San Juan.

Enjoying Home

We spent the rest of our time hanging out around the house, watching the beautiful sunsets and enjoying each other's company.

My favorite backyard view:)

A quick sun shower in the backyard. The island has been suffering from severe drought so the rain was welcome!

The Flamboyant tree boasts my favorite colors.

Check out the color of these leaves outside my grandmother's bathroom window.

The sunsets were fabulous as usual. Until next time Puerto Rico!

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Flying With An Infant: What to Pack

9/17/2015

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We took B on his first flight over Labor Day weekend. He had just turned three months old and our pediatrician gave us the OK to fly. Woohoo! B's first flight was from Boston to Puerto Rico - almost four hours of airtime.

Checking in to B's first flight!

Since we stayed at my grandmother's house, she thankfully borrowed or bought a few things for the baby, namely:

crib & sheet
baby bathtub, towel & baby soap
diapers & wipes

This was huge because...

Babies Require a Lot of Stuff

Like a TON. During B's first three months we had taken day trips and a couple of overnight trips - mainly to his grandparents' homes, both of which are close by in New England. Each time we packed for an overnighter, we were shocked that we FILLED the trunk of our car. It seemed preposterous, being that we traveled around the world for almost a year with just a backpack. However, after each trip with the little guy, we evaluated our packing and realized that we used everything. It's like the smaller the person, the more stuff they need! Very counter intuitive.

Traveling for 8 months with no baby: A backpack

Traveling for 1 week with baby: 6 bags, car seat, stroller

I wanted to travel as light as possible, so I researched what I really needed to bring and found a wide range of opinions and suggestions. Here is a list of what we brought for the baby:

Carry-On

Car Seat
Stroller Frame (gate checked)
Car Seat Base (gate checked in bag)
Boppy Pillow
Three bottles, pre-filled with formula powder
Bottle of water
Changing station (with extra diapers & wipes)
Change of clothes for the three of us
Mechanical pump & accessories
Hand pump
Nursing cover (I exclusively pump but this is useful if I need to pump in public)
Three pacifiers
Two blankets
Two toys
Several burp cloths & bigs
Boba wrap (didn't use)

Checked Bags

Sleep Sack & Magic Merlin Sleep Suit
Sleep Sheep
Sound Monitor
Onesies, burp cloths & bibs
Swim trunks, rash guard & hat
Nose bulb & nail clippers
Teething ring
Sensitive Skin SPF 30
Baby medicine (didn't use)
Medela Storage Bags (didn't use)

Here is more information on the usefulness of each item:

Carry-On: We flew Jet Blue and they allow passengers with a baby to carry on an extra diaper bag and to gate check the stroller and car seat. Check with your airline as rules vary.

Car Seat, Frame & Base - VERY USEFUL - for a few reasons:

Safety: We didn't buy B a seat on the plane but ended up getting an empty row of three on the way there. This meant we could carry the carseat on board and strap it onto the third seat. Safety wise, this made a big difference. When I was holding him, I worried there would be sudden turbulence and he would fly out of my arms. Being a nervous flyer, I wasn't able to relax unless he was belted into his seat. Note: when bringing a car seat on board a plane it must be FAA approved (label should say so) and it must go in the window seat. If you don't have a window seat, they will make you gate check the car seat.

Carrying Cart: When we were running around the airport I could put the boppy (essentially a giant neck pillow that goes around your waist for feeding the baby) in the stroller basket and hang his diaper bag from the hook on the handle. It was very easy to move around. Had I put him in the baby carrier, I would have been extremely uncomfortable.

Car Rental: It was worth bringing the car seat base since we rented a car. You can gate check the base with the stroller frame so you worry less about loss or damage. I'd recommend getting a bag for the base since the baggage handlers can be rough. You may also have to gate check the seat itself, and you'll definitely want a bag for that. Also, you could put the boppy in the bag until you are ready to board.

B, strapped into his window seat and ready for take off!

Boppy - VERY USEFUL - we used this on the plane when we held B and all the time in the house in Puerto Rico. Remember to wash it after your flight (or bring an extra cover).

The boppy came in handy for feedings and naps on the plane. Not necessary but very nice to have.

The blue pillow above is a Boppy. And yes, B looks like the Monopoly man before he went gray.

Feeding supplies required a lot of space in my backpack. Let's break it down: Three Dr. Brown's large bottles pre-filled with formula powder and a bottle of water. B mainly drinks expressed breast milk, but I had to supplement with formula a few weeks ago due to an illness I had. He did just fine with formula and it's much easier to travel with formula powder than pre-packed breast milk, which needs to be refrigerated and somehow always spills in my bag. I also brought Medela sterilization bags, mechanical breast pump, hand held pump, and anursing cover on board. I used everything in flight except the mechanical pump & sterilization bags.

Pacifiers - VERY USEFUL - B uses a paci to fall asleep so these were important.

Two blankets - USEFUL - One to keep him warm and another to cover his car seat if he was sleeping.

Three bibs and a handful of burp cloths - VERY USEFUL - This kid drools everywhere.

Change of clothes for the three of us - DID NOT USE - but I'm glad we had them in case of a major blowout. No one wants to spend four hours in a poop stained shirt.

Changing kit with extra diapers and wipes (just in case there were delays) - NECESSARY

Two of his favorite toys (plastic rings and a giraffe) - NICE TO HAVE - Definitely not necessary at this age but the rings entertained him for a little while.

Boba Wrap - NOT USEFUL - We didn't use it once during the whole trip.

On the way home, we found a secret lounge at SJU in terminal C. We hung out in these snazzy chairs while waiting for our flight to board.

Checked Luggage: We only checked two carry-on sized rolly bags. It mostly contained our clothes and the following for B:

Sleep Sack & Magic Merlin Sleep Suit - VERY USEFUL - B was transitioning from his Rock N Play to a crib so we were experimenting with different sleep suits since he is now too big for a swaddle (he can turn over). We found that Magic Merlin worked best, as long as the A/C was on and he was in the crib. He typically sleeps from 7:30ish pm to 6-7am. The sleep sack was good for the hotter temps during nap time. On the plane we just brought two light blankets and dressed him in a onesie, soft pants and socks.

Sleep Sheep - NICE TO HAVE - He loves falling asleep to the heartbeat setting. We realized that we could have taken just the noisemaker out of the sheep to save space.

Sound Monitor - NECESSARY - B sleeps in his own room so this is a must.

Medela storage bags - DID NOT USE -I pretty much produced on pace with B's demand for milk so I stored expressed milk in his bottles.

Nose bulb & nail clippers - VERY USEFUL - In hindsight it would have been smart to pack the nose bulb in the carry on in case he got stuffy on the plane.

Baby medicines (pain reliever, vaseline, saline drops) - NICE TO HAVE - luckily we didn't need to use this but it's good to have just in case. Depending on where you are going, you can also buy this stuff at a drug store.

Swim trunks, long sleeved SPF rash guard & hat - VERY USEFUL for the beach

Coppertone Sensitive SPF 30 - VERY USEFUL - I guess we aren't supposed to use suntan lotion on the baby until he is six months, but we put a little of this on his arms and feet since the sun is so strong in PR. We mainly kept him in the shade, but it's hard to avoid the sun 100% of the time there so we wanted to protect his sensitive skin.

Bibs, burp cloths and onesies - lots of these because he spits up so much. Sometimes we kept him in just a diaper because it was pretty hot (and he was so cute).

Teething ring - USEFUL - he has a tooth coming in and the cold was refreshing in the 90 degree heat.

I wish I could say that we managed to travel with carry-on only, but it was not realistic with a baby. I think we might be able to do it once he is off breast milk (the pumping equipment takes up a lot of room) but I have to say that it's nice not fretting about finding room for suitcases overhead in addition to all the other stuff we had to carry on.

B behaved really well on both flights. The first was an afternoon flight where he slept for maybe an hour total and then either ate or played with us the rest of the time. The second was an evening flight and he slept for most of it. Fingers crossed he remains a great traveler on future trips!

The best:)

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Culinary Delights of Puerto Rico: Lechon

9/10/2015

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On Labor Day, we traveled with our family to Guavate, home of the lechon highway. Guavate is a mountain town in central Puerto Rico, whose twisty main road weaves through the jungle amidst a great many "lechoneras". Lechon is the Puerto Rican term for roast whole pig on a spit. It's traditionally cooked up on weekends and served for lunch, or for as long as it happens to last. It is typically accompanied by dance floors/halls with loud music and copious amounts of alcohol. We have been meaning to partake of this local tradition for years, and finally got our chance thanks to Eva's uncle & aunt!

First, a tip - no bread is served at most lechonaras, but nothing goes with roast pig like a loaf of pan sobao, which is the most delightful hunk of bread on the face of the planet. Forget about France and Italy, Puerto Rico holds the bread crown in our book. On our list of to-do's: secure the recipe for this doughy goodness and attempt to recreate the magic back home. You can find pan sobao at most local bakeries around the island. Normally this bread does not make it to its final destination because Eva devours it in the car on the way. Amazingly, this time she managed to control herself amidst the aroma of four loaves of freshly baked pan sobao wafting throughout the car.

Next it was off to Guavate, about a 30 minute drive south of San Juan. Taking the main highway through Caguas, take the Guavate exit and follow the winding road up the mountain through the jungle. You'll soon begin to spot lechon joints dotting both sides of the road. These places get going on Saturday and Sunday around lunch time, which is when you'll want to visit if you are up for a party. As it was Labor Day when we went, many of the lechoneras were closed and the crowds were minmal. However, a choice few remained open. We popped into Lechonera Los Pinos for our porky smorgasbord, a photograph of which is shown below.

Here's a snapshot of the unfortunate ungulate of the day, or what was left of him when we got there. Unfortunate for him but lucky for us, because he was tasty.

Waiting in line for some roast pig:

The next picture shows a sampling of our fare. On the top is a type of yuca root with onions, butter and garlic. Yum. The bottom left plate includes batatas (Puerto Rican yam) and some sausage made fresh from the pig. They also have blood sausage which is more traditional, but we didn't indulge. Finally, on the bottom right is what we came for: two pounds of barbecued lechon, including the crispy skins which might be the best part!

The lechoneras are super casual and very family friendly. B loved it...

...but that could have been because of all the attention he was getting from his aunt, uncle, cousin and great-grandma:

With full bellies, we departed Los Pinos and strolled up the road to El Rancho lechonera, home to what appeared to be the area's largest dance hall and kinkiest of lechon art. The picture below shows the road heading up to El Rancho. We're told that this is typically backed up for miles on a normal weekend day, so be prepared! El Rancho is both on the left and right side of the road, with two large dance halls and, of course, a massive lechon pit.

Behind the main restaurant is bridge that crosses a small stream and leads to small huts, each with its own table and chairs.

In front of El Rancho with Nani:

These signs of pig waitresses serving pig reminded me of the guinea pig joint in Peru with the guinea pig wearing a chef's hat (as seen in my first Culinary Delights installment).

So next time you are in Puerto Rico and in the mood for some tasty barbecue, do like the locals do and take the trip down to Guavate on a Saturday or Sunday for a lechon lunch. And with that I'll leave you with one final piece of lechon art: