So here’s the thing. Toddlers go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:00 pm. At least this one does. At home, that’s a beautiful thing. At home that leaves hours of evening free-time. Hours of necessary decompression (from toddler) time laid out on the sofa. ;) But when you’re away from home, the sofa is just so much less attractive.
It’s hard to stay inside on these warm nights when you know that the cafes are buzzing, the sea is so calm, and candles are flickering on restaurant tables.
So we don’t stay in.
We’ve learned from traveling, that the stroller is our friend. Strollers are beds on wheels.
Our strategy is to take a quiet route in the evening and put Mateo to sleep. From there we either continue walking (I can’t get enough!), grab a drink, or even have a meal at a quiet restaurant. If we go to a restaurant we just choose a table that has an easy (roll away) escape route in case Mateo stirs.
We’ll see if the same strategy will work this year. Last year in Croatia we only had one dinner cut short, and maybe a handful of times where one of us had to take a quick shhhhh-ing round with the stroller for a minute or five. Of course there was that one day in Venice, Italy where the stroller strategy was a complete no-go. Not bad stats overall though!
This year we’re lucky. My sister will be joining us in a month (hello babysitter), and as soon as Mateo adjusts, his grandparents have volunteered to watch him every once in awhile at night as well (when we’re in Split).
Last night we put Mateo to sleep in the stroller and had a really lovely walk by the sea and through old town. Like I said, I can’t get enough. It always amazes me that Aki grew up steps from the Adriatic Sea and all of this HISTORY. Split is built around the walls of an old Roman palace!
At home, we always opt for a babysitter. But it’s nice to know that (although we have to be flexible), we aren’t prisoners to the toddler schedule. It’s just good to know!
Guys, I have more photos but Mateo is jumping on me yelling “outside, outside, goooooo!” (literally). So, we’re going to go outside.
Let’s catch up later! xo
PS Did you know we’re on facebook now? We are! Come hang out! If you aren’t already following our facebook page, go on and “like” us. (please and thank you). :)
Day two and we’re settling in. Right now Aki’s working, Mateo’s napping, I’m blogging. We’re figuring out a routine. We’re going to try to spend the morning/early afternoons out and about together, and our late afternoons taking care of “normal life in a different place.”
This morning we hung out at a local café which caters to families. They have a little play lot and lots of toys for the kiddos to explore and well, essentially leave their parents BE. :) I immediately noticed a few things that I found interesting. Little things that made the experience a bit of a cultural study.
I find differences like this really interesting. Subtle differences which speak to a cultural variance. I rather like the idea of catering to families as “adults with children.” That’s what we are, right? So often in the U.S., once you become a parent, you are no longer an “adult,” you are now a “parent.” New category. I think you can wear both hats at the same time.
Another difference is that this play space is not slick, bright, “safe,” or sterile. Quite honestly I’m guessing that there would be about 37 health and safety violations if the same space existed in Chicago. But maybe Americans could benefit from relaxing a little bit. ;)
I know Mateo had a great time (while building his immune system, ha kidding) and Aki and I absolutely enjoyed our coffee and espresso with cream in peace. Best of all, the café is just a street over. Trucks, gravel, and coffee is a formula that works for us. We definitely plan to be regulars.
And in other news, Mateo fell down today and yelled, “Opaaa!” haha, looks like he’s feeling his Croatian roots and already becoming a local. ;)
Hello Split, Croatia! We’re HERE. We left a warm, bright and sunny Chicago day and arrived in Split on another warm, bright, sunny day 12.5 hours later.
When we were in Chicago, Croatia felt like a world away. It felt like ages since our last visit (eight months ago). Funny though, as soon as we entered town it felt like yesterday. It was like no time had passed at all.
PS Aki deserves an award. He’s already back at work today, working remotely. (!!) His reward will be a date with his zombie wife. We’re thinking to go get some local mussels tonight. Baka and dida have already agreed to babysitting duty. :)
Aki and I meant to wake up early but we were just too exhausted. Instead we were awakened by a happy voice yelling over the baby monitor:
I had every intention of packing light, light, light but somehow I managed to fill my whole suitcase. Do I really need everything? Maybe. We’re going to be 
I still need to sort out a few things on my laptop before we leave and I’m a little nervous thinking that I must be forgetting things, but so far the biggest catastrophe has been that I can’t find Mateo’s clip on suspenders. Catastrophe in my world, but not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
Yikes, we’re leaving already. (Next week!). On my “TO DO” list was: Get Mateo some summer clothes! I wish he could still wear his sweet clothes from last year but the kid won’t stop growing! Aki needed a few T-shirts as well.
It’s been a compromise but worth it. If it was up to Aki, he would have bought another car as soon as we sold the last one. I really wanted us to try it out for a bit though. I know we’ll get another car soon, but it’s been an interesting experiment. I also think it has freed us up a bit and made it possible for us to live/work from Europe for the summer. Imagine if we got rid of our house! just kidding. :)
We took our TO DO list and had a little shopping adventure this past drizzly Thursday afternoon. First Gap Outlet in the city (eek got some adorable PJs and Mateo’s first tank top, ha) and then decided to take the train downtown to meet Aki after work for dinner. And then Zara!
Mateo loves trains. He loves how the doors open and close, seeing them WHOOSH past in the opposite direction, and well, flirting with passengers. Oh boy.
Shopping was a success! If you follow us on 
I’m in panic-attack mode because I’ve been saying that we’re 
Our last big trip (out of the country) was last fall when Mateo was 12 months old. It was new territory. We didn’t know how we would manage “the baby schedule,” the actual travel, his food, his napping, jet lag, all that. It was new territory. Did I say that already? New.
But yeah, I should get on the packing or at least list making. I spent yesterday afternoon listening to 
You know how I said that the trip was all super fantastic? Well it was, EXCEPT FOR THAT ONE DAY IN VENICE. Oh Mateo. The little man did not find Venice romantic at all. And made sure that Aki and I didn’t either. :) There was no napping that day. There was no sitting at cute cafes like we normally did. There were no slow gondola rides. Instead we ate on the go and tried to stay away from the rest of the tourists. Mateo was a grumpy little bear.
OH that boy tried my patience! But you know what’s funny? I love the few photos that we took that day. It reminds me that there were some good times. And distance makes the stressful moments kinda humorous. Anyway, we definitely got some great photos. That’s important, right? :)
Venetian highlights according to Mateo:
YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME. And guys, it’s worth it.
Whenever I travel, I try not to stress myself. I try to enjoy the moment. Travel is your time to enjoy the moment and be present. Sometimes that means letting go of your plans and if everything doesn’t fit…there’s always “next time.” I’d rather believe that there is a “next time” than stress myself out. I’ve been to Paris and never to the Louvre. I’ve been to Vatican City and never seen the Sistine Chapel. Next time! :) PS, woulda seen the Sistine Chapel but turns out we were standing the wrong line. Oops. Yeah, next time.
The moral of the story is, not every moment of traveling with a baby is going to be stress-free. But if you hang out with babies with any regularity, you know that “real life” with them isn’t stress-free either. So if you have the chance to go away to somewhere beautiful, DO IT. Don’t be afraid to travel with a baby companion! :)
