Montauk, NY

Month - May
Destination - Montauk, NY
Travel Mode - Road

Duration - 3 hrs

We have to say, we are getting better at this travel thing. Everything about it - packing, planning, pre planning, Nio is getting better too. This was going to be Nio's first beach sighting and experience and we were all very excited about that. It was going to be four days of amazing vacation. The best so far.

Beach day

It was Memorial Day weekend and we drove to Montauk on the Friday 24th May, and although we wanted to get on the road by 10:30 am, we were only able to leave by 11:45 am, which did put us right in the middle of traffic. Our travel time extended from 3 hours to 4 hours. Maybe more, we stopped counting because it was too painful. But when you're traveling the entire length of Long Island, some traffic is too be expected. Nio was holding up really well but of course the extension was testing his patience. The last hour was... incredibly trying.

When we finally reached the hotel, we just dropped everything and chilled out. We stayed at Breakers Montauk, the room was a really nice studio with decor that reminded us a lot that we were not surfers. That evening, we made our dinner in the room. Jes had made a run to the store to pick up some ingredients, which being in Montauk cost a fortune. We are still treasuring using that mayo and mustard.

Next day we were off to the beach, which was right across the street. A pointer: before our trip we got a beach tent from Amazon and it worked out really well. There was enough protection against the sun and wind and room for three of us to just hang out. So if you are considering something for your LO for the beach, you should check out a beach tent. We gathered our picnic - sunscreen, food, prosecco, more food and just hung out at the beach, it was just perfection. Nio played with the sand (and didn't try to eat it, amazingly). We went to the beach nice and early and were able to enjoy most of the day there with some time left later to chill and nap in the room.

Later that evening, we went to a seafood restaurant, Jes was craving Lobsters (a rare occasion) and guess what--we had lobsters. On our way to the restaurant, we also noticed few vendor tents and got curious about its whereabouts. We learnt later that it was an art market, which we decided we would check out the next day. After dinner, we went straight to the hotel and conked right out. Later that night, Nio woke us up at 1 am, maybe 2 am because of his teething pain. Poor guy :( We had to scramble to get his Tylenol and help him calm down. Nio was finally able to sleep late in the morning.

As always, though, Nio woke up the next morning with a smile as bright as the sun. We thought of a lot of ways to complicate our Sunday but then decided not to mess with perfection so we headed to the same beach as Saturday, pitched our shade tent and got to relaxing. Sunscreen, food, prosecco, more food. When we had more than two beach neighbors, Madhu joked that it was getting crowded. Next, we headed back to the room for a late afternoon nap. Like I said, perfection.

After a refreshing break inside we decided to check out the art show. Lots of beautiful pieces, some really odd pieces, most in a beach theme. We made an attempt at going to the brewery but it was beyond packed and we knew Nio would not approve so we headed to a nearby restaurant and drank beer there.

The next day we really took it easy and only went as far as the hotel pool for our water feature. Nio's first pool experience was a hit. Luckily they had a kiddie pool, which was nice and warm and Nio could stand in (with help, of course). He loved being in the water and very studiously watched all the older kids run around and splash in the big pool. We could tell he was taking a lot of mental notes.

Pool Day

Later we took a drive to Hampton Chutney, a local dosa place. The thing is, we'd been low carb for a while so a carby tube filled with carby potatoes was not what the doctor ordered. We also found out that this place, serving only Indian food, was founded and owned by two white people who had lived in India for some amount of time in their youth and decided that qualified them to make dosa for a living. When we got home and the carb dinner was not sitting well with Madhu, she yelled a lot of hysterical and highly accurate things about colonizers and cultural appropriation.

Our trip back was much more smoother than the trip in. Nio slept for most of the trip and we hit moderate traffic. This left us with time to reflect about our trip and life in general.

Showing Nio the ocean was incredibly special. Jes has always felt a strong connection to the water and has deeply happy memories of endless beach days with her family so sharing this with our son was momentous. Madhu just likes to lay around the beach the whole day so this was special for her too ;)

Onwards to our next adventure!!!

Rushland, PA

Month - April
Destination - Ross Mills Farms, Rushland, PA
Travel Mode - Road

Duration - 2 hr 40 mins

This trip would be a fun trip and centered around our favorite and only pet - Einstein. The farm came highly recommended and perhaps the only farm of it's kind on the east coast. We had rented their cottage for a night, along with spa and hoof trimming sessions for Einstein. Biggest to do was we had to figure out Einstein's transportation logistics, the last time we traveled with him in the car was when he was a foot long and weighed about half of what he does now. Typically he would sit in our lap but he's too big now (35 pounds localized to one or two hooves is like being stepped on by a woman in stilettos). We ordered a crate that we could fit in our trunk and decided this would be our best shot. We own a SUV but we had to scramble and scrape for space. Traveling with a baby and a pig calls for a U-Haul, lol. 

The morning of travel, we were able to lure Einstein into the crate with none other than peanut butter. After packing up the baby we were on the road by 10:30am, an hour later than we planned for but no complains, it's a lot of work. The drive was mostly smooth and at times a combination of Nio's screams and Einstein's grunts. A beautiful cacophony. We can't but have a good laugh about this life we chose to build. We love everything about it. Nio slept for his morning nap in the beginning portion of the drive but when he woke up we still had about an hour and a half left and he was getting fussy. Car rides are not his favorite so he had started to get fussy wanting to get out of his seat and look around. Jes then came up with this brilliant idea of distracting him by animatedly singing and stationary dancing to Michael Jackson’s greatest hits. It worked!

After reaching the farm, the first thing you realize and see is that there are pigs everywhere - behind enclosures, out in the open, inside the office area, outside the office area - just hanging. It is our private and public joke that we are the only people we know with a pig. We are probably the only people you know with a pet pig. So arriving to see so many pigs of different sizes, different temperaments, all living in harmony was really special and we felt at home right away. 

We dropped Einstein off for his bath and massage and we saw ourselves to the cabin. The cabin was at least 200 years old, very rustic and charming in its own way. The decor was PIG, it's a thing. See pictures below.

Pig on a Plate

That evening we had a nice cozy dinner (steaks - you are probably seeing a pattern by now) watching crouching tiger and hidden dragon which was one of the DVDs provided by our hosts because WiFi was not available "by design". Einstein by this time had explored the whole place and was just chilling with us. He was truly happy! To be honest, we were little bit concerned about how Einstein would behave, ie; peeing and pooping everywhere, and chewing everything. He did nothing of that sort. He stayed away from places we told him to and did his business where we asked him to and in general was much more calm than he used to be. We did have to get up in the middle of the night to resettle him once but overall he was just perfect and so was Nio, haha. 

The next morning we had an appointment for trimming Einstein's hoofs. We also realized that as smart as we were to pack dinner we didn't think about breakfast. So here we were getting hungrier by the minute, Jes considered eating Einstein's breakfast egg - the breastfeeding woman's hunger struggle is real. Anyway, we found door dash delivered to this remotest cottage so we ordered breakfast for four people, just enough for Jes' incredible hunger. Then the greatest treat, we walked Einstein on his leash for a bit around the farm, took pictures, and all the time Einstein was so well behaved - we were really proud. Of course, we couldn't walk much without someone cooing or telling us that he's a cutie, we get that for both Nio and Einstein. It's becoming a theme. So here we are ---

Full Family Portrait

Our drive home was about as eventful as the drive there, which is to say fairly smooth, given the nature of our passengers. This time on the ride back, the most bombastic Michael Jackson songs served as lullaby for Nio. They put him to and kept him asleep. All hail the King of Pop, you live forever!

Las Vegas, NV

Month - March
Destination - Las Vegas, NV
Travel Mode - Air

Duration - 5 hr 20 mins flight time+ 

You must be thinking, these guys are nuts to be flying to Vegas with a 4.5 month old. Quite right, but we'll let you in on a secret - we practice Nichiren Buddhism, which helps us realize that if one determines to do/change/overcome something, all the answers lie in your life. Trust your wisdom, courage and compassion. So here we were facing yet another work trip for Jes. With our learnings from the Atlanta trip, we knew what not to do and what possibly would be our low points, so in a way, this trip was smoother because we knew what to expect. Our flight this time was out of JFK, an hour plus drive. We chose to park at the terminal we were flying out of, which turned out to be a big advantage. Taking a step back, before this trip, Madhu was trying to put together an automatic feeding and watering system for Einstein so that we wouldn't have to enlist friends and family. This turned out to be quite challenging, we got very close to putting the thing together but the extreme cold and Einstein proofing the whole system was too much to accomplish in just 9 days and we had to abandon the whole project. We had to scurry to find people at the last moment to take care of Einstein. Big thanks to Jes' Mom, who saved us from a lot of anxiety and trouble. Also big thanks to our very kind neighbor and another dear friend who pitched in. That was probably the biggest stress lingering in our minds, besides the long flight, getting the flu, or having a terrible time at Vegas--you know, the usual. This time we had packed appropriately (smaller suitcases) and made sure our seats were not all the way back on the plane. We tried to upgrade our seats but because the flight was really full, we couldn't. On our way back, we were able to get preferred seating, which made a huge difference. Nio did very well for a 5.5 hrs flight, we have learned that he has more trouble with his ears when the flight is landing vs take off. 

Jes is kissing Nio's ears to help with the discomfort. 

It had been a long flight, so a combination of tiredness, hunger and discomfort led him to cry for the last 10-15 mins before arriving in Las Vegas. However, Madhu came up with some interesting distractions and was able to minimize his crying to a good degree. Our neighbor on the flight was not very friendly and we swear, at some point he was begrudging that he was next to a baby (speculation based on actual proof of eye rolls). Anyway, we had to go about our own business and make sure we were able to get out at the earliest. Once we were on the ground, Nio was ok and we went straight to the hotel and called it a night. It was 10:30pm Pacific time. This was the other thing we were wary about - the timezone shift and how that would affect Nio. It seemed like he had some jet lag (hellooo 5:30am wake up call) but his routine of 2 hrs between naps and 3 hrs between feeding continued irrespective. 

Next morning Jes had some time as her work would be starting around 2 PM, so we were able to hang out as a family and went to check out the Arts District in downtown Vegas. It was a really cool area, very different from the Strip and its boisterous energy. We saw some very cool antique shops, had some local beer - of course, by this time Nio had become quite popular in this area. 

Cool Graffiti - St Street

We had a wonderful time. We also did a drive by on Freemont street and saw the container park and the leaning Mantis, a quintessential landmark of Vegas which is not the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to this city. We went into Sunday feeling very positive and were looking forward to meeting Jes' cousin and Aunt who lives locally. It was a family reunion after more than 10 years. Jes had never met her cousin's husband and two daughters! It was a very special treat for Jes as Sia was a very close cousin growing up. She has many fond memories of Thanksgiving in Boston and being barely old enough to stay up late to play Dictionary and Pictionary with the adults and big kids. Reconnecting in person meant so much to Jes so we're so glad we got to do it, even if it was only for an hour.

Staying with Nio full time, Madhu has been really challenging her life state. This was the first time as a family we were in such a dynamic, uncertain, mentally and physically challenging situation. On top of this, Jes' breast milk supply was taking a hit because both of us caught a stomach bug. She had to pump more often, do power hours in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning to barely keep up with the number of feedings and amount. She started downing coconut water to hydrate and ate anything she could stomach to keep her calories up (mostly protein bars and muffins). We went through the small amount of back up supply we had and although he would only need 4 bottles through the day, she pumped at least 6 times to keep up with the demand. We were worried but it wouldn't be until the last day when we would fully panic and buy formula as back up, which would eventually fail as Nio would end up rejecting it. More in a bit.

Reflecting on being new parents - both of us are working mothers and each of us has had a different set of unique challenges when it comes to taking care of Nio full time. You almost always end up feeling that you are losing your self slowly and exist in a vacuum of time and space, yet this little human is the most precious and valuable life and you love them so much. It's a very complex web of feelings, which demands a lot of support, kindness and compassion from each other and our support system. It cannot be said enough that the most difficult thing/job in this whole world is raising a capable human being. With this realization and reflection, there are many social norms that need redefinition, unlearning and change - the role of women, both feminine and masculine leaning traits, gender biases, HR policies, basically rewiring what we think is important for our happiness. Matters of the heart are most important.

Next day, after Jes' work day, we were able to make a dash to the strip to see the Bellagio Fountains. This was Jes' and Nio's first time in Vegas and we didn't want to miss this one.

Madhu's world

Last full day was particularly challenging for us, Jes' breast milk supply had gone down to a point where we were just matching the amount Nio needed to feed. Between all this, we had also asked our good friend to babysit Nio that night, because a date night in Vegas just had to be done. We went to Waldorf Astoria, to Skybar. This is an amazing location - 23rd floor, the views of Vegas are stunning and beautiful. It was a perfect date night. We had long, deep conversations, gave each other our undivided attention (a rarity these days), and connected in the most meaningful ways. We were feeling very refreshed and in fact, on the way back, Jes pumped more than she had been all day.

Skybar and The Sinatra

Earlier in the day, we had ordered some formula and decided to give Nio some, this after a lot of internal debate, going back and forth because this was not our preferred choice but we couldn't let Nio go hungry. Later at night, we gave Nio a bottle of organic formula. He drank about a half an ounce and then just outrightly rejected the bottle and made a face which clearly said "this is yucky". Strangely, Madhu was so proud of this moment, and Jes felt extremely validated. Definitely a moment to reflect on in regards to our biases about formula. Biases aside, though, Jes is determined to make it longer than a year of exclusively breastfeeding Nio so changing that plan felt like defeat for a moment. When he rejected the formula both of us suddenly felt a new urge to up our faith that Jes will somehow start making more milk. She ate more, drank more water, pumped more and did more power hours that night, and we were able to produce enough milk. Next day, we were going home - the last stretch.

Our flight got delayed by an hour and a half but thankfully we were alerted before we left the hotel. The plane ride back was just the best one among all the flights we took with Nio. He slept most of the way and the rest of the time he was playful and kept himself and us entertained. When we got out, several fellow passengers complimented us saying that they didn't even realize there was a baby on the flight and he is the cutest baby - which we totally agree. He's obviously perfect. And we are not biased.

Victory Photo

The journey did not end there though. We had to get to the terminal at which we had parked and then make the hour plus drive back home. Nio slept and ate and then cried. He'd had it. When we got home though, his excitement to see a familiar place was palpable as well as our own. It took several hours to bring the excitement back down to a sleeping energy but we finally got there.

Jes' supply is still on the mend but we're almost back to where it needs to be for Nio's best health. We won't be getting on a flight again anytime soon but with this under our belts, we feel prepared for anything.

Atlanta, GA

Month - Feb
Destination - Atlanta, GA
Travel Mode - Air

Duration - 2 hr 19 mins flight time+ 

Bit of background, this trip was a work trip for Jes. She had just come out of her four month maternity leave and jumped into this training in Atlanta. Now we begin with exhibits A and B below which sums up our overall feelings about this trip.

Exhibit B - Exhausted but pulling through

Exhibit A - Self Explanatory

For the longest time, we had been strategizing, reading, researching the best way one can fly with an infant. However, as Madhu later expressed, that was not what took a toll on her, she got exhausted by all the anticipation of what could possibly go wrong.

Our flight to Atlanta was in the afternoon from our local airport in White Plains (which thankfully had direct flight options). We had bought this ginormous suitcase thinking we will combine stuff and thereby reduce the number of bags for more mobility. It was a good idea until we stuffed that case with everything in our life. At the checkin gate we were 8.5 pounds overweight and had to pay 125$ to check in 58.5 pounds. Misfire #1.

Nio was doing just wonderful all this time. Feeding every 3 hours, napping every 2 hours was working like a charm. He is such a curious, observant, and social baby. So giddy!! Lol. Next we flipped out the breast milk which we carefully packed in a cooler and Jes was all ready, declaring to TSA agents, this is BREAST MILK, offending some very hard working, definitely not ill-willed TSA employees while defending her right to take as much BREAST MILK as she needed for her baby. Thankfully Jes was ready to apologize for over-stepping and graciously went in for the pat-down (by a def gay lady TSA agent) when it turned out that they were discussing the fact that their machine couldn't test the milk in the bags we brought it in. Meanwhile, Nio had pooped his heart out and was evidently leaking. He was very calm just wallowing in his poop and occasionally giving us a smile, charming the pants off anyone who looked directly at him. We needed an exit strategy but our bags were still being scanned and Jes was being patted down so there was more waiting. Finally we rushed to the restroom, a kind lady let us go ahead of her, clearly she saw us hassled. We took almost 15 mins in the bathroom, this should give you an idea of how much poop was cleaned and changing was done. Important piece of information, Jes nearly missed dropping her phone in the toilet, instead it hit the hard, cold concrete of Westchester airport bathroom, cracking her screen. Misfire #2. After peeing (us) and pooping (Nio) we gathered ourselves and moved the party to the gate., We were feeling euphoric that this would be the first time we could pre board a plane without paying extra, all because we had an infant and needed extra time. Hell yeah, we needed extra time, space and all the comfort in the world.

Flight announcement - "PRE"....

Us - Hi! 

Our seats turned out, were not that great, though Madhu is certain the person at the checkin counter thought she really took care of us. She gave us the seats right at the back, being a smaller plane the inability to move seats back and the intensity of the sound we could hear was not the best. Nio was just fine throughout except for few times when he had his moments of uneasiness and discomfort and displayed his vocal abilities to the max. The flight was stuck at the tarmac for a while so that seemed like forever. After touchdown in Atlanta we headed to the car rental, got in and drove to the hotel. Hyatt Regency. When we got there, it was crazy busy and hard to get anyone's attention. Madhu's patience was thinning and we were both exhausted. At the checkin they told us we have a queen bed and we had especially called more than a week back and asked for king. Parking was full so they told us we have to park a block away then walk back 5 mins. After minutes of going back and forth and talking to everyone who couldn't help, we just decided to deal with it the next day. When we reached the room, we were shocked by the size of it. It was a wedge shaped matchbox with a bathroom that had no doors and a frosty window separating the bedroom from the bathroom. Madhu was so disappointed and upset at the same time. Nio had to be fed and there were a million other things we had to tackle. Also at night the AC vent would make a large clunking sound, which scared the shit out of us. Nio was unfettered by it but next morning, it scared the shit out of him. We tried to make the best of it that night but it definitely made our first night less enjoyable. Next day,  Madhu suggested that we speak with Jes' co-worker who arranged the hotel and have her upgrade us to silent HVAC system...and they did and along came a king size bed too! What a relief. Madhu is very picky about hotel rooms specially the amount of space there is in it. We were so glad there was room to move around and Jes didn't have to take a shower and do her makeup by the dim light of a piggy nightlight to avoid waking the household.

Next morning, Madhu had a social - she was meeting her high school friend who now lived in Atlanta and she hadn't seen her in years. Something worth mentioning, Madhu went to school in India but most of her high school friends are all over in North America, she has some high school friend in every city :) not to mention, two of them live in NY very close to us. Weird but interesting fact. Anyway, back to the trip - Madhu was feeling very anxious as she would be venturing out with Nio all on her own and that too in a foreign city. With some help from Jes, she was on her way to Krog Street Market and once she got there and saw her friend, she felt her nerves relaxing a bit. Of course, being home brewers, a stop at the local brewery/bar was not to be missed. As they say, kids need to start early!!

Hop City Tasting Room

Hanging out among beer products

On the tail end, we learned about a snow storm coming to New York that may interfere with our flight. NOO! We were not ready to be stranded in Atlanta for another day for many reasons, among them finding another person to feed Einstein more meals for however long it took to get home. No thank you. So we jumped at the opportunity for an 8am flight. We got up at 4:30am(!!) and left the hotel at about 5:45am. By the time we got to the gate it was 7:35am and they were about to start boarding. Literally made it just in time to grab some small amount of food from the nearby cafe and get on the flight. We were off. Nio was a serious charmer on this flight as well, greeting every person who passed us by with a huge grin. Excellent, we thought, be as cute as possible now so all of these people are more likely to forgive your dinosaur sound effects later. Our seats were somehow in the Comfort+ section (THANK GOODNESS) making this flight more comfortable by leaps and bounds. It was also less noisy, leaving us to wonder what was wrong with the engine on the first flight. (hmmm...) Nio slept for most of the flight, eating on either end of it. Could not have been more perfect. Jes was thoroughly engorged and leaking all over her shirt by the time we boarded so there was that, but luckily she remembered her haakaa hand pump and could let her breast leak into that under her shirt as the flight took off.

Traveling with a baby is no light affair. There is still a lot to perfect in the way of pumping timings and our own eating schedules (waiting on delivery while starving is not optimal) as well as day time entertainment for mother and son. The days were long for everyone and the nights felt especially short for Jes, who had to get up and be at work at varying way-too-early times. The trip was full of firsts. First flight for baby, Madhu's first time being with Nio alone for long stretches, Jes being away from Nio for long stretches, and Jes not only being back at work but really in the thick of it! Being that we came back with no missing parts (save Madhu's favorite hat) and no divorce papers being served, we think it was a resounding success!

Catskills, NY

Month - Jan
Destination - Bed & Breakfast in Forrestburgh, NY
Travel Mode - Car
Duration - 1.5 hrs away from home base

Having lived in NY for many years now, it seemed unconvincingly feeble to not have visited the Catskills, which is one of the primary getaways for New Yorkers. For Madhu's birthday weekend, we decided to take an impromptu trip which would be first of many with baby Nio. Of course, after we confirmed the B&B and got our arms wrapped around our planning, enlisting friends/family to feed Einstein - we learn that a polar vortex and storm will hit that Sun of the weekend. We were planning to head out on a Friday and come back Sunday. So potentially we could shorten our trip or lengthen it since Monday was MLK day - we dared to lengthen it. With the polar vortex, we didn't feel comfortable leaving Einstein outside, he has been out only 3 months now and we were learning best techniques to keep him comfortable. For most part, we had it under our belt but when the news of polar vortex came, we got on Mommy alert. Our idea was to move him to the basement in his large crate. With two days to travel date, we had to put Einstein's crate together, setup his space, portion his food and put in separate baggies and most important, make a tutorial video for our friends and family who we enlisted to feed him in our absence. Finally Friday arrives and we pack everything up, including the baby and get on the road at about noon. The drive was pleasant, event-less until the last 10 minutes, that is when Nio lost it and started screaming. We had to take a pit stop at a convenience store parking lot and do our best to come up with various non existent songs and tunes.

Inconsolable Nio (was probably hungry & too warm)

After Jes took off a layer of clothes he was wearing, he seemed to calm down, turns out it was polyester and poor Nio was heating up in the car seat. Once he calmed a bit, we sped to the inn. By the time we got there, he seemed ok. Lesson #1: Always carry a bottle of breast milk because trying to do laid back position or cradle or side-lying in the back of the car is next to impossible. Jes tried them all. Lesson #2 Make Nio wear light clothing.

The inn was really beautiful, old charm, quiet, comforting. The caretakers run their business in a old fashion way, everything was printed up, there was a 5 min tour of the place which included how to open a door lock with a code (yo stop!). The only thing that got my attention was that there was food available in the pantry for us to snack whenever we wanted to. Back in the room, we were very impressed with our suite and the two person jacuzzi - which we intended to make full use of. It was a really nice evening, we had a lot of fun making our dinner in the room which needs to be explained in great detail - we had packed few raw steaks and veggies and ventured to make them them in the tiny kitchen which was part of our suite. It was a very functional kitchen we have to say, however, the chimney won't work. We tried everything, even mind control. Madhu decided to make the steaks anyway, once they started sizzling, the smoke just built up and in less than a minute we had a very smoke filled room. This would have been perfectly manageable for two adults but we completely forgot that we had a baby with us. Nio started his micro coughs and both of us went - fuck, fuck, fuckety fuck fuck. Opened all the windows, doors, turned the fan on. Nio just looks at both of us in utter shock as to what just happened to my Moms (ah memories!) He was fine after our recovery plan went into action.

Birthday dinner

Next day, we decided to elevate our experience more and of course, it was Madhu's special day, so we made a run to the local supermarket and wine store to stock up on bubbly, Tater Tots and a special massage for Madhu. Bliss!
On Sunday, the storm arrived, lots of snow and we were glad that we decided to stay another day, Madhu was getting used to the jacuzzi a bit much more than required. This was also the first time we discovered co-sleeping with Nio. It was a sleep number bed and both of us suddenly discovered that we were indeed sleeping on a marshmallow bed at home (wonk wonk!) Lesson #3 We needed a new mattress and that we could co-sleep with Nio and potentially get rid of the dockatot. Sweet! 

Madhu trying her new Fujifilm Camera

Post Storm Window

Couple of challenges were getting breakfast together. First morning, all of us went together but Nio was very demanding and doing his baby thing (drooling, wriggling like a super worm) so it was hard to have food together. We had to take turns but added to that the caretaker, I think his name was Ivan, an older gentleman, was talking a lot, constantly. I think we would have enjoyed our breakfast without him around. 
Overall, not only was it a great, much needed break but also a valuable learning experience for us cuz, we'll be needing all the wisdom in the world for our next trip - Atlanta.

Preface

Left to Right: Jes, Madhu & Baby Nio

For those who don't know us, our names are Jes and Madhu, we live in NY and as from the picture you may have deducted (or not) that we are a lesbian couple and just welcomed our first child Nio in Oct, 2018. We also call ourselves the "Gradient" Family because of the color spectrum of diversity under the same roof. Nuff said about us, let's talk about what this blog is about. This blog is about our travel stories in 2019 with an INFANT. One may ask, what were we thinking? The truth is, we weren't really thinking, we were high from life one evening and decided that we are going to travel every month for the whole year. Full disclosure, part of the idea came when Jes was asked to travel for work in the months of Feb and March, mandatory travels are fun aren't they!? Nio being just 4 month old, Jes exclusively BF, pumping, and returning to work after her maternity leave of 4 month right into a traveling gig - we were struggling to figure out whether she should go on her own or we all should travel. In the spur of the moment we decided that we will all come with her and figure everything out later. It's one way to do things, in all certainty, this strategy will always lead to having more life experiences. In our books, it's all good, sure there will be challenges (many challenges) but we were determined to overcome each one of them. Our time together with Nio was too precious, besides, we were also thrilled to take Nio around the country and maybe the world? (ambition vs wisdom check). So while we had to travel twice in two months for work, and Jan we had already taken a trip to Catskills for Madhu's birthday, we were like, wait, this run must not be broken. We truly set something in motion - so we set out to plan our next 9 trips. You read that right, 12 travels in 12 months, with an INFANT! Names of places went on a whiteboard, we looked at our flight credits, we looked at distance, work time off situation for each of us, deliberated on mode of travel and spent many hours into the evening planning our epic journeys. This blog captures our highs, lows and the mediums of our adventures (and pictures). Last but not least, there is one more of our family member, our potbelly pig Einstein. He is a year and a half, and lives in his comfy home in our yard. Because he is his own pig, and is loving his new found independence in our yard, we are thinking of getting him his own postal code. Here he is doing what he does best, eating.

@thestein2017

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