Vegas Baby (Literally)

Some folks have a baby, stay home and quietly enjoy the new born stage.  Other folks integrate the child into their life day one and hope the baby survives.  We are "other folks".  Hopefully our pediatrician isn't reading our blog.

In her first 6 weeks Siena has been on the go.  As parents on the go with a baby we are quickly learning how much our car can hold and what we really do and do not need.  Until this week it was all pretty easy stuff, we were never too far from home.  Disneyland, the mall, a street fair or a restaurant, we could always get home in 45 minutes if there was an issue.  This week that all changed.

We loaded up the car and headed to Vegas for some work.  That's right, Vegas Baby! (Suddenly that has a whole new meaning.)  Siena's first trip and her first trade show.  So what does a new parent learn when traveling with a child for the first time.....

• you really learn how much stuff you can squeeze in your car and that you probably need to sell the convertible and get an SUV.
• you really could have gotten by with half of what you brought.
• the baby has 2 bags and multiple containment devices and you both squeezed everything into one bag.
• you need to pack extra clothes for yourself too, seems baby don't just spit up on themselves.
• it now take two or three trips to get everything into and out of the hotel room.
• that long car rides put the baby to sleep for long periods of time, but when they get home they mght not go back to sleep again for long periods of time.
• it is better to be with them then to leave them at home, you would simply miss them too much.

As anyone reading this knows, Vegas is a baby friendly town.  No one smokes, things are quiet and dimly lit, everyone is on their best behavior enjoying their time away, things are clean and family rest rooms with changing tables are just around every corner.  What a playground for children. 

In actuality, in Vegas when someone says "hey baby" it usually isn't because they noticed your little girl in the stroller.  With plenty of visual and mental stimuli to absorb, Siena did great.  Here are a few favorite moments from the trip. 

Siena was a doll, she played the slots.  As you can see she did not like losing money (that's my girl!). 

She went bar hopping and danced the night away (ok, it did look a little more like squrming than dancing).

And as some times happens in Vegas, we ran into a friend who was in town.  In this case our friend Geri who was excited to meet our little girl and to take her to the bar for drinks! 

In all quite an eventful 2 days.  Siena had fun and we all survived our first road trip with the baby. 

You know what they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas (unless dad writes about it on the blog).