Last day to pack...

This is it. Today is our last day at the house. Dishes, laundry, vaccuum, and make sure everything gets set to leave for awhile. We are all packed and ready to walk out the door. Hopefully we got everything we need. It can be tough to pack lightly while travelling with a toddler. Unfortunetly he isn't quite old enough to carry his own backpack. Close, but the comprehension isn't quite there. I think next time we travel though he'll probably at least get his own little roller bag. We'll see how soon we travel though.

Back to the fact this is our last day at home. We've been planning this trip for months and all of a sudden it is here. I'm not sure how that happened. I was just barely blogging about our three trips ahead of us and now two are done and we are about to embark on our third trip. Amazing how fast time goes.

We've been using Rick Steves as a guide for packing lightly. Although if you follow his packing list I'm not sure you can get all the recommended items into one bag. Maybe summertime? Winter time sure makes it difficult just by the shear bulk of things. Snow boots take up an amazing amount of space. As do sweaters and long johns. But, we got them all in carry on sized bags. We each have one bag. The only extra item is the stroller/carseat combo for Bear. Otherwise, a big bag for Tom and I and a diaper bag/purse for Bear. The purse part is for me.

I realized I never updated this after our doctor appointment a week or so back. We did the 18 month check up and immunizations. We don't have to be back until he is four now. Bear officially weighs 30 pounds now. Some days it feels like more. 12 teeth are in, running is now regular, and climbing has begun. Talking is sporadic. Mostly, "Hi" otherwise Mom and Dad show up once in awhile. Probably Bear's version of "Hi Buddy" is the most common thing we hear. That and lately it is "ah oh." He knows lots of animal sounds and everytime he sees horses or a bilboard with one on it he whinnys. He's just started to realize dogs bark in addition to panting. All so much fun. We've started introducing potty training. Not a big deal at this point since we know most kids don't actually have much success until about 3, but he is interested. He can at least usually tell us now when he needs a new diaper.

I think this is all the major news. I don't know how much of this I will do while we are gone but I'll post when we get home. Oh, Bear got a haircut from an actual hairdresser the other day. He and Tom went in. Bear did very well. He only cried when Tom had to hold his head still while she cut around Bear's ears. Bear didn't like being restricted. I think his dog has gotten ahold of him and told him to be careful if anyone shows too much interest in the ears or feet. He has almost the same reaction as Buddy.

I'm off to see what drawer in the kitchen is being gotten into.