Fresh mountain air, a luxe cabin, and nothing on the agenda. Sounds like a perfect plan until you throw in one miserable 15 month old who hates the car seat, loves his routines, and has molars that decided this trip was the perfect time to start making their appearance.

When I booked this getaway, just a couple of hours outside of LA, I envisioned it being an experiment. We haven’t travelled as a family since our son was born. He hasn’t spent a night away from home since we brought him back from the hospital. And while all three of us are homebody’s, eventually we’d like to get back to traveling. So this short trip to the mountains would be a litmus test for how ready we are to venture away as a trio.

The baby would be on spring break from nursery and my old friend would be visiting from Amsterdam. What better time to get out of dodge and enjoy the burgeoning spring season? I made my lists of what to pack and planned out our little one’s meals. He has a few severe food allergies so bringing along the essentials would assure he’d have all he needed. I mapped out what his routines would look like outside of our home, naptime, bathtime, and bedtime being the critical ones. I research travel cribs, packed toys, toiletries, and layers. And I found the perfect family friendly cabin that met my standards visually and comfort wise and met our families need for all the baby gear. I controlled for as many factors as I could and kept expectations low. Worst comes to worst we could turn around and head right back home.

We timed the drive with his nap hoping he’d fall asleep in the car. He’s never slept in the car, but one can hope. We didn’t even make it out of our neighborhood before we had to pull the car over to nurse. He did sleep though, and we only had to whip out the boob two more times en route to get him to stay asleep. 15 minutes before arrival he woke up done with his car seat and that’s when we resorted to a little screen time. Why subject everyone to 15 minutes of blood curdling cries when we’ve made it this far?

The cabin was lovely, and baby boy was obviously happy. His teething pain and frustration with sitting for so long melted away with the prospect of exploring a brand new (not baby proofed) environment.

The day faded into evening and we ventured out to a local farmers market before the mountain mist fell and made being outside unbearable. Back at the cabin we relaxed until the baby fell asleep, easily without his typical routine I might add. And then we lit a fire and cooked a feast of a dinner. After a bit of lounging and warm showers we joined in on getting some sleep.

The next morning our little guy was up early and therefore so were we. After a leisurely breakfast we headed lakeside to explore the shops and hunt for the next meal. It was far colder than we hoped and a severe weather advisory has been issued so we knew our trip would be cut short so not to risk getting stuck in the snow. After cocoa and Belgian waffles we headed back to the cabin for nap time. This nap time proved to be far less successful than bedtime and I had to nurse our guy to sleep and was held hostage with him in bed. So much for that overly researched travel crib.

While we snoozed my husband began packing all the miscellaneous things and pretty soon after waking we were off again. This time the impromptu drive back was rescued by “Hey Bear” (iykyk), and a midway nursing break at a gas station - del taco combo drive through.

Suffice to say, the adults were harried by the trip, although there were pockets of rest and relaxation in between chasing after a toddling tyke. But despite this trip not feeling anything like similar trips of the past, it was such a great learning experience. We learned to let go of what ought to happen and take each moment as it comes.

Plus, seeing our little guy explore a new place with such enthusiasm and then return and revel in our home with even more enthusiasm is putting a smile on my face even now as I type this.