Introducing Baby E!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and that your 2019 has started off swimmingly.

You may have noticed that things have been quiet on the blog as of late, and that’s because a certain little someone finally made his big arrival. Allow me to introduce you to the newest member of our family!

This is E. He was born a little before midnight on Christmas Eve and weighed a whopping eight pounds, four ounces (which was rather shocking because my doctors were all predicting a “high sixes, low sevens” baby). He arrived eight days past his due date, so M and I will be having a long family chat with him about the importance of punctuality soon, but he’s already completely stolen our hearts and our sleep.

M and I spent our Christmas Day in the hospital, which wasn’t nearly as bad as it might sound. Our world had just been turned completely upside down over the previous twenty-four hours, so the holiday was pretty much the last thing on our minds anyway! Even so, the building was quiet and peaceful, most of the staff were in a very festive mood, and the hospital offered a special dinner for patients’ guests that allowed M and me to have a nice meal together in our room as E slept nearby. It was a wonderful way to start life as a family of three.

It’s now been four weeks since E came into our lives, which is hard to believe. It’s amazing how he can still feel so new – we’re still learning how to be parents and adjusting to all the changes his arrival has brought – while at the same time it’s impossible to imagine life without him. We’re so grateful for a healthy baby, so amazed to watch how he is growing and changing every day, and so excited to learn all about the person he is going to become.

So what does this mean for M and me, our travel plans, and Full Life, Full Passport? We hope it’s only going to get better from here! As I mentioned in my original announcement that E was on the way, we’re so excited to share our love of travel with our child(ren) and don’t intend to let the fact that we have a kid stop us from seeing the world and seeking out new experiences. We intend to prioritize both traveling with our kid(s) as well as taking time away from them to continue to vacation as a couple.

In addition, one of the most common themes that kept coming up as I was doing preliminary polling and research to start this blog was that many of you desire information and help around traveling as a family. Multiple people told me that they very much want to travel but find it difficult to plan a vacation when life with kids is already so busy and stressful. (Look out for a solution to that problem in early February!) Others expressed frustration with how difficult it can be to find family-friendly destinations and activities, while still more had questions and concerns about the affordability of taking the entire family on a trip.

While I don’t intend to shift the focus of Full Life, Full Passport entirely to family travel, I am nevertheless excited to share with you the things I learn as we start to explore new places with E in tow. I also look forward to passing along the expertise of others who are already pros at this travel-with-kids thing, because you know I’ll be needing their tips as well!

In conclusion, I want say thank you for the incredible outpouring of well-wishes and encouragement I’ve received since announcing that E was on the way back in the summer. I’m so grateful to have such a kind community of friends and followers!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates in 2019!

XO,
Gwen (and M and E :))

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How did you celebrate the holidays?

What are your best tips for traveling with kids?

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Read More:

Our Biggest Adventure Yet
Tips for Traveling While Pregnant
The Road that Led Me Here

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