Preparing for baby's first plane ride

In a short amount of time, we'll be taking Elizabeth on her first flight.

Yikes. 

Tonight, I started looking up everything from "tips for traveling with baby" to "FAA Approved Car Seats," and everything in between. I just got done making sure our carseats were both approved (even though we are obviously only taking one).

I want to back up for a minute, and say thank you to our friends, family and neighbors, who will be driving our cars and house-sitting for us while we are away. We very much appreciate these kind gestures, and we feel so much better knowing that our home will be in good hands while we're gone! (Even though it's only a few days).

As for the packing - and if you know me, the lists - that are imminent...I'm starting to feel apprehensive.

I've got some lists started, and my goal is to complete them by tomorrow, specifically the ones for Elizabeth.

Here are my goals for packing:

• Pack light
• Don't forget anything (duh)
• Keep baby happy on the plane

I've read some horror stories - I mean really scary stuff - happening to moms, and I've also read some really encouraging stories about moms who travel with their babies (alone!), too. I've also found that Google has nothing on Pinterest when it comes to preparing for baby plane travel.

I've made a list of the items/ ideas for traveling with baby that I thought were genius, and that I hadn't thought of:

• Baby's birth certificate copy (to prove she's under 2 years old) 
• Ask for the bassinet seat on the airplane so she can sleep (I doubt she will; it's only a 2 1/2 hour flight, but I know it's available if we need it) 
• Bring 1 new toy, 1 familiar toy and a soft book for the plane
• Pouches of food (not containers) and plastic spoons

There are always the obvious items: diapers, wipes, sanitizer and comfort items, plus clothes (layers) for all.

So I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

Since this is a business trip for me, I'm having to do literally all of the planning and preparing myself. I am booked literally from 7:15am until 9:00pm every day of our trip. Thankfully, the only expense that we've had to incur so far is Robert's plane ticket, and I was able to get it for the best deal I've ever seen, directly through the airline. (Ellie is flying as a "lap infant," and is free.) We were smart, and booked our seats with one empty one in the middle, and have been checking every day to make sure that middle seat is still available. Since it is, (and if it remains that way), we'll be able to use her carseat on the plane. But because all carseats have to be FAA approved in order to allow the baby to use it on the flight, I had to look into all that. And it wasn't as easy as you'd think: The FAA doesn't actually stamp their "approval" on carseats. It's just the red lettering that says it's certified for motor vehicle and aircraft transportation.

I'm exhausted already, and I'm calling it a night.

More notes and details on our travel later, hopefully after I figure out what bags to take and such.