Down to the wire

I’m leaving for my vacation on Thursday morning, and I’m starting to get frantic from all that still needs to be done. I’m trying to finish up laundry and get it put away, clean the house, and start packing. I’ve started a pile of things that need to come with us: DVDs to entertain Will on the plane and in the car; swimsuits, swim diapers, and sunscreen; regular diapers, overnight diapers, wipes, and diaper cream. Warm weather clothing for the daytime and long sleeves for nights. And that’s just the beginning.

My mind is going in a million different directions right now.
 
I try to be really organized & I’m definitely a list-maker. I heart lists. I use them for everything, and traveling is no exception. The thing is, if I don’t make a list I’ll forget something very important and very obvious. Like my toothbrush. Or clean underwear. (Yes, both of those have happened.) So I started my packing list last week and have been faithfully adding to it as I think of each new item that needs to be brought with us. It was pretty much done and then somehow, over the weekend I lost it. Yikes! I have no idea where it is, so I’ve been alternatively tearing my house and car apart looking for it and attempting to recreate it.

If that wasn’t enough, I’m trying to plan logistics for the actual travel portion of our trip. I’ll be carrying the diaper bag, a stroller, and the car seat. I need to plan on snacks for Will, a sweater for me (I get cold easily), and extra diapers. And speaking of that, it’s going to be really awful trying to do diaper changes in the airport and on the plane. I’m a raging little bit of a germophobe and I hate using public bathrooms for diaper changes. I’m usually able to avoid it, but I think this time I’m going to have to bite the bullet and just deal with it. My changing table pad is way too small now for Will, and thinking of him touching all those dirty things gives me the creepy crawlies (If that sentance sounds totally crazy, just remember I’m slightly OCD and I can’t help it!). DH isn’t coming on this trip (he couldn’t take the time off from work), so thank goodness my mom will be with me!

And then there’s security, and trying to get him not to yell on the plane, and trying to chase him around the airport, and tantrums…but I’m not even going to think about all that now.
 
Does anybody have suggestions about traveling with a toddler? I’m sure everything will be fine, but I have a tendency to get myself worked up over things like this that really aren’t that big of a deal. I still have 2 more days to prepare, so for now I’m going to take a deep breath and get to work!