Hellobee

Mr. Cowboy and I will celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary this August — yay! Because we were hoping to be home with our Lil’ Cowgirl by then (or at least be bringing her home!), we decided to celebrate early by taking a child-free trip to Cancun. With the timelines of Korean adoption being rather unpredictable and optimistically hoping we could be in Korea as early as May or June, we opted for an early April trip. My parents graciously agreed to care for Lil’ CB while we were gone and because Lil’ CB has had several sleepovers at their house, we knew he would be comfortable there. We also knew he’d have lots and lots of fun and probably be spoiled rotten.

Even though he’d be staying somewhere he’d been before with people he knew and loved, this was the first time Lil’ CB would be away from us for more than one night. Plus, my parents would be driving him to and from school and various activities, so I wanted to make sure things were set up to be as easy and seamless as possible for Lil’ CB and my parents so that Mr. Cowboy and I could have fun in the sun without worrying too much about our little guy!

Here are some things I did before leaving for our trip:

D E T A I L E D   S C H E D U L E:

Between school, soccer practice, a soccer game, and a birthday party, Lil’ CB had quite the packed schedule while we were away. I wrote out a detailed schedule with times, addresses, phone numbers, and routines. While I told my parents that aside from the school schedule and the soccer game, they didn’t have to stress so much about the times (in fact, they ended up skipping soccer practice), it was helpful to have all of the needed information in one place.

I N D I V I D U A L L Y   P A C K E D   O U T F I T S:

Thankfully, Lil’ CB still lets me pick out his clothes for school and church. It makes things go a little more smoothly and quickly in the morning, and, let’s face it, I can still make sure he looks cute! It also makes packing for Lil’ CB easier since I can just pack for him. To make things clear for my parents and for Lil’ CB, I packed each day’s outfit, including underwear, socks, and any special items (shin guards, cleats, etc. for soccer), in separate, labeled Ziploc bags. My mom said this made it super easy each morning and I think I just might use this strategy every time I pack for Lil’ CB!

W I L L   A N D   P O W E R   OF   A T T O R N E Y:

Mr. Cowboy and my parents thought I was morbid and crazy for doing this, but I just did not feel comfortable leaving Lil’ CB without a will in place and documentation of a power of attorney in case anything were to happen to us or to Lil’ CB during the trip. We don’t have an official will in place and likely won’t work on one until our Lil’ Cowgirl is home, but in the meantime, we were able to use a form document that an attorney friend found for us. It was an easy, fillable document that fit our state’s guidelines and requirements and would hold up in a court of law. Similarly, we had a different attorney friend (we live in the DC-area; we know lots of attorneys!) find us a fillable power of attorney form. This was also easy to fill out with our information and my parents’ information. We had both forms notarized and gave them to my parents along with Lil’ CB’s medical and dental insurance cards. Again, this was all precautionary, and gratefully, none of it needed to be used, but it gave me great peace of mind to know that should anything happen, my parents would have everything they needed and there would be no argument or hold up, especially since we were in a different country.

N E W   A C T I V I T I E S: 

Lastly, although we knew that Lil’ CB would have a blast with my parents and would be comfortable with them, I wanted to make sure there was a little something extra for Lil’ CB to look forward to. Lil’ CB has a stash of toys at my parents’ house, but I also got him a new game he was interested in and a new puzzle. I thought it would be nice to have new activities that Lil’ CB could do with my parents so they could really enjoy their time together.

Full disclosure, they didn’t even end up opening the game or puzzle, but I’m guessing it was nice to have them as backup options!

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Though it was slightly stressful prepping for Lil’ CB’s time with my parents while also packing for our trip, making sure we had as much ready as we could helped us to really relax when we were away.

Plus, Lil’ CB had an awesome time with his grandparents and everyone survived, so we’re hoping to do it again in the future!

Has your LO had an extended stay with someone else? What did you do to prepare?