Packing Up Is Hard To Do

With the trip less than two months away, I have turned my attention and stress to packing.  I have never been away from home for more than 2 1/2 weeks so the thought of taking the whole family across the country and then the world for 2 months is a bit overwhelming.  Especially considering that we will be traveling in a different climate than where we live and Lilah will be heading into some important milestones as the trip will be over the last 2 months of her first year.  (Thats lots of 2s)...I started a massive packing list/matrix today divided by category (Meds, Clothes, Entertainment, etc) and family member.  Im going to tack it to the fridge so I can add things as I think of them and then will type up the new entries every week so it doesn't get out of hand.

One important thing we are still trying to figure out is if it makes sense to ship stuff ahead or just to pack it all and take on the plane.  For the international flight, we each get to check one free bag (including Lilah) and her stroller bag and car seat also fly free.  Then we also each get our two carry on bags, one of which will have to be the frame pack since the one we are looking at doesnt pack all that small.  So the key question is do the domestic portions of our 4 way flight count as part of the international ticket as far as baggage rules are concerned. If not, then it would be comparing the cost of shipping to the cost of carry on bags.  A lot will also depend on if Amazon Prime counts for international shipping which Im guessing it does not. 

Im also going back and forth on whether I should bring food for Lilah from the states or get it there.  Her doc said we should bring formula but we didnt really talk about food.  If it hadnt been for those food scares earlier this year, Id probably not even be thinking about this but as it stands its another thing for my worry list. At least she seems to like everything we throw at her.  Today she had:
Corn, Black Beans, Tomatoes, Puffs, Dried Peas, Sweet Potato, Applesauce and Dried Blueberries.

Thank You Trader Joes!