I'm still learning about packing light as a mama. Bump is exactly seven months old today, and I have very little figured out as far as traveling with or without him.

During those nights when I'm waking up every few hours to feed him, I long for a weekend getaway when I can sleep through the night. But I recently took one such weekend getaway, and the entire time I felt like I was missing a limb, or at least part of one, because he wasn't nearby. I wondered constantly how he was doing and if he was okay, even though I knew he was having a great time with Prince Charming. I also had to carry my rather large breast pump and its attendant bottles and tubes. I forgot to bring milk bags, but thankfully another breastfeeding mom on the trip had brought some with her. Mommy packing is why the top picture is not my bag, but the bag of a friend who is child free.

Mommy Packing with the Kid

• Diaper bag
• Car seat
• Baby carrier/wrap
• Patience
• Baby clothes
• Blankets
• Toys
• Patience
• Pack n play bed
• Mommy's stuff
• Patience
• Sense of Adventure
• Patience
• Patience

Mommy Packing without the Kid

• Mommy's stuff
• Breast pump and accessories
• Sense of disorientation/confusion/"something missing"
• Trust (in babysitters)
• Sense of freedom

Never, during any late-night talks in the dorm with these college friends did I ever imagine that our future would find us chatting over the hum of electric breast pumps. It's funny how dreams of the future never include the less-than-glamorous parts. I had that thought recently as I scrubbed my dog's ears free of the bits of rotting animal carcass she had rolled in.

But it's all part of this magical life. The highs and lows. The sunsets and the stink.

The View from 30

I'll be turning 30 soon, and of course it's got me contemplating the future, which is one of my favorite activities. I went with the friends mentioned above on a weekend trip to Charleston to celebrate our birthdays. We counted our blessings.

It's pretty amazing to realize that we all are living out our dreams, although of course life doesn't always look or feel like we imagined back in college, when we all met. But what a privilege it is to be alive, to have my beloved, my family, my little one, and an abundance of everything I need.

I don't know what the next decade holds, but hopefully more babies (whether for us or our friends), more writing, more travel, more learning, more laughing, and always, more love.

Packing List for the Next Decade

• Love
• Curiosity
• Sense of Humor
• Meditative Mindset
• Sense of Adventure
• Patience
• Confidence
• Gratitude

And a notebook to write it down!