Finally she’s here! Ella, our little RV Baby! 

We happened to be in Texas when we conceived and found out the news of Ella’s arrival. The news wasn’t a shock, we’d been trying for a fun filled month… However this meant some major decisions and changes to our already uprooted lifestyle.

Change is a Constant of Life, Embrace It

We spent much of the pregnancy in various parts of Florida. The summer was spent in Minnesota and while we were there we found out Danielle had a complicated pregnancy and we were told not to travel until after the birth.

Maple Grove Hospital

The complication ended up being a blessing because it meant we were able to spend extended time with family and friends. Another big upside is we needed to deliver at a specific hospital that could handle our complication which sent us to the Maple Grove Hospital.

Being Full Time Travelers we don’t have the convenience of having an already vetted health system. We don’t have our favorite doctors picked out, we don’t know which hospitals have the best doctors, etc. The experience we had was so incredible that Danielle wants to have all of our babies here!

The Delivery

The entire hospital experience was a very pleasant one for us. The staff was great, the facility was great, and Danielle did great. It was a scheduled C-Section at 36 weeks. Ella Paige Hannan was born on Oct, 7, 2015 at 6 pounds. She was a little premature and lost a good amount of weight initially so they kept her in the NICU for just over a week. That meant we stayed at the hospital for just over a week also.

They allow the parents to stay in the room with the baby (they even have a bed in the room). Although it was nice to have such incredible wifi, we were anxious to bring our baby home.

Both of our parents were there for the birth. Danielle’s parents and brother flew in from Maryland. My family is all in MN so it was great to have them visit as well. That has been one of the biggest benefits to us of the RV Life. You can’t put a price on spending quality time with the people you love.

Changes in the RV

Our living situation has been adjusted to accommodate our new family member. Here’s some of the bigger changes we made.

• We pulled 2 of our 5 couch seats out and set up a pack and play with a bassinet. Shortly after we hit the road again we realized this wasn’t going to be ideal and we set up a bookshelf and rocking chair to be a sitting/feeding area for Ella.

• My brother and I laid carpet down in the Toy Hauler.

• We built a crib and put it in the Toy Hauler.

• For additional storage space we built a portable closet for the Toy Hauler.

• We wanted a convenient way to be able to sit near the crib to calm her if needed. Danielle found an ottoman at a garage sale which doubles for Ella’s storage.

• To watch Ella while we are in and around the RV we installed a Baby Monitor with Command Strips.

Traveling with a Baby

It’s been a joy to be able to travel to scenic areas with our little human. There’s been a few things we’ve had to keep in mind to make it a smooth ride.

• We make sure we’re in areas with cell phone coverage in case of an emergency.
• We’ve limited our Boondocking and have been staying at RV Parks to enjoy some of their amenities like a heated kid pool.
• Traveling with the baby means we’re on her feeding schedule. We can usually make it a full tank of fuel before she needs to eat again. I refuel while Danielle feeds her. Then we usually head into the truck stop to give her some stimulation and walk around.
• We installed a portable TV with a DVD player on the rear headrest to keep her at bay when we travel. But usually she just sleeps anyways.
• Our RV has a bath tub which has worked out really well for giving her baths.

Now that we’ve been on the road for awhile we have a good amount of adventure under our belts with a baby. Here’s a batch of cute baby photos to make you smile.