His first home was an Airstream

His First Home Was An Stream LeavingTheRut comI never imagined it this way. I never sat there dreaming about having a baby of my own one day and bringing him home to an Airstream. I usually pictured a meticulously decorated nursery that I had fussed over for the past 9 months until it was perfect. His name was on the wall in hand painted letters, the window treatments were probably custom made since nothing that I could find at the stores were quite right. He had a changing table that was perfectly stocked with all the essentials, but cleverly hid them out of site in the most ingenious storage system. I had California Closets install the perfect closet system that would grow with him as he got older and the storage needs changed.  There is also an outrageously expensive Pottery Barn rug that tied the whole room together.

Picture Credit: http://www.potterybarnkids.com

Picture Credit: http://www.potterybarnkids.com

But fate has its way of laughing at me lately and this was just the culmination.  Our son was born in Charleston, SC while we were living in our Airstream at an RV park… Let me back up to fill you in.

Tavis (my husband) had left his job at the United States Coast Guard as a search and rescue pilot, to pursue a job as a pilot flying for a different area of the federal government. For a number of reasons we were ready to settle down and did not want to keep moving around, so it was best for us to leave Active duty (Tavis is still a reservist). Part of that transition was completing multiple training programs that ranged from 3 to 12 weeks long. Tavis and I are not a super clingy couple, but when we have the option to travel together for work we take it. We enjoy being together and since we have the Airstream, we just towed it from location to location, staying at RV parks as we needed for his schools. He was provided a dorm style room but spouses were not allowed to live there, only the student.His First Home was an Airstream Charleston Campground

His First Home was an Airstream LeavingTheRutAs luck would have it, when Tavis started his first school I was about 5 months pregnant. So we did the math, looked at the schedule of schools and calculated that we would be in Charleston on my due date.  I started looking for a doctor in Charleston, even though we were in Georgia at time and began the monthly (2-3 hour drive each way) trips north for my appointments.

Aiden ended up being born a few days before his due date, so it was nice to have a little time before we had to jump in the truck and head south.  In early November Aiden was born, and when he was 3 days old we brought him home from the hospital to the Airstream.  Since we have the Bunkhouse model it worked out nicely. There is a queen bed in the front of the camper and single wide bunks in the back. We turned the bunks into Aiden’s “room” and put a little bed top bassinet on the lower bunk with a changing pad right next to it. I had one small little basket with his diapers and wipes, and we used the top bunk for storage.

His First Home was an Airstream coming home

There was no hand painted letters on the wall or pottery barn rug. I did buy a small rubber backed rug at Wal-Mart to put on the floor in front of the bunks so I didn’t slip on the faux wood floor with a new born, but that was about the extent of my decorating.

We had been planning for a LONG time (about a year and a half) to be at Disney’s Fort Wilderness a week or so after Aiden was born. There was an Airstream rally there and we were really excited to meet up with some other people at our favorite weekend camp spot. Since Tavis was in training and we only had the weekend off, we had to shorten the trip and only go for the weekend.  I will say that it was definitely a whole new way to experience Disney… with an 8 day old baby.  Tavis and I joke about the next kid (whenever that happens) and how the only way to top Aiden’s birth, would to be living in the Airstream AT Disney and to bring the baby home there next time. We will have to see about that one…

His First Home was an Airstream First Disney trip

Update: I probably should have been a little more clear in the post but our son was born in November 2012 and he is a year and a half old right now! If you follow the blog you know that our Airstream is parked in Florida, at our house we keep “up north” and we currently live in Puerto Rico for my husband’s job. Here is a picture of us from a few weeks ago at the Easter sunrise service on one of the local beaches. We do our best to fly north and take a trip in the stream avery 3-4 months. We can’t wait to get back home to Florida where our family lives.

Easter Sunrise Service 2014 LeavingTheRut

 

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Comments

  1. Terry says:

    Congratulations on the addition to your family. Is one of your future priorities filling that map of states you’ve visited in your Airstream?

    • Ashley says:

      Thanks Terry! We can’t wait to be back “north” in the states so that we can work on filling in that map! All in due time :)

  2. What a great way to enter the worl…with an adventure!

  3. Yolanda says:

    I really enjoyed this post. Thanks for sharing. Your son is adorable and so lucky to experience the Airstream lifestyle so young.

  4. Charleston? Oak Plantation? We moved into Oak Plantation with our new camper on Dec 1, 2012. It is a small world.

    • AshleyMcElheny says:

      Suzanne, Yes!! Too funny that you guys were there right after us! We were there mid Sept, 2012 through early Nov before we moved south to Florida.

  5. I love it! Great example of what babies really need (and it isn’t fancy wallpaper with matching bedspreads).

    • Ashley says:

      I totally agree. I have a post that I am working on right now about what you do and do not need for a new born. Marketing these days is extremely successful at getting us to purchase things that are really not necessary.

      • That’s very true! And since a lot of people are nervous about their new arrival/determined to do everything possible to get it “right”, they’re very easy prey.

        Notice how I use “they” in that sentence as if I wasn’t one of “them”.

  6. Hello! I hope you don’t mind but I’ve nominated you for a Liebster Award! You can find out more on my latest blog post tomorrow at http://www.mybigfathappylife.com Thank you! Paris

  7. I love your story! Pinned! Love the pictures, too! Thanks for being part of our party. I hope you will swing by on Monday at 7 pm and party with us. We love having you! http://loulougirls.blogspot.com/
    Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls

  8. I think that’s such a cool story you’ll be able to tell him one day! Plus how neat is an airstream?! Found you via Weekday Mixer and going to follow along on bloglovin’!!!

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  1. […] of Family. When Aiden was with us in the camper previously we were “full timers” (see this post) so it is not quite the same as driving to new locations every day or […]

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