Outings With A Toddler & Newborn | Adventures in Portland

This post was written in collaboration with Orbit Baby. 
These days, getting out has become a little more of a challenge. We are still getting used to being a family of four and while Alder is in the wonderfully portable newborn stage, we also have an active two-year-old.  Getting out the door has become quite a production. It involves making sure the diaper bag is fully stocked with diapers for two kids, books and toys for Edith and – of course – an extra outfit for Alder. Not to mention my phone and wallet. 90% of the time I end up forgetting something.

I also have to make sure that I’ve nursed Alder (at which point Edith usually unpacks the diaper bag) and then I have to get him in his seat and Edith in hers(which usually involves a little negotiating). By the time we do get out the door and into the car we are already running 10 minutes late. For someone who used to always be early for everything, this can me a bit of anxiety but I am trying to embrace it.  What can I say? I’m newly a mom of two and still trying to figure this whole thing out.

With all of that in mind, I haven’t been venturing out too far with both kids during the week. Weekends are a whole other story. Thankfully, Neil is home on the weekends and that means we can tag team. And, while we still seem to always be running late, getting out the door is a whole lot less stressful.

After spending the past few weekends moving and getting settled into our new place we were happy to take advantage of the beautiful weather and the long weekend to show my parents around Portland. They’ve visited us a few times since we moved to Portland, but of course there is always something new to show them.

The first stop on our Portland adventure was for donuts at the new(ish) Southeast location of Blue Star Donuts.  It’s embarrassing how many times we have been to this donut shop since it opened but what can I say their donuts are amazing and and they have a great vegan selection. We did the whole Voodoo thing during my parents first visit but Voodoo is old news (and not very good). Blue Star is where it’s at. We picked up a box of donuts and found a spot to sit and enjoy our treat.

The thought of donuts bored Alder so he decided that he would rather sleep. So, we decided to take out the Orbit Baby Double Helix.  I love how we can easily transition Alder from the car to the stroller without disturbing him thanks to the G3 Infant Car Seat.

We had planned to just use the single part of the stroller since we parked a block away from the donut shop, but as soon as Edith saw the stroller she insisted that she ride in it, too.  Since it is incredibly easy to add on the second seat of course we said yes (even though as soon as we had the donuts she was ready to get out).
After indulging in donuts we figured we’d better get out and do something active. We headed to the Eastbank Esplanade for a family walk along the Willamette River.  We have lived in Portland for a little over 18 months now and I’m going to be honest we haven’t spent very much time down by the river.  Although, I should correct myself and say the collective WE, because I know as Neil edits this post he will say to me that he has spent a lot of time going on runs around the Esplanade when he worked in the Central Eastside. Anyways, Edith and I have only been down to the Espalande a handful of times and every time we’re there, I say to myself that we need to do this more often.

The Espalande is a 3.5-mile multi-use loop that involves crossing two of Portland’s bridges and is just absolutely beautiful. We didn’t do the loop this time as it’s too far for my mom to walk and I’m still healing. However, we did enjoy walking and watching the boats along the west side of the Esplanade.

Our walk along the Esplanade worked up an appetite and we decided to to head back to the car and set off for our last destination: Basecamp Brewing.

Of course we had to stop for an obligatory family photo since we had someone with us to take the photo. The thing about toddlers however is that they aren’t always in the mood for a photo and so may end up looking a little distracted (see above). 

We arrived at Basecamp Brewing just as they flipped their sign to OPEN and I was thrilled to be there for good beer and even better food. Yay for no longer being pregnant! Don’t worry I didn’t drink all of those samples. Neil and I shared (about 60/40) this sampler with a few stolen sips from my parents. We paired this with a lovely spread of hummus, falafel, fries and pickles from Gonzo.

This was the perfect end to our Portland Adventure and the long weekend.  I was telling Neil as we started the drive home that this outing was exactly what I had been missing out on all summer. While we had a wonderful summer the past two months have been hectic with the end of pregnancy, packing, having a baby, moving and attempting to get settled. It was nice to just spend the day doing things that we love with no worries or rushing.  

While getting out of the house isn’t as easy as it once was, we are figuring things out. With a double stroller that Edith is in love with, it’s just that much easier. We aren’t parenting experts but we are learning and hope to share more of our adventures with you. We’d also love to hear your tips and stories about how you get out of the house with children.

For more photos of our weekend adventure head to Running With Tongs.