Tuesday, March 13th. Helsinki-Tallinn. I have learned to rejoice in the small successes and to take things as they are. We woke up at 8am this morning for our 10:30 ferry ride to Tallinn. Arthur was still sleeping when we made breakfast, packed, and got ready to leave. Around 8:45, Arthur woke up on his own and I took this opportunity to change his diaper and dress him up for the cold weather outside. Sean took care of the last few things we needed to do for the apartment. We had planned to call the taxi at 9am, but Arthur was still feeding, so we waited. We’ve learned to give extra time to our getting-ready routine for things like this: feeding or diaper change. We finally called the taxi at 9:15. Arthur was still wide-awake but he didn’t mind being placed in the car seat.
The taxi ride to the ferry terminal took less than 10 minutes. We had to make sure we got a taxi that would fit all our luggages. The stroller already took up a lot of space.
This was the first time that Arthur stayed calm throughout the whole ride. All I had to do was talk to him and keep him company. Usually, he would be squirming in his car seat if he was placed there fully awake. This was a luxury and I was thankful for it.
When we got to the terminal, Sean got out of the taxi to set up the stroller and I got out to put on my backpack. I then took the stroller and took Arthur out of the taxi while Sean put on his backpack and the diaper bag. I placed the car seat in the stroller. Arthur was still fully awake and was not crying. Another luxury to be thankful for.
It was only 9:30 but we were already inside waiting for the 10:00 boarding. We took Arthur out of his car seat and took off his jacket. We took turns to walk around the terminal with him. I thought he would be asleep at some point, but there were too many new things for him to look at so he would rather stay awake.
When the boarding finally begun, we put him back in his car seat. No fuss. We put on our packs and rolled him into the ship. Still no fuss. What a good baby! Still a luxury to be thankful for.
Once we got on the ship, Sean went ahead to look for a place for us to sit. We found a booth by the window with enough space for us to park the stroller and put our bags down.
It was going to be a two-hour journey so we made ourselves comfortable. We took out the portable bassinet that Sean’s mom had sewed together and placed Arthur in it.
When the ship left the harbor, everything outside looked so mystical. It was foggy and the floating ice added to the mysterious feeling.
For the next two hours, we played with Arthur, changed his diapers twice, nursed him once, and put him to sleep once. He only took a 30-minute nap. Meanwhile, I had downloaded some Netflix movies on my iPad so Sean and I decided to watch a movie. Arthur had been very pleasant throughout the journey. No screaming, no crying, no fussing. Such a good baby! Or maybe we just got better at understanding his needs? Nevertheless, I am thankful for it.
10 minutes before we arrived, I tried to feed Arthur again but he refused. He was sleepy, not hungry. After I put on his jacket to get ready to disembark, I tried to put him to sleep by rocking him and singing a song. He was quiet but he was not sleeping.
The ship had docked and the disembarkation process had begun. We didn’t feel like rushing. We wanted to see if Arthur would fall asleep. He didn’t. After a couple of minutes, we decided to just place him in the car seat. Then Sean did something different. He swung the car seat in a pendulum motion with Arthur all buckled in. Sean let out a low shush while swaying the car seat around. It took Arthur about 30 seconds to fall asleep. I put on my backpack and once Sean placed the car seat in the stroller, I pushed the stroller around the area in order to keep Arthur moving while Sean put on his backpack and the diaper bag. I loved the new trick!
We took an uber to the Airbnb. The car that came was small. I was glad the driver was still willing to take us. The trunk only fit the stroller. We placed the diaper bag in the back seat right below Arthur and his car seat. My backpack went in the middle seat, and Sean’s backpack went on his lap in the front seat. The driver was surprised to see two “backpackers” with a baby. We had a super pleasant conversation with him. He introduced himself to us as Nick. He is from Ukraine but he has lived in Tallinn for three years.
The ride from Terminal D to Pikk 36 took only about 10 minutes and it cost 2.50 euro.
When we finally got to the Airbnb, the owner, Agur, greeted us and showed us around the apartment. It was like a hotel suite! The decor was tasteful and modern, the amenities were complete, and the high ceiling made the apartment feel spacious. The apartment looked new as if they had just done a renovation recently. The huge bath tub looked so inviting. They even provided a complete fancy bath essentials. Also, they provided a baby crib and changing station for Arthur. So awesome!
Arthur slept from the ship all the way to the apartment. He woke up right after Agur left.
We made ourselves comfortable in the apartment and made a plan to go do groceries. Arthur looked comfortable but after feeding and diaper change, he wanted to sleep. We took this opportunity to get ready to go out. We put on our winter gear and dressed Arthur in his as well. Then, Sean tried the new trick again. Sean placed Arthur in his car seat, buckled him in, and swung the car seat in a pendulum motion. Not long after, Arthur fell asleep. It was like magic.
So we left the apartment and made our way to the grocery store. We took the long way; the scenic route.
And we learned that cobble stones are difficult to navigate with a stroller. We tried to find as smooth a path as we could but sometimes, we had no choice. It was Tallinn Old Town after all.
Other than the stroller navigation, the walk itself was so relaxing. Sean and I had the opportunity to talk and enjoy each other’s company without having to worry about the cold, the destination, or the baby.
After grocery and the walk, we went back to the apartment and ordered some food delivery. On the way to the grocery, we saw a delivery guy from Wolt, so we decided to have food delivery for dinner. We download the Wolt app, and had a movie and dinner night in the comfort of the lovely apartment. Arthur kept himself busy with his toys.
After dinner, we gave Arthur a bath, put him in his double-layered pajama, and offered him a feed. He didn’t want to feed. So Sean did the new trick again. This time, Arthur fell right asleep after about 10 seconds of car-seat swaying. Super quick! I took him out of the car seat, put him in a swaddle, and placed him in the crib.
And I took a nice long bath. A luxury I was thankful for. Arthur was asleep, and Sean had his champagne and movie. The mini projector worked out great. With the apartment’s high ceiling and white walls, we were able to project a movie to resemble a big screen.
Today was a lovely day. We took things slow, rejoiced in the small successes with Arthur, and took advantage of even the smallest opportunity.
I can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us and what new lessons we will learn.
two backpacks and a diaper bag 