Our First (Official) Vacation: Part One- Where to go?

During our seven years of dating and marriage my husband and I have been on plenty of vacations together.  When Peanut had just turned one (and I was entering my second trimester of my pregnancy with Sassy) we made the trek across the country (via plane) to visit family in California for a week.  Since having Sassy, we had not gone on one single family vacation and this year as Sassy approached 3 ½ and Peanut quickly approached 5, we decided we were way past due.  When spring started to enter into summer we began to make plans.  

My parents had plans to go downeast to the Bold Coast (the northeastern coast of Maine), and so we decided this would be a great trip to try.  We had limited funds and limited time, so a long weekend sounded perfect.  My parents have been going downeast for ten years now and so they know the best places to stay, visit, and eat.  My husband was looking to slow down a bit and I was looking for the same.  I am not a huge city person, I'm a true country girl at heart with an intense love of the ocean.  My dream home would be a farm in the middle of nowhere with the ocean close by (walking distance- hey, one can dream right!).  Maine was sounding pretty Perfect to me and so  e began to plan.  

Views from the Pleasant Bay Bed and Breakfast

Every vacation take planning, especially when 2 toddlers are involved.  I sat down and began to think about all we needed to plan, and then I began to stress.  I didn't just have to plan a vacation with 2 toddlers, I had to plan a vacation with 2 toddlers with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder who were also on a VERY strict diet (we can't just stop at a restaurant and eat) and the kids were on a regimen of supplements that we needed to continue on our trip (Autism doesn't go on vacation).  Every time I thought I had it figured out another speed bump popped up.  I was grateful that I had started to plan the vacation months in advance, this is definitely not something that should be done last minute.  

I had read many stories from families with kids on the spectrum and their vacations.  I was getting more and more nervous until I heard one story about a biomedical family who went on a cruise, and reading her story helped me relax a bit. (See the post titled Bon Voyage from the Thinking Moms Revolution) If they could go on a cruise and give their child happy memories that he still remembers today (and survive it!), then I can plan a trip to Maine!  I decided it was only appropriate to share our adventure with you.  This post is part one of four of our very first family vacation!