2. Is there a cooler word than “lapchild?” I think not. Oh, and another awesome perk of flying with a human under the age of two: strollers and car seats do NOT count toward your checked bag allotment on Alaska Airlines (though even if they did, Powergirl and I would still get by with two apiece because we’re that efficient).

3. The whole germ issue is freaking me out a bit, but the baby has been vaccinated against H1N1 and I’ve got about six little squirty bottles of hand sanitizer. If they made infant-sized SARS masks, I’d think about buying/using one. Luckily, we’ve got bulkhead seats on the way out (and first class on the way back), so our exposure to scary germy people should be kept to a minimum.

4. I am usually a sun whore, but I know this trip will be different (since we’d rather not give the kid skin cancer before she turns 18), and I’m OK with that. Fingers crossed that it’s sunny for at least an hour or so every day when I run.

5. Powergirl, L, and whales are, quite literally, my three favorite things in this life. For the first time ever, I get to have all three in one spot. I can’t think of a better way to end one year and start another, and guarantee there will be no happier man on Maui over the next ten days. Now that is the spirit of Aloha.