Back to Cali {part 1} Flying with Children

Ah the joys adventures trials of traveling with little ones. When I finally made it back home I told my hubby that I wouldn't be flying with my kids until they were old enough to walk, do their business in a toilet & carry their own crap stuff. He laughed and said "Oh I'm sure you'll be flying with them sooner then you'd like". And you know what? He's probably right. Even as I sit here, memories fresh in mind I wonder which is worse - spending several hours going through airport security, checking in luggage, waiting at the gate, finding bathrooms & places to eat, keeping kids seat belted to their seat, taking the random photo, running to the next gate hoping to have time to change a diaper all the while juggling to carry more carry ons than you have arms & being so glad you got that handy dandy stroller and finally retrieving your luggage again or spending 2-4 days in a car, stopping for gas, snacks, diaper changes, bathroom breaks, sleeping in a hotel, struggling to stay awake at the wheel & navigate all on my own. Personally they both sound like torture, but one is faster than the other. We'll see what I think of it all when Shawn is gone and I want to visit family and/or friends again.

So does that give you an idea of what a couple days of vacation were like? Really, vacation starts the morning after you arrive and ends the night before you leave because all the airport business is no vacation, trust me. There were three reactions I would get from people who saw me & the kids waiting at the same gate they were. 1) Sympathy/Shock: "poor you", "I feel bad for you", "Are you crazy?" {that was more of a look, not so much a comment}. 2) Helpful: "Do you need a hand?", "Can I help you with something?" 3) Scared/Upset: "Great, I'm stuck on a plane with them", "I hope she bought three seats", "I hope I'm not sitting next to her", "I hope I'm not sitting anywhere near her". {Again these thoughts were conveyed more through looks, body language, eye rolls & huffs}.

Once we were sitting on the plane things did go well overall. Michael got antsy if we had to wait to take off for too long, which of course was every time we took off. When it was time to take off he would 'pat, pat, pat' like the little einsteins & blastoff. It was very cute. He also liked looking out the window at the clouds. He did sleep some but not as much as I would have liked. Lydia slept quite a bit like every flying baby should. During her waking moments she enjoyed chewing on a plastic cup, her toys and anything else she could get into her hands. She & Michael had fun making each other laugh too. Here are some photos from our airplane experience, enjoy!

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