This weekend was a whirlwind of airports, port-a-cribs in hotel rooms, very little sleep, and lots of Starbucks. Traveling to Alabama for my cousin Matt's wedding, we ventured on our first plane ride with a toddler. Actually, four plane rides. We have discovered the key to traveling with toddlers:
1. Bring a brand new toy for them to play with for the first time on the plane. That will buy you approximately 90 seconds. Hopefully she will forget about it by the second plane and you can relive the excitement for another 90 seconds.
2. Pack more snacks than a college football player can eat in a weekend. We had a small insulated lunchbox with a freezer pack filled with organic Go-Gurt, string cheese, steamed carrots, applesauce, mandarin oranges and Trader Joe's fruit crusher packets (Lila's new favorite thing EVER).
3. Let the toddler run up and down the hallway of the airport, yelling baby talk at every passing person. Regardless of how embarrassing or annoying it is.
4. Stock your phone full of baby music videos, i.e. "Part of Your World" by Little Mermaid and "Here We Go" by Fresh Beats Band.
5. When the toddler full on meltdown happens, hold on for the ride, smile apologetically and then close your eyes and know it will be over soon. Or you will land at your destination soon. Whichever comes first.
Our meltdown occurred on the last flight of the day after missing two previous flights because we were flying standby. Meaning Lila had been in the same airport terminal for 6 hours. Which is even unacceptable for adults. Coupled with Lila's inability to take her aggression out in passive aggressive conversations with the airline employees or partake in an in-flight adult beverage, she was long overdue to lose it on someone. Then the flight attendant stopped by our row (where were sitting in the middle seat between two big burly men) and told me Lila had to sit down from where she was standing on my lap to baby talk to the people in the row behind us because we were taking off. Lila decided she had enough with being told what to do.
The screaming. Oh the high pitched screaming. And the kicking and hitting me (and the burly men). And the throwing of the bow and shoes. And the biting of my finger when I tried to shove her paci in her mouth, so hard that I started to cry. I ended up holding all of her flailing limbs against my body, holding her paci in her mouth, singing Baa Baa Black Sheep over and over in her ear. About five minutes of screaming later, she passed out mid-scream, arms going limp, and slept on top of me for the next hour and half.
We have never been more glad to see our suitcase, car seat and stroller on the roundy-round.
And Brian's smiling face. And a big glass of wine.
Weatherwise it's such a lovely day
Just say the words, and we'll beat the birds
Down to Acapulco Bay
It's perfect, for a flying honeymoon - they say
Come fly with me, let's fly let's fly away
Just say the words, and we'll beat the birds
Down to Acapulco Bay
It's perfect, for a flying honeymoon - they say
Come fly with me, let's fly let's fly away
~"Come Fly With Me" by Frank Sinatra
1 comment:
I'm so glad she finally fell asleep so that the rest of the flight could be more bearable!! Nothing like coming home huh! love the pictures of her sweet little smile!
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