A Breeze and a Barf Bag

Flying was a breeze. We had some rough moments, but overall, we felt very fortunate to have prepared so well and to have such easy going kids.

1. The portable DVD player was so convenient and wonderful to have in the airports during long layovers. It really helped keep Ben from getting antsy. We did take him for long walks (Monkey walks), but he was happy to sit in his stroller, watching the DVD.

2. I'm so glad that Ben likes wearing his monkey harness. My nephew hates his, but Ben considers it a treat. Really. He loves not having to always sit in a stroller or in a cart when we go somewhere. And in the airport? We put Anna in the stroller and monkey-walked Ben. Awesome.

3. Ben had Benadryl in the morning before we left, and we gave him tylenol before the short puddle-jumper flights. He slept through both of those flights.

4. The flight attendant with the poofy red hair? Yeah. You can bite me. Tell me how else to let my son blow off some steam than walking (jogging) up and down the aisles. He wasn't running into anybody, and I was right behind him the whole time. We got many positive, kind smiles... but you yelling at us while you were having a (much deserved) coffee break in the galley? Not cool. Next time, you can provide the duct tape or the tranquilizer dart to keep my son still for four hours.

5. I belatedly remembered that I get airsick when I fly. Man, that sucks. Doesn't even take any turbulence. Just ascent and descent, and my stomach is lost somewhere above Utah. I finally threw up a little on the flight between San Francisco and Oregon. I was a blubbering, sobbing, snotty mess when we landed. I felt so miserable, all I could do was cry. The last time I did that, I was about six weeks pregnant with Anna, and then it only stopped when I made the on-call doctor call in my prescription for Zyrtec. We will be investing in some airsickness remedies before the trip back, or I'm going to have to inform my inlaws that they'll have to drive us back.

6. While we were eating totally delicious, not-on-the-healthy-eating-plan quesadillas in the SFO airport, I realized I had never been to California before. I enjoyed seeing the ocean from my seat in the airplane as we took off. We're taking a day trip to the coast on Saturday so I can get a better look.

7. The time difference is killing me. I'm an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of girl, and we were up at 3 in the morning yesterday. Didn't finally make it to bed until 9 last night. Of course it was only 7 here, so I was such a party pooper. And this morning my little family slept in until six (we normally wake up at five). Of course it was only 4 here. I'm surprised they didn't kick us to the porch.