Yesterday (or was it the day before?), we embarked upon our last (hopefully) international move back to the States. It was huge. 4 suitcases, 2 car seats, a stroller, a pack n play, a seriously jam packed backpack, a computer bag, Mary's backpack and a cat. Whew! It was a lot to carry, keep track of and of course, gather up and go through customs all to recheck it again. We took a big van taxi to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We found out that our cat that always travels in the cargo hold was upgraded to cabin seating- she had to be on the floor in the cabin due to pressurization problems with the plane from Tokyo to Chicago. I love how the airline staff tell us this and then say, "Is this ok?" Um, has to be. We can't leave her here and we plan on leaving today. So, she rides in cargo hold to Tokyo, we have to claim her and take her to the ticket counter for United, buy a soft pet carrier that resembles a little mesh tote bag (because the hard carrier we have won't fit in the cabin) and literally run through security and immigration and hop on the plane. We were the last ones and just made it. I think I will always wear a black shirt when I travel. You couldn't see how much I was sweating.
We were blessed to be on a plane that had the individual monitors in the seat backs. Our original plan was to put the 2 kids between us and then they could share the portable dvd player. Unfortunately, even though we had 4 seats together, they were separated by an aisle. So, Adam and I sat together and Doug and Mary sat together with a parental shift during the flight. Luckily, the movie Cars was playing and both kids really enjoyed watching it. Adam even wore the headphones for a few minutes, but then decided he was perfectly happy watching the movie without sound.
Sleeping's always difficult on a plane. The kids did a better job than us adults. Adam alternately slept in his car seat and in our arms. Mary folded herself up like a pretzel and slept in positions that made my body ache just by watching. Unfortunately, the arm rests didn't completely raise up, but I did manage to slide her sideways and put her head in my lap, so she was at least in a better position.
We finished our trip with a layover in Chicago with plenty of time to go through customs, immigration, taking a train to our concourse and exercise time for the kiddos. Oh, Adam was amazing on the 11 hr flight over. He never once walked in the aisles. He stood a couple of times in front of our seats, but that was it. 2 hours before we landed, I took him to the bathroom to change his diaper and for a split second contemplated letting him walk around in the back to stretch his legs. I then thought that once he tasted freedom, he would be a bear trying to wrangle back in his seat. So we carried him, held him, and buckled him in. And in Chicago, we let him run. It was great.
So that's it. Jet lag stinks, my non-sleeper was my great sleeper and my sleeper just cried and wanted to be held all night. But somehow, jet lag seems slightly better when you're in the States, when you're with friends and family, and when you know you won't have to make the long return trip. Ahhh, it's great to be back.
Adam already made himself comfy in Papa's chair.
1 comment:
Thoroughly agree with the jet lag comment! That's something I kept thinking, after we made it here. I was SO happy that our trip here wasn't just a visit to the states, that we were staying and didn't have the return trip to Oki to endure again. :-) Makes you feel like you can handle anything – once you’re back in the states. So glad you're all here! Even though we're still many miles and hours apart, it's just cool to know we're in the same country again and that a trip to visit (once you're settled) is doable. :-)
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