And... we're back. We survived and we had a lot of fun. Of course, many pictures were taken and there are many stories so I have to split it into two parts. The first part? All about flying.
Wow, does having a kid change the flying experience or what. Six months ago, we were pretty professional flyers. Carry-on only, toiletries in a neat little ziploc bag, Starbucks drink at the gate, last minute bathroom trip...you get the picture. This was a different experience. Just getting from the long term parking lot to the terminal was a hassle. Two suitcases, two big carry-ons, a little umbrella stroller, and, oh yeah, a baby.
A screaming squirming baby. That's right. For some reason, the minute we hit LAX he had a melt down. Don't know if he was just hungry or scared or it was too stimulating, but he wasn't into it. But who actually likes LAX?
After that, we expected the worst but we didn't need to. Once we boarded, got seats, and a very nice young woman volunteered to sit in our row, we settled in. "Settled in" meant we started breastfeeding as we took off. And kept breastfeeding. And then some more. In fact, on a five hour flight I'm sure I nursed him at least two hours. This is what I looked like most of the flight with my nursing cover:
He even fell asleep for a few 30 minute naps.
But what all that breastfeeding meant was that the little guy didn't cry at all and was pretty darn happy. And it helped that a little boy was sitting across the aisle from us and Jack loved staring at him the whole flight.
We read lots of books because that's pretty much Jack's favorite pastime.
And when I ran out of books I read the emergency landing pamphlet. John thought it was inappropriate that I told him what to do in the case of a crash water landing, but Jack seemed amused.
We had a lot of fun and we were all shocked about how well it went. Of course, it made me realize how hard it'll be to fly with him when I'm done breastfeeding, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the mean time, yay for Jack! The flight attendant even said she couldn't believe how well he did. And with that expert opinion, we were happy.
Hooray! Great job! I'm so glad the flying went smoothly!
ReplyDeleteI think the interest in the little boy and the books bodes well for post-nursing travel. I had the same fear, but really it just means that your carry-ons end up weighing a ton because they're stuffed with books and puzzles (though a Kindle, Nook, or iPad is probably the way to go).
Glad it went well! Planes can be magical for some babies. My friends planned to nurse on a flight home to New Zealand and then her fussy, only sleeps for an hour baby slept for 11 hours straight. She was dying (engorged), but afterwards really wished they could get on a plane every night!
ReplyDeleteOur first flight won't be until December to Hawaii. I'm worried since I don't know if mijo can sit still that long.
Yeah, he really did even better than me and john on the descent. I felt sick from the turbulence, john's ears were killing him, but our little guy didn't even want to breastfeed. He just sat in my lap and looked around.
ReplyDeleteRosina, that's a long flight for a mobile toddler but I'm sure you'll keep him occupied. Besides, Hawaii seems worth it!!
I'm glad it went so well. Car rides are daunting enough - I can't imagine a flight! Good job!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!!! Clearly y'all need to ditch the car and get a private jet for all future excursions.
ReplyDeletesuch great news! for everyone but your boobs!
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