The Flights

How to take 2 toddlers on a 24 hour flight, alone. Summary: snacks, entertainment, and a carefree attitude. Oh, and Dramamine. I took an annoyingly large carry on bag just for pillows and blankets. Sunny slept on the floor on the way to LA, and they both curled up on their seats like kittens for the rest of their naps. I was worried I wouldnt sleep but I did. The awkward positions become painful after awhile, but it was more sleep than I've gotten on this very same flight in the past so I knew I was lucky. We even had "medium turbulence" that I tried to sleep through so I wouldnt have a panic attack. We got our exercise up and down the aisles a few times, but the kids were content to stay in our row. We washed up, changed clothes, brushed our teeth, got in pajamas, just like a home in the sky.... Lachlan and I are still kind of stuffy from the dry air on the plane. And he's drinking water like I've never seen him before. Dehydrated I guess.

LAX was ridiculous. I had to take the kids in the stroller down a dodgy flight of steps, into the night on the tarmac where we hopped on a bus. At this point it was going on 2a Florida time and we were slightly delirious but strangely enough quiet and going through the motions. We were meeting Aussies by now though, who are also in LA hopping onto the same flight. Plenty of moms helped me and the kids on and off this bus, twice, plus pulled along my carry on bag probably more than I'd dragged it behind me. I was fully capable of doing this myself. Sunny was riding on my back in our Ergo carrier I borrowed from Jenalee, and Lachlan was in the umbrela stroller. I let people help me if they wanted to.

I am proud to say I didnt shed a tear until the 25th hour- thousands of people, Melbourne Airport, Sunny cried for over an hour through a mile long immigration line (where they stamp your passport), and I couldnt find our baggage. And when I did find it, I couldnt transport it around by myself. Luckily for me, I was in Australia. EVERYONE wants to help you. An employee grabbed me, or actually grabbed my cart of luggage and I took over the children, and we were expedited out of that place without another wait in another line (bypassed customs altogether, where you declare you havent brought anything illegal into the country). The lines to EXIT the airport (to walk outside) were even longer ... I was in tears because I could not find the kids' car seats. Turns out thats because they were still in LAX... So I pretended it was 1970 and strapped those kids in the backseat all the way home to the Glig's house. What are the options at this point? Get us out of there!

We slept SO MUCH on the planes that we were good to go all day. We arrived at 10a and it was as if we slept an entire Aussie night. No jetlag, no naps, nothing. Sure, by 8p we've passed out the last 2 nights, but we transitioned smoothly into this timezone (16 hours in the future for you Americans).

At the Glig house awaited all the family. Jasons parents, his brother Steven and fiance Meghan, and cousins Sascha, Christine, and baby Maja whom we already met in Munich a couple years ago. The table was set for breakie and we all ate and caught up. Jasons father, Spasco, spent no time pulling out all the kids Christmas gifts. The backyard was full of toys and my kids running around having the best time ever. No whining, no crying, no "mommy! mommy!" thats how I know they're happy. We survived the flight easily enough. Now its all fun and games from here on out.