I haven't been on an airplane since IJ was a baby and I have never flown with children, so I was a wee bit nervous about this trip. Okay, I had insomnia for two days before the trip! I was mostly worried that I would miss my flight...but then I used my favorite "worry" trick: I imagined the worst possible scenario, and then followed it all the way through. Missed my flight? Well, I would just turn around and go home and I wouldn't have to be gone from home for five days. No problem.
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| What IJ did during the flight |
I was also worried about going through TSA with my children, knitting projects, and food. I didn't know they had a special line for families, so we got to go straight to the front with other people who were juggling strollers and diaper bags. Score! My knitting needles weren't even questioned-maybe because they were bamboo and not metal. I learned that yogurt is considered a solid and allowed if it is frozen and a liquid, therefore forbidden, if not frozen. Lula's bottles went in a special scanner and were never even opened-something I was worried about. I think we spent a total of three minutes going through TSA. We purposely minimized metal on our clothes so we could avoid extra wanding. What I didn't realize was they would want to feel my legs because I was wearing a long skirt. They asked permission first, but I was like, "Who cares? I'm wearing long johns!" and pulled my skirt up enough to show that my legs were not lined with weapons. Of course if I had a black belt, my legs themselves would be weapons!
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| What Lula did during the flight |
The SeaTac airport has a wonderful play area for small children. My sisters and I were able to let our kiddos run around until it was time to board. When it was time to board, we got to load first because of the kids. Best of all, the airlines blocked the seat between the two I reserved so Lula could have her own spot. I was able to keep her in her car seat for most of the trip!
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| My little nephew! I snatched him out of his seat as soon as I could! |
My three-almost four-year old niece is a champion flyer. She has her own Hello Kitty roller bag complete with Leap Pad and DVD player! Her electronics did not keep her from popping up to visit with her cousin, Boy. Boy is Ian's new nickname.
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| "Smile for Auntie!" |
Now, I purposely left my preschool aged and toddler children at home so I wouldn't have to worry about behavior issues on the plane (or anywhere else for that matter). That and I don't have the money to fly my kids across the country! But my sisters did and they were great on the plane. The kids sitting right behind me cried the whole time though, so a little running up and down the aisles was no big deal.
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| Junior TSA Officer and Junior Captain! |
The Philadelphia airport wasn't as pretty at the SeaTac airport, but the TSA there was very nice as well. They brought me to the front of the line, but I didn't have any tickets for my niece (my sister was running a bit behind). The security guard noticed my niece's "dance," sent me to a close bathroom, and watched Ian and Lula for me. When we returned, he let us go back to the front of the line. This time I forgot to take my shoes off and set off the alarm. TSA was very cool about it and did not send me to jail for kidnapping or for disturbing the peace. Whew! I was able to rest at our gate for about 10 minutes before boarding.
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| Benadryl works! (My other nephews) |
What I didn't know coming home was that the flight was TWO HOURS longer because we were flying into the wind. I tell you, we were SO READY to get off that plane. The kids were behaving nicely, but Ian and I were tired, thirsty, and ready to see the left-behind kids.
So, if I ever travel this way again, which I probably won't, I will pack light, carry non-liquid foods in a backpack as a carry on, and drug my children and myself with either Benadryl or Nyquill for a pleasant flight.
