We Made It

We're in Cleveland. Jim's in Georgia. So far so good.

The kids did remarkably well flying cross-country. We had a handful of "moments," but overall I'd give our experience a B+.

Some positive experiences included:

- Tralee getting super exited when the plane took off. She said, "We're doing it! We're flying like a birdie." I also heard, "We're flying like Dumbo." As well as, "We're flying like a bumbum bee." Yeah, she says bumbum bee instead of bumble bee. I like it, so I don't correct her.

- Tralee announcing to everyone on plane ride number one "WE DID IT! WE LANDED! WE WON!!!!!" She said this at least twenty times after the plane landed. People around us were laughing at her. I'm sure there were a few who weren't as thrilled to hear Tralee's shouts of triumph, but I chose not to notice them.

-Letting the kids run around for a bit while waiting to board plane number two.

- The fact that Hunter was content to sit in my lap, climb around on Tralee's seat, and fall asleep. He's such a wiggly little guy I was worried he wouldn't want to stay in the confines of our seats. Luckily, he did beautifully.

- The baby sling I made was a lifesaver. I found a pattern on-line, and I'm super glad I made it. Hunter loves it, and although we have a baby bjorn, the sling is a little easier to stuff into the diaper bag when it's not in use. It was also nice to have two hands free while walking through the airport.

Some of the not-so-great moments were:

- My clothes at the end of the day. They were covered in stains. I looked awesome.

- Tralee's melt down in front of the moving walkway so that she was right in every one's way. Luckily it only lasted a minute.

- Tralee falling down the escalator when we arrived in Cleveland. She wasn't stepping on, so I tried to help her on by pulling on her hand. Wrong move. She totally face planted, and I couldn't help her up because I had Hunter in the sling, and all of our carry-ons in my arms. Luckily the nice lady in front of us helped Tralee up and off the escalator. Tralee has a nice scrape on her forehead. Luckily that's the extent of her war wounds. I felt AWFUL though. I was at the bottom of the escalator examining and comforting a very distraught Tralee when a security guard came to make sure everything was okay. I looked around and realized several travelers witnessed her fall. Poor us.

- Tralee and Hunter were both super tired and cranky when we arrived in Cleveland. Therefore, my parents didn't get very nice hellos from the kids. The good news is, they both fell asleep in the car on the way to my parents, and woke up a lot happier.

So. . . we made it! I'm glad I don't have to fly cross country with both kids all by myself on the way back. Jim will be with us. PHEW! I also hope my parents are ready to have their nice home scattered with toys and fingerprints the next month. It should be fun.