Trip 1 - 27 March-22 April 2013
Let's see how much of this I can actually remember now. *LOL*
We got to the airport not long before check-in opened for our flight. As a result, we were second in line. This was a necessity because we needed to upgrade our seats. That sounds all glamourous and shit, but it really wasn't. If we had been upgrading to business or first class, it would be worthy of the word "upgrade". But, we were just upgrading our seats to the row where you could have an airline-provided bassinet for your baby.
Okay, stop here...
If you have a baby and you're planning an overseas trip...do your best to get the bassinet. Because, seriously...LIFE SAVER!
Anyway, we upgraded and got the bassinet with no problems. Did a bit of shopping for souvenirs for my family and such and then headed to the gate. All uneventful airport stuff...quite boring, really. *LOL*
Get on the plane and the woman sitting next to my seat looked up and smiled...and then saw Nio. It's really pretty amusing to watch the change in facial expressions when a person realizes that a baby is going to be next to them.
Got settled, waited...started moving. El handed Nio to me and he snuggled against my chest. As we were taxi-ing down the runway, I looked down at him....and he was sound asleep. He slept during takeoff and El and I looked at each other and grinned. Because we knew he was going to be a brilliant traveler.
And he was.
He slept for over 8 hours of that 13 hour flight to LA!
When he was awake, he played quietly or watched whatever was on the television screen. I think he may have watched some Finding Nemo and The Lion King on his iPod as well. Yeah...we bought him an iPod for the trip. :)
When we landed (which he slept through as well), so many people came up to us and said things like "we didn't even know there was a baby on the plane!" or "he's such a GREAT traveler!" All we could do was smile and agree...because we were pretty stoked with the way he handled the flight too. *LOL*
The funniest thing though?
When we landed and the plane came to its stop at the gate...and the "fasten seatbelts" sign went off...
Everyone stood up at once...and Nio's eyes were like..."WTF! Where did all these people come from?!?" It was the best reaction ever!!
We waited until pretty much we were the last people on the plane. We didn't have another flight to catch that night and seriously...with a baby, it's just easier to wait if you can.
Didn't take very long to collect our luggage and get through customs. I traveled on my Australian passport so we could stay together...and it was HEAPS easier than our last trip to the States.
El called the hotel we were staying at and they sent a shuttle to come pick us up. Got to the hotel, requested a cot (crib) for Nio (which he didn't actually sleep in), and had a small nap. Woke up feeling not so bad, so we caught the Ocean Beach Trolley and went down to Manhattan Beach for a few hours. Beautiful area.
Had lunch/dinner at this pub where I had a jalapeno pilsner with my jalapeno burger. Maybe a bit too much jalapeno, but I'd already ordered food before I saw the beer list. *LOL* The pilsner was fantastic! Can't remember the brand or anything, but...it was damn good! Definitely had that jalapeno kick to it. :)
A while later, we headed back to the hotel...watched Supernatural on television (which I promptly slept through) and called it a night. Got up at 3am and ordered breakfast to pick up at Denny's. I picked up the food while El got Nio dressed...and we hauled everything back down to the lobby for our 4am shuttle back to the airport.
In just a few short hours, we'd be on our way to Knoxville...via Houston.
The rest of the flights were pretty much uneventful. Nio slept, El and I talked. Flights are flights...and boring. At least you want them to be boring. *LOL*
I didn't mean for this post to be so long...or boring...so, I'm sorry for that.
Next post will be about the actual stay in my hometown. With pics, if I can find them... :)
This entry was originally posted at http://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/345133.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)