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The train from Tilburg to the airport yesterday was not auspicious. She didn't want to be in the babybjorn, she didn't want to sit on my lap, she ate and then was still fussy, she wanted to walk and go up and down the stairs but it was too crowded...not very good.
Once we got to the airport and through security it was better; I got a cart to put all the bags in, and she cheerfully pushed it down the length of one of the halls. We got to the gate only 20 minutes before boarding, which was perfect for her to wander around and charm everyone. I dressed her in her penguin PJs, partly so I wouldn't have to deal with keeping track of socks on the plane, partly because people think babies dressed as animals are adorable. There was a couple that took a bunch of pictures of her. I've always found that a bit strange, taking pictures of other people's kids in public spaces, but it's not the first time it's happened.
The flight to Paris was just over an hour, and she didn't fall asleep during take-off as she usually does, and then there was drinks service and she got more apple juice, so she ended up not winding down until the end of the flight; her eyes drifted shut just before we landed, *sigh*. She was a bit grumpy then when I woke her up, put her back in the carrier, and then traipsed across the airport, through passport control, through security, and over to our gate. But then she got to run around for awhile, charming even more people, and that set things up for about the best flight we could've had. We had an extra seat next to us (hurrah!), which meant that after she fell asleep -- which happened during take-off -- I was able to ease her and the pillow I'd brought along onto the seat next to me, and then she slept for the next 9+ hours (out of a ~11.5 hour flight). I didn't sleep as much as I might have, since I always had a hand out to make sure she didn't fall off the sleep when she rolled, but I did sleep some, enough that I don't feel completely wrecked, and, you know, there really is nothing like gazing down at your perfectly content, perfectly sound asleep little baby. When she woke up, I had enough food on hand (a banana I'd brought along, a wedge of camembert and an mandarin from supper on the plane) that she ate enough to keep her satisfied until breakfast came, and after she ate that, we walked up and down the aisles. So many people complimented me on what a good baby she was, one of the best they've traveled with. One lady said she saw us board and was like "oh, no..." and then was really surprised at how good she'd been. Of course, I know it could just as easily have been horrible, but it wasn't, and I can take a little credit for it in that we've done this sort of thing regularly, if not on this scale.
We were up long enough that she started getting tired right as we completed our descent, and again her eyes shut just as we touched down. I was able to move her to the other seat once we'd reached the gate, and then I let her sleep while everyone else disboarded. It wasn't a long nap, but it was long enough that she didn't fuss while we stood and waiting in the passport control line -- which was long but moved steadily -- and then our bags were waiting for us right away. Katherine was at arrivals when we exited, and after a quick errands we made it back to their house, a lovely gorgeous sunny place filled with toys that Gwen is now currently investigating thoroughly. It's midafternoon now and she hasn't napped yet, but in about half an hour we'll go out on some errands, and maybe she'll sleep in the car. I'm not too worried about her nap schedule the first day after traveling, especially such a long travel as this, and if she sleeps well tonight, then I think we'll be well onto being back on track.
Once we got to the airport and through security it was better; I got a cart to put all the bags in, and she cheerfully pushed it down the length of one of the halls. We got to the gate only 20 minutes before boarding, which was perfect for her to wander around and charm everyone. I dressed her in her penguin PJs, partly so I wouldn't have to deal with keeping track of socks on the plane, partly because people think babies dressed as animals are adorable. There was a couple that took a bunch of pictures of her. I've always found that a bit strange, taking pictures of other people's kids in public spaces, but it's not the first time it's happened.
The flight to Paris was just over an hour, and she didn't fall asleep during take-off as she usually does, and then there was drinks service and she got more apple juice, so she ended up not winding down until the end of the flight; her eyes drifted shut just before we landed, *sigh*. She was a bit grumpy then when I woke her up, put her back in the carrier, and then traipsed across the airport, through passport control, through security, and over to our gate. But then she got to run around for awhile, charming even more people, and that set things up for about the best flight we could've had. We had an extra seat next to us (hurrah!), which meant that after she fell asleep -- which happened during take-off -- I was able to ease her and the pillow I'd brought along onto the seat next to me, and then she slept for the next 9+ hours (out of a ~11.5 hour flight). I didn't sleep as much as I might have, since I always had a hand out to make sure she didn't fall off the sleep when she rolled, but I did sleep some, enough that I don't feel completely wrecked, and, you know, there really is nothing like gazing down at your perfectly content, perfectly sound asleep little baby. When she woke up, I had enough food on hand (a banana I'd brought along, a wedge of camembert and an mandarin from supper on the plane) that she ate enough to keep her satisfied until breakfast came, and after she ate that, we walked up and down the aisles. So many people complimented me on what a good baby she was, one of the best they've traveled with. One lady said she saw us board and was like "oh, no..." and then was really surprised at how good she'd been. Of course, I know it could just as easily have been horrible, but it wasn't, and I can take a little credit for it in that we've done this sort of thing regularly, if not on this scale.
We were up long enough that she started getting tired right as we completed our descent, and again her eyes shut just as we touched down. I was able to move her to the other seat once we'd reached the gate, and then I let her sleep while everyone else disboarded. It wasn't a long nap, but it was long enough that she didn't fuss while we stood and waiting in the passport control line -- which was long but moved steadily -- and then our bags were waiting for us right away. Katherine was at arrivals when we exited, and after a quick errands we made it back to their house, a lovely gorgeous sunny place filled with toys that Gwen is now currently investigating thoroughly. It's midafternoon now and she hasn't napped yet, but in about half an hour we'll go out on some errands, and maybe she'll sleep in the car. I'm not too worried about her nap schedule the first day after traveling, especially such a long travel as this, and if she sleeps well tonight, then I think we'll be well onto being back on track.
