Awesome/Not Awesome Toddler + Infant Travel Edition

As I have mentioned, we have returned from a trip to Texas to visit with Aunt Jen and to check out our new hunting ranch. I must admit for the past few weeks I have had travel with a toddler AND an infant on my mind, in a post-traumatic stress kind of way. Don't get me wrong, Radley was great and slept for most of it and Maverick was pretty good for the most part. But there's really just no way to take two kids their ages on a plane and not have a few moments that make you want to get out on the wing. I went it solo this time and in an attempt to help myself not suffer the amnesia that clearly sets in between plane trips with people under 3' tall, I'm blogging Awesome/Not Awesome, the Toddler Travel Edition. This will be a list of the good and bad things about traveling with my boys, so that I can maybe not be so shocked by the bad and can remember the good makes this worth doing. So here we go:

Awesome: When you wake Mack up at the crack of dawn to get on a plane, he is actually sort of excited, because he seems to sense that we're going to do something special. He chatters all the way to the airport. It is crazy cute.

Not Awesome: When you wake Mack up at the crack of dawn to get on a plane, by the time it's 4:00 in the afternoon and he has not stopped moving on the plane much less sleep, he is so epic-ly cranky by the time you touch down and has been conscious for nearly 9 hours that you think you might just get sanctioned by the FAA for bringing him on a plane to begin with.

Awesome: Airports generally offer lots to look at and plenty of new ladies for Maverick to flirt with. The first couple of airport hours and exploring options are like the Disneyland of people for him.

Not Awesome: On the other hand, when your airline suddenly announces its time to board after you've schlepped your two kids, your stroller, and all your worldly belongings across LAX and the airport starts to feel like the Amazing Race, and not in a good way, because you're definitely losing. And the nanny and Maverick will disappear from the gate area just as they call to begin boarding everyone thanks to the not-so-new-but-still-annoying- non-existent Southwest family boarding policy. You panic as you watch your prime boarding position evaporate while you frantically look for them while wearing your heavy 97th percentile height/weight baby and get incredibly frustrated because they have completely disappeared and because you cannot imagine boarding with both of them and 40 pounds of baby gear while 100 other passengers breathe down your neck waiting to get by you and you absolutely HAVE TO HAVE three seats together if you have any hope of maintaining your sanity for the flight only to see them waaaaay at the far end of the terminal returning nearly 10 gates at a pace best described as Sleepy Turtle. Upon arriving Maverick will choose that exact moment to develop a strong objection to riding in the stroller, and therefore you will pin him in the stroller whilst screaming (him, not me) and quckly dash down the jetway cutting off other passengers cursing your perfect nanny for leaving the boarding area and cursing your perfect "plan" that up until now had you sort of in an ok zen sort of place with this process. There is no more zen...just sweat, screaming and tears...(him and me)

Awesome: The Apple i-Touch is the greatest invention in modern history because you can put videos on it. Maverick has his own i-touch. Don't judge me. Whatever it takes. Maverick, at only 21 months old and after one week of ownership, has figured out how to slide the lock release button, where the videos are, and how to hold the little ear bud up to his ear so he can hear the music while he watches family movies, Nemo, Mickey Mouse and any other videos or games that may strike his fancy, though he is not sure how to play the games...he does love touching different things on the screen and gets so excited when he makes something happen. This makes you look like a terrible mother, but it is really useful at times.

Not Awesome: Since Maverick has his own i-Pod that he pretty regularly needs assistance with and the big baby is sitting on your lap, your entertainment options for yourself will be to stare out the window, do a people watching study of all passengers within 3 rows of you as they stare back at the circus you have become, change diapers for both as needed, wrestle baby and toddler when toddler tries to climb under the seats or over them to the row behind, or wrestle screaming exhausted toddler while trying not to injure baby you are holding when you hit turbulence and he does not want to put on his seat belt. None of this very entertaining.

Awesome: Radley gets confused by the time zone and sleeps through the night until a relatively decent hour in the morning during the first part of the trip.

Not Awesome: Maverick gets confused by the time zone and wakes up a full two hours EARLIER than usual for the last 2 days and carries that over to our first morning back home. Rarin' to go. At 5:15. Cue up Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

Awesome: Coming home again.

Not Awesome: Coming home again. We miss these people we fly such a long way to see. This trip it was especially fun to see Maverick and Radley have fun together with their Barziza cousins. We can't wait to see them soon!

I can't believe I am going to be doing this again in another 20 days or so...
Coming soon...Travel with Two - Thanksgiving Edition
Fasten your seatbelts...