Friday, March 7, 2008

california dreamin'

Aron has business in OC Monday-Wednesday of next week, and he was able to get his company to expense my ticket (as we stay with his folks and not in a hotel), so we are flying out tomorrow morning to jump start our visit! Aron's Aunt Dinah and sister, Cari, are coming to see us, too, which we are highly anticipating. I have a few playdates lined up with mom friends and will get to hold Lindsey's newborn baby girl, Shelby! I can't wait. We'll hit up the usuals--Del Taco, Pedro's, In N Out, the beach, Golden Spoon--and hopefully, have a nice dinner out alone one night. This all came together last-minute, but we can't wait! I am working on packing as we speak.

I must admit I'm a bit nervous about the flight because we have an almost 15-month old who walks and is super active. While Maggie has been on 18 flights (with a baby/toddler you have to count each leg because each is a huge accomplishment, right!? or is that just me?!), so I feel I have alot of the basics down, but I think it'll be a challenge to keep her occupied for 3+ hours. She'll only watch a DVD for so long, but we will try this and we'll bring some books and toys and snacks. We'll walk around some with her, of course. But, how do you reason with a child this age that they cannot be mobile the entire time, they have to sit in your lap (or if you are lucky, the seat next to you), or stand in the 3-ft. wide space between your seat and the seat in front of you, to play?! I'm open for any suggestions you have (SC, esp. you as you have done intercontinental several times!). Say a quick prayer for us. :)

6 comments:

  1. I totally know what you mean!! We are flying out tomorrow as well with Zoe who is almost 17 months now! LOL. I have no suggestions, but will say a prayer for you, and you can say one for us. ;)

    How exciting, though! That should be fun. I know how much you all love California, and love visiting with friend, family, etc. I am excited for you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ok, my last attempt did not go through (apparently).
    Not sure if you will get this or not. The only time we've taken the boys on a plane (not counting our initial flight) was when they were 15 months old. Here's a list that saved us on our flight:
    Snacks!
    new books
    new small toys
    juice (they never receive so this was a hit)
    small aquadoodle (Target $2.99)
    An energetic Dad

    See you soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've got no tips, lol, but I hope you guys have a great trip! Bring us back some pretty weather!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thinking about you guys, can't wait to see you when you return.

    ReplyDelete
  5. fun! can't wait to hear about your trip! xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds like you made it, even with a sick little one - poor thing!

    My suggestions for future travel sound kind of boring but they've worked for us... we pack lots of finger snacks, and repeat tons of nursery rhymes and lap games (banbury cross, peek a boo, ride the pony, etc). We also check out the safety cards and the in flight magazines (BWW loves to pull those apart, and the airline totally doesn't care!).

    When extra entertainment is needed I pull out the toys and books slowly, one at a time, packing the others away to "reveal" them an hour later. My purse is always fascinating, so I let him go crazy with my cell phone (in the off position of course!) and my keys. When I get really desperate, I walk him back to the galley so that he can chat with a flight attendant. That's always good for 10 or 15 minutes of entertainment.

    I actually had a FA fuss at me for letting him crawl down a plane aisle ("do you *know* how dirty that carpet is?!?") so the crawling stage was definitely the hardest one for us. Certainly tougher than when as an infant he slept the whole flight!

    Good luck on the return and I do hope the trip is fun, despite the virus.

    ReplyDelete