February 8- Take off!

Well, we made it to the plane on time! Just barely, but we made it. Our morning started off looking like we may not make, but as the doors to the plane closed; we were seated in our seats, with all of our carry-on luggage safely stowed. To start our travel day, Symba the cat must’ve known something was amidst, because she managed to disappear just as I began trying to load the cats into their carriers. Finally, after about 15 minutes, I managed to lure her out from under the bed with a can of tuna. Then we had to make one last pit stop at the post office to mail everything I couldn’t squeeze into my already over stuffed suitcases. And of course we had to hit Atlanta’s morning rush hour traffic. We arrived at the airport and began checking in at Delta’s ticketing counter at the South terminal, only to find out our flight was a Korean Air flight (through Delta), so we would have to check in at the North terminal with Korean Air. And things just kept getting worse. The cats were missing one piece of documentation to allow them to enter into Korea. So, mark the cats off of our list of passengers. Oh yeah, and in all this confusion we had lost Grammy and Sterling who had also gone to the South terminal to check in! Luckily, Ella and I reunited with Grammy and Sterling in enough time to drag ourselves, the double stroller, 2 car seats, 2 carry on size suitcases, a pump, a nursing pillow, and of course, 2 babies through the security checkpoint. Yup, we were a pitiful sight, and absolutely bedraggled by the time we took our seats on the plane. I think Linda and I were both holding our breath until take off. But as the plane climbed into the wild blue yonder, we knew we were in for a big adventure!
This little girls’ wings are firmly intact and she’s ready for flight! Clearly flying doesn’t bother her at all.
That’s a new way to “do lunch,” huh? Sitting on Grammy’s seat tray, Sterling eats his squash at a mile high.
The flight went as well as can be expected when you’re flying with 11 month old twins in tow. They actually turned 11 months old in the air! After the plane took off they were happy and talkative. They ate their lunch, drank a bottle, and took a short hour and a half nap. Then they woke up. That’s all I can say. They were good for about 2 hours after they woke up, but then they began winding down and falling apart. We had a little over an hour of Linda and I trying everything we could to console two bored and cranky babies. We walked, bounced, cuddled….we tried it all. Eventually, they gave out and Ella fell asleep, while Sterling dozed in and out of sleep, or played quietly by himself in his car seat. Truly, a 14 hour flight at this age was going to be tricky, and overall they did pretty good. An hour worth of 2 crying babies is no fun on any flight, but it certainly could’ve been much worse. I must give much praise to Korean Air. Their flight attendants were all so incredibly helpful, kind, and accommodating. They were truly outstanding. It was such a completely different experience than the Delta flight I took from Korea to Atlanta last August.