Our “early departure” was interrupted by the simple fact that we have now been on the plane for over an hour and we were still sitting on the tarmac. It’s deja-vue all over again, the crying, screaming, seat swapping, nothing worked to quiet them down. Our food, our games, our distractions for our one year old twins were becoming exhausted much to the exhaustion of the people around us as we finally began to take off. We were becoming every bit of that Urban Legend family that you only here about. You know, the one on a 4 hour flight with two children who wanted to be anywhere but where they were at that given moment and whose children had absolutely no problem communicating to us, each other and everyone sitting around us just how displeased they were with the situation for the entire flight.
Over the course of the next several hours, we managed to alienate everyone around us with our two children and with no viable options for keeping the kids interested and occupied, we paced every inch of that airplane back and forth. Again, flying at 35, 000 feet, what are your options really?
It was not long before diapers needed changing so my daughter and I were off to the restroom. Not sure who calculates the size of the changing table but it is certainly not sufficiently long or wide enough to change a one year old. What proved helpful while in the bathroom was her fascination with the sink. She was amused and more importantly quiet while playing with the water. For as long as we could, without disrupting others needing the facilities, we stayed in the restroom and played with the sink. Cramped back and all, I was determined to keep one of the two under control.
For those points in time when we had to give someone else a turn in the restroom, I tried to keep my son at bay. I don’t know how it happened but I think it was just after he had devoured the last bag of puffs that his “restlessness” began.. At some point I managed to get my son in a “full nelson” so he finally calmed down and dozed off just as we began to land however all the racket of people moving around getting their luggage, woke him back up immediately. By the end of the flight, the lady sitting next to us, much like our own children, was wearing a mix of fishy crackers, puffs and cereal bars and to her credit, “understood” what we were going thru but obviously wanted to be in another seat…any other seat. Our daughter was so covered from head to toe to the point that the lady even commented what “spirited” little boys we have.
Our plane finally arrived back at JFK at 11:45pm and we noticed that there were several messages on both of our phones. Having arranged for someone to meet us with our vehicle, we found out there was a problem. Apparently, the vehicles interior lights were somehow left on the entire time we were gone, and in the 20 degree temperature, the result was a dead battery. Did I mention that it is well after midnight and we are still at the airport with 2 children who refuse to sleep or sit in the stroller or use their “inside voice”?.
We eventually arrive home sometime around 1:30 am and I begin to pick up our children who have finally decided to fall asleep. I guess all the excitement was too much for the little darlings. As my wife goes to open the front door of the house, I hear a muted but very distinct, “Oh no”. Before we left on our trip, we made sure that my in-laws had keys to check on things, shovel snow, etc.. but I guess in all of the preparation of the trip, we apparently gave both sets of our keys to her family. The same family members that were at home sleeping because, well, it is 1:45 in the morning after all. After a very brief “conversation”, we made the call and within a few minutes they arrived with our keys. We were finally inside our home.
The past 12 hours felt like the longest month of my life. Obviously, if the proverbial glass is half-full, the redeeming factor(s) is that we spent the holidays with family and that we all traveled home safely. Not a day goes by where I do not Thank the Almighty to have the family I do. Can we laugh about all of this now? Well… sure…but it still really is more of an awkward laugh. Twitter
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