California Day 12

Packed up and ready to leave the hotel 

Watching planes during our delayed departure

We made it home safe and sound! The flight went very well yet again, for which we are so grateful.

John and Mary were quiet as mice thanks to watching pre-downloaded cartoons on the iPad for the entire flight. I am adamantly opposed to children watching TV in the van while driving around town or their carrying personal electronic devices, lest they experience one moment of boredom (please don't let me eat my words some day), but I'm willing to compromise for something so unusual as the occasional and long airplane flight. Anyway, except for one incident of a certain brother pouring out a bottle of water on a certain sister's head, they behaved perfectly.

Margaret was happy for the first half hour. Then I knew she was tired, so put her in my Ergo, which signals her to go to sleep. But she was on a noisy, stimulating airplane, so instead she screamed bloody murder for 30 minutes. I must be calming down a bit as a mother (at least as regards the baby phase) because my heart rate didn't even register a blip. I felt totally calm and sat in my seat with the baby screaming and thrashing in my Ergo. After 30 minutes, she fell asleep for three glorious hours, then woke for one final happy hour before landing.

We are so glad to be back in our nest after a very successful vacation!