Travelling Day!

Ah, travelling with 2 children. We’ve never done that. It was an adventure to be sure. We started Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 7am. Actually, I think we hit the road about 10 minutes earlier, much to my delight. I never get out the door on time. Colin’s mom and her partner, Len, drove us to Edmonton to catch our first flight to Vancouver. We got there early and then waited for several hours and I tell ya, we hadn’t even flown yet and I was exhausted. I knew that wasn’t a good sign.

My major worry all along was Silas. He’s SO busy. Hates confinement. Impossible to entertain or distract if he’s got his mind set on something else. So, I just didn’t know what to expect from him. The first flight was fine. He got antsy, but it was just over an hour, so no big deal.

In Vancouver, we made our way from the domestic terminal to international. Man, that airport is huge!! Colin and I each carried a large carseat (I will not check those – they’re way too expensive and important to get knocked around by baggage handlers), Colin had a backpack and another carry-on, I had Silas on my back in the Ergo carrier, plus my carry-on, and Ethan had his backpack and magnetic doodle pad. We were very bogged down and heard much whining from the 4 year old. But he was a trooper and we made it to our gate. We got the boys in their pajamas (it was 7pm) and prepared to board.

Our flight was direct from Vancouver to Auckland, which was lovely. I LOATHE passing through U.S. airports, so it was a huge relief to know we didn’t have to this time. We got bulkhead seats, so lots of leg room and they gave us a bassinet for Silas. By the time we took off, I had two very tired, very hungry children on my hands. Luckily they served dinner as soon as they could, but that was the beginning of our first trial.

Ethan’s not much of an eater. Okay, let me rephrase, he doesn’t eat much variety. He has major sensory issues and they come to light most often in the food department. The meal they served was not quite “right”. There were things he’d normally eat, but they were presented “wrong” – the chicken nuggets were soggy, the bun was too hard, the potatoes “didn’t taste like anything”, the yogurt had chunks. *sigh* He ate a piece of cheese. It was awful. We were getting anxious because we knew how hungry he was and that because we were on a plane, he wouldn’t have the chance to eat again for HOURS. And our anxiety came out as anger and then he lost it and just started screaming and for at least 2 or 3 minutes (which felt like 2 or 3 hours), I just wanted to die. Finally, Colin’s and my meals came and we gave him everything we could from our meals that he would eat – more cheese, some crackers, my bun (which was softer). And not too long after dinner, a kind flight attendant also gave us two bananas for the boys.

Not long after that, we got them to sleep. And even slept ourselves for a bit. I think Ethan slept a total of about 5.5 hours (not great, but not terrible) and Silas for about 7. Silas slept a little later on, too, for about an hour. The total flying time was 14 hours. There were some dodgy times with Silas getting really antsy, and then mealtimes when we were trying to balance 4 trays on 2 tray tables, while one of us held Silas and Silas tried to grab EVERYTHING! (Ethan’s tray table couldn’t be used because he was sitting in his carseat and the table couldn’t lie flat). We each had our own individual TVs, which was great, as Ethan was kept busy with kids’ shows. Towards the end of the flight, he also made friends with a boy across the aisle and they played for a bit. That boy’s mom was travelling alone with him (3 years) and her 8-month old. I just kept telling myself that at least I could pass Silas off to Colin and at least we didn’t ALL have to trek to the tiny bathroom together every single time. Mind you, her kids were (to my eyes and ears) much more subdued than mine. But wow, bless her for making that trip on her own.

Once we landed in Auckland, more chaos ensued. By then, Ethan’s lack of sleep was really catching up with him and dragging him through the airport was harder than ever. He’s not the best listener in the world at the best of times, but now he wasn’t listening at all! We were at the customs desk, trying to pry him away from the table with the customs cards (he was “filling out” his own), and trying to get him to look at the customs officer, who was trying to compare our passport pictures to us to make sure we really were us. I don’t think Ethan ever complied, but the officer was kind enough to let it go. Good thing Ethan already looks quite sullen in his passport photo.

Then we waited with our 3 carts for our baggage. And we waited. And waited. And waited. Everything was delayed. We only had an hour and a half and I was certain we’d miss our connecting flight to Wellington. The bags came and we tried to maneuver 3 large carts overflowing with stuff through the airport. First we went through the biohazard section and had to take everything OFF the carts, onto the belt that went into the x-ray machine, and put it all back ON the carts. Then we went through another line where they looked at our customs cards again and of course, because we’ve been living on a farm, had to check our shoes. Then we got to the desk to recheck our bags, but they saw when our connector was and immediately sent us to the domestic terminal. To get there, we had to catch a shuttle. What chaos as we tried to load our bags, and keep Ethan from wandering away, and keep the carts from rolling away and tipping off the curb. It was hot and humid and I hadn’t showered or slept well in over 24 hours. We got in the shuttle bus and got over to the domestic terminal.

There, we were told that we had too many bags, even though we had been told and it had been confirmed that the number was fine. So we had to pay a fee. We DID miss our flight, so we were put on one an hour later. Up at our gate, I was able to change my shirt at least, which helped, but I was ready to fall asleep on my feet. Somehow, Ethan perked up. I think because I gave him Smarties, and somehow, Silas was perfectly happy and upbeat. After our last hour long flight, we were certainly ready to NOT fly anywhere for a very long time.

In Wellington, we were met by our friend, Darryl, from Levin. He was dressed in a 3 piece suit, with an official looking Air NZ hat on his head, holding a sign with our name on it. I almost walked right past him, as I was not looking for someone with a sign. Colin saw him and we laughed. Poor Darryl had stood there in his “costume” an hour earlier, too, for the flight we were supposed to have been on, and we never showed. Sorry, Darryl.

He drove us to Levin, where we caught up a bit with him and his wife, Lynette and their family. After a short lunch, he drove us the rest of the way to Wanganui, our new home. We were horrible car-mates, falling asleep and/or dozing all the way there. Even Ethan. And that child does not fall asleep in the car.

Sadly, no photos of the journey. We meant to take some. Travelling with two kids will do that to you. ;)

End of day one. More to come.