As most of you know, Isabella and I flew to North Carolina in late October. Taking a 2 month old on a 22 hour flight across the world was no picnic by myself but we made it and Isabella did well, sleeping most of the way. After spending time with family and enjoying our time back in our home town (Matthew came a little later) we finally had to say our goodbyes and come back to Guam. This time around I was so thankful that I had Matthew there to help me with Isabella on the flights because over the course of the 2 months that we were home she had become a more active baby and didn't sleep as long as when we took the first flights. Needless to say, I was nervous about how she would do on the journey back.
The day started out fine. We woke early and gathered everything into the car and drove to the airport with my mom and Nina. After checking in our luggage and getting our tickets we went up to the USO to relax and have some breakfast before going through security. When the time came to head down and make our way through security the line was supper short and Isabella was almost asleep in the carrier on Matthew. We thought our luck was looking up. But we ran into our first snag when the security check point guard said we needed to have an infant ticket for Isabella. I had to hand over all our bags for Matthew to go through security ahead of me while I went back to the check-in counter to get Isabella's ticket.
Getting her ticket wasn't too bad and I was able to cut back to the front of the line and go straight through security with no problems. Isabella was sleeping by this time and we were able to get on the plane while she slept. She woke up soon after but the blessing of having Matthew on the flight is we were able to take turns entertaining her and eventually she fell back to sleep on Matthew's lap during that 2.5 hour flight. Soon we were in Chicago and we had just enough time to walk from one gate to the next where we were standing in line to board our next flight from Chicago to Tokyo. This flight was our longest at 13 hours! We got to the gate where they scan your boarding pass and that is where this turned horribly wrong.
The lady scanning our boarding passes asked to see Isabella's passport. Isabella doesn't have a passport! She isn't even 4 months old! We were not able to get her a passport in time for the trip home. They pulled us aside and in the about 10 minutes that they had before they closed the gate Matthew had to decide to split up from Isabella and I to go on the flight alone and make it back to Guam in time for work. We literally had minutes to make this decision. Needless to say I was devastated and in tears that we were going to be split up and that I was going to have to manage another way home myself.
So here we are: Isabella nursing to stop her fussiness and me crying while Matthew boards the plane that we were all supposed to be on together. United set me up with another set of flights to get me home but it was going to be another day and half before that happened. I was now set to fly to San Francisco in 5 hours then stay in San Francisco over night and catch a flight to Hawaii in the morning then from Hawaii finally to Guam.
I went to the USO in Chicago to wait out the time before my next flight. I did a lot of walking during this whole ordeal. Remember all I have with me now is my diaper bag and Isabella strapped onto me in a carrier. The USO was packed and I ended up on the floor with Isabella trying to play and keep her occupied until she would fall asleep. I was able to get some free food at the USO though. Of course she finally falls asleep when I have to put her back in the carrier to walk to our gate for the next flight. So here I am again walking through O'Hare with a screaming baby trying to get to my gate. And of course as soon as I get there and get her changed and ready for the flight, my gate changes and now it is on the other side of the terminal! I probably ended up walking at least 4 miles in that airport and wasn't done yet. The flight to San Francisco was 4.5 hours long and we got there at about 8:30 pm their time. Isabella did OK during that flight as she slept most of the way. More walking now commenced! I had to walk from one terminal to the next (about a mile) to get to the customer service desk and find out where I was going to be sleeping that night. They put me up in a hotel called Aloft next to the airport and a shuttle bus took me there. The hotel was actually pretty nice and if Isabella had let me sleep at all I wouldn't have been too upset with the arrangement. However, given it was a new place and I didn't have any of the tools that we usually use to put her to sleep with, Isabella didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time and for only a total of about 6 hours before she was wide awake and refused to sleep anymore.
We went to the airport early that morning and got through security and to our gate pretty quickly. Isabella fell asleep on me while we were walking thought the airport so I was able to get some breakfast and sit down for a while. But yet again I go up to check the departure board for the status of our flight and the gate is changed! I have to walk to the other side of the terminal again! This time we had a 5 hour flight and Isabella was not having anything to do with sleep. She fought it the whole time! The one time that she actually did sleep it was only for about 40 minutes. The only way that I could keep her calm was walking her up and down the isles of the plane! It was miserable and I hate to say that I was 'that parent' and few times...the one that had the screaming baby that she couldn't get quiet. I tried everything but as soon as Isabella realized that I was trying to get her to sleep she would start crying. That was the most exhausting flight of the whole trip.
Finally we made it to Hawaii and it was about 9 am their time. I had about an hour and a half to get some food and board the next plane to Guam. Isabella seemed to settle down a bit and that flight wasn't as bad because I had an empty seat next to me. She had a few fussy periods again and I would walk her around the plane until she fell asleep. That flight was 7 hours long and by the time that I got into Guam I was practically dead on my feet with exhaustion. I had been going for over 34 hours on about 5 hours of actual sleep and maybe a few hours of dozing off on the planes if Isabella was sleeping.
Finally, I was home. It was a little surreal to be back in Guam after being gone for so long and I never thought that I would be so happy to be back! Needless to say, I don't want to go on another plane for at least a good six months or so! I have had it with flying for now.
So the post was so long but thanks for reading it anyways! I figured I had to get this whole experience out because one day (not any day soon) I am sure I will look back and laugh about the time that Matthew and I had to split up because Isabella didn't have a passport to go through Japan on our flight back to Guam. Maybe? I hope one day I will look back and think that this was a good learning experience or something. Maybe there will be something good to come out of it.
Anyways....thanks for reading. Time to take a nap!
The day started out fine. We woke early and gathered everything into the car and drove to the airport with my mom and Nina. After checking in our luggage and getting our tickets we went up to the USO to relax and have some breakfast before going through security. When the time came to head down and make our way through security the line was supper short and Isabella was almost asleep in the carrier on Matthew. We thought our luck was looking up. But we ran into our first snag when the security check point guard said we needed to have an infant ticket for Isabella. I had to hand over all our bags for Matthew to go through security ahead of me while I went back to the check-in counter to get Isabella's ticket.
Getting her ticket wasn't too bad and I was able to cut back to the front of the line and go straight through security with no problems. Isabella was sleeping by this time and we were able to get on the plane while she slept. She woke up soon after but the blessing of having Matthew on the flight is we were able to take turns entertaining her and eventually she fell back to sleep on Matthew's lap during that 2.5 hour flight. Soon we were in Chicago and we had just enough time to walk from one gate to the next where we were standing in line to board our next flight from Chicago to Tokyo. This flight was our longest at 13 hours! We got to the gate where they scan your boarding pass and that is where this turned horribly wrong.
The lady scanning our boarding passes asked to see Isabella's passport. Isabella doesn't have a passport! She isn't even 4 months old! We were not able to get her a passport in time for the trip home. They pulled us aside and in the about 10 minutes that they had before they closed the gate Matthew had to decide to split up from Isabella and I to go on the flight alone and make it back to Guam in time for work. We literally had minutes to make this decision. Needless to say I was devastated and in tears that we were going to be split up and that I was going to have to manage another way home myself.
So here we are: Isabella nursing to stop her fussiness and me crying while Matthew boards the plane that we were all supposed to be on together. United set me up with another set of flights to get me home but it was going to be another day and half before that happened. I was now set to fly to San Francisco in 5 hours then stay in San Francisco over night and catch a flight to Hawaii in the morning then from Hawaii finally to Guam.
I went to the USO in Chicago to wait out the time before my next flight. I did a lot of walking during this whole ordeal. Remember all I have with me now is my diaper bag and Isabella strapped onto me in a carrier. The USO was packed and I ended up on the floor with Isabella trying to play and keep her occupied until she would fall asleep. I was able to get some free food at the USO though. Of course she finally falls asleep when I have to put her back in the carrier to walk to our gate for the next flight. So here I am again walking through O'Hare with a screaming baby trying to get to my gate. And of course as soon as I get there and get her changed and ready for the flight, my gate changes and now it is on the other side of the terminal! I probably ended up walking at least 4 miles in that airport and wasn't done yet. The flight to San Francisco was 4.5 hours long and we got there at about 8:30 pm their time. Isabella did OK during that flight as she slept most of the way. More walking now commenced! I had to walk from one terminal to the next (about a mile) to get to the customer service desk and find out where I was going to be sleeping that night. They put me up in a hotel called Aloft next to the airport and a shuttle bus took me there. The hotel was actually pretty nice and if Isabella had let me sleep at all I wouldn't have been too upset with the arrangement. However, given it was a new place and I didn't have any of the tools that we usually use to put her to sleep with, Isabella didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time and for only a total of about 6 hours before she was wide awake and refused to sleep anymore.
We went to the airport early that morning and got through security and to our gate pretty quickly. Isabella fell asleep on me while we were walking thought the airport so I was able to get some breakfast and sit down for a while. But yet again I go up to check the departure board for the status of our flight and the gate is changed! I have to walk to the other side of the terminal again! This time we had a 5 hour flight and Isabella was not having anything to do with sleep. She fought it the whole time! The one time that she actually did sleep it was only for about 40 minutes. The only way that I could keep her calm was walking her up and down the isles of the plane! It was miserable and I hate to say that I was 'that parent' and few times...the one that had the screaming baby that she couldn't get quiet. I tried everything but as soon as Isabella realized that I was trying to get her to sleep she would start crying. That was the most exhausting flight of the whole trip.
Finally we made it to Hawaii and it was about 9 am their time. I had about an hour and a half to get some food and board the next plane to Guam. Isabella seemed to settle down a bit and that flight wasn't as bad because I had an empty seat next to me. She had a few fussy periods again and I would walk her around the plane until she fell asleep. That flight was 7 hours long and by the time that I got into Guam I was practically dead on my feet with exhaustion. I had been going for over 34 hours on about 5 hours of actual sleep and maybe a few hours of dozing off on the planes if Isabella was sleeping.
Finally, I was home. It was a little surreal to be back in Guam after being gone for so long and I never thought that I would be so happy to be back! Needless to say, I don't want to go on another plane for at least a good six months or so! I have had it with flying for now.
So the post was so long but thanks for reading it anyways! I figured I had to get this whole experience out because one day (not any day soon) I am sure I will look back and laugh about the time that Matthew and I had to split up because Isabella didn't have a passport to go through Japan on our flight back to Guam. Maybe? I hope one day I will look back and think that this was a good learning experience or something. Maybe there will be something good to come out of it.
Anyways....thanks for reading. Time to take a nap!
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