Side bar…. this guy travels so much that he actually holds the concierge key for American Airlines. You know the Black Card that George Clooney is after in Up in The Air? Yeah, Steve Henry has it. And frankly it is AMAZING! Red ropes upon curb arrival, bell hops, no terrible long lines (actually, they told steve that he didn't have to go through security but that his wife and children did…smart move on his part to stay behind with us minions).
Step 2: Get through the 5 hour plane ride with three babies!
We may have had a red rope reception, but the rest of the airport could care less about the parents pushing their three kids in two strollers, pulling our weight in luggage and one cannot forget the two carseats strapped to our backs. As Steve likes to say he had become, "that guy" in airport. Pack. Mule. Thank God my mom and dad were kind enough to fly through LA and get on the same flight as us! I seriously have no idea how we would have survived without them.
I don't remember much about the flight to Hawaii. That probably means that it went well. I do remember that after landing and seeing the ginormous chevy suburban we had rented for the week Nolan announced, "I so happy Daddy!" This was the first time he had verbalized and expressed pure emotion with his words. An amazing moment for Steve and I.
Being in Hawaii was amazing. Having our kids splash around in the warm ocean water and seeing them grow a strong and special bond with their wito and wita was a dream. What wasn't a dream was our run in with what we like to call "the sleep terrorist." Jackson Quinn Henry. Keeping his family hostage absolutely, every single, morning from 3am until sunrise. The first night we were a little unsure of what we were hearing…was it a growl? A moan? A cry? Imagine a mixture or all three. Super awesome sound, right? Especially at 3am for at least 3 hours! By the third morning even little 2 year old Nolan had had enough…we heard the tiniest voice, barely awake enough to grunt, "no, Jacque, no" (at that age Nolan sounded a lot like a frenchman).
Somehow, with the help of wito and wita, we were able to shake it off every morning and have an amazing time. Lots of pool time, coffee, beach time, and coffee. I even managed to get some pretty cool Christmas pictures done….that's right. Christmas in August. I'm always prepared people. Always prepared...
Step 3 (or maybe 4 or 5…): Get through the 5 hour flight home. This one I remember. I remember it well (Insert sad face here). We were about 3.5 hours into the flight and poor Jacky could just not get comfortable and decided that he wanted to scream, cry, and thrash as loud and as hard as he possibly could….for the remainder of the flight. I couldn't find a way to make him feel comfortable. I tried everything. Paci, bottle, blanket, book, bear…nothing. Just thrashing and screaming. Back arching. Total terror. So what did I do? I just sat there and cried with him. My poor family tried to help, but they were occupied with the other two. I was his mom, I should have known what to do. I didn't. So I just cried.
The stewardess could sense my anxiety and gently took him from my arms and told me to just relax. She took him to the back of the plane so he could here the hum of the jets. I don't know her name, I can't even remember what she looked like…but she is my angel and I will never forget her. I took a deep breath and I did what any stressed out, self respecting mom from California would do and had a glass of Chardonnay.
I took my time, enjoyed it, gathered my thoughts and finally got the nerve to go to the back of the plane and get my little guy back. He wasn't asleep. He wasn't happy. BUT I had recharged AND the plane was about to land! I don't think anyone was happier to be home then Jack!
p.s. wish us luck….we are about to do this again this summer!
Step 2: Get through the 5 hour plane ride with three babies!
We may have had a red rope reception, but the rest of the airport could care less about the parents pushing their three kids in two strollers, pulling our weight in luggage and one cannot forget the two carseats strapped to our backs. As Steve likes to say he had become, "that guy" in airport. Pack. Mule. Thank God my mom and dad were kind enough to fly through LA and get on the same flight as us! I seriously have no idea how we would have survived without them. I don't remember much about the flight to Hawaii. That probably means that it went well. I do remember that after landing and seeing the ginormous chevy suburban we had rented for the week Nolan announced, "I so happy Daddy!" This was the first time he had verbalized and expressed pure emotion with his words. An amazing moment for Steve and I.Being in Hawaii was amazing. Having our kids splash around in the warm ocean water and seeing them grow a strong and special bond with their wito and wita was a dream. What wasn't a dream was our run in with what we like to call "the sleep terrorist." Jackson Quinn Henry. Keeping his family hostage absolutely, every single, morning from 3am until sunrise. The first night we were a little unsure of what we were hearing…was it a growl? A moan? A cry? Imagine a mixture or all three. Super awesome sound, right? Especially at 3am for at least 3 hours! By the third morning even little 2 year old Nolan had had enough…we heard the tiniest voice, barely awake enough to grunt, "no, Jacque, no" (at that age Nolan sounded a lot like a frenchman).
Somehow, with the help of wito and wita, we were able to shake it off every morning and have an amazing time. Lots of pool time, coffee, beach time, and coffee. I even managed to get some pretty cool Christmas pictures done….that's right. Christmas in August. I'm always prepared people. Always prepared...
Step 3 (or maybe 4 or 5…): Get through the 5 hour flight home. This one I remember. I remember it well (Insert sad face here). We were about 3.5 hours into the flight and poor Jacky could just not get comfortable and decided that he wanted to scream, cry, and thrash as loud and as hard as he possibly could….for the remainder of the flight. I couldn't find a way to make him feel comfortable. I tried everything. Paci, bottle, blanket, book, bear…nothing. Just thrashing and screaming. Back arching. Total terror. So what did I do? I just sat there and cried with him. My poor family tried to help, but they were occupied with the other two. I was his mom, I should have known what to do. I didn't. So I just cried.
The stewardess could sense my anxiety and gently took him from my arms and told me to just relax. She took him to the back of the plane so he could here the hum of the jets. I don't know her name, I can't even remember what she looked like…but she is my angel and I will never forget her. I took a deep breath and I did what any stressed out, self respecting mom from California would do and had a glass of Chardonnay.
I took my time, enjoyed it, gathered my thoughts and finally got the nerve to go to the back of the plane and get my little guy back. He wasn't asleep. He wasn't happy. BUT I had recharged AND the plane was about to land! I don't think anyone was happier to be home then Jack!
p.s. wish us luck….we are about to do this again this summer!
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