There is no way I can describe a 24-hour, 3-plane-change journey with a newly adopted child. No one can convey that experience via the written word. It's simply not possible. What I will say is that if there were any other way to bring Button into our life I would have done it. I would have paid any amount of money (were it ours) not to have had to do that. It was the most unpleasant experience of my life and I am not a wimp. I once made the trip home from Thailand with typhoid fever. This was worse. Much worse.
Button was actually pretty good, all things considered. He is always pretty good. He is a great kid! We took the non-stop flight BKK to LAX which left at 6:30pm so by the time they finished the dinner service he was exhausted and ready for sleep. We were super lucky to be on a 1/2 full flight. The angels sang!! The seat between us was empty and since we were already in the bulkhead we were able to lay Button on the floor in front of our feet and he slept for about 6 hours straight. AMAZING! Travel tip: even if you suspect that your child is too big or won't use the bassinet service offered by almost all airlines go ahead and order it anyway because it will ensure you a bulkhead row. Your child must be 2 yr's or under to use the bassinet on most airlines so we just squeaked by and, of course, Button was way too big but the bulkhead row is soooooo worth it! Another travel tip: don't make the mistake of ordering the "baby meal" on Thai airlines if traveling with a toddler. It is jars of baby food so if your kid is a big eater like Button then Mommy will go hungry all the way across the pacific.
Once Button woke up though... we still had 5 hours left to go and he was mad! We walked the aisles, we played with every toy in the bag (and we brought a bunch), the stewardess brought a Thai airlines goody bag, he played peek-a-boo with the lady across the row. Still time crawled by. It. Just. Crawled. Then just as they put on the seatbelt light for descent into LAX Button had a massive diaper blow out so severe it was bubbling up the back of his pant's waistband and the attendant wouldn't let me change him.
After a layover in LAX we still had to face down a 7 hr. red-eye to the east coast. When Button saw we were boarding another plane I think he went a little crazy but fortunately we had pleasant seat companions on the completely full flight and Button slept at least half way there. The rest of the way he screamed and threw toys. It was mind-boggling. We arrived in D.C. at dawn, ate breakfast and played chase and hide-and-go-seek with Button at a deserted gate while waiting 2 more hours for our shuttle flight home.
Was it worth it? Of course! What a ridiculous question. There isn't anything on earth that isn't "worth it" in order to be a family and be with our son. What advice would I give to traveling families? Prepare for the worst; leave optimism at home; take more toys, snacks and diapers than you imagine ever needing. Just in case this post is too bleak for some folks I've included a few of my favorite pics from our journey home as a bit of a cheer up.
--Rosemary
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13 comments:
It always amuses me when people 'assume' adoption is easy or at least easier than childbirth. I think both are hard but like you say, when you want to be a family, when you want to be a mother or a father, you will rise to the challenge AND succeed. WELCOME HOME BUTTON!!!
These pictures are wonderful. He is so cute!!
Welcome home! Button looks adorable sitting on the luggage cart.
The longest night of my life was the flight home from China with my new daughter. She slept most of the way but I worried constantly that she'd wake up and start screaming like she did on our first in-country flight. It didn't help that I was a new mom, couldn't sleep a wink on the flight, and was exhausted after 2 weeks in China. But we got through it. And doesn't it feel amazing to have your child home?!
Great photos.
And I wish you all good fortune for the future.
Ohh dear, well I guess this will make me appreciate a quiet flight out since the ride home may be a tad different. Glad you made it though, diaper explosion and all.
Everyone worries about the flight to the destination country. However, you are dead on regarding the way home. This is the roughest part. Not only because of the duration of the flight but because you are a new family, your child is experiencing air travel for the first time and airplane food. Your diaper story happend to me on the way back from China with our son. Our new daughter is an easy child but even given that fact the flight was a nightmare.
Congratulations again on button, he is adorable. You will see when you make those trips back and they are not adoption related how much smoother it feels.
I feel your pain. The flight home from Thailand with Sophi was a nightmare too. She still had yicky orphanage parasites and vomited/pooed on me too many times to count on the way home. I ended up buying a couple of new t-shirts at every stop because I knew they would all be totally disgusting by the time we landed in Kansas City. ;-)
I think many of us have a "diaper story" involving the flight home! You are right, though...nothing can prepare you for the flight home with your new child. Becky was an angel but wouldn't sleep for 30 straight hours! Lily screamed her head off so loudly and for so long that the man in front of us was literally pulling at his hair. I'm with you on the the bulkhead, too. I've been giving that advice to friends for 18 years! That extra room is so worth it.
yep! I hear ya! I feel your pain....with our son Aran I could have sworn we had been flying for at least 4 hrs and 20 minutes had passed..it didn't help that he pretty much screamed 20 + hours of a 30plus travel...sigh! and the worst is when you are a new parent too! because you are wondering- am i doing what I should be doing?
with the girls travel went way better, not to mention that we were so much more relaxed and had our son to provide some humorous entertainment (believe it or not form a 3 year old at the time!)....
you are right there just are not words...kim
Okay, I have to say, I was hoping for a diaper picture! Oh well. He is soooooo precious!
First off - He is so cute!
Secondly - oh dear - that sounds just plain awful and it sounds like you guys handled it well ;-) Thank goodness that's over! Any other flight will seem like a walk in the park!
First off - He is so cute!
Secondly - oh dear - that sounds just plain awful and it sounds like you guys handled it well ;-) Thank goodness that's over! Any other flight will seem like a walk in the park!
Okay, so even though I had already read this, I dragged Matt upstairs so that he could read it. By telling of it wasn't doing it justice.
We laughed, but we were only kind of laughing. At least forewarned is forearmed. Thanks for sharing!
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