Splig was screaming in the airport even before we checked in. Husband was trying to work an overflowing luggage cart that was broken and I was juggling the carry-ons and kids. When we checked in, the airline no longer had us all in the same row. Panic! But by some miracle, they had back-to-back seats available, which ended up being a terrific solution. Two of us sat in front of the other two, so Splig could kick the back of the seat all he wanted!

We decided to take the risk and bring Splig’s car seat. Although a similar experience a few years ago with the Cat kicking the seat in front led us to believe sans car seat would be better, we determined that Splig’s spliggly nature would be such that having him contained in the seat would end up being better. (Trying to contain him on the flight out had led to a cut in my mouth that is still quite painful!) Despite the bulk of having it as a carry-on, it was worth it.

The man sitting next to Spliggle on the first return flight had a nine-month old. So he understood the screams and sudden arm movements. Thank goodness! Unfortunately, the landing proved difficult, so Spliggle was screaming for a good fifteen minutes or so. But for the second flight, the landing was not a problem. Whew! Also, one man sitting near us told us he had children ages two and four, so he also understood. We had a small child sitting in back of us who screamed more than Splig, so it was fine!

Then one saving grace was Husband’s “Milky Way Plan.” We had trouble getting Splig to drink or eat during the takeoff and landing of previous flights, but Husband reasoned that Spliggie couldn’t resist chocolate. Plus, Milky Ways are chewy, so promote lots of jaw-mashing ear-popping action.

We had a bit of difficulty with the Cat. He was exhausted, but also wound-up from the activities earlier in the day. He was sad to be saying goodbye to his grandparents (they had been in the adjacent hotel room so they could spend time with the boys while Husband and I went to our events.) He was probably also nervous about the flight a bit. So he started to become aggressive and loud. He kicked the seat in front of him (mainly inadvertently, but sometimes as a point.) He even used some objectionable language that typically does not come out of his mouth. He growled and made claws with his hands, “hmmf”ing at us and telling us to go away. Finally, he was so angry at us that he fell asleep for the remainder of the flight.

Another potential disaster was that the milk I packed for the boys went sour. We discovered this while sitting on the tarmac before the 6.5 hour flight. The Captain announced that we were delayed and would be sitting for awhile. We soon learned that airplanes don’t have milk on them. When I saw the omission on the beverage list in the in-flight magazine I reasoned that surely they might have milk for coffee? Nope. No milk for kids. No milk for coffee. By some miracle, Splig was happy with some water, and I remembered I had some juice boxes of milk that the Cat happily drank. They slept long enough that they weren’t thirsty.

Relieved that the kids had made it through the flight, we then began another series of potentially trying events. We touched down much later than expected. We lost the Cat’s sandals and were scouring the plane before discovering them in Husband’s carry-on. Splig’s stroller wasn’t at the gate but we were told it must have been taken to baggage claim. I had to carry a spliggling-Spliggle all the way to baggage claim while also juggling my carry-ons.

They lost the stroller. They say it was never loaded onto the plane. After a search and some paperwork, we left with a cheap loner stroller. Hopefully our actual stroller will be returned to us shortly.

When we got to the parking lot, we discovered that navigating our belongings would be more difficult than anticipated. We had flown United out, but a US Air flight (by United) back. So we were in a different terminal in the middle of the night. The latter matters because it appeared the AirTrain was no longer running (though it may have been) and because if we had wanted to find help, it would have been tricky to find assistance. We knew where our car was, but the way the parking lot was set up, there were concrete barriers between each terminal type. It would not be a problem for a fully mobile person with luggage he or she could carry, but for a baggage cart, stroller, or a wheelchair, it would be impossible. We wheeled the luggage cart up to one barrier. I unloaded the cart to the closest portion of the United section while Husband drove our car closer.

At 2:45 am, we arrived back home. I went to bed at 3:30am. We awakened at 7am to prepare for Monday.

Amazingly, the kids did fine at preschool yesterday and maintained their sleep schedules. The Cat had a long nap yesterday afternoon, but then he awakened this morning at the regular time. Splig is happy, not congested, and back to a normal sleep schedule.

I am still exhausted, and I have a bunch of little things to do (and how they add up!) The laundry is almost done, the unpacking is done. I have some follow-ups from the Conference to do, and other such things. Then this morning, a second toilet overflowed (the first had right before our trip) and the sink wasn’t draining properly. So the plumber just fixed both toilets, a sink, and is now working on our slow-draining tub. While awaiting the plumber, Spliggle dumped a carton of chocolate milk on the floor. I know one isn’t supposed to cry over spilt milk, but oh did I want to given that I had just mopped up toilet water.

But things are returning to normal, and the recovery from the trip should be complete in another day or so!