A True "Red-Eye" flight....

When we traveled home from Moscow, I feared the 14-hour flight with a 2 y.o. -- moreso than Court or parenthood, in general. We were so pleasantly surprised when Kristina did wonderfully -- playing and sleeping. Did I really think we would have a re-play of the same scenario on last night's flight? Oh, how naive I was!!!!

Our flight left LAX at 10:22pm and was to arrive in Orlando at 6:15am (3:15am PST). I assumed since this was "sleep time" she'd sleep. I couldn't have been any more wrong. She cried for about the first 90 minutes and then jumped/played/babbled at full-throttle for another hour. Then she began to yell out the dreaded "Ka-Kahhhh, Ka-Kahhhhh" over and over again. Off to the shoebox the airlines call a "Lavatory" where our little princess faked me out. Not once, but twice.

The flight attendant was so sweet and played peek-a-boo. Another sweet lady who was sitting directly across from us picked Kristina up in one quick swoop to carry on the babbling conversation that Kristina spear-headed. I mean -- I don't even think Kristina even came up for air --- she just talked and talked and talked this lady's ears off! Of course, my attachment radar went haywire ("don't pick up my child...we're trying to bond!") but I don't even think Kristina noticed that she wasn't on Mama's lap since she was talking non-stop and I have to admit, I was exhausted from wresting a wiggle-worm for 90 minutes. The lady did comment "you have so much patience with her." Should I have yelled at Kristina? I mean -- she's 2 years old, over-tired and restricted to seat with a belt! I, too, wanted to cry, kick and scream but feared embarrassing JD...

The attached photo is out of focus but it represents a moment in our life in which nothing was clear about it. Kristina was miserable, crying with her hand in her mouth and I am looking to JD as if to say "what do I do? how do I make her happy?"