The Long Flight to China
Thursday, July 3rd 2008
Author: Lynne Wymore Moo
My husband and I had a bet going. We wagered that our 2-year-old would not sleep the entire flight. Her 9 month-old-sister? Maybe. But Jie Jie? No way.
My husband said that was impossible. No child under 5 could be woken at 5:00 in the morning, placed on an airplane at 10:00 am, and not sleep on said airplane for the following 14 hours. I responded that Jie Jie has done many impressive things in her short life, and that staying awake for 20 hours will not be the least of them.
Lucky for me, we never set the terms of the wager.
At 1:00am the morning of our flight, Mei Mei woke up with the stomach flu. She threw up 3 times over the next two hours. With Mei Mei finally settled down, clean and sleeping, I peeked in on Jie Jie. The poor baby had been attacked by the stomach flu as well, and her bed was a smelly mess. More baths, more laundry, and more sleepy babies. I was still cleaning when alarm clocks woke the rest of the family.
Mamas, take note. The stomach flu may just be the best way to travel with babies. Both children climbed into their seats on the plane and fell fast asleep. Mei Mei kept down two bottles, and remained otherwise quiet. Jie Jie spent her few waking hours with her head resting on my lap. My bags heavy-laden with new toys and books went entirely untouched, and now sit on a high closet shelf waiting for our next long flight, when I fear both of my children may be perfectly healthy.
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