The flight home

I think I was dreading the flight home even more than the night flight over. Flying with a catnapping baby who doesn't like to sit still, and is only happy when exploring outside was making me dream up nightmare scenarios of 9 hours of screaming.

Thankfully, I had Husband on the flight back to help me. While he waited in the massive line (Xmas holidays), I walked Pichan around in the Ergo, trying to get him to sleep as it was getting well past nap time. After trying for an hour or so, Husband finally got to the front of the queue so I gave up, checked in and proceeded to security. Wouldn't you know that as soon as we got there, he fell asleep. It wouldn't have been a problem, except that at Gold Coast airport you go through domestic security and then international- and domestic is WAYYY stricter than international. This meant I had to take my over tired, finally sleeping baby out of the carrier. Talk about horrible. Somehow we managed to keep him asleep while I unstrapped, carried him through the scanner, and then restrapped. Of course they wanted to check me for explosives (running the wand over me and my sleeping baby). Thankfully, still asleep. Though, not 5 mins after we got through, the constant bombardment of the boarding messages over the P.A woke him. Which meant I was getting on an international flight with a very over tired baby.

Again the feed on take off meant no problem for his ears (though he was starving by the time I could give him milk). We decided to wait for 2 hours for his next nap, and kept him entertained in the bassinet, or playing in our laps. At nap time though he did not want to sleep in his bassinet. Cried until he started screaming (even with my arms around him and trying to pat him to sleep). I gave up for the other passengers benefit and strapped him back in the Ergo, and soon enough, he was asleep. Then, he stayed that way for nearly 2 hours. Husband and I did nothing for the first hour and a bit, certain that he would wake up. But after the hour mark he kept sleeping, so out came the Ipods and Ipads.

After his wake up it was a three hour tag team of trying to keep him amused. We rotated between playing in his bassinet, playing on our laps and walking around the plane. We brough on two bags filled with toys, but of course he just wasn't interested in them, or not more than for 30 seconds. A 30 min nap and then another 2 and a bit hours of keeping him amused and then we had landed without isue.

I was so happy to be back in the country- especially as it was Japanese efficiency that meant our bags were soon out on the carousel and then a train in 10 mins. We finally got home about 10pm, and little Pi was sooo stare-y by the end of it. He was just too tired to cry.

He was such a trouper though, and such a good boy. We were so proud of him! Still, I wouldn't want to do it again in a hurry.