the plane

Charlotte's first ride on an airplane! (My third, second that I can remember!) I was so nervous to take a 20 month old on such a long flight and we had one, very large carry-on suitcase packed to the brim with toys, puzzles, books, crayons, paper and snacks. We couldn't even fit said suitcase on the first plane, as it was a teeny-tiny propeller plane and it had to go in the storage underneath! Thankfully, that journey was only to Montreal, it was short, but not so sweet for me. Charlotte was unbelievable. She was content, slept a lot (it may have helped that our flight left at 6 am) and I was blown away. I was so prepared for the worst (and dreading it!).

On the other hand, I had pretty awful motion sickness and was actually sick twice on this flight and then once on the next. I was pretty miserable and Charlotte was happy as a clam!! The trip from Montreal to Vancouver went smoothly as well. Charlotte slept, and loved the tiny tv screens in the seats! We had even brought our laptop with a couple Wiggles DVDs for emergencies, but didn't need to use it until our trip home.

I breastfed Charlotte during most take-offs and landings and she did well with this until the flights home. She wasn't as happy on the way home and did not want to be held still. Unlike some of the forums I had read prior to leaving, the flight attendants did not say boo about me breastfeeding sans blanket on the plane. I was pleased that it was not an issue and it helped lull Charlotte to sleep a few times.

I also wanted to say a huge THANKS to all who wrote comments and sent me e-mails with tips for traveling with babes. It was very helpful and I didn't get a chance to thank everyone individually. If you are thinking about traveling while your toddler is still free... might as well give it a try! It might be insane, but they might completely surprise you! :)