our big looooong trip!

So now that's it's been like a month, I've decided I better post on our trip before I forget! Although, probably nobody is interested anymore. Oh well. Our internet is still not up...(that's also over a month, but that is a sore subject). 

Packing was a nightmare...good thing we started early. We were allowed three bags per person on British Airways (thats TWELVE pieces of checked), each of the girls got to check a car seat and stroller for free, and we each took a carry on and personal item. Let's add that up...thats 24 pieces. Now that is just crazy! We kept saying, there is no way we will use our entire allowance--especially since we already packed a crate and sent it ahead! Oh dear...boy were we wrong... This picture shows only 8 of our checked pieces and a few of our carry-ons...If you look closely, you can see Nate just staring in disbelief at the amount of stuff!

All in all, I really cannot complain about our trip. Both girls did fabulous...definitely much better than expected. Zoe pretty much watched her movies the entire time. And J-bug sat on my lap the entire time. One of the best decisions I EVER made was bringing my boppy pillow on board with me. So she just chilled most of the time. She alternated eating and sleeping. She was super comfy and I was super happy. 

All three times we boarded the plane, however, she was screaming. I mean, you can only push a 2-month old so far. She was uncomfortable and hot in the carrier and (of course) it was time to eat whenever it was time to board....poor planning on my part, eh? We also made some other really poor decisions...for instance, we thought it would be a good idea to bring 3 rolling carry-on suitcases and 4 personal items along with my boppy pillow and 2 children. So we were THOSE people. The one with a screaming newborn boarding the plane, the tired 2 year-old running out of control. I was trying to balance the baby on my front with the rolling suitcase behind me  (which had a big duffel bag tied on top that continuously fell off), Nate trying to verbally guide Zoe as he toted 2 rolling suitcases, a backpack, and 2 duffel bags. We got those really mean looks as our bags bounced back and forth and hit people already seated, oh and as we rolled over their toes. You could see the stares and almost hear their thoughts "this baby better not cry the entire flight." I could pick out the sympathetic mothers who obviously had made the same poor decisions in the past. And there were, of course, the fake smiles of people thinking, "that poor girl..." Luckily, as soon as we got seated and JP got fed, she calmed down and was good for all 3 flights. 

The last leg was the worst. British Airways used to fly directly to Dar, but no longer! So we had a long layover in London and then another layover in Nairobi where we changed airlines. But oh wait! British Airways allows us 3 bags per person (including the girls) and oh, Precision Airlines only allows 2 per person (and 1 each for the girls...even though they both had seats). We weren't willing to give up SIX bags. So....instead of checking our bags all the way to Dar, we checked them only to Nairobi. When we arrived in Nairobi, Nate left me and the girls at the terminal...got ALL our bags off the luggage carousel, re-checked those we were allowed on the last flight, took the ones we weren't (6 of 'em plus 2 car seats and 2 strollers), got a visa to enter Kenya, met a taxi driver outside the airport who loaded up all our extra bags and took them to storage for us. Nate re-entered the airport, got our boarding passes for the flight to Dar, went through security and made it back with plenty of time to spare! Here is where I would like to brag on my strong, masculine, good-looking, flexible, ever-so-helpful wonderful husband! And he does it all without complaining (I guess he figures I complain enough for the both of us, bless his heart).  

Zoe had slept just a bit over the 2 day trip. On the 9 hour trip from Atlanta to London, she slept maybe an hour. We got a hotel room in Lodon (they have special day rates) so we all took like a 2-hour nap. Then on the leg from London to Nairobi, she slept on the floor of the plane for about 2 hours. When we boarded the last plane from Nairobi to Dar, she was SO DONE. She was grumpy and whiny and we just knew we were in for a loooong trip. As we were taking off, Nate looked back at me (Jillian and I were behind Nate and Zoe) and gestured for me to take a look at Zoe...

She was so out! We waited for everyone to get off the plane and it took forever to wake her up! She was a trooper and so was jilli. We were super thankful that they did so well and sooo happy to have the longest trip of our lives behind us!