There is never a good time for puking...

but it seems like kids sometimes know EXACTLY when would be one of the worst possible times.  Like, throwing up at home in the comfort of your own bathroom... too easy.  Even at home it has to be in the middle of the night, projectile floor to ceiling, or on the brand new carpet or when you've just finished getting dressed in your best suit on the day of a super important presentation or something, you know?

Tonight, my daughter puked for the second time in her life.  I can't really complain, because hello, she's just on 15 mos old, and only puked for the second time.  But the circumstances were what one might call less than desirable.

We went across town for dinner with my relatives tonight.  We had a lovely evening.  It was pretty warm, and my relatives don't have air conditioning, so at one point we decided to go outside to cool off, and let the kids play on the jungle gym a bit.  We were outside for only five minutes or so, when it started sprinkling on us.  We lasted a few more minutes before heading inside.

By the time we were ready to go, it was raining in earnest.  We had two umbrellas for 6 people, so basically we all got a little wet.  We ended up having to wait for the bus for a full 5 or so minutes, so we got more wet.  But then a lovely local driver did what seemed like everything he possibly could, to splash us as much as possible.  There was no escaping it.  So more wet.

We get on the bus, and by the time we get to the stop where we have no option but to get off, it is POURING. It's not just raining.  It's coming down sideways.   We had to go no more than 10 steps from the bus to the overhang of a nearby building and we were just drenched by the time we got there.  We knew there was no way we were going to get anywhere without getting soaked to the bone, so we decided to take a cab- conveniently lined up at the curb just in front of us.   Big decision because we're sort of big on car seat safety and stuff, and we were about to get in a cab without a car seat at all.  Apparently it is ok to do this as the cabby said nothing... so anyway...

By the time we get in the car, we are soaked to the bone.  But we settle in, knowing that we'll be home in a few minutes and able to dry off, put on warm pajamas and cuddle up.

There was a little mix-up with the cabby on which way to go, but we just watched the rivers of water flowing past us, and the spray as we sped through deeper puddles on the scenic route home.

So, then, here it comes.  We're about 4 blocks from home when my daughter starts fussing.  She's twisting and turning and she won't keep still.  She's crying.  Then, she turns toward me, and up-chucks a giant serving of cherries that she had munched down one after another a couple hours earlier.  Cherries.  You know what color those are?  RED.  And then one more giant heave and the rest of her cherries go straight down my shirt, covering my cleavage in chunks and juice.  ICK!  Oh also, I think there was some ice cream.

So my baby puked in the cab.  I had my seat belt on, so, she did get some on the seat belt.  Luckily (???), the rest was all over me, not the seats or anything.  Of course, I yell at my husband immediately for wipes out of the diaper bag, but he threw the bag in the trunk when he put the stroller in.  (Is it just my husband that doesn't remember time and again that my purse and the diaper bag need to be IN the car, not the trunk???)  So he tosses me his hat and I collect cherries and toss em in there, and then use my hand to wipe the cherry juice (which looks alarmingly like blood) off my child's chin.      

Thankfully, just as the smell was getting strong, we reached the house, and happily jumped out of the cab into the inches deep puddle the cabby had pulled into.  Of course, at this point I had to wake my daughter who had promptly closed her eyes and put her head down into the pool of vomit on my chest as soon as she had expelled it.  

My husband paid the driver, and we ran inside the house- although at this point, I'm not sure why we were running- we couldn't get any wetter or nastier, really.

I think we might have left a cherry or two on the seat- embarrassing!  I would have liked to have cleaned up, and apologized to the cabby- because if there is ever not a good time for puking- I'd say it's in a cab, when you're not even sitting in a car seat, and have nothing around to clean up with.  Go Beni!

Where is the most inopportune spot your kid has ever puked?

34 G and H

We've made it Stateside in one piece...but it was a looooooong journey.  Here's a run down of what we did over the last two days:

Sunday
3:30am: get up
4:50am: finally leave after packing car for 20 mins
5:15am:arrive at airport
9:30am: take off for Johannesburg an hour late
1:45pm: arrive in Joburg (adjust time +1 hour), rush to post office, mail boxes, check in for next flight, have lunch in food court, go through security, buy a couple things in duty free, go to gate (got to gate as boarding was already happening)
6:45pm: take off on time from Joburg headed to Frankfurt
Monday
5:00am arrive in Frankfurt to most boring terminal ever
5:00am-1:00pm: sit and be bored in airport
1:45pm: take off from Frankfurt for Denver
3:40pm: arrive in Denver (adjust time -7 hours)

So basically... those were some long days.  On the first flight from Luanda to Joburg, of course we were all tired because it was so freaking early.  We all slept on the plane a little.  This plane was VERY empty- we had 4 seats to ourselves in the bulk head.  Was wonderful! 

On the second flight, which was 10 hours long, we were in the bulk head, had three seats to ourselves, and had a bassinet.  It was also good.  Beni slept in the bassinet for a few hours, and Joel and I also managed to sleep a bit.  What helped is that this flight was during nighttime hours, so, they served us dinner, then they turned out all the lights, and only near the end, turned them back on and served us breakfast. 

The layover at Frankfurt airport was torturous.  We were in the most boring terminal EVER.  It only had a couple of shops- one newsstand and one duty free, one random electronics/toys shop.  And it had one cafe, and then a couple kiosks selling sausages and sandwiches.  No proper restaurant even.  So disappointing!  Also, needless to say, after having gotten up at 3:30am the morning before and only sleeping a few hours on the plane we were so tired.  We took turns napping at the gate, but, with Beni there, it never lasted more than 30-45 minutes.  It really seemed impossible that we had ANOTHER 10 hour flight ahead of us.  It was hard to fathom.

Well, the last flight, they stuck us in seats 34 G and H.  Row 32 was the bulk head.  We were not in it.  G and H were the aisle and the middle seat.  There was a young woman sitting in J, the window seat.  Beni had no room to play, we didn't even have any room for her toys.  There was no bassinet.  Oh, also, there were no personal tv screens!  Basically, this flight was off to a bad start.  Then, because this flight took off mid-day, and arrived mid-day, they decided that economy class should suffer through an extended length day.  Business class mind you went dark during the flight so they could comfortably watch movies on their personal screens.  Economy stayed lit up and bright THE WHOLE TRIP.  Do you know how easy it is to make some babies sleep when the room is as bright as day?  Yeah, that sucked.

Then, Joel took Beni back to one of the galleys to play on the floor for a little while.  It was ok for a while, but then, they were told they had to leave.  Joel was pretty cranky by then with the combination of crappy seats, no personal tvs, etc, so he complained that if we had been given baby appropriate seats, he wouldn't have to be back there (there were 4 grown men sitting in the bulk head, no babies).  So then a while after Joel came back, a stewardess came to us to hear him complain some more.  Eventually, she got the guy sitting on the aisle in the bulk head to switch seats with me, so they were able to put a bassinet up for Beni.  Thankfully that worked and she did sleep a little in it.  But then toward the very end of the flight she kept stirring in her sleep just enough to start screaming at the top of her lungs and flailing her body around like she was possessed by a demon.  The guy next to be assumed the brace position and covered his ears.  I thought that was classy.  I mean, I know my kid is screaming, but, really?  Could you be any more rude?  I kept forcing my boobs in her mouth and eventually she calmed down, and fell back asleep.

That plane couldn't land soon enough. Joel was sitting 2 rows behind me, in the middle seat, unable to help me and I was sitting there wanting to cry and scream myself.  It's very frustrating to deal with her in that state where she isn't really awake but is also definitely not asleep.  She won't be comforted, and only nursing calms her down, but it's hard to get the flailing, screaming body into position, not to mention getting the bra unhooked and shirt adjusted, etc, etc... so sometimes the screaming goes on for longer than you like.  Ah, the whole thing just sucks.  Needless to say, by the time we landed in Denver, we were SO ready to get off that plane. 

We let everyone around us get off first- neither Joel nor I in the mood to push and shove with the rest of them- and then just moved at a slow mosey on through immigration and customs.  We had bought a couple boxes of chocolates for our wonderful hosts here in Denver at the airport in Frankfurt, so of course, we declared those and ended up having to have all our bags x-rayedchai, and we met my sister-in-law and my nephew and we came home, and showered and had dinner and fell into a dead sleep by 9pm in my brother's kind sized bed (what a treat! We need one!).      

Today we've walked for miles in the sunshine, exploring the little town my younger brother lives in.  We had lunch a great little restaurant (Joel had a pepperoni pizza and I had a roasted beet salad- and we shared some fancy cheddar cheese + apple slices and fig jam and rosemary flatbread with Beni).  Then we walked some more and more and more and Beni napped in the stroller.  We walked all the way to a grocery store and I fell in love all over again, and we bought some baby snacks and baby food and...well, let's just say, this trip is now off to a good start.  This evening we'll head to the mountains with my older brother, and tomorrow Joel should actually get to go snowboarding. 

34 G and H finally seem behind us and we are happy people again.  Also, we now know for sure that there is no question about which approach to traveling is better.  We will always pick the longer layover/more days of traveling which includes a night in a hotel, over short layovers and pushing through less days of traveling.

Have you got a horror story of your own about traveling with or without a baby?