Safe travels

I haven't posted for a while because of a busy week last week and a trip at the end of the week. The girls and I are now at my parents' house for about 10 days. L will join us later this week to make it a family affair.

This past weekend was my first time flying with both girls by myself -- and also Peanut's first time on a plane. I was anticipating it but not thoroughly dreading it. The two-hour flight is so much shorter than the 12+-hour car trip it usually takes to visit my parents.

The only worry in the back of my mind was getting through security, with all the shoe removal and bag juggling. I did a bit of research on the TSA website and actually found it quite helpful. One tip I capitalized on was that many kids resist putting their shoes and possessions on the X-ray conveyor (read: complete meltdown tantrums in the security line) because they think they'll never get their stuff back. TSA recommends discussing the security procedures with your children before you get to the airport so they'll know what to expect. I know that really helped with Jellybean.

I was pleasantly surprised with how helpful and supportive the TSA and airline employees were all down the line. For example, when I went to grab our stuff off the airport security conveyor, one of the TSA employees already had set up my stroller and had it ready for me to put Peanut in. I thanked them for being so kind. The girls got genuinely friendly attention from the flight attendants on the plane, and the pilot gave them a "trading card" with a picture of our plane on it, which they both loved.

The flight itself went very smoothly for the girls. We spent most of the time coloring, as soon as we could put our tray tables down. They got restless about the last 15-20 minutes, but luckily I had spare snacks, so I plied them with those until we landed.

They were so happy to see Grandma and Grandpa outside our gate that they took off running up the jetway. Jellybean really has been looking forward to the trip, and it's been interesting to me how much Peanut can comprehend now. She seemed to get it too, that we were flying on an airplane to see Grandma and Grandpa.

Update on the dentist: Jellybean did very well at the dentist last week. She didn't want anything to do with the suction tool (does anyone like that thing?), so the hygienist just skipped that and made do. No cavities and no worries, and they let her pick from a basket of toys when we left, which she thought was way cool. I "forgot" to bring that bouncy ball to Grandma and Grandpa's house...