Back to reality. Part 4.
It can be so hard to
come back from a vacation. You always end up more exhausted than when you left
and if you have two small children and have to fly with a stop that turned into
a 4 hour layover, you know why you are more exhausted. By time we got back home
we had all been up since 7am and only the baby slept for half an hour. Yes, it
was a maddening trip home. Everything you have night mares about happened.
We check out early
(8am) so we wouldn’t almost miss our plane like last time. Once we drove the
2.5 hour drive to the airport, our car rental place was so nice and dropped us
off right up front. We lugged the 3 huge suit cases, the 2 enormous car seats,
the 2 backpacks, 1 giant purse the kids pop up tent while I am carrying two
kids in both arms. We check in half of it (car seats, and 3 suit case). We have
been out of the car for 15 minutes checking everything and getting situated, by
which time we were already getting exhausted. This airport is huge and when we
first walk in someone just had a heart attack and people were finishing up
helping him out. Kinda freaky. It’s a 10 minutes’ walk just to get to security
and don’t even get me started on that. Jugglers, is what we became. Juggling
everything it takes to care for two kiddo’s on 2 plane rides in a day. At least
it’s just a plane stop not a change, much time in-between. Just kidding, it
turned into kids crying and not liking being strapped in a seat belt on the
plane. It turned into trying for an hour to keep them calm and happy while we
became the hated people on the plane. Before the first plane ride I got a call
that when we reach Las Vegas, we’d have a 4 hour layover and as we flew into
the city my husband and I feared that we’d experience a real life horror film.
Chloe kept kicking
off her shoes, and so while we walked through the airport she was bare foot and
people kept staring at me like, “why can’t you afford shoes?” I was embarrassed
but at the same time didn’t care because she wasn’t screaming on the plane.
We found our
terminal and sat down after walking to the other side of the airport. For the
first 20 minutes things went well, the kids were being cute and looking at the
planes arriving and departing. All was well, then of course terror happened and
they got restless. Chloe stopped listening and Carli was freaking out because
she wanted to walk around the airport, but I couldn’t find her shoes. So I
walked with her also being bare foot. Oh, boy was it a sight. I went to the
bathroom and when I came back my poor husband looked defeated since they both
doubled teamed him with screaming and crying and running in different
directions. Everyone who had kids said they understood how we felt which made
us feel a little more accepted. Then of course those who didn’t have kids
looked at us like, “Come on now, be a better parent”. We all know these looks.
Heck, a few years ago I gave some of those looks. Now, I understand. Things can
really be that crazy that you’re dropping things left and right, the kids
aren’t fully dressed, they are screaming, and pulling on you. You yourself are
a mess. Make up feels rubbed off, I need a second coat of deodorant and my hair
is so tangled despite being up and in a messy bun it’s in my way. Hours go by
and me and my husband keep exchanging this look, of “I understand. I feel
insane right now too”.
Eventually our plane
lands and we sluggishly move to the front of the line. There is no way anyone
will have problems with us going first and finding a spot way in the back away
from most people. The right back to Sacramento was quicker in a way. I think
because we understood that this was going to start out rough and end rougher.
No matter what we knew that it’s going to be hard and that make things easier,
if that makes scene. We land, we walk through the airport, ride the tram and
get to our luggage. BY this time my arms are shaking from being so tired. I
know there is new muscle formed from all the baby and luggage lifting. I know
that tomorrow, I will be so sore that I can’t move much and that make me happy
and hopeful. Then we arrive at luggage. I take the kids and carry on’s as my
husband finds a luggage cart and begins to stack everything. We look
ridiculous, being so dirty, tired wearing a “we’ve been defeated” look. We are
so so close to climbing into our car and driving the 30 minutes home. Then the
wait for the bus to the long term parking lot of course is nowhere to be found.
30 minutes goes by and not a bus causes near tears in both of us. People keep
adding to the line and we are getting pushed out of the way. Some people are so
rude, but they don’t know how persistent we are. I took the kids and literally
cut everyone letting them know with the looks on our kids’ faces that we NEEDED
to get on the next bus and couldn’t wait any longer. I think most of them
understood. Finally, we get in our car, load everything up drive home in
silence and put each and every one of us to bed.
The End. Amen.
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