We'll do it by times, so as to be dramatic as possible!
11:45am Grandma Paula and Papa Mark took us to the airport and hauled my bags I was planning to check to the counter for me. Even though there was so much baggage it seemed strangely doable . . . with 3 adults and 2 kids! We said goodbye at security and I was so in the zone (getting through security is probably the most stressful part of the airport for me because you have to take apart everything you have so carefully put together) that I totally missed their parting waves. Maybe deep down I was still pretending that we weren't really saying goodbye :)
1:00 pm We got to the gate and saw that our flight was delayed a couple minutes, so we grabbed some Wendy's and ate it on the floor in the middle of our huge pile of bags. I put the car seats in garbage bags so they wouldn't get ruined going on and off the plane, then handed them to two random gentlemen who were boarding and had their hands free and asked them if they would be so kind as to drop them at the gate for me. They were very obliging. We got on the plane without incident then had to sit on the runway for quite awhile before we took off, but the kids were both so good it was no big deal. Vivien was so excited to watch the plane leave the ground ("We are FLYING! We go so fast!"). They spent the flight playing with the window shade (Vivien did smash Rafe's fingers in it the first 2 minutes we were on the plane and there was blood. I didn't think to put bandaids in my backpack for the flight . . . luckily it didn't bleed too much.) and tray tables and seat belts, and when I brought out the toys, they played with the opposite ones I was expecting. Whatever.
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| Rafe pushed the "Find it!" button over and over and over. He was a fan of the flashing red light. |
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| Vivien is extremely fond of this flat, crinkly elephant. She helped it get buckled in a seat belt and showed it around the airplane. |
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| Rafe fell deeply asleep the last 5 minutes before we touched down. Poor darling. |
3:30 pm We landed in Seattle. One of the guys I got to help me before and his girlfriend took some of my bags and helped me get to my stroller at the gate. From there I headed to baggage claim and used the bungee cords Papa Mark so kindly equipped us with to lash ALL the bags to the stroller and crazy-train it down to the rental car shuttle. We did not take corners very easily. The rental car shuttle driver helped me get all loaded up, then when we got there helped me get a cart and wheeled me to the desk. They handed us keys to a Prius and I asked one of their people to help me get to the car. It took me probably 10 minutes to figure out how to start it and take the emergency brake off, and then another 10 minutes of driving before I could touch the brake petal without giving us all whiplash.
4:30 pm We got to the hotel and checked in. I grabbed one of those bellhop trolleys and loaded all the luggage and the babies on it and pushed it (quite clumsily) to our room. We changed diapers quickly and headed to Seattle to visit friends.
5:30 pm We stopped by Bonnie Anderson's for about 5 minutes to meet her new baby, Arwen. She was packing to leave for UT in the morning and was feeling stressed about coming to Betsy's to see us, but also stressed about missing us so we went to her. At Betsy's we ate amazing Chicago deep dish pizza that Micah had made with my favorite gingerbread bars that Betsy makes for dessert. Megan, Mitch and Aubrey Jones and Hannah, Eric, and Daniel Bonham came by and all the babies had a great time playing with each other.
8:30 pm We arrived to return the rental car and they told me that all their shuttle drivers have gone home. I put on my most desperate mother-of-two-small-children-travelling-alone-at-night face and asked what they thought I should do. The lady took pity on me and found someone there who could take me. I was expecting to go back to the airport and then have to look for the Holiday Inn Express shuttle, but the rental car place took me straight to my hotel, which was greatly appreciated.
9:00 pm We got back to the hotel and I got everything ready for running out the door in the morning while Vivi and Rafe played in the pack and play (which they had told me was in the room, but was not. They had to get one from a different hotel when I called to tell them it wasn't there). Then we took baths and went to sleep for a couple hours.
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| Vivien is making the Brunsdale face assumed when someone gives you a compliment. |
2:50 am I got up, cancelled my wake-up call in the croakiest voice I could muster so they wouldn't call and wake the babies at 3, hopped in the shower and prepared to look cute so people would be willing to help me on the plane. At 3:20 I took my first load of luggage down to the lobby for the 3:30 shuttle and right as I walked off the elevator it arrived. I gave the driver my luggage to load then told him I was just going to go get my kids and that I'd be right back. I plopped the still sleeping children in the stroller still in their PJ's, and flew around doing a last minute check to make sure I'd got everything and hurried to the shuttle. The driver informed me they couldn't wait anymore. I was glad I'd taken my luggage to him before so he couldn't leave me. Muahahaha!
3:45 am I got to the airport and had a devil of a time getting in and then out of the 3 elevators required to get to the ticketing counter with my 3 checked bags, 3 carry-ons, 2 car seats, violin, stroller, and kids. Luckily it was so early that no one was standing there impatiently as the elevators decided they'd been open too long and started beeping loudly and closing on the trailing bags that didn't quite fit. When I did finally get there, they started to check my bags, then asked for the second copy of Drew's orders. I only had one, so I had to walk about 5 minutes down the hall to the USO at the airport to have another one made, hauling my luggage that they wouldn't let me leave at the counter. When bags were checked, I headed through security again. They did let me go in a shorter line, but when I got to the conveyor belt Vivien was totally asleep. I asked a security guard if he could hand her to me and he looked deeply uncomfortable and said he wasn't supposed to. So, nearly dropping them both and looking as awkward as possible, I hefted both children through the metal detector. The guard looked very apologetic and consequently helped me more than he probably would have with my stroller.
After that we headed straight to the gate where we made Vivien (still totally asleep) a little bed under the seats.
Rafe walked around and chatted with/mauled the nearby Marines.
5:30 am Rafe came with me to get some breakfast. He ate almost an entire sausage/egg sandwich which made him rather smelly. I got the stroller tagged and then when there were about 10 minutes left before boarding, I woke Vivi up to eat her breakfast. She opened her huge, sleepy blue eyes, looked at the marines sitting next to us, and said "We're getting on the plane to go and see Daddy." They were surprised she could talk and found it a little disconcerting, I think.
6:45 am We got on the plane and one of the flight attendants helped me wheel my carry-ons down the ramp and hefted them into the overhead bins. It was different than any other flight I've been on, since everyone was military. Lots of young, fit, single people. There were quite a few other families with little kids as well. We took off around 7:30. It was a LONG flight. And I changed no less than six poopy diapers. Rafe slept a couple times on a bed I made for him out of jackets and the blankets the airline provides.
When Rafe was awake, he talked to me, played with his Christmas remote, and tried to follow Vivien. Vivi played with One-wing Puffin, read books, destroyed the complementary headphones by wrapping then around her limbs, made fortresses with the tray tables, and watched the Little Mermaid once and Cinderella three times. I only had her watch when Rafe was asleep so I had a chance to nap as well. I put her on one end of our row of three chairs, then laid across the whole row since Rafe was on the floor. I was able to sleep from when the mice start working on her dress to when she goes down the stairs ready to leave with her family one of the times she watched it, then from the beginning to when her fairy godmother comes another time. Vivi was cute--she kept stroking my hair and giving my head hugs. We were able to see Mt Fuji out the window. Volcanoes are impressive-looking, the way they just stick up out of nothing.
11:30 am (Japan time) We stopped at the Air Force base in Yokota to refuel and pick up some more passengers (Addendum: One of Vivien's new default phrases is "The plane needs some gas and we need to clean it.") They had us wait in a holding room for about 2 hours. Rafe and Vivi entertained themselves really well, considering it was 7:30 pm to them, but I could tell they'd about had it when it was time to get back on. I visited with a couple other moms while we waited. They were all headed to Okinawa, but it was still fun to chat.
1:30 pm We got on the plane again. Both kids were asleep within 5 minutes of taking off and slept the whole hour and 15 minutes to Iwakuni.
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| It was Vivi's only nap of the day |
3:30 pm We landed in Iwakuni and when they asked those who were staying to deplane, I stood up and asked if there would be anyone who could help me get my bags off (since both kids were still asleep). Nothing. They'd been told to stay seated until it was their turn, and they're military people! They don't disobey orders. So, I started trying to pick everything up and after about 2 minutes of agonized struggling, someone did eventually take pity on me and get my bags down. Then they herded us into a room so they could read us a briefing. I set the kids down to get my paperwork out for them and they both just totally lost it (it was midnight to them, after all). So, the guy's trying to read this blurb about not bringing porn or unauthorized weapons in and "THE CHILDREN WERE SCREAMING!" They were training a bunch of new recruits too, so I had a huge audience of scared looking Marines, none of which were helping me move my bags hither and yon. But then Drew was there and he and our sponsor Laura took the kids and I waited for some other Marines to find our stroller and car seat that hadn't been taken off the plane with the rest of the luggage.
4:30pm We arrived at our temporary lodging. Pictures follow:
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| The main room, looking at the front door. Look, there's a fan on the wall. It's Japan! |
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| Front room looking into the kitchen. Vivi loves her new dolls from Nana. I didn't have to break them out on the plane, but they have been a great comfort to her in her sleep deprived state here. |
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| The kitchen looking into the bedroom. Bathroom is right across from the sink. |
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| And here it is again. The shower is a hand-held deal. The left knob controls temperature, the right controls water pressure. So, once you find the temperature you like, you never have to change it! You just turn the water on and don't have to sit there making sure it won't burn you or freeze you. Convenience! |
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| Bedroom. We're going for family unity for the next month or so, all sleeping in the same room. Rafe thinks his crib is pretty cool--he can stick his hands through it! He's been sleeping in a pack and play pretty much is whole life. |
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| The view from out our door. I'm not sure what those pipes are. |
6:00 pm (2:00am UT time) We headed to the senior couple missionaries' house for dinner with the Branch President, his wife and family. They are all wonderful people. The Pierces (missionaries) are from Boise. They've been here about 2 months and are very positive. President Kher (sp?) and his wife have 3 sharp daughters ages 11-16. I walked in and Sis. Kher gave me the biggest, warmest hug, which was almost more than my emotional state could take, but we felt very welcome and they were all really happy we are finally here!
I'm glad it's over and that I know we can do it!
