OWTK is back in the States

OWTK said our fond farewell to France and has returned to the States. The flight home was very long, with us spending more than 12 hours on the plane (from boarding in Charles de Gaulle to deplaning in Philadelphia). Our girl took a two hour nap starting about a half an hour in and was extremely pleasant. To be perfectly honest, we were scarred to death of this flight home. We knew that a nap was the most sleep she would get and that this leg of the journey is much longer (8 hrs) than the first (6 hrs) as we are flying into the jet stream. We also knew that there was no seat left empty. We were prepared for disaster, but were once again blown away by how amazing our girl is – she was a darling and received some positive feedback from some of her fellow transatlantic passengers.

I came up with a few more impromtu games to kill time on the plane. First, the always readily available SkyMall catalog. This grown-up version of the old Sears Wish Book is in every seat back pocket and is filled with pictures of (and products for) dogs and cats. Most infants, toddlers, and other younger kids, I would imagine, get a kick out of doggies and kitty cats, just as our girl does. This catalog then can be turned into a scavenger hunt to find/count the animals or simply a little distraction while you grab a bite to eat, etc.

Another neat “game” is to have your child take the head rest protector (you know, that little white square Velcro-ed to the back of each chair) and use it as a bib for their baby doll as they pretend to feed them or as a cloak for an imaginary haircut. These little tricks may not occupy a 20 minute segment but they are easy and fun things available on most every flight (meaning a little less stuff to carry-on for your children!)

Our flight was so much longer than expected thanks, in part, to a 1 hour delay leaving Paris and the weather in Philadelphia which forced us to land in Pennsylvania’s capital of Harrisburg (we did not have enough fuel to hang in the air in the Philly holding pattern) before heading into the city of brotherly love.

Our AirPort Connection shuttle was on time and courteous – much more talkative and friendly than the driver of the first shuttle. It picked us up in front of our Apartment on Rue Vavin and got us to the US Air terminal (CDG 1) with plently of time to spare, despite hideous Parisian A.M. traffic within the city limits (the highway this time smooth sailing).

I would be lying if I told you all that I wasn’t more than a little sad before our departure. I shed a few tears seeing my daughter finish up her last stint in Luxembourg Garden on Thursday evening. We made a verbal agreement to return in 5 years, when lil’ OWTK is 7 ½ years old. Maybe there will be a baby brother or sister in toe on that trip..


Jeff
OWTK
http://www.owtk.com