Psyching Myself Up!

This post is probably more for myself than anyone...I am trying to get myself in the right mindset to fly another trans -Atlantic flight alone with two little ones. So, I think I have all my "goodies" bought that I need to pack and take back to Lagos. I am still going through all the Christmas gifts trying to decide which ones to leave here until summer to put in the shipment and which ones I can still squeeze into the bags I am packing. Traveling with two little ones is always interesting. Jeremy has really become a "seasoned" traveler, but Elizabeth is always a big bag of surprises! I never really know what to expect from her. Both kids have their own wheeled carry on bag which I pack with things they would like to do. Each one is allowed to bring one "baby" or stuffed animal and then they each have their own coloring books/markers. Jeremy has a video game he can play. And, Of course I can't forget all the snacks a.k.a. granola bars, gold fish, fruit roll-ups, etc. ( Thank you to Guy for the Ipad which has shows ansd movies downloaded on it already to keep elizabeth's attention!!) I always forget to dump out their water at the security line ( you would think I would know to do that after all these flights) So, I always end up having to drink all their water and my stomach gets so bloated...I feel like a beached whale!!:)
On our flight over here from Lagos, we fly coach and we get meals and pillows and blankets. But, when we flew our shorter flights from Atlanta to Houston and Houston to Chicago and Chicago to San Francisco, you don't get things like that. Elizabeth was so confused. When the flight attendant walked past she yelled " That lady has my blanket!!! That lady has my pillow!!" When they were passing out drinks she said " Where's my food??" I told her I had gold fish for her and she said " No, that lady has my food, where's my pasta??" It is always funny to see what is going through the mind of a two year old...and I guess for all of her life...she has been on long flights where she gets those things...We'll see what happens on Saturday on our "short" flight from San francisco to Atlanta.:)
As I sit and write this post, I am psyching myself up for the long flight back on Saturday. We leave here at 2 p.m. local time and arrive in Lagos on Sunday at about 4:30 p.m. local time there. All in all, the total trip time from leaving my parents home to getting to our flat in Lagos is about 23 hours. ( That also includes layovers) Let's just hope I can keep my sanity...all prayers for that are welcome!!!:)