Our plane from O'hare left on Wednesday at 10:45am (Chicago time) and arrived in Singapore on Friday just after midnight (Singapore time). Including the layover in Tokyo, that was 24 hours.
This was Bobby's first flight. I was nervous he would scream and cry without reserve. This didn't happen. He was a pretty happy baby while travelling. I stood at my seat and bounced him to sleep, and he took many naps on my shoulder. He pooped several times, and I changed him in the airplane's lavatory bathroom. I took a few naps and read a bit of a magazine, but most of my 24 hours was spent attending to the boy.
Travelling was fairly easy. Baby jet lag was not easy. It took a week to get Bobby on a reasonable sleeping schedule. For the first few nights, he would only sleep if he could lie on my shoulder. Then I ended up not sleeping well and ended up battling my own jet lag for longer than Bobby battled his. After a few nights, we got him to sleep in his crib, but then he was so resistant to naps during the day. Part of the blame, I think, is due to the change in sleeping clothes. In Chicago, where it's cold, we could bundle him up in a thick suit to sleep; this kept him from swinging his arms to wake himself up. In Singapore it's hot. He also began rolling right when we arrived, so he started rolling all around his crib; this has not been conducive to falling asleep peacefully.
He is over his jet lag now, but Christine and I both fear ever returning to those dark days and nights of begging and coaxing to sleep a jet lagged baby. It was especially frustrating because in Chicago and Cedar Rapids he was such a good sleeper. He always took naps right on schedule and rarely needed coaxing (after the first two months, at least).
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| Our last meal at 3rd Coast, our favorite Chicago cafe, before leaving for Asia |
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| We stayed a few nights at a hotel in Chicago before leaving because our apartment lease expired. This photo is of Bobby at the hotel right before we took Uber to O'hare. The hotel where we stayed is called Public Chicago; it's a great hotel, and I recommend it. |
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| We had Frontera tortas for breakfast at O'hare. I've been travelling a long time, and these are the best airport sandwiches I ever found. |
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| Several hours into the flight, and Bobby is taking it all in stride. |
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| Just after landing in Singapore. They are both very tired. |
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| Not much use for the pillow now that he likes to roll around for a while before finally passing out. |
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