fourth st payphone: Japan 1

We made it home safely and are (almost) back to normal schedules! Elinor was a perfect traveler but that time difference messed with her on the way there and the way back sooo bad. She isn't fussy about it, she just thinks 3am is a good time to get up for the day.

Elinor and I made the 13 hour flight to Japan all by ourselves! I was so proud of that little baby. We left our house at around 10am. Our flight wasn't till 1pm but I was driving and would need to park and take the shuttle back to the airport. I had the stroller, the diaper bag, one rolly suitcase and a baby. My sister suggested before I left that I buy a belly bag to wear so I can have quick access to snacks, pacifiers, passports, money, etc. I bought a cheap one at Marshalls before we left and I'm so glad I did. I'm going to start bring it to the park so I can be handsfree and not have to leave the kids to grab anything from the stroller.

Elinor was awake for the first 6 or so hours. She watched shows, played on the ipad, chewed/read books, played with some little new toys I had bought, ate snacks and grabbed at the man next to us who didn't mind and kept playing and talking to her. Anything she took interest in I let her go for it. Which one time was chewing on a toothbrush for 15 minutes. I requested a bassinet that she only took a tiny nap in but I was too nervous to settle in and nap while she was in it.

Finally it was her time for bed. This is when it got rough. She fussed and kept pushing me away but wanting to nurse at the same time. I tried to cover up while feeding her but she just wanted me to lay down with her and let her eat on her own. After walking the aisles with her in the ergo, I went into the bathroom and just let her eat off and on until she fell asleep. It worked and she stayed asleep for the rest of the flight. I watched Brave...it was adorable!

After going through customs, we saw Dave! It was so exciting and sad. I gave Elinor to him right away and we all hugged. She just laid her head against him and snuggled in. Even though it was only 7pm we went to the hotel and went straight to sleep. It was all perfect until 3am Elinor was wide awake and wanted to play. We put toys and books between us and tried to sleep a little bit longer.

on the train to the hotel

dinner with Daddy!

Finally at an acceptable time we all got up and ready. Elinor was finally starting to get sleepy and we headed out for our first day. We went to Shibuya, Harajuku and Aoyama to shop around.