Preparing to Leave for America

We must be at the airport at 3:30 am tomorrow evening, to fly out to the US for ten days. (We bought tickets on Delta because it was the best deal, but that means having to deal with the terrible American airlines. For instance, bassinets are first come, first serve, so we have to show up early or risk having to hold little R for the entire 17 hour flight. Also: no personal TV. I miss Singapore Air already!)

To prepare for our journey, I have: bought little R two new toys (to surprise her with at crucial moments on the plane). That is it. I actually feel pretty relaxed about the whole thing, since we are just visiting my parents. They have a crib, stroller, and car seat for little R, so we don't have to bring ours (though I think I will bring our stroller anyway, for the flight). And if I forget anything, I can just buy another, since we'll just be in the US.

All the same, I must pack for me, little R and B (I hate his style of packing so I delegated this chore to me). Also, I need to clean the house (coming home to a dirty house is so awful, especially when jet lagged), and finish the laundry and ironing so we have clothes to wear.

In terms of getting ready, a handyman came today to install/fix various things around the house. Finally, we are all moved in! It actually looks pretty good, considering the all-Ikea or hand-offs furnishing scheme. I will have to take pictures once I have time. I have always regretted not doing this at our other apartments (in Taiwan, for instance: it would be great to have better pictures of the deck looking onto the national park, where we used to read Shakespeare to each other and spend hours hanging out. Such a sentimental memory.)

The handyman also did some child-proofing (attaching bookcases to the wall, etc.), as little R is starting to become mobile. I am actually sad about this. I was hoping that she would be a late crawler/walker, because once she is running around her ability to cause havoc and injure herself is going to be exponentially higher. She has started clambering all over me and the furniture, and rolls or inches herself along to reach interesting objects (she hasn't quite figured out how to crawl yet). She is also much more adept with her hands: today she pulled my ponytail holder out before I realized what she was up to. It is really funny to watch her trying to accomplish her little goals: her serious expression as she carries out her missions just kills me.