Well, it turns out all of Ellie’s whining during the plane ride was for a very good reason. When we put Ellie to bed that first night, she had a mild fever. And by morning it had blossomed into a full-fledged cold complete with runny nose, sore throat, and a cough. I guess all that excitement finally caught up with her.
To complicate matters, Chloe also had a fever and a cold started by morning. Oh boy, our 2014 Japan Christmas Extravaganza was off to a rough start!
We are very grateful and excited to be spending the holidays with Aya’s family in Japan this year. However, a long (did I say long? Because I mean long) international flight can bring about a certain level of anxiety. And based on our experience during our last visit just over three years ago, complete with strangers asking to pray for us, we had every reason to be nervous making this journey again, especially since we would be traveling with not one child, but two this time.
There is nothing like an afternoon nap. And by afternoon nap, I mean lying face down on the carpet while two wound up crazies jump around me. If I can manage to shut my eyes for a ten whole minutes, I consider that a win.
Our day started out perfect. It was an absolute ideal day. Both girls actually ate their breakfast, got dressed, and brushed their teeth without incident. We did our morning school lesson and played. I even got to clean up the kitchen quietly before walking over to the park to enjoy the absolutely gorgeous weather we had. After a delicious lunch and a good nap from Chloe, we even went to the store, again without incident. No one fell asleep in the car and woke up grumpy. No one begged to listen to the same song over and over and over again. Just an all-around perfect day. But when the unexpected happens, it’s amazing how fast that perfect day can erode into a complete catastrophe.
My little Chloe is so mellow, easy going, and always has a smile. Even when I have to wake her up out of a dead sleep she smiles and then gets right up. “GOOD MORNING!” Ellie? No way. She’d make a terrible sleeping beauty. Prince Charming would be in for a big surprise if he tried to wake her up. Not Chloe though. She’s easy peasy as they say. Why just the other day I saw her gazing out the window smiling and quietly singing to herself, “laaaa, laaa, laaa, laaa (giggle giggle).”
But don’t let that gentle smile and adorable face fool you, because when she’s hungry, watch out!
