P.O.W.

Early this evening, Jude, J.P. and I returned from New Orleans, where we went to celebrate Judy and Bob Quinilty's (Jude's aunt and uncle) 40th wedding anniversary. 

There's a big difference, I think, in traveling with a child who is almost 2 1/2 years old, as opposed to one who has not turned 2 years old yet.  On J.P.'s first trip to New Orleans, in January, he screamed and cried for most of the 1 + hour flight, down and back.  He vomited in  his car seat, on the airplane, on the way down.  He threw up again in the rental car, on our way to the hotel. 

This trip, Jude and I tried a new approach, one we like to call "the P.O.W. Toddler Travel Treatment."  It's based on sleep deprivation, the withholding of food and all liquids (water and milk) and the creation of distractions of any sort.  We found it to be very, very successful with J.P.  I know, I know, it sounds extreme, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  And, it's not as bad as it sounds.

Since we were flying back this afternoon at 4:10 p.m., we had to leave for the airport at 2 p.m., which is when J.P. normally naps.  So, no nap.  He ate a big breakfast this morning and had a snack later, along with milk and water throughout the morning.  However, we skipped lunch, so there wasn't anything on his stomach to make him sick while we were on the airplane.  Ingenious, really.  We didn't even have to use the iPad (loaded with "Bob the Builder" and "Sid the Science Kid" videos to distract him, as we did on the flight down to New Orleans.  He fell asleep as we airplane was taking off and didn't wake up until we landed.  No crying, no fussing and, best of all, no vomiting.  Beautiful.