the reasons my toddler was crying on the plane

Last Thursday evening found us boarding a direct flight from Boston to Phoenix to attend my brother's wedding.  Evening flight = sleeping baby, we hoped.

We boarded around 5 pm, with crayons and snacks and toys in hand, and hoped Nell would drift off blissfully around 7 and remain asleep for the next four hours.

Well, as you're probably guessing, she had other ideas.  I don't just mean happily staying awake.  I mean miserably staying awake, crying and fussing about everything, turning heads all around us, and leading me to wonder if those little airplane windows could be broken and if so, if I could jump out of one.

So, because someday I want to laugh about this whole experience, I now present:  Reasons My Toddler Was Crying on the Airplane.

Because she wanted more snacks
Because I took off my coat
Because I took off my sweater
Because I took off her sweater (it was really too warm on the flight) but she wanted it back on
Because Daddy attempted to take off her shoes to help her get comfortable
Because a pillow was near her
Because Daddy's leg was touching her foot
Because she wanted to wrap Nathan's headphone cord around her neck multiple times but couldn't quite manage it
Because she wanted her diaper changed again and again for the thrill of visiting the airplane lavatory
Because she wanted more snacks than exist on the entire planet
Because I offered her a popcorn chip (compliments of Jet Blue) and she didn't want it
Because she decided she did want the popcorn chip, but I had already eaten it
Because when I gave her another popcorn chip, it hurt her mouth
Because she wanted to put the cap on the water bottle but hasn't yet mastered the screw top
Because she wanted a sip of Mama's water, not from Daddy's (identical) water bottle
Because my hand rested on her leg
Because a car was on the TV screen, but then it went away and didn't come back
Because she dropped a peanut
And then she dropped a raisin
Because one of her colored pencils had a broken tip
Because she wanted our neighboring passenger's ginger ale
Because she thought she heard a baby somewhere on the plane and she wanted to go see it
Because she wanted me to sing to her, but not any of the thirty-seven different hushed songs I tried
Because she wanted to kick the seat in front of us repeatedly
Because she wanted still more snacks
Because she wanted Daddy to nurse her (?!?!?!)
Because she wanted to press the buttons on the armrest of our neighboring passenger

...And probably a few dozen other reasons I've already forgotten.

She finally drifted off around 9 pm, by which time I really needed to use the restroom, but I dared not move a muscle until that flight landed, and I learned that even at seven+ months pregnant, given the right motivation, I could sit there and hold it, because... desperate times and all that.

{This picture was actually snapped on the return flight, when she managed much better and even let Nathan hold her for part of the flight.}

And finally, the top two reasons my toddler was crying on the plane:

1) She's a toddler (almost two, to be precise)

2) Flying is a wretched experience, even if you're old enough to deal with it maturely.  Which, I have learned, I barely am.

{If you were on our flight and think you may have seen a stray tear slide down my cheek, and you wondered why I was crying, well, see above.}