yes, i’m back in dubai.
i flew back with my 3 boys. mr. khairul had gone back even before the start of ramadhan. oh, did i mention i was in the aeroplane for nearly 7 hours with my 3 boys; aged 5+, 2+ and 1+? and i was alone, without my husband?
…and i survived! more on that later…
cuya, khaleef, syima, syida, me holding kazim & azot
as usual, my sisters sent me to klia – syimot, syidot, azot and her beau faiz tagged along to help out with the luggage.
my in-laws were there too to send off their beloved nephews – mr. khairul’s mom, younger bro and sisters were there.
me holding kazim, teh with kahfi & tina
* * *
now on to the *actual* story – my plane trip with the tiny terrorists.
- they had a very late nap at home – 8pm up to the time we’re supposed to leave for klia which was around 10pm. my flight was at 2am.
- i made sure i already checked in online, so everything was smooth when we got to klia – though it was still quite slow!
- the kids were fed – we lepak at mcdonalds, right by the international boarding gate
- the boys ran around with their aunts to tire them out for the coming plane ride
- by the time we entered the international boarding gate, it was already 12.30am; and by the time we walked, rode the train, and walked to our gate – it was a good 1am – just few minutes left before we board the plane, so there was no time for the boys to get restless waiting
on the plane…
- i sat in the middle with khaleef and kahfi on my left and right. alhamdulillah we got the front seat with the bassinet for kazim
- before boarding i made sure ALL of the boys wore jackets and socks
- before keeping my hand-luggage, i made sure i took out my pre-arranged ‘plastic bag’ which contained a couple of diapers, wet-wipes, biscuits and milk
- once we’re on the plane, kahfi drank his milk, and immediately fell asleep – and the plane hasn’t even took off yet – so far so good!
- khaleef immersed himself in disney cartoons and airline games while i breastfed kazim to sleep
- as kazim slept, i put him in the bassinet, just in time for the first meal served – the snack
- it was peaceful – the noisy kazim was asleep, the mischievous kahfi was asleep – just me and my eldest boy enjoying our snack
- kahfi slept through out the journey, while kazim woke up once awhile for his milk fix. still fine by me.
- just few hours before landing, khaleef grew tired and fell asleep. i probably had a SOLID ONE HOUR in that 7 hours with ALL THREE BOYS SLEEPING. unbelievable
- then the main meal was served – here was a bit tricky because 1) i had to save some of the boys’ food for later (since they’re both sleeping), and 2) while i was having my meal, kazim woke up and i had to move my tray to the floor
- and then later, i need to go to the lavatory. aiyo. how lah? i can’t leave all three boys sleeping unattended! then kazim woke up, and i was able to go, TAKING KAZIM WITH ME, and changed his diaper also
- by the time i returned to my seat, kahfi had already half-awake, khaleef still sleeping
- i turned on his fav movie ‘rio’, and kahfi was nailed to the chair – no fuss
- kazim was wide awake, fed him bread while he enjoyed ‘rio’ too
- by the time the plane was about to land, i woke khaleef up because i know how he enjoyed lift off and landing
- alhamdulillah the plane safely landed; now ALL THREE BOYS WERE FULLY AWAKE, and ready to leave the plane, to meet their bapak
at dubai international airport…
- mr. khairul took the ahlan ‘meet and greet’ service for us as he knew it must be taxing for me to drag all three boys across the airport – thanks honey!
- this service provides a personal porter who waited for us once we’re out of the aircraft'; holding out my ‘name’ on a small board hihi
- he was friendly; he took our hand-luggage, handled the immigration process and baggage claim – so all were super-smooth – he even asked whether we want to lepak at their lounge, or want to shop – i just wanna see my husband! haha
- sambil tu rasa macam vip hihihi because while everyone else queue up for immigration, we passed by a special counter without having to line up. the process is the same, but no waiting!
- later on, mr. khairul told me that a representative from ‘ahlan’ actually called mr. khairul 3-4 times just to update him on the progress of their ‘meet and greet’ – like whether they’ve met me, then another time when we’ve passed immigration, and another time when we’re waiting for our bags
- when we’re finally out and mr. khairul was there, then only the porter left us
- i recommend this service for those flying with young children (like i was!) or old folks yang tak larat nak tunggu lama-lama
* * *
overall, i would say it was a smooth ride!
before, i was actually very nervous – anything could go wrong – maybe kazim mengamuk non-stop, or kahfi refusing to sleep and want to walk around the aircraft, or khaleef could somehow lost control of his bladder and wet the seats – but we survived without any untoward incident.
alhamdulillah!
good timing, always have a back-up plan, and don’t panic – the key to our survival!
* * *
Wow...lamanya tp akhirnya smpai gk dgn selamat...Alhamdulillah
ReplyDeleteWow, that was amazing.
ReplyDeleteI am always nervous before flying with my baby, eventhough it's for a 2.5 hrs flight to kl but still it's unpredictable, i wouldn't know what to expect. Sometimes she would behave and vice versa.
Thank god, yours was alright.
dear...i would be a nervous mommy if kena travel alone with my 3 girls... great job supermom.....!!!
ReplyDeletebagusnya hero2 ni..
ReplyDeletepergh, berpeluh saya baca. hehe... thumbs up!
ReplyDeletesaya bawak anak pergi KK pun dah risau apa akan jadi dlm 3 hours tu. ahaks.
>> affieza, lamaaaa tu nk dekat 7 jam, tapi mmg syukur selamat sampai & the boys tak buat perangai :)
ReplyDelete>> lil sharky, yes UNPREDICTABLE is the word! that's what i was afraid of. but luck was on my side, alhamdulillah all went well :)
>> ica, mmg NERVOUS sgt!!!! but syukur noone misbehave or ngade2! i AM proud of myself hihi... thanks ica :)
ReplyDelete>> amirah, mmg bagus... tu yg amik flight pukul 2 pagi, so that semua flat n tido je ;)
>> liz, berpeluh2 liz baca, triple peluh2 lagi mengalaminya! hihi...
ReplyDeleteWow!! Supermom! :)
ReplyDeletejust another foodie, i'm no supermom - i'm captain mak! ~ according to my eldest son ;)
ReplyDelete