p.s. to travelling with a 4 year old (a lot of bathroom talk)

first of all, let me say again that owen is a super-traveller. he patiently made it through a 4 hour and an 8 hour plane ride, traversed 3 airports, 2 security check points, and a 3 hour car ride. all this after 14 days of "getting ready" to go to sweden and at least 2 months of anticipating being with daddy. so for a long trip with a 4 year old i have to admit it we had it pretty easy--this was especially clear to me in the international security line standing behind a woman traveling solo with 3 kids: one infant strapped in the baby bjorn, two toddlers in tow. nonetheless, we had a few funny moments--

on the packed flight to chicago we were next to a business traveler on the aisle who was friendly enough--chatting to me about malcolm galdwell and genius theory and his son in law school--until he fell asleep (michael pointed out that it was bad protocol to do so in the aisle seat next to a mom and a preschooler). let me sidetrack and note that this was the first flight i didn't have to do a standing diaper change in the cramped in-flight bathroom--and i was both excited and little concerned about owen getting up to use the bathroom (this comes back later). anyhow, owen rather loudly announced: "mom, i have to POOP!". and of course he meant right now, that moment. so i had to wake up sleeping guy who had to get up and get out of the aisle so we could run to the bathroom. he didn't talk to us the rest of the flight.

in the elevator up to terminal 5 owen points to me and tells a college student: "this lady is going to sweden to see her husband."

and back to the bathrooms. owen LOVED the swirly blue toilets on united (b. reminded me of the blue arm in h. thompson's fear and loathing). but HATED the toilets on SAS. when he flushed it he was so terrified by the ominous sucking sound and echo that he started screaming "my ears! my ears! make it stop!". i was convinced he had burst an eardrum and was having pain from the pressure on the cabin and was going to get him some benadryl. but as soon as we left the bathroom he was fine. i asked how his ears felt--"they're fine mommy, but don't EVER flush the toiled again. it's too loud." the rest of the flight i could only get him to use the bathroom if i promised i wouldn't flush and had to wait until he was well down the aisle before pushing the button.

luckily, we have a very quiet toilet in our room with a cool "pull" flusher.