Trip To England

I am sorry, there will not be any pictures with this post. I have not figured out how to get the pictures from my camera into my parents computer...I think I brought the wrong cable with me. Oops.
Well, it has been an interesting adventure so far. I got here 24 hours late and Hayden is struggling more with the time change than I had anticipated. Let me start from the beginning...
My flight out of Redding (to San Francisco) was 2 hours late taking off due to bad weather in San Francisco. In fact, we had driven through a snow storm to get to Redding. It was windy and just not nice. Hayden was perfect in the airport. There was another single mum travelling with a 6 month old baby boy called Billy. They boys "played" for a little while and Hayden did a little better sharing his toys... Hayden was wonderful on the flight down to San Francisco. Not a peep. He just played with the sick bag and chewed on the in-flight magazine. No problems with his ears on take off or landing. He was quite the little star.
Our connecting flight to London had been and gone by the time we arrived in San Francisco despite the woman in Redding promising me they would hold the flight for me as we would arrive "just in time." Yeah, right. The boarding gate was dead...no United officials, no passengers...no-one. I was tired by now and so was Hayden...even though he continued to be so, so good. I went to the United counter and had to book into the flight the next day! Hayden and I stayed in a hotel for the night. So we had to wait outside, in the cold, to wait for the shuttle bus to take us to the hotel. Thankfully, I was prepared and Hayden had plenty of warm clothes and, of course, his trusty blanket.
I met a really sweet older gentleman on the shuttle bus. He was returning from the Philippines where he had just won an award for starting a radio station in a rural area. It was cute listening to him tell his story...he was wonderfully helpful. Thank-you John, where-ever you may be now!!
Hayden slept really well in the pack'n'play provided by the hotel. Even though I did not have my suitcase, I did have clean clothes and PJs for Hayden and, thankfully, plenty of food and formula for him. Breakfast (a really, really nice breakfast) was included in the hotel price and we stocked up with more food for Hayden to get us through the plane ride.
The flight to London was 10.5 hours. Hayden slept for 2 of those. Not enough. However, he was the happiest, sweetest, cutest, most co-operative baby the whole trip. I was sitting behind the bulkhead with two empty seats next to me...Hayden got to play on the floor and on the seats. He ate well and there was not a tear. In fact, he was so good that a complete stranger came up to me at baggage claim and told me that he thought Hayden was the best baby he had ever seen on a plane. He told me that he thought he had got the short straw by having to sit behind me, but was so impressed with Hayden. Being proud of Hayden would be a complete under-statement. He flew as if he had been doing it all his life. He was charming and flirtatious with the stewardesses and a complete gentleman.
Mum and dad, of course, were over the moon to see us after we got through immigration and customs. We had a nice ride back home and Hayden took a good, long nap that afternoon and through the evening.
Yesterday, Hayden, mum and I took a 3.5-4 hour walk all around town. It was so nice to be able to get out and stretch our legs and breathe some fresh air. Hayden slept for a little while in his stroller, but he spent most of the time watching the world go by.
Last night was a rough night. Hayden slept from 5pm to 10pm and then was up to 5am this morning...which, of course, means I was up too. He fell asleep at 5am and slept until 2:30 this afternoon. He is now taking his 'morning' nap (as his body is telling him it is 8am when it is really 4pm). So I am expecting another rough night. I am not sure how to break this cycle. Any suggestions?
Hayden continues to amaze me in his versatility and adaptability. He has taken the travel and new location in his stride. He is sleeping (albeit at inconvenient times!!) well in a strange place and, as a mother, I could not be prouder.
I hope to figure out the pictures before long and get them posted on here. I love you all!!