He wears a bright yellow sweater, a hoodie over his Marlins baseball cap. Short beard, sleepy walk. Backpack, not a rolling carry-on. A coffee in his hand.
Another traveler approaches him. He wears a gray jacket over a white t-shirt. Dark jeans and a searching sort of pace. He seems interested in our friend’s coffee.
Bright Yellow Sweater points in a direction and gives Gray Jacket a thumbs up.
We walk past them as they both get on their way, and I smile at the sight of Tim holding my 4 AM coffee as I push Elena’s stroller.
This early morning flight started as early as 12:45 AM, with a sudden cry for Mama. She must have been dreaming. The call only woke up the zombie part of me that functions at that time: I got up, rushed to her room, held her, and brought her to our bed.
A more awake Ana would have helped her fall back asleep without having to get her out. But also, I assumed it wouldn’t be a big deal since it was that early and we had alarms set for 3 AM. She’ll likely fall asleep as soon as her head hits my pillow.
Hah!
Experts will tell you it’s smart to anticipate things for children:
• We will get home and wash our hands before we start playing.
• Dada will pick you up at school today.
• We will wake you up when it’s still dark to go to the airport.
Elena figured that if it’s already dark, then why are we still in bed instead of getting ready to go? The next few hours consisted of twists and turns, face tapping, gentle hugs and kisses, and funny whispers: Dada, we’re going to the airplane! Mama, are you sleeping? It’s dark time for the airplane! And many other things we no longer remember.
She was ready to go.
I have the feeling she got a few more Zzzzz here and there, or maybe it was me who went in and out of consciousness. Who knows.
At 3:15 AM, my subtle alarm went off and Elena jumped on Tim, declaring it was time to get up! We both laughed, defeated and exhausted.
We now sit at our gate. Travelers wear jeans, sweaters, hats, and sneakers. Coffee has been consumed. Here’s to hoping caffeine gets us through this long morning.
Start with a Story 
I love the description of her in your bed. It’s a tricky balance to savor it and also not be frustrated in the middle of the night! Wishing you a restful and smooth plane ride.
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I could picture all of this and feel your exhaustion. How sweet Elena was so excited. I hope wherever you are off to brings you moments of rest, relaxation, and fun together.
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Love this post. The bringing her to bed, the face-tapping, the alarm, the coffee. The details bring out the love. Hope the stickers are magic, and I also hope she sleeps on the plane. You can ask me when we talk next about what I swore by on flights.
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