We touched down in Taipei early Friday morning and breezed through immigration (thanks to Matthew). The 14-hour flight went much more smoothly than I had anticipated. For the past few months I had been visualizing flying with our one-year-old toddler. For the most part, the image consisted of him wiggling out of my lap, arms up with his head arched back, screaming. Another version had him walking up and down the aisle, overtired but refusing to sleep. To our surprise, Matthew slept for a significant portion of the flight—even in the crib provided by the airline—and gave us a much needed break.

My family welcomed us with a feast at The Guest House (https://guide.michelin.com/tw/en/taipei-region/taipei/restaurant/the-guest-house# ). Matthew met his great-grandparents and great aunts and uncle for the first time, as well as had his first Michelin restaurant experience (with his love for eating, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in the food business!).

The rest of the day was a wash. Jet-lagged, we slept until 12 in the morning (around 8am PST).

One day in, here’s what we learned so far:

• We didn’t need to buy Matthew a seat and a travel car seat, despite what many mommy blogs said.
• We brought a lot of toys for the plane ride, but for the most part Matthew was content playing with empty cups and the TV remote.
• Do not sleep in the mid/late afternoon(!!!)

More adventures to come!