MILES - STONES

Two very significant events happened within our family this week. The first, our baby daughter Francesca learned to crawl. The excitement of this milestone was only slightly overshadowed by the fact that she learned to crawl on the skanky carpet of the Gate 19 Jetstar lounge of Sydney Domestic Terminal Departure Lounge while we were waiting for a one-hour-delayed flight to Queensland.

Crawl baby, crawl! 

For just the briefest moment I felt a twinge of guilt that such an exciting event happened in such a transient, soul-less location. But at the same moment, there's that level of excitement that no parent can deny, even when their child is crawling across dirt-trodden carpet, worn down by hundreds of thousands of weary, grotty travellers, across hair, belly button fluff, crumbs, dandruff, pavement scum... your child is crawling!!! So, for this, we thank you, Jetstar, for your delays and tardiness. For your lack of apologies and your sub-standard, overpriced services. Thank you. Without this delay, with scunjy carpet, we may not have been such a present and captive audience (among tens of other adoring fellow cheering passengers, might I add) for our tiny, eight month old daughter's first crawls.

How many points should a two year old have?

The second significant event to happen to our family this week is our eldest daughter Isabella (age two-and-a-half) received her first frequent flyer mileage status points update. Again, I met this milestone with a moment of pause and trepidation before celebration. How many two and a half year olds have mileage status point updates? (And a blog dedicated to them for that matter?!) And would it be morally wrong for a mother to claim her daughter's mileage points for upgrades before she is old enough to claim them herself???

But, I guess upon reflection, of both these milestones in the past week, the old reinforcement comes that keeps us trucking, together, across the skies year after year. If we had been at home, with one or both of us travelling solo then we would have missed these precious moments, however skunjy and fraught with angst, they would have just passed us by as a team unit.

So, for that, I thank you Jetstar. I thank you Sydney Domestic Terminal. I thank you Qantas Frequent Flyer. And most of all, I thank you, my husband Steven, for keeping us together as a family, across the skies, rain, hail or shine. And let's face it, a family-load of mileage points is better than none!

Team Jacobs, rain, hail or shine.