First-time parenting is a bear. No one I know would ever like to repeat the experience, especially of a baby. What to do? What’s wrong with him? Will she break? Will I warp him for life?

And when will he stop crying at night?

Well, new parents, take heart. There will come a day when you will no longer be challenged,  groggy from being awakened in the depth of night, to interpret the mysterious, insistent cries of a baby.

Yes, the day will come in which you will be awakened in the dead of night by a voice that screams, ‘Mommy! COME ‘ERE! COME ‘ERE! DADDY! COME ‘ERE!" And, in desperation, "COME ‘ERE KATIE! COME ‘ERE!"

You will know exactly what they want.

Last night, it turned out to be an earache, which I finally discerned because, instead of falling back asleep after fruitlessly calling for his staff for ten minutes, as he usually does, Michael the Baby refused to let up, and once rescued, furiously pulled and pounded at his right ear.

Thankfully, I had some octic solution left over from our last adventures in ear infections (in South Carolina, resulting in a 3-hour stay at a rapid care clinic in Columbia), and that did the trick (eventually) until we could go to the doctor this morning.

So yes, parents, times will change. The day will come when you’re no longer worrying about mysterious cries, ear infections and clean plates. That day will be replaced when you’re worrying about your kid flying from Heathrow the day a horrible bomb plot is uncovered, involving the airports he’s flying from and to, and the airline he’s flying on.

Yes, things will get much better.

He’s back and he’s fine. And very glad to be back. His flight was supposed to be at 10:50 from Heathrow yesterday. His hotel was close to the airport, he woke up around 6, turned on the news and saw what was going on and decided to get right over to the airport – he said it was a good thing he did, because security wasn’t too bad when he arrived but got much worse within an hour or so.

Stripped of all of his liquids and books (he said that people didn’t know about the book thing and were buying books in the bookstores, only to be told to get rid of them at security), he borded, sat for over 2 hours on the runway, and finally lifted off around 2:30, I think. Somehow, he was allowed to take a notebook and pen – I don’t know the difference between a printed book and an empty notebook, so he spent his time watching movies and writing. Finishing up one story and starting another, he said. He also said he was the most popular person on the plane near the end because he was the only person with a pen – which you need to fill out the customs forms they distribute before you land. The mood on the plane, by his account, was mostly subdued and relieved.

Bumps, bruises, cries, ears…or transantlantic travel. Better? Worse?

More like…exactly the same.