Well, Carl and I took a jet plane and went home to Utah for a bit. Long story, short… I needed to go back to work to keep my job. Six shifts in eight days. Ugh. Thank goodness my wonderful in-laws offered to take the little guy for a bulk of it. Sorry, no pictures. Preston had the camera.
Traveling on a plane by yourself with an infant in arms = stress! The night before we left, I packed up my backpack ever so neatly with games, food, electronics, etc. How was I going to keep my 15 month old entertained on a cramped plane, on my lap for six hours (layover) when I couldn’t even keep him entertained for an hour of church on a pew!
Well, we got to the airport early, went to go board the flight with several looks from the other passengers of pity and whispers. “Poor lady.” “What is she thinking?” “I hope they aren’t sitting by me.” Ugh! I grabbed my duffle bag (stupid Delta won’t let me check a bag for free anymore), backpack of entertainment, stroller and child. Oh boy!
Well, half way on my way down to the plane, an elderly gentleman grabbed my duffle bag and said, “Let me help you. I had twins. I know how it is.” Bless your little saintly heart. He put my bag in place, went back to his seat and after the flight was over, he waited for my aisle so he could walk back, get my bag and walk Carl and I to our next gate. Note to self: keep an eye out for mothers with children. Extra blessings await you if you help.
Anyways, as we got up into the air, the pressure in the cabin must have changed because my two sippy cups that I had prepared for Carl to drink of in my neatly packed backpack…had over flown over EVERYTHING! Ikes! Oh and did I smell a hint of poop? World’s deepest question, “How do you change a child’s diaper on an airplane?” Flight attendent’s response: “Here’s a blanket. Put it over the toilet.” Translation to me: “Here’s a grimy thin sheet of flannel. If you step inside this ear-splintering, engine-screeching, closet referred to as a bathroom aboard this flight, you can put the nasty flannel on the toilet seat…where everyone’s heiny has just been and change his diaper. Good luck!”
Needless to say, we walked to the back of the plane, and walked back to our seat. Don’t worry. Once we got off the plane to Georgia’s airport, Carl had pooped through his entire outfit. It was bound to happen, right? Forget that he hasn’t pooped through since he was a babe. But why not today?
New outfit, clean diaper, emptied sippy cups, half a Benadryl, and this kid fell asleep before the next plane even took off.
Next came dropping my little guy off to the Wankiers. He was so well taken care of and even needed some de-grandmatization from all the attention he got there. He got to go swimming, go to the park, read books, and lots of time with his Grandma, Grandpa, and aunts and uncles.
Meanwhile, I worked and slept and occasionally ate and got a few hours to play with the friends and family. Oh, and don’t forget that phone call from my husband who had to make his way to insta-care, who sent him to the ER who sent him to the ophthalmologist. What I thought was pink eye over the phone turned into keratitis. Ugh! Thank you Emily for carting Preston around to be taken care of.
And then, before you knew it, Carl and I were back on that plane.
Not so bad anymore, now that I knew what to expect. Salt Lake let me through security first, I checked in at the gate and the attendant there personally grabbed me so that I could board the plane first and get things ready for Carl. Also, she switched the seat of the person sitting next to me so that we would have an extra seat right next to me. Bless her saintly heart too!
Half Benadryl, empty sippy cups, diaper changed, and everything laid out in front of me before everyone even boarded the plane. Bliss. Oh, and did I mention Phineous and Ferb on the IPad for two and a half hours?
As nice as it was to go home (where more than half of my personal belongings still reside), it was so nice to come back to Maryland and have our whole family all together again.
3 comments:
Uggg, flying with a baby is stressful, especially when they insist on being nursed and you are approximately 1 inch away from a man you don't even know. Glad you came away unscathed! Your cakes are adorable, btw.
Been there, done that. Flying with babies is NOT fun! You get wings for that, you know (as in pilot wings, not chicken wings).
um, yeah. apparently i was signed into the ward RS e-mail when I commented on this. woops.
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