Flying with a Baby

If you would have told me a week and a half ago that Brayden was going to be the easiest part of traveling cross country, I would have laughed at you. Honestly, I would have. Packed down with a baby, a carry-on sized suitcase with everything Brayden and I needed for a week, an umbrella stroller, a purse, and an overly packed diaper bag, Brayden and I headed out Monday Sept 28th for Virginia! I was stressed to the max about Brayden, 3 airports to navigate, three take offs, three landings, and three plane rides is a lot for a newbie and a young one at that. Especially when the long flight is 5 HOURS! Long story short, Brayden was nothing short of an ANGEL the entire time and all your prayers were totally heard! Thank you! He happile ate snacks and meals, watched movies, played with new toys from his Daddy, and of course, flirted and played with everyone within his reach! There were moments of trial, losing pacifiers, pooping right at the beginning of take-off when I had to wait 20 minutes to change him, and having to change a diaper on 5 out of 6 flights on top of the airplane toilet since they don't have changing tables, and a little burst of energy during our last 5 hour flight, all things that were minor to say the least! I even got the sweetest compliment from a woman on our long flight home saying that she is going to compare all the children on her future flights to Brayden and think back on how good he was and how she wishes he could always be the child on her flight :). Things that make a Mommy proud!

But the other side of it, is that Brayden was the EASY part! The hard part was deciding I wasnt going to let the airport "steal" my money by checking a bag, therefore, get this pictured in your mind. I was pushing Brayden in his umbrella stroller, with a diaper bag over my shoulder, sweater and purse hanging on the handles of the stroller, while pulling a suitcase behind me. Not an impossible task at all, but something that requires coordination I apparentyl do not possess due to the bruises on the back of my leg from my suitcase constantly hitting me! We almost missed our flight from LAX to Detroit thanks to HORRIBLE LAX. I will spare you my rant, but I absolutely DETEST LAX in every possible way now. They are doing construction and have the least helpful personnel on the face of the earth. We did make the flight and God's hand was in the situation, our seat had been given away, but the seat we were assigned was next to two wonderful women who adored Bray and who Bray adored and who helped me out tremendously :). The other pitfall was on the way home, we missed our flight from LAX home to RNO, by 5 minutes due in part to our pevious flight getting in 30 minutes late, and in part to the horrible layout and construction at LAX. My Dad saved the day and bought Bray and I a ticket home on Southwest after I had found out we would be stuck at the airport for 5+ hours for a Horizon/Delta flight. We got home 2.5 hours earlier than we would have if we had taken the later flight and like I told my Dad, those two hours, when jet-lagged and having been traveling for almost 20 hours, made all the difference. Thanks again Dad!

So we arrived in Virginia safely, had an AMAZING trip out there (all those posts and pictures are to come in following days) and made it back home safe and sound :)!

Thanks Elissa, Casey, Logan and Austin for a wonderful vacation!!

First pic: (Up top)Brayden and I on our last flight on Day One of the trip!

Second pic: Our tiny first plane

Third pic: Bray looking at the airplanes!