Well, we survived our first out-of-state travels with our little Pumpkin. Although I have fallen asleep at my desk a couple of times today, I am here to say that our little Pumpkin has all the makings of a fine world traveler, though, as you will see, not sure the same can be said for mommy.
So the plan was to go to Florida to visit Ganny for the Labor Day weekend. Of course, the night before our trip I got absolutely no sleep. It was a combination of "did I pack absolutely every single thing I may possibly need for Aly because there is a possibility all the stores in the entire state of Florida have closed" panic and "ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod is she going to scream on the flight and anger everyone on the plane" freaking. I should have had more faith in her and gotten more sleep. It would have made the day a LOT easier.
We plan to leave the house at 6:30 to make a 10:15 flight out of Baton Rouge (2 hours away). At 6:20 we are walking out the door and I ask Aaron if he thinks she might be hungry. She hasn't acted hungry in the least and she just ate at 4:30 so we venture a guess that she is NOT hungry. Boy were we wrong. Of course, she waits to tell us this until we are at the end of our street. Then the screaming begins. We pull over at the bank in the dark morning hours and I feed her in the back seat. If we had been driving, we probably would have just turned around at that point and blown the entire trip off. Not a great start.
Once baby girl is fed, she falls promptly to sleep and is a perfect angel the entire way to the airport. As soon as we park the car in the garage though, I smell something that cannot be mistaken. I can now add to the list of crazy places she has had her diaper changed the back seat of daddy's truck in the airport parking garage. As will become evident through this adventure, there is just something about the airport that makes our little Pumpkin feel REALLY regular.
We get inside and travel agent daddy leads us right up to the American Airlines counter. They can't find our ticket at the kiosk so we wait in line for an agent. I'm beginning to notice something - nobody is smiling at Aly. Typically when I take her ANYWHERE it is non-stop cooing and admiration by everyone who passes her. Suddenly, here in the airport, everyone is either avoiding looking at her as though they will turn into stone or they are quickly averting their eyes and saying fervent prayers under their breaths. I look down into the stroller and she is still just as adorable as ever, so I can't figure it out...why does nobody in the airport love my baby????
Anyway, as I'm trying to figure out this mystery, travel agent daddy is realizing he booked us on a completely different airline. We proceed to the Delta counter, where they are utterly confused by the sight of the baby and inform us we are on the wrong side of the plane to have a baby. I have yet to figure out why one side of the plane is better for babies (if the chance of death is less on that side, I want to ALWAYS sit on that side) but after SEVERAL long minutes (and several more people scowling at Aly) we are sent off to our gate.
Security is no problem, no alarms are sounded, the stroller fit through the x-ray machine, and I'm starting to breathe a little easier. We arrive at the gate and as soon as we are within eye's sight of the counter, the agent asks loudly "Are you the Browns?" As if in response, Pumpkin starts screaming and everyone waiting to board our flight looks terrified. I then realize what those prayers were that were being mumbled by the passers-by : "Please don't let that baby be on my flight."
Luckily, she just doesn't like to wait because we board the flight and she eats and falls right to sleep for the duration. We arrive at our first stop (yes, thanks to travel agent daddy we had a layover - horror of horrors with an infant). This first stop is identified by the stewardess as "the world's busiest airport." Oh joy. We have one hour.
We deplane on the runway and are outside of the terminal. We proceed down the walkway with our stroller and diaper bag to a two-level flight of concrete stairs. Aaron asks the first employee he sees whether there is another way into the airport like an elevator. She looks at him as though he were speaking Greek and walks away, so Aaron and I proceed to carry Pumpkin, in her stroller, up the stairs.
Needless to say, we get to the gate with no time to spare and starving. Based on how relatively easy the first flight is, I figure I can board without Aaron and send him to get us lunch. I make my way down the jetway, 16.5 pound Pumpkin in hand and pushing the stroller. I get to the end of the jetway and ask the worker whether I should leave the folded stroller there. She says "I don't know" and walks away, leaving me standing with a heavy baby, a heavy diaper bag, and a stroller in an un-air conditioned jetway while the rest of my plane proceeds to board. Talk about customer service - Delta is certainly not the friendly skies. As I'm trying not to have a complete meltdown I see Aaron at the end of the line and he manages to get a flight attendant to help us.
Second flight was as smooth as the first, despite the glares from passengers and flight attendants alike, including one male steward who, despite carrying around a trash bag, was disgusted when Aaron handed him our trash, which did not even include a diaper. I mean, if you are going to walk around with a trash bag for a living you cannot get made when people hand you trash. Sheesh.
Anyway, we land and are sitting on the plane waiting for the door to open when I feel and smell the big stink. We can't get off the plane fast enough. I high tail it for the ladies restroom to find a woman using the changing table as a makeup counter. I shove Pumpkin up there and try to "apologize" to the woman in advance for the smell, hoping she will get the hint. Instead, she gives me a "tsk" and eye-roll and proceeds to apply mascara, as if I am in the wrong.
So I, too, proceed with the business at hand. And let me tell you, I did NOT underestimate the greatness of that stink. I had dressed Aly so cute for her Florida premier and by the time we were done in that bathroom there was poop on every article of clothing, blanket, and changing pad I had on me. Little did I know, that was not the only place. After walking through the entire Orlando airport, including a ride on the monorail where I engaged in conversation with a family headed to Disney, I get in the van only to realize I have poop all over the leg of my own pants.
Yet, no worse for the wear, Pumpkin finally arrived at her Ganny's house where she was showered with love from everyone who met her. It truly warmed my heart to see all the folks who love and care about my baby all over the country. She is blessed, I am blessed, we are blessed and I love all of you for loving her.
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