Flying Solo, There and Back

Getting There

Friday was mainly a travel day for us. Lewis and I were supposed to fly from Louisville to Houston, Houston to Denver, and Denver to Boise--normally, I am opposed to 2 connections, but in this case, this was the best schedule to coordinate with Lewis's 'norm' and to be most convenient for Em/Joe to pick us up from the airport (and not have to leave work early, stay up late, etc.).

Walking to our gate in Louisville, we walked right by Sinbad!! What a great way to start the day, right? Wrong. Once we got to our gate, we saw that the incoming flight was going to be late, giving us only 22 minutes in Houston (instead of an hour). The very nice lady at the counter found us a later afternoon/evening flight (dropping one connection, too)...just as she was about to reissue us tickets, she got word that the incoming flight would be about 15 minutes earlier than planned. Soooo, we decided to go ahead and make a dash for it in Houston, and that we did.

We arrived in Houston with just enough time to change a diaper, power walk it to the tram to get to the next concourse, and get to the gate, where, of course, they were already boarding. Phew. To add to the stress, it was a jumbo jet, completely packed to the brim. Luckily Lewis and I were seated next to a friendly Irish woman who has spent the past 15 years living in Australia--Lewis was totally absorbed in her accent and thought she was the coolest. And she volunteered to hold him while I got situated in our seat, and she offered her tray table for me to put my drink (since my lap was otherwise occupied). Quite a pleasant ride, thanks to her.

We made it to Denver with enough time to locate a family restroom and completely commandeer it (changed Lewis, fed Lewis, used the restroom), grabbed some Starbucks and a sandwich (it was 4pm Kentucky time and I hadn't eaten since 8:30am), and boarded for Boise. This was a smaller plane but still completely full. We were seated next to an older gentleman whom I really didn't feel comfortable nursing next to, so we just relied on the pacifier to try to curb any ear pressure issues on takeoff and landing.

Coming Back

Coming back, we arrived at the airport an hour before our flight was to leave, which should have been plenty of time, given the small size of the Boise airport. However, security didn't open until 40 minutes before my flight, creating a nasty cluster-eff. Thankfully Lewis and I got to go through a special turnstyle because of the whole stroller/baby thing, so we saved 10-15 minutes of waiting with the rest of the crowd. We made it down to the gate where, OF COURSE, they were already boarding...I quickly changed his diaper and on we went.

I should say, the trip home was supposed to be better--only one connection, in Denver.

We had a fine flight and arrived in Denver on time. We had a 2 1/2 hour layover--plenty of time to grab breakfast (and coffee!) since I missed both of those things in Boise with the rush, feed Lewis some cereal, and relax a bit (especially compared to how quick and rushed every other connection had been).

About an hour into our wait, I decided to go commandeer the family restroom again to nurse Lewis. I was waiting, waiting, and waiting (and wondering if someone else had the same idea as me), and I looked up to see my mom and dad walking down the concourse! Their plane had mechanical issues the night before, causing them to be stranded in Chicago for the night--they were scheduled to land right as Lewis and I were departing for Louisville. However, they caught an earlier flight so that we could spend some time together at the airport! It was so great to see them--we got to visit for about an hour and we were all supposed to takeoff to our final destinations around the same time.

We said our goodbyes just as the gate attendant (at my gate) said that there was a mechanical issue. It sounded pretty minor--a 10 minute delay at first. That, of course, turned into another 15 minutes, then an hour, then an hour OR two, at the maximum. They had to replace a hydraulic pump of some sort, so we ended up taking off 2 1/2 hours later than planned. Loverly. That gave us time to walk around a lot, have lunch (which I was actually excited about because I'd had the best deli sandwich ever on the trip going out to Boise, so I was excited to have it a second time), and finally commandeer the family restroom one more time to get a good Lewis feed in.

We finally made it out of Denver and made it into Louisville around 5:30pm, about two hours later than planned. That flight was pretty good--Lewis slept through most of it and I even grabbed a little nap. By that point, we had been going since 4:45am, Boise time. It was good to be home.

Lessons Learned

• Family restrooms are my friend. It was great to be able to nurse freely and not stress about finding a place in a busy, bustling airport.
• Don't be afraid to take advantage of the Family with Small Children line at security. It rocks.
• Passenger, please don't wear such strong cologne.
• Passenger, please put on deodorant.
• Passenger, you are entitled to recline your seat, but know in doing so you choose the difference between getting kicked by Lewis or not. Upright, your chair is just out of reach. How much of a difference can that extra 12 degrees of lounging space really make?
• Passengers, please don't consume 4 mini bottles each of Skyy Vodka and proceed to share iPod earbuds and sing along and try to carry on a really loud conversation over the music.
• Flight attendant, please don't feel the need to give away 4 mini bottles each of vodka to passengers just because we had a 2 1/2 hour inconvenience. 2, maybe. Not 4. On second thought, at least share the love with all of us so we're all schnockered. :)

Handiest Travel Accessories

• Ergo Baby Carrier - I used this from the gate to our seat when boarding and from our seat to our stroller/the gate when deplaning. Absolutely necessary in order to be hands free and keep Lewis safely contained.
• Neck Pillow - It doubled as a mini Boppy when nursing and a toy to chew on and some support for under his legs when he napped or support under my arm when he became deadweight.
• Nursing Cover - Although, as the flights went on, I stopped even bothering with it and just nursed on the side closest to the window. Goodbye, modesty. Hello, practicality.
• Nursing Tank - I found that I was a lot more comfortable nursing with a tank under my t-shirt (helping me not reveal my stomach). Kept things more discreet.
• Pacifier and Pacifier Clip - This was true especially for the times when nursing wasn't as comfortable an option for me.
• Purse - As the flights went on, I prioritized what we would need (chew toy, nursing cover, pacifier, etc.) during the flight and put it in my purse. Everything else (wallet, keys, etc.) went into the backpack (diaper bag) and into the overhead bin. Too much 'togetherness' for me as it was--didn't need a backpack at my feet to make it even more crowded.
• Sippy Cup Strap - I used to tether Lewis's favorite teething toy (aka chew toy because I'm so used to dealing with the dogs) to my seatbelt so it was always within easy reach and never getting thrown to the floor.
• Stroller - An absolute duh. I can't tell you how many people I saw who were carrying around their baby through the airport. Either get a baby carrier or pack a freaking stroller, people. Why make it harder than it has to be?

So that's the nitty gritty on what I learned from my first solo trip with Lewis. Tomorrow, pictures!