Recently, we went out to Portland, Oregon for a long visit. Because we were gone for so long, we did and saw a lot. We took tons of pictures and videos, so I'll be posting separate entries throughout the next week about the trip. The kids had so much fun going to different parks, seeing waterfalls and mountains, going on their first short hike, touching snow, attending their first concert, meeting new friends, and visiting their grandparents. Eli was a great sport about missing his afternoon naps so that we could go do stuff. So for this post, let's just start from the beginning....
Elina, Eli, and I flew to Portland by ourselves first. (B joined us for the return flight later on.) Initially, I was really nervous about flying with the kids by myself. What would I do if Elina had to go potty? How would I take Eli into the teeny tiny bathroom with us? Would the flight attendant agree to hold Eli for me? (Am I neurotic, or what?)
Since I was so worried and had over-thought, over-processed, and over-planned everything, the kids were wonderful on the flights. Of course. I didn't need half the things I had brought. I didn't need to worry about half the things I had stressed about. Oh well.
I found that fellow passengers really are nice--if your children are well-behaved. Eli is so smiley that he flirted with everyone and made friends everywhere we went. On our second leg, we sat next to this nice woman who kept playing peekaboo with Eli. Then she even asked to hold him to give me a break. How nice! Eli didn't mind her holding him, so I asked if I could sneak to the bathroom real quick. The lady told me to take my time, so I dashed to the back of the plane. Our seats were in the middle of the airplane, but when I was just about to flush the toilet, I could already hear Eli's familiar screams and cries. Oh, man! I ran to my seat and took him into my arms and he immediately stopped crying. Everyone seated around us clapped and smiled, saying, "Ahhhh, Mom is here!" So that was the only time Eli caused a scene. Thank goodness.
So here were some of my observations from the trip:
1. I kind of resent people who take the handicap bathroom stall just for themselves and their one carry-on bag. Seriously. Most of the time when we ran to the restroom, Elina couldn't hold it anymore, so I couldn't wait for the handicap stall. So I would just pick a regular stall, leave our bags and Eli in the stroller outside of the stall, and leave the stall wide open so I could put her on the potty AND hold the stall door open AND watch Eli AND our stuff at the same time. Not cool. Or maybe it's just "not cool" to me now since I have 2 kids in tow.
2. The Phoenix Airport is very loooooooooong. It took us forever to get to Gate A. I saw these moving walkways on our way there and I thought, "Why would you use the moving walkway when it's so nice to walk after being stuck on a plane?" As I passed the second moving walkway, I realized that it was going to be a long trek to our gate. THAT'S why they have all those moving walkways, silly! So we followed suit and hopped onto the moving walkway along with the other people.
3. A San Antonio TSA agent really impressed me. As I made my way through the metal detector, she approached me carrying my stroller. Then she proceeded to open the stroller up for me. She even went back and got Elina's shoes for her. I was speechless. Thanks so much, TSA lady. (I really should have gotten her name!)
Other than Eli's episode and Elina's near accidents, the flights were pretty uneventful. I don't know if I would choose to fly by myself with the kids again, but now I know I can do it. And now I know that even if I pack a bunch of toys to entertain Eli with, he will only want to play with a flexible straw. Go figure.
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