z's first flight (tucson - part 2)
Z's first trip to the airport seemed more like a trip to Disneyland - long lines, lots of smiling faces, a different sight and sound from every direction, topped off with a really long, exciting ride.
When I bought the tickets, the only available seats were center seats. As I checked in using the kiosk, I skipped past the "change seats" screen - assuming no other seats were open. The woman checking my bag said, "Are you traveling with an infant?" "yep." "Would you like an aisle seat?" "Yes, please!" Not only did she find an aisle seat, she found one next to an empty center.
The security line snaked back and forth at least 4 times then divided into 2. For Z, it was like traveling through a valley of people - and he was The River Smiles. Coming up on the home stretch, one of the security people said, "You've waited long enough," made an opening in the barrier, and escorted us to the short line (for employees and frequent travelers).
Lucky she did, because to get through security I had to: put the diaper bag, my purse, my shoes, and my jacket into a bin to be xrayed. I also had to disassemble the car seat/stroller, fold it up to put through the xray machine, and take Z's jacket off. No one helped me so I ended up laying Z on the ground. I carried him through security then had help reassembling and dressing. We rolled up to the gate as they called final boarding and were the last folks to board the plane.
As we listened to the flight attendants' security presentation, he started getting fussy. I had planned to nurse during take-off so that his ears would pop, but he wasn't going to wait that long. I think he fell asleep right as the plane started to speed down the runway....he didn't wake up again until we had been in the air for 30 minutes.
Awake, he was immediately back on the task of smiling at as many people as he could. Z kept looking behind me and giggling. I turned to see who he was "talking" with - it was a guy about my age. He said, "I keep trying not to look, but it's so hard."
Midway through the flight I felt the familiar rumblings of Z's backend filling a diaper. In all of my travels, I have always appreciated the airplane lavatory as a place to get some privacy, stand for a bit, and even do a couple stretches. They never seemed huge, but I've always been pretty comfortable in them - assuming they aren't too stinky. ;) But...that was before trying to change a 25+ inch long baby who has enough poop to fill two diapers on a changing table built for a maximum 23 inch long baby in an airplane that is in the middle of a banking curve. The cleaning crew likely found some of the poop that I missed during the clean-up.
He fell asleep again just before landing. I thought for sure he would wake up when the wheels hit the groud, but he didn't wake until we reached the gate. The walk through the airport gave him enough time to wake so that he was all smiles when grandpa met us past security.
Unexpectedly, it was one of the quickest 3 hours I've spent.
When I bought the tickets, the only available seats were center seats. As I checked in using the kiosk, I skipped past the "change seats" screen - assuming no other seats were open. The woman checking my bag said, "Are you traveling with an infant?" "yep." "Would you like an aisle seat?" "Yes, please!" Not only did she find an aisle seat, she found one next to an empty center.
The security line snaked back and forth at least 4 times then divided into 2. For Z, it was like traveling through a valley of people - and he was The River Smiles. Coming up on the home stretch, one of the security people said, "You've waited long enough," made an opening in the barrier, and escorted us to the short line (for employees and frequent travelers).
Lucky she did, because to get through security I had to: put the diaper bag, my purse, my shoes, and my jacket into a bin to be xrayed. I also had to disassemble the car seat/stroller, fold it up to put through the xray machine, and take Z's jacket off. No one helped me so I ended up laying Z on the ground. I carried him through security then had help reassembling and dressing. We rolled up to the gate as they called final boarding and were the last folks to board the plane.
As we listened to the flight attendants' security presentation, he started getting fussy. I had planned to nurse during take-off so that his ears would pop, but he wasn't going to wait that long. I think he fell asleep right as the plane started to speed down the runway....he didn't wake up again until we had been in the air for 30 minutes.
Awake, he was immediately back on the task of smiling at as many people as he could. Z kept looking behind me and giggling. I turned to see who he was "talking" with - it was a guy about my age. He said, "I keep trying not to look, but it's so hard."
Midway through the flight I felt the familiar rumblings of Z's backend filling a diaper. In all of my travels, I have always appreciated the airplane lavatory as a place to get some privacy, stand for a bit, and even do a couple stretches. They never seemed huge, but I've always been pretty comfortable in them - assuming they aren't too stinky. ;) But...that was before trying to change a 25+ inch long baby who has enough poop to fill two diapers on a changing table built for a maximum 23 inch long baby in an airplane that is in the middle of a banking curve. The cleaning crew likely found some of the poop that I missed during the clean-up.
He fell asleep again just before landing. I thought for sure he would wake up when the wheels hit the groud, but he didn't wake until we reached the gate. The walk through the airport gave him enough time to wake so that he was all smiles when grandpa met us past security.
Unexpectedly, it was one of the quickest 3 hours I've spent.
posted by sp1ral at 6:43 AM
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