Takeoff and Landing

Operation Air Travel with Infant: SUCCESS.

Operation Don't Pick Up Any Infectious Diseases from the Guy Coughing in the Seat Behind You: FAIL.

A brief bout with the plague is a small price to pay, though, for the weekend we just had. My genius baby brother graduated from college, my parents threw a party for Wombat so he could meet the rest of the family, and we had a big Mother's Day picnic in the sunshine. It was a short trip and a busy one, but again, a little sleep deprivation was worth the reward.

Because I'm a sentimental fool, the best parts of the trip were bringing Wombat to the places I grew up in. He was bathed in the sink I was bathed in, changed on the mat I was changed on, and fed baby cereal by the pretty lady who fed me baby cereal all those years ago. We took him for a sunset stroll by the river (in a big-boy stroller!), set him down on the grass with the cats, took him on a tour of my dear alma mater, and hid him amongst my grandma's dolls. They say that having kids will make you wish time would stop or slow down, but I kept finding myself hoping it would speed up so my son would be able to appreciate all the things I love--my old house, my old cat, my old grandparents--before they're gone. Oh for a time machine.

I could go on and on (about stuff no one who wasn't there would care about), so instead here's a follow-up on our inaugural round-trip by air with a baby. First, please note that we have the best baby in the world; your results may vary.

As suspected, the flights themselves were a breeze. Wombat nursed during takeoff and landing on the first trip but slept through the whole second trip, and neither time did it seem like his ears were bothering him. As for everyone else's ears, Simon passed out earplugs to adjacent passengers, all of whom smiled and thanked him, and most of whom told us how many kids/grandkids they had as a way of assuring us that they wouldn't be annoyed should our wee one squeak and squawk. Note: Just because someone isn't travelling with a kid doesn't mean they've never travelled with a kid.

There was a teeny bit of shouting at one point (par for the course whenever Wombat drifts unwillingly into unconsciousness), but it turned out that his loudest sounds were actually happy sounds. Something about takeoff out of Oakland made him completely loopy and he caught the giggles, couldn't stop laughing, so much so that Simon wondered if we should try to make him stop because, really, it was getting ridiculous.

Simon should talk, though, since he was a bit loopy too. On the way out, we had a packet of drink coupons, and when he tried to order a shot of Jack with them, the flight attendant told him to put them away because they were no good here; she returned with a triple of Jack, on the house. Then, on the way back, we took advantage of the airline's "Free Drink for Moms on Mother's Day" promotion, so I ordered another Jack for Simon. ("A Jack and Coke?" asked the flight attendant. "No, just a Jack," I replied. She looked puzzled. "And no Coke? You just...don't look like the type to drink straight Jack on the rocks." (She's right. I prefer Maker's, neat.)) The moral of this story is: Southwest Airlines thinks parents deserve an alcoholic beverage to help them through the day, so if that's your thing, be sure to take advantage on your next flight.

The only hassle we encountered at the airport was that both times our carseat, which we'd checked at the gate, in a clear plastic bag we got at check-in, wasn't waiting for us at the gate on the other side but was sent all the way to baggage claim. This meant we had to carry Wombat through the airport, which would have been a giant pain had we loaded up with carry-ons, but, thanks to your advice, we didn't and so were fine. Best advice, infant or not: Carry on as little as possible. For us, it meant less trouble getting through the airport, less trouble getting on and off the plane, and less trouble getting through security.

Next best advice: Be super super nice to the airline staff. They're abused enough as it is, and you never know how much a kind smile and a spastic baby wave will improve their mood. Plus, they will totally hook you up with free liquor. Speaking of which, I think it's time for some more cough medicine.

wrote Leah at 6:36 AM | Comments (11)