Traveling with an Infant. Embrace it.

Hazel and I embarked on an unexpected adventure into the air this week.

We got the very sad news on the 12th that my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly. So Eric headed out to Texas to take care of some of his things and then drove to North Carolina to plan the funeral service. Monday afternoon Hazel and I took to the airways to join him there.
Pre-flight #1. All looks peaceful. Traveling with just Hazel and a backpack feels like traveling light, so I'm optimistic.


Flight one is 2.5 hours and goes ok. There are a few bouts of crying, but mostly Hazel sat looking at me like, "What thuh?" Our row mate was a labor and delivery nurse who was very gracious and helpful. Thank goodness.

Pre-flight #2, Atlanta airport, things start going south.

We land in Greensboro in good shape. With my broken shoe I can either drag shuffle or one-footed duck march, so I alternate those moves to get our luggage and get to target for new shoes. Eric and I were able to have a lovely quiet dinner and sleep soooooo good on a cushy hotel king sized bed.

Tuesday was spent celebrating Eric's dad and enjoying family. Hazel was able to meet Gram a few weeks early and get lots of good squeezing from her N.C. family.

Then it was off to the airport for Hazel and me for our return trip.

Mid-flight #3 - all hell breaks loose. Hazel explodes in what my row mate called "fireworks" of poop. i.e. loud explosions followed by bursts of color.


With 20 minutes to land I sacrificed a burp cloth and somehow managed to keep from being covered in poop myself. At the Atlanta airport Hazel and I holed up in a family bathroom for a good 30 minutes where I gave her a sink bath and a new outfit. Her clothes did not survive the affair.


Flight #4 was the smoothest. We had an empty seat next to us and she was worn out from poop fest 2011, so she slept the whole way.

A hot Australian picked me up from the airport (thanks Scott!) and we made it home by 12:30 a.m.

And after dropping the boys off at school Wednesday morning, Hazel and I got back in bed. Yay for being home.

It makes me so sad that Hazel never got to meet her Grandpa. We will miss him dearly.



Sending this over to Embrace the Camera: