Eli's First Plane Ride

I worried about traveling with an infant before Eli was even born! Ya know, one of the many things we mothers allow ourselves to worry about way ahead of time. So of course the anxiety over flying with Eli kept building as the trip to Chicago got closer and closer. In bed at night I would lay there imaging the different scenarios that could take place. Let me just say for the record that having a baby with reflux adds so much stress to an already stressed out Mama. Reflux babies spit up constantly when they are not eating and throw up puddles of milk after eating. So let's see... it's an hour and 15 minutes to the airport, then we have to park and take the bus, then we have to check in and go through security, then we get on the tram, and finally we arrive at the gate way ahead of time. Then you have to board the plane first which means sitting there for at least 30 minutes before take off. Finally you take off and fly for 2 hours. Then of course you get to wait on the plane until everyone gets off, you trek down to baggage claim, and finally you get in the car that is waiting for you. Only then do you realize it is rush hour in Chicago which means at least an hour ride to the house. So all in all it ends up being about a 7 hour trip before you are there and settled. Do you know how many times Eli will spit up and throw up in 7 hours?! A Lot!

So anyway, I prepare for this monumental event by packing the diaper bag full of burp cloths, bibs, baby wipes, and changes of clothes. Carrying the bag was heavier and harder than carrying the baby. I knew I probably needed to bring along a change of clothes for me as well since my shirts never stay clean for longer than an hour but there was just no room for it. Oh well, sour milk makes for a nice scented perfume on airplanes anyway. It's not like the other passengers will have to look far to figure out where that lovely scent is coming from.

In addition to Eli being the king of spit up I also worried about his new game called see how loud I cry for no apparent reason. He used to cry because he was hungry or because he just ate and it hurts but since we started the meds that has stopped. Then one day out of the blue it was as if he flipped a little cry switch to see how loud and how long he can cry before making his Mama go insane. I figured with all of the traveling we were putting him through that he would decide the airplane would be a great place to play that game. I packed 3 extra pacifiers in the bag because there is no way I was going to end up losing a pacificer and not have a mute button for his little crying game!

For 3 days before the trip I mentally ran through a to do list about 100 times. Milan always teases me about my actual lists and my mental lists. It must be the teacher in me. Now you mothers out there will be able to relate to what I am about to write. Why is it that men worry about nothing but themselves when it comes to traveling? Mom on the other hand is the one writing the "don't forget" list. She does the laundry, she packs her things as well as the baby's, she gets herself and the baby ready, she packs the diaper bag, she remembers the books and snacks for the plane. She plans dinner around what is left in the fridge because she doesn't want food to go to waste, she cleans up the house so it is neat when we return, she arranges for the dog to be taken care of as well as the mail. I need a vacation from the vacation preparation. The morning we left I was up at 7 am and didn't stop running until we got in the car at 12:45. Milan showered and packed within an hour and we were out the door. I just don't get it. While we were on the plane though something occured to me. These things are my job because if I had to explain it all to him it would take twice as long to get done and I'd probably go back and redo it the way I wanted it anyway!! :) Ahh, love and marriage. It's such a balancing act. To Milan's credit though, he was getting work done on his computer the morning we left and couldn't really help me anyway.

Ok, back to the trip. I planned Eli's eating and sleeping the morning of the trip quite well. My goal was for him to sleep in the car and I would be happy. He was asleep immediately. Hooray. Little did I know that he would sleep through everything we did. He finally woke up 10 minutes before we boarded the plane. This was good and bad. I was glad he woke up in a good mood but he then screamed for food. The people waiting were glaring at me like "oh great this lady and that baby are getting on the same plane as us! Please don't let me get stuck sitting by them." Since I only nurse Eli I knew I wasn't going to be able to stick a bottle in his mouth so all I could do was settle in and feed him right there at the terminal. This was my first "real" in public feeding event. I just kept praying that my little man wouldn't play his new game called yank the blankie off of Mama and then laugh. He was so hungry he was grunting and slurping while he was eating. It was hilarious. So now it's time to board the plane. I have two options. 1. Remove Eli and listen to him scream and run the risk of him throwing up everywhere or 2. board the plane while he is still attached. Superwoman that I am decided to try option 2. So there we go waiting in line to board while I have Eli's feet dangling out of the blanket and he is just guzzling away. The stares I got for it were much more comical than the ones I would have got if he were screaming and throwing up! We boarded the plane and Eli just sat there happily looking around and smiling. He was getting his usual attention from people passing by. We took off and he fell asleep. We arrived and he stayed asleep. We put him in the car and he slept through rush hour. He ate again at 7:30 that night and slept the longest he has ever slept in his entire life. He went to bed at 10 pm and didn't eat until 4 am!

Here is the best part of this entire story. Eli NEVER threw up at all. I never changed his bib or outfit. I only needed 1 burp cloth. Who would have ever imagined this trip would go so smoothly? I know worrying about things never helps but I just can't help myself. I was so relieved that he traveled so well. What a little sweetie.


While we were in town Eli finally got to meet so many people! Here are just a few pictures.

Sam & Nicole, Eli's Kum and Kuma. It seems like just yesterday that Sam & Nicole were standing with us at our wedding. Now they have 2 boys we are Kumovi for and we have our Eli for them to Christen. This is such a special tradition being carried on.

Dave threw a pre-Christening party. Here are all the Hayden boys. Eli finally got to meet his Cica's (uncles): Daniel, Luke, and Adam.

It is a tradition to roast a lamb for special occasions. Dave roasted this lamb in honor of Eli's Christening. Here are Dave (Grampy) and Bato (Deda) admiring a job well done. They can't wait for Eli to able to eat the lamb with them. What a lucky boy he'll be!

Eli got to meet his cousin Luke for the first time. Cica Adam and Tata are so happy that their boys finally met. There is lots of fun waiting to be had once Eli can walk and chase after Luke. We can't wait to meet the newest addition when he or she is born in July. Look at this family grow.