babyhall and i took a trip last week with granny to visit our extended family. it was a multifaceted experience for all of us, to say the least. first there was the lugging of the carseat + suitcases through the airport. now...i can not complain about my personal carry-on because it was a brand new black Kenneth Cole number, big enough to store a medium-sized dog if i wanted, but i don't have a medium sized dog so instead i stuffed my new bag with lots of other stuff. necessities, of course. and some peanut M&Ms.
also, i can not complain about the carseat's size. because it is big. one of the biggest on the market. but it is safe. one of the safest on the market.
anyway, back to the carseat and suitcases, which i carried from the parking lot (while holding/gripping toddler's tiny slippery hand), to the check-in desk (while begging toddler "stay close to Mommy!"), through the security checkpoint (while explaining to toddler why we have to dump her sippy cup contents, take off and put back on her shoes), to the gate (while finding a chair by the window to apease toddler), thinking [praying] the entire time "there's got to be an easier way to do this." after our trip i discovered there is!
and then the flight itself. it wasn't babyhall's first flight, but since her previous flight experience was when she was itty bitty, it felt like the 1st time to her. it was fun. she heard every noise, smelled every odor, felt every bump. at 30,000 feet she saw "snow," "ice," and the moon out the window. she ordered orange juice from the flight attendent. she kicked the tray table in front of her, ate a bag of gummy worms, and raised and lowered the window shade a million times. then she was bored. when the magic seatbelt light turned off, allowing us to get out of our seats (finally) babyhall was content to stand in the aisle and play a game of peek-a-boo with our row neighbors. the 2.5 hours went by quick.
fortunately for babyhall (and our row neighbors) we scheduled a 6am flight back to TX and so she slept almost the entire way.
the rental car, long drive to Grandma's house, and 2 day stay at Grandma's house also each provided a new and different experience for an observant, routined toddler.
it was a fun trip, and we're glad to be home.
