To end out my maternity leave we've been doing a little traveling. So far Naomi has made it to Lake Jackson, Dallas, and Provo, Utah.
She and I went to Provo on a business trip. I was helping with a leadership symposium at BYU and speaking to some of the women engineers on campus. Yes, I was still on maternity leave but a trip to Utah is not something to turn down lightly so I packed the baby up and grabbed a plane.
Oh, if it were so easy...traveling with an infant is definitely effort. Security lines are definitely not made for single mothers. Somehow I thought I would be able to push the baby, stroller and all, right through the line. After all, they couldn't expect me to carry a baby in one hand and all my stuff in the other. Wrong. The first trip through security was a learning experience. All the normal stuff: shoes off, laptop out of bag, water dumped, jacket off. Add: baby in one hand, car seat onto conveyor belt ("turn that seat over - it has to be upside down"), detach and remove everything from car seat, put down handle one handed, turn car seat over, fold up stroller ("put the stroller on conveyor belt...no...wheels up…no…take it off"), walk through metal detector, gather scattered stuff repack, unfold stroller, get the starting-to-get-upset baby back in. About the time, they were telling me to take the stroller back off the conveyor belt a TSA person did come help me. Out of kindness as well as desperation I'm sure, as we were holding up the line.
By the next security line, I was much more practiced. Baby was in her wrap so I had two hands and I didn't even mess with the stroller. I let TSA do what they wanted with it.
The baby handled the plane pretty well. Mostly she just slept. Perfect. She woke up for the second flight and smiled happily at everyone around, winning all of their hearts I'm sure (she won mine). Then she blew out her diaper in three directions so it was a good thing their hearts were won (and that they had five kids).
Mostly, many thanks go out to all of the wonderful people who saw my need and helped. I don't know how I would have done it without the good souls who folded/unfolded my stroller, helped me carry stuff off the plane, pulled my suitcase to the check-in line, and smiled at me. (I decided if anyone wants to steal suitcases in an airport, a lone mother is probably their best bet. However, they might not enjoy the diapers and assorted blankets and baby hats that they end up with).
In Utah, we got to see many important people (although not everyone that I wanted to see). Naomi met her Aunt Bethany, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Cory and cousins Marie, Anne, Samuel, Jocelyn and Calli. Calli and her are only four months apart.(pcture courtesy of Rachel)
She also met Uncle Ryan (or Uncle Lucky as he requested) and Aunt Cheristy and Great grandma and Great Uncle Maylon.
Many thanks to Rachel and Ryan and Cheristy for taking care of my baby while I worked.
No comments:
Post a Comment