Have baby, will travel

We recently returned home after a crazy, but awesome, weekend in Moorhead, MN. We flew out to be a part of my sister Liz's wedding. I will admit that the idea of flying a baby halfway across the country terrified me. I think I was more sensitive about it because I had just read an article about how some people are trying to ban babies from flights, stores, etc. I definitely didn't want to be "that family" who was disrupting the entire flight. I finally realized that CJ has never given us reason to worry about his behavior in the past, so why should this be any different?

Packing was made much easier since we were flying Southwest and didn't have to worry about paying for checked bags. I didn't have to worry about what to bring and what not to bring. While most of his stuff was packed into our checked bags, we had plenty to keep him occupied in his diaper bag. I didn't want to pack too much and put him into sensory overload. We were already going to be in a new environment, so he'd have plenty to keep him interested around the plane. We made sure to have a few pacifiers, food, books and toys. With diaper supplies, a burp cloth and blanket, we were ready to go.

As we boarded for the first leg of the trip, you could see the look on people's faces. "Oh man, someone is bringing a baby on board. Now I'll never be able to rest!" I was determined to prove them wrong. As soon as the plane started, CJ fell asleep. He woke up about 30 minutes before landing, which was time for a bottle, and so most people didn't even realize that we had a baby in our row. The trip from Denver to Minneapolis was about the same. He fell asleep for take off, and then played with his toys once he woke up. You better believe I was thanking God for making CJ so easygoing!





I would say the hardest parts of the trip were driving the four hours from Minneapolis to Fargo, and back again. Both ways we just found places to stop so that he wasn't in his car seat for too long. The biggest worry for me came on Saturday night/Sunday morning. He woke up in the middle of the night, clearly uncomfortable. He was practically inconsolable. We think a tooth is getting close to the surface, so he was probably in a lot of pain. A little bit of baby Tylenol did the trick that night, but what was going to happen on the flights home? To make matters worse, our flight from Chicago was delayed. Thankfully, he did very well on the way home. We had one brief outburst at the very end. He was actually asleep when that happened, but got quiet quickly.

Regardless of the amount of travel required, it was simply amazing to watch him with my family. At our last home visit, Sharon asked us how our family has received CJ. This weekend was just a shining example of how he has been welcomed with open arms and hearts. Everyone clearly loves him, and he clearly loves each of them. I look forward to when he's a bit older and can play with cousin Miles. I have a feeling that those two boys will get themselves into some trouble! :)

31 days until our finalization!