Update #1 Braving a plane ride with the Little Man!

It's been awhile. We were preparing for our OKC flight, taking a road trip to Bville, braving the crowds at Walkaround, celebrating Camden's Birthday with a Blues Clues Party, cheering on the Cowboys at Homecoming...whew. There was a lot to write about... except when we got home our computer had died... again. I've vowed to write four posts a month, so I'm hoping to write all four of them this week. *crossing fingers*

I spent the first week of October dreading Saturday, October 11th. This was the day I would take Camden on a plane without Aaron. I don't think I would have been too scared except the Little Man chose that week to go CRAZY. Our childrens church coordinator pulled me aside after bible study and asked if anything was wrong with Camden because he cried the majority of the time, tripped and busted his lip open (second time in 24 hours!), and had a problem with BITING the other kids! He also got in trouble at the YMCA for drawing all over the chairs and table at child watch. That week he chucked a menu at my face in Jason's Deli, threw himself on the floor at Target, slapped me when he didn't get his way, etc. He was crazy...and I was about to take him on an airplane ALONE. A screaming Camden in an airplane with no way of escaping? I was literally sick to my stomach over it.

Pre-Flight Warm-up

I tried as best I could to prepare myself for anything. The day before the flight I called Southwest airlines to make sure what the guidelines are for carry-ons, strollers, etc. The call ended up being a total waste because the lady was horribly rude and tried to convince me that his stroller would cost $25 to check in at the gate. (This ended up being completely false, and I wish I could call the lady back and tell her that not only was she wrong but she also completely hurt my feelings with her attitude.) There were some pre-flight jitters when Aaron couldn't find the Little Man's birth certificate. Because he was a few weeks shy of being 2 years old, I need documentation to prove he was under 2 years old and considered a free ride. Luckily, we called Southwest, and they told us to bring documentation with his birth date on it. We were on our way...

Round 1:

The check-in went smoothly with Camden getting only semi-angry with having to sit in his stroller as we got through the line. I was planning to check the car seat in at the gate, but the nice man told me to take it on the plane because the flight wasn’t full because I would probably be able to grab a seat for him too. Thank you Lord!

Round 2: Security Check Point

Taking off my shoes, Camden’s shoes, getting Camden out of his stroller, placing the shoes, carry-on bag, and stroller through the X-ray machine, handing off the car seat to a security guy so he could check it, handing over IDs, getting checked … and doing all of this while holding on to a barefoot toddler and trying not to irritate everyone behind me. The delivery was a bit sloppy but overall a success.

Round 3: Getting on the Plane

I dropped Camden’s stroller off just outside the plane and underestimated how difficult it would be to carry the car seat, carry-on bag, and the Little Man through the tiny aisle. I took a deep breath when I realized that the whole front of the plane was full, and I would have to carry my load all the way to the back. There were a few casualties… Little Man’s croc (the flight attendant later returned), a couple of elbows leaning too far into the aisle. Throughout all of this, no one offered to help. I didn't even think about that until after the flight.

Once I found two seats together, I screamed SUCCESS! in my mind… but this is where I was thrown a curve ball. I failed to foresee that Camden might be completely freaked out by the crowded airplane, loud noises, and too-close-together seats. Once I put him down in my seat to install the car seat, he began to cry. It wasn't the typical ‘Mom, I’m not too sure about this' cry. It was the back arching “GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW!!!' cry. My heart started to pound as I realized that my worst nightmare was coming true.

The business man behind me took this opportunity to loudly complain about how horrible the flight was going to be with a screaming child and asked his friend next to him if he thought it would be a good idea to try and find another seat. I wanted to turn around and say something, but I was too busy trying to wrestle the Little Man into his car seat. Aaron called right about then to ask how everything was going, and all I could do was hiss "He hates the plane! This was so a bad idea!" and hang up.

Final Round: THE FLIGHT

I tried everything to calm him down... markers, books, sippy cups, snacks. He wouldn't stop screaming. There was one more thing I could use- my secret weapon. I brought my IPOD and headphones, and Aaron had downloaded Toy Story 2 on it the week before. I hesitated pulling it out because we hadn't taken off yet, and I didn't want to give him the IPOD just to have to take it away during the whole 'turn off all electronic devices' part of the flight. To give the Little Man hope of watching Toy Story and then take it away from him would be disastrous. I weighed my options and decided there were none. The trip was already disastrous, so I might as well have him calm for a few minutes.

I pulled out the IPOD and his screams immediately turn into cheers of "Buzz! Buzz!" He giggled, snatched the IPOD out of my hands, and stared into the screen.

Thank you Buzz!

A few minutes later, the flight attendant made her final rounds and asked if the Little Man's Ipod was off. I winced and told her no. She asked that I turn it off before take off. I nodded and reached over to turn it off but stopped. I had a dilemma. Do I ignore the flight attendant and break the rules, or do I turn it off and deal with a raging Camden during take off? You can guess which one I chose. Thanks to Buzz and Woody, Camden was quiet through the whole flight. We had a slight problem with kicking the man in front of him, but to Camden's defense, there was probably three inches of space between his car seat and the seat tray.

Good job Little Man!

I started to breathe easier when the seat belt sign flashed back on and the flight attendant announced they were preparing for landing. When we landed, I was one of the first to get up. I didn't care that I had to drag the carry on bag, car seat, and the Little Man through the aisle again... I wanted off that plane! I was a little too eager when I leaped into the aisle with all of my cargo and was relieved to see the stroller waiting for me at the gate. We raced to the baggage claim where my parents were waiting, and I immediately handed over the Little Man. The trip was officially over, and I had conquered my fear of taking the Little Man on the plane. Did I want to do it again anytime soon? Absolutely not. That hour and a half flight was way more exhausting than the eight hour drive. Later that week I would find out the culprit of Camden's craziness... two year molars.