A Preposterous Pilgrimage

Our trip to Hungary will have additional posts coming soon but in the meantime my flight home deserves its own post!

Jason flew back to Stavanger Monday leaving Mads and I a couple additional days to shop and spend with the Herns, the couple we were visiting.

I wasn't too nervous about flying alone with Madi since she's been so great but I was a bit nervous about making my flight from Oslo to Stavanger...

I found out a couple weeks ago that when you fly international through Oslo you have to pick up your bags, carry them upstairs, re-check them, and proceed through security again. Lame.

And not exactly what I wanted to try and accomplish in 60 min by myself with a baby, a baby bag, a 50+ lb bag, and a stroller.

I made it to the airport in Budapest in plenty of time. I found the nursing room and relaxed with Madi. The nursing room however did no have a toilet. And having a full bladder, two carry-on bags, and a baby to load myself up with and try to get into a stall only to unpack everyone again to pee sounded awful. So I did what any logical person would do. I peed in the sink. That's right peeps- I have no shame or class.

Afterward Mads and I headed to the gate where we boarded first and got settled in our row excited to see that we somehow had to ourselves. That is until a nice gentlemen asked if he could sit there with me. I figured if he was choosing a baby over whatever seat he was in, then he must be desperate. That it Madi wasn't cranky-looking enough.

Madi did great on the flight. She really discovered her voice on this trip and has become incredibly talkative. I love it and I don't care if anyone is irritated by it. She talked and I laughed. :-)

Things, however, went downhill after we landed. We had to wait for the bus to take us to the terminal. Then once we got on the bus I was able to secure a cart and a front row spot at baggage claim. I anxiously waited for my suitcase and grabbed it, aware if the clock ticking by and wondering what the cutoff is for luggage check-in before a flight.

Then I vaguely remembered hearing something about strollers going to a different location. Fail. I ran to the info desk, confirmed that, and was told it would go to either claim 5 or 10. On opposite sides of the baggage claim. And no way of telling which it would go to. Ugh.

I ran between the two and and finally saw it coming up to conveyor belt. I booked it (literally jogging with a baby on me) to the elevator and ran across the entire check-in to Norwegian airlines because, naturally, it's in the opposite side. I hurriedly interrupt the line to ask the worker if I can go ahead to try and make my flight at 5:40. It's currently 4:55.

She looks at my cart and says that I have special baggage (the stroller) and I need to go to counter G. I turn and look. G is located on the other side very near the elevator I just ran from. Sigh.

I begin my game of frogger running around people pushing a cart with a stroller sticking out that almost go knocked off twice and had the elastic get caught on someone else's luggage.

Somehow I make it over to G, run up to the counter, and he looks at his watch and says "yep, you made it". Finally things are going my way. Now to just get through security and to my gate!

Fortunately the airport had a family security line. I wouldn't have made my flight otherwise. I get in the line, get up to the metal detector, and walk through. Dang. I forgot to take my belt off. Now I have to take Madi out of the carrier and get padded down.

I gently remove Madi from the carrier and guess what I'm greeted with- a leaky diaper and poop seeping through the sides of her pants. Awesome.

We grab our stuff and begin running to the short flights gates that are a 10 min walk from the main terminal. Yes, Madi was shoved back in the baby carrier poopy and who knows if it was all over me.

I decide because it's only 5:10 when I'm a couple hundred feet from the gate that I have time to change Madi and pee. Fortunately this nursing room has a toilet so I don't have to pee in the sink.

I change Madi and throw on her spare outfit (just a onesie) thinking it's not a big deal because I can wrap her in more clothes in her car seat before she's ever outside.

Wrong. We have to walk outside to board our plane. I drop my boarding pass trying to et out my nursing cover to wrap her up as best as possible and stumble on board. Oh did I mention that as soon as I picked her up after changing her that she spit up? Yep, sure did.

We get on the plane and the nice lady in my row held Madi while I got the seatbelt on and ready. My kid is a rock star and she hasn't made a peep this entire time. She's probably in shock or something. But no, she starts talking up a storm and smiling at everyone. So freaking blessed.

She did great in the flight and I got up to ask the flight attendants for water (it's only 50 min to Stavanger so there's no beverage service). I am handed the water bottle and at that very moment Madi spits up, I swear, half of what I just fed her.

Fortunately she didn't get anyone but me and the floor and the flight attendants were sweet and helped me clean it up. The rest of the flight went smoothly and Madi's impeccable timing had her fall asleep just as we were landing.

We are home now, I'm exhausted, and now that she's sleeping and I've had dinner I am laughing at how ridiculous today was and grateful to be home safe and sound!


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