Austin, TX return trip disaster

To make a long story short, we just got back from Austin, TX. While we were there, we had an awesome time and we will post pictures of our trip soon. For now, let me tell you about our return trip...

It all started at 5:30 am central time when Micah woke up to eat for the second time that night. We had to get up at 7 to leave by 9 to make our 12 noon flight so we couldn't go back to bed...everything always takes longer with a baby. I didn't get to say goodbye to my cousin because I was in the bathroom when her ride came to pick her up for school. :-( (Bye Taylor! *hug*) We ended up leaving a little later than planned (to be expected) and got to the airport at 9:45.

Brett and I didn't have seat assignments so we went to the ticket counter to check-in and ask for seats together. The woman who helped us must not have been trained as a ticketing agent because she did what we could have done ourselves - checked us in on the kiosk and got us seats together on the first flight at the back of the plane even though there were premium seats available at the front and we had a tight connection (and a baby), and didn't even get us seats for the second flight. Thanks a lot.

We managed to feed Micah and eat lunch with 20 minutes until boarding. We got valet tags for our carrier and stroller and Brett's poster tube. The gate agent also gave us seats together for our second flight. We boarded the plane while Micah was sleeping. Since we were at the back he kept getting woken up by people using the lavatory, by the ground crew loading the bags, and by the flight attendant and the pilot speaking on the intercom. He was very upset and cranky, but once we got in the air and the engines muffled the sounds the flight went smoothly.

After we landed Micah puked all over Brett; thick, chunky, cottage cheese puke. Yuck. We landed at 1:55 and our next flight was scheduled to leave at 2:15. We were in the last row with a baby. Oh no. Brett took Micah and one bag and walked as fast as he could to our next gate to halt the plane while I waited for our valet checked carrier, stroller, and tube.

The last time we had a connection in Memphis the valet checked stuff was returned at the podium, not at the door to the plane. I was the last one off the plane and didn't see my stroller waiting for me so I went up and asked the gate agent where our next gate was and where the valet checked stuff would be returned. She was really rude and, beyond her control, the information she gave me wasn't good. First she told me that our next flight was at gate A14. I looked up and saw that we were at gate B twenty something. Oh no. Then she said that they wouldn't return valet checked items because it wasn't a valet flight. I said I had a stroller and she told me to go back down to the door of the plane. When I got back down there, the stroller still wasn't there. I waited for what felt like an eternity, and in all honestly, I don't think I've ever waited that long to get valet checked items. When they finally brought up the stroller, they didn't bring the poster tube with it. I was confused and worried because there was no identifying info on the tube except for the valet checked tag that I had a receipt for. They assured me that it would arrive with our luggage. Now I had to try to get to gate A14.

During the pregnancy and labor my pelvis got messed up. There's a name for it, something-itis, but I can't remember. Basically, after Micah was born, I wasn't able to lie on my side without bad pain until last week. Walking was difficult and I can walk fine now, but I can't run without pain. So, there I was in Memphis, TN with the stroller and all our carry-ons (except one), trying to get from B concourse to A concourse as fast as I can without running. I was in pain anyway and was at the point of starting to cry when I saw Brett walking toward me from the direction of A concourse. Apparently, he had walked as fast as he could while carrying Micah. Micah was protesting the whole time with little grunts. Brett got to gate A14 at 2:10 and was informed that the doors were closed. Micah promptly responded by puking all over Brett again from being jostled by the fast walking. Sad. We both decided to go to the bathroom, change Micah's diaper and outfit, and rinse Brett's shirt.

We managed to get rebooked on a later flight out of Memphis. It left at 6:45 pm central. We were originally supposed to be home at 5:30 eastern time. It was now about 3 pm central. Bleh.

I was hungry again and so we decided to eat. The first restaurant we went to was one of two smoking restaurants in the whole airport so we had to leave to find another place. The next one had loud people in it so even though we got Micah to fall asleep, he kept waking up and then Brett would walk him, he'd fall asleep and then wake up again (repeat three times). In addition, we thought we'd share a fresh lemonade, a Bass on draft, and get two hamburgers cooked the way we like them. Instead we got Country Time lemonade, they were out of draft beer, and two burgers made the only way they make them and not the way we like them. I scarfed my food, so that I could just feed Micah and Brett could finally eat.

I found a corner in a deserted gate and started nursing. When Brett finished eating he came over to hang with us. Both of us were tired and frustrated. We got in an argument. Bleh. I don't even know what we were arguing about anymore, but it all turned out to be misunderstandings and we eventually made up. By now we had about 30 minutes until our next flight boarded. We headed to the gate.

Micah had happily played with his tag-along toys while we were arguing but by the time we got to the gate he was so tired that he had a meltdown. Brett walked him and finally got him to fall asleep.

We boarded the plane, but we didn't have seats together and when we asked the flight attendant for help she said she couldn't help us (honestly! we had a baby!). We went to the very back again where one of our seats was and the person who had the other one gladly swapped with us. Micah stayed asleep until the flight attendant started talking on the intercom. He woke up very upset and crying. We decided to feed him again and while we were getting everything organized with Micah crying the flight attendant came over and asked us if we have already been briefed on how to safely hold Micah for take-off and landing, and whether or not we knew where his life vest is (honestly! screaming baby!). I fed Micah and by the time he was done eating we were up in the air. Normally when he's done eating he's happy or just falls asleep. This time, he was mad and tired. (What an exhausting day!) He cried and cried and Brett held him this way and that way, but it was a small plane so he couldn't walk. Finally Micah fell asleep and slept for the remainder of the flight.

We both ordered drinks from the flight attendant. Brett ordered cran-apple juice, but upon opening the can and drinking half of it, decided that it had fermented. We shared my apple juice.

We had parked our car in extended stay parking which is really far away. We decided that Brett would go ahead of me and get the car while I took Micah to get a diaper change and then head to baggage claim where I would sit with the car while Brett got our bags. I changed Micah's diaper in the bathroom in the terminal. Five steps out of the bathroom he had another meltdown from hunger. (Crabby patty baby!) I stopped to feed him. We ate half a meal and by that time Brett had gotten the car, waited for me, was told to move, reparked in short-term parking and was waiting for me at baggage claim.

By the time I made it down there, I was so tired, hungry, and thirsty, and it was about 10:30 pm. I just wanted to go home. I didn't understand why I had to go all the way to our carousel. Didn't Brett already have the bags and could come and meet me?

No. You won't believe what happened.

Our bags made our original connection. They had been in Pittsburgh for hours and had been stored in the Northwest luggage office. It was locked and the lights were out, but had a glass door. Brett could see our bags but couldn't get to them (the tube was there...phew!). He had already called airport information to have a Northwest rep paged to come and open the door for us. By the time I got there I was melting. I called airport information again and asked them to page Northwest. The guy on the phone was so rude. I finally told him, "I have an 8 week old baby and I need to go home NOW." He was still rude and insisted he couldn't do anything to help me. Fine. I called Northwest. The woman I spoke with was confused about what was going on and asked me to repeat the situation at least three times. (Gah!) Finally she got it and was surprised that we had been waiting so long. She said she would try to help us and put me on hold. Meanwhile, some guy who works at the Pittsburgh Airport came down and was like, "I heard you guys are waiting for Northwest to open the office for you. They all went home for the night."

At that point, I started to cry. We couldn't leave the airport without our bags because we had packed our car seat base in one of the suitcases. I was having visions of sleeping on the floor in the Pittsburgh Airport.

The woman on the phone finally clicked back and said that a Northwest flight had just come in and so a rep with the key to the office would be coming soon. In tears I told her what the other guy had just said and she was like, "Ma'am, did you hear what I said?" And I said yes. And she said, "OK then." (Ya know, I just wanted a little more TLC than that...sheesh!). Frustrated and in tears I went to feed Micah the rest of his meal. We did not get our bags until close to 11:20 (our flight had arrived at 9:45).

By the time we got the whole car packed we realized that Micah had pooped. We stopped at the airport gas station to change him. Once in the car he screamed and screamed until he finally fell asleep. When we got home, he woke up, so I had to feed him again. Brett and I finally went to bed at 1:30 am eastern time.

Today everything that happened yesterday is hilarious. My favorite part was Brett's fermented juice. Of all things! Brett's favorite part was getting slimed. Twice.