An amazing little traveler

The idea of flying with Zoë this year was still about as scary as the other two airplane trips we have taken.  Each had its own fears and challenges.  This year she was obviously a little older and potty trained.  Also this year we had a plane change and a pregnant mama doing it alone.  In the days leading up to the flight I had nightmares of her wetting through all her spare cloths and wearing the one and only pull-up I had packed through the Denver airport with no other cloths on and still only being at the halfway mark of our trip.

Initially I was going to put Z in the Ergo carrier going through the airport.  After some thought I decided to put her little backpack on that had a leash on it if I needed to use it.  Being 6 months pregnant I didn't really want to carry her and I figured her walking would burn a little energy before having to sit for so long.

The day before our flight we watched an episode of Caillou where he flys on a plane and gets some wings to pin on his shirt.  This was a huge help to keep Z in check for her behavior.  I told her she would get her own wings too if she was good on both flights.  She was so my Mom had a pair of wings waiting on her when we got to Portland.

We had a very early flight leaving Nashville at 6 am so we had to be on the freeway by 4 at the latest.  I had printed the boarding passes the day before, they were a little wonky but figured I would get new ones if I had to when checking in.  We got to the airport with not a ton of time to spare but no time to stop and smell any roses either.  When we checked our bags the boarding passes scanned just fine so we had a potty break and said bye to Daddy and got in the security line.  Z was doing pretty good but kept asking if it was our turn yet and telling the people in front of us to "GO!".  

When it was our turn it turns out that the boarding passes we had were not so good and we needed to print new ones.  {I about vomited}  The super nice lady at the security line lead us back through the line and helped us print the boarding passes then pushed us back through the security line and to the front the X-Ray scan line.  I love that lady!

Zoë was a little scared of the metal detector thing we had to walk through so I had to carry her.  We hurried to our gate and were the last people on board.  It was a full flight so we had to ask a guy to move so Z and I could sit next to each other.

Take off was her favorite part of the flight, well that and going to the bathroom.  On that first flight she was not to interested in much of the things I had packed for her, until she saw the chap stick.  Most of the flight was her holding a little mirror putting on chap stick.

In Denver we had enough time for the potty and to get a bit to eat and get me a much needed coffee before loading up again.  Once again we had a packed full flight.  Backing out of the gate Zoë tells me she needs to go potty.  I inform her unfortunately she will need to hold it for a little bit, which is the last thing I want to tell this girl who has only been potty trained for a few months.  It was not even 10,000 feet when she is grabbing herself and its a need to take care of immediately situation.  So if you have ever flown over the rockies it is not smooth sailing at all especially if you are taking off from Denver heading west.  It was a wild ride on the potty.  While in the potty to make sure we would not need to head back any time soon I asked her if she needed to poop.  She said "No" and I asked her if she was sure she did not need to potty.  And again she said no.  Well my friends not two minutes back in the seat and mind you we are not even suppose to be out of our seats at this time my little girl tells me she needs to poop.  At this point I am a little nervous about how this flight is going to turn out.  So I tell her she needs to wait just a moment, hoping we can get through some of these bumps.  But again we are at her grabbing herself so we once again we head to the bathroom, and once again it is a crazy ride.

When we got back to our seat she asked for her blanket and then fell right asleep and stayed asleep until we landed.  I was very thankful and proud of her.  I do however wish that I would have taken the opportunity to use the potty one of those two trips on the plane.  As I had to pee so bad and the urge started right when she was falling asleep and their was no way I was going to wake her up.

The flight back to Nashville went pretty good.  We had plenty of time to hang out in the Portland airport to eat lunch and play.  Once again we had a packed flight (boo).  We used the airplane potty twice and it came with no drama.  She colored and played on the iPhone most of the flight.  When we landed in Denver she did say she needed to use the potty and again I felt the anxiety in my throat as we were at the back of the plane.  We made it to the airport bathroom with no accident but my little sassy child then state she did not need to go.  The next two hours at the Denver airport was pretty much spent going to the bathroom.  Z had two visits with diarrhea and many trips saying she had to go then not wanting to try when we got into the stall.  This all sent me over the edge and I called Derek in tears telling him I had lost it and was not sure I could get on the plane, which is what a husband wants to hear of course in a situation that none of us could control at that point.  I put Z in her PJ's and the one pull-up I had and we boarded.  I started reading her a book when we were pulling out of the gate and she was asleep before I even finished it.  Once again she slept until we landed, I could not have been happier as any fits or bathroom issues on the plane could have sent me headed for the emergency exits.