Flying With Lily

If you're thinking about flying with a child under 2 years old, without any helpers, just say no.

Honestly, it wasn't really that bad.  But it wasn't really that great either.

Lily did not have a break down. She was actually quite good!  So what was the problem?  This jerk sitting across the isle from me.  I think he was trying to be helpful, but he was annoying.  I'll get back to him in a second.

I had one connection on the way out to Utah. There are no direct flights from Raleigh to Salt Lake City, but even if there were, I'm not sure 5 hours straight on an airplane would be a good idea with a small child.  Anyhow, the first flight was Raleigh to Phoenix. That was about 4 hours.  The flight was not full, so I put Lily in her own seat even though I did not pay for one.  I figured, if there were empty seats, I was going to get one.  So Lily was in the middle seat, and I was in the isle.  There was a guy wearing headphones in the window seat.

On an airplane, if you're wearing headphones that means "Don't talk to me." and I'm happy with that.  That's why I chose this particular spot.

Lily wasn't so comfortable.  She kept looking at him, and since he didn't look back at her, smile at her or talk to her, she was afraid of him and would not sit in that center seat.  No big deal though, I used it for our carry on for easy access to snacks and toys.

We had tons of snacks.  Sometimes Lily threw the snacks on the ground. I didn't really care.  Besides, how do you expect me to pick up goldfish crackers, while holding a child on my lap? Old grumpy across the isle from me took it upon himself to point out the crackers that Lily had thrown on the floor.  As if I cared.  When I didn't pick up those crackers, he decided to pick them up himself.  Whatever.

2 hours into the flight, Lily started getting really wiggly.  She wanted to run around. She's 15 months, of course she wants to run around! I couldn't let her do that though, so she was a little fussy.  She decided she was really entertained by the tray table. She liked to put it up and down over and over again.  I was happy with whatever made her happy.

The guy next to me was like, "That's bothering the person in front of you." I told him, "Oh, thanks for letting me know."  But inside I was upset.  Take away what seems like the only activity that's keeping my baby happy and then what will we have?  A meltdown.  I quickly thought of a way to distract her...  I got out some applesauce that comes in the on-the-go packs, and sat her in the middle seat to eat it.  She decided to empty the entire pack onto her blanket and the man sitting in the window seat.

I lost it.  I cried for the rest of the flight.

I wanted to run into the bathroom and stay there by myself, but, you can't really do that without anyone to hold your child.

At the end of the flight, when the attendants were picking up trash,old grumpy pointed out to them the crackers that he or I hadn't picked up.  The flight attendants were all, "It's not a big deal, we have a vacuum."

HAH!  Old grumpy.

The short version: Mentally and physically exhausted, uncontrollably crying with 3.5 hours left to fly. Never again.

I have photos from when a camera momentarily entertained Lily, but they're on Lance's tablet. I'll add them when I can.

The flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake was better. It's 1.5 hours, and Lily had a window seat to herself on another half-empty plane.  She stayed in the seat this time, and was content playing with toys.  It was a better flight, and there weren't any old grumpys near me.