We Made It!

Travel is not what it used to be. Security. Oh my gosh. I hadn't flown since 9/11 so I really had no idea. And I've never flown with a child or baby. We were lucky enough to have a really great guy helping us with our bags. He got everything onto a cart because we had more stuff than we could possibly carry, and waited with us while we checked in which took awhile. Then he helped us through the disabled security gate so we were allowed us to cut to the front of the line. That was great but also kind of embarrassing. You could see people trying to figure out what was going on with us, which is often the case because people tend not to think of babies as having disabilities. Anyway... They spent a full 10 minutes reviewing all our stuff on the x-ray machine, which is a long time when the line isn't moving. They even had a letter from our pediatrician outlining all the equipment and supplies but they still questioned each piece. They were fairly nice about it. It was pretty funny to me to see them all crowded around the monitor trying to figure out what they were looking at. Its commonplace to me now. You could tell they'd never seen this much medical equipment before. Ainsley was allowed to stay in the stroller so they used these white circles to swab her hands and feet and test her for explosives! Just in case I was planning to blow up my baby! Our awesome baggage guy then walked us all the way to the end of the airport. Our gate was the very farthest. What a guy. And he was just so nice.

Even though we made it to the gate we now had to figure out how to get all this stuff on the plane. The Delta guy was worried but nice about it and of course the flight was overbooked so there was no extra seat to use. That was okay because it was fine having Ainsley on my lap, she was really great. The worst part was trying to fit the suction machine between my legs with the diaper bag at my feet. When I had to go to the bathroom it was a challenge to get out. Joanne learned how to suction so I could go pee. She did great! We did have a scare when we traded off somehow the velcro on Ainsley's trach tie came undone. I noticed it because something sounded weird. When I saw that her tie was open I tried to tighten it but it wasn't fitting. That didn't make sense and even though I couldn't see her very well because it was so crowded I could tell that she looked distressed and was actually starting to turn blue. Finally I looked under the trach and could see that 3/4 of the cannula was out of place. Thank God it didn't come out completely or it would have turned into an ugly scene. I was able to slide it back in and reattach the velcro tie and she pinked up right away but was still shook up for awhile. Poor girl. It scared us both. Of course our first accidental decann would happen on an airplane. Thank God I noticed. With the sound of the engine it would be easy to ignore the "strange sound".

The flight attendants helped us carry our "carry-ons" to baggage claim to pick up yet more luggage. Again people being really nice and helpful. Then we caught a shuttle out to the Vernon Manor. It's a nice place. I was thrilled to find that I'd been upgraded to an apartment suite. So I have a full kitchen with a full size refrigerator, a microwave, stove and dishwasher! It'll make it so much easier to make her blended formula. It has a dining room, living room and large walk in closet that's big enough to fit our 3 suitcases, stroller, carseat, oxygen concentrator & medical supplies with room to spare. And my friend Tina sent a beautiful boquet of flowers so it smells great. It was late so we ordered a pizza from Adriatico's (really good) and had a much needed glass of wine. Not a bad way to spend your 40th birthday. Now I'm going to get some much needed sleep.