Ellie's First Plane Ride

Well, our trip to Texas was the first time Eliana had ever been on an airplane. We left from Bozeman and flew to Dallas, with a layover in Minneapolis. Ellie was perfect on both flights. She didn't cry or whine or anything. She slept and played happily and charmed everyone around her! Right before we deplaned in Dallas, we were waiting in the aisle to get off the plane and a lady sneezed. Ellie giggled. I'd only heard Ellie giggle a couple times before, but then the lady kept pretend sneezing and Ellie giggled each time, waiting for the lady to sneeze again. It was adorable and I wish I'd caught it on video! The sneeze/giggle routine went on about a dozen times. Mind you, I have yet to make her giggle, but the stranger on the plane could! Mommom made her giggle, too, and she laughs a little bit when you sneeze or cough at her. Silly girl!

As for things going wrong on our flights... I always have things go wrong when I fly. But the two times I flew while I was pregnant, everything went without a hitch, so I figured the baby was my cure for flight problems. Now that she's born, she's proved that theory wrong. We landed in Minneapolis and I made my way (with a baby strapped to my front and hauling a computer bag and diaper bag) to the display board only to find that my flight number wasn't on the board. I went to the first manned desk I could find and asked where I needed to be. She put in my flight info and said, "Oh - that flight was cancelled a week ago. I don't even know how you were able to get a boarding pass. You shouldn't have even been able to get on the plane in Bozeman. They've got you bumped to tomorrow's flight." I asked if there was anything she could do and she said she would try to put me on standby for an already overbooked flight out in a few hours, otherwise she booked me a seat on a flight that would go to Cincinnati and then to Dallas and arrive around 11:00 at night. After nearly freaking out at those options, and calling Leif and my parents, I talked to another woman who booked me on the "overbooked" flight. She said there were 3 seats open and gave me my choice. Then as I was waiting for my flight, they announced that the plane was being repaired and our flight would be going out on a smaller plane, so they needed people to give up their seats. I clutched my boarding pass and sat quietly. There was no way I was giving up my seat and flying out the next day! But really... how can they cancel my flight a week before I leave and NOT tell me? I got no notice, and was still able to print out my boarding pass. And never once did anyone I talked to apologize or anything. Not sure I'll be flying NW again if I have the option!

After that mishap, though, we got to Dallas and met my parents and made our way back to Longview, stopping to eat at a Cracker Barrel along the way. Ellie got to ride in a "big girl" car seat (one designed to convert from back to front facing) and was so cute clutching her rattle as she slept on the way home!