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June 27, 2008

And We're Off

As I type, it is 6:30am here in Anchorage. I sit on the floor next to Iggy curled in her bed, bouncing Alden in her Bjorn. Robbi is asleep on a surprisingly comfortable airport bench. It's kind of like being at home.

We from left Reagan National yesterday evening.

Robbi was excited to be under way.

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Alden was deeply suspicious.

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And Iggy was heavily drugged.

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It was all smooth sailing with the check-in. We went to the gate to board and suddenly I realized why, in spite of all of the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and aching ear drums it is worth it to have a child. We got to get on the airplane first! Yes sir, they made an announcement that those of us with children under two were welcome to step to the very front of the line. And so we did. The madding crowd parted like the red sea and we strolled blithely by. It was incredibly gratifying. They ought to rent infants in airport concourses for just this occasion. Another place could rent a nanny to care for the thing during takeoff and landing.

We stepped onto the airplane and saw something I had never seen before:

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Empty seats! Uncluttered aisles! Uncolonized overhead bins! The world of that airplane was ours to colonize as we pleased. And colonize we did. We set ourselves up in luxury and style.

It was at this point that we explained to Alden what exactly was going on. "We're going to sit here in these chairs, see," we said to our wholly trusting child, "while this unlikely, award chunk of steel flings itself across the sky. What's more, we're going to land safely on the other end."

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She wasn't having any of it.

It took some solicitous maternal comfort.

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And an affirming family portrait.

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And the familiar ear of her favorite moose on which to gnaw.

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But we made it there ok. We landed in Seattle as the sun set.

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We had been delayed in leaving Washington and so had missed our connection to Anchorage. But we got a seat on a later flight and, once landing, carved out a home for the night on a bench in the baggage claim.

Iggy had her supper.

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I fell into a profound stupor.

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Robbi and Alden leaned wretchedly against the wall.

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It's 49 degrees here this morning. I am so glad to be back in cooler weather so that I can once more put hats on my baby.

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There's nothing much cuter than a baby in a hat.

Posted by bogenamp at June 27, 2008 10:32 AM