Airport Adventure

Janet didn't know what she was getting herself into when she offered to take the girls and me to the airport last Tuesday for our flight to Houston. But I sure don't know what I would have done without her!

First, we park. Then we begin unloading the car. As I am attempting to get Kaitlyn out I notice some stuff on her arm and then the stench hits me. My first thought is, "Surely, this isn't happening NOW!" As I explore, my fears are confirmed. Yes, poop has exploded out of Kaitlyn's diaper and it's all over her and the car seat. Since I am exhausted, overwhelmed and emotional BEFORE this incident, the next few moments consist of exclamations of panic.

If someone had videoed the next several minutes I'm sure we could get some money from it. The Shrum vehicle happened to be stocked with a bath towel and a comforter. So, I take Kaitlyn out of her seat and wipe her down as much as possible with the towel. By then Janet has laid the comforter on the parking garage floor. So, I lay Kaitlyn on the comforter, strip her down and use most of my wipes trying to clean her lower half. All the while, Hannah is yelling from inside the suburban, "I want to get out! I want to get out!" Thankfully Janet had me laughing about all of this or I might have had a major breakdown. So, I pull a new outfit from the suitcase, restock my wipes and Kaitlyn is good to go. In the meantime Janet is trying to clean the car seat as best as possible with some baby shampoo. It helps a little. We put one of my t-shirts in the car seat as a buffer between it and Kaitlyn and back in she goes. We calm Hannah down and convince her to roll her own suitcase and between the 3 of us somehow get all of our stuff into the airport.

Once in the airport the action never stops.... check the luggage, get through security with 2 small children, grab something quick to eat for dinner at the gate... By the time we get to the gate we have about 10 minutes before we begin to board. We say our goodbyes to Janet and I am left to get the 3 of us successfully on the plane, which was a bit of a chore.

We finally get settled in at our seats and I am just beginning to catch my breath when Hannah says, "I need to go potty." "Of course you do!" I think to myself. Janet and I both tried to get her to go potty before we got to the gate and she adamantly refused. By now everyone on the plane is seated. Not wanting another accident, I flag a stewardess to see if we have time for a potty break before we start taxiing down the runway. We do. So, with Kaitlyn in one arm and Hannah in front of me we make our way to the very tiny airplane restroom. The 3 of us squeeze in as I assist Hannah with getting onto the seat and then washing her hands, all while holding Kaitlyn. Thankfully she's so laid back she could have cared less where she was at that moment.

The rest of the trip was comparatively uneventful. Although about mid-way through I began to smell Kaitlyn's car seat. I just prayed the people around us couldn't!

Insights Gained: 1) Always arrive at the airport really early when traveling with small children. You never know what might happen. 2) In such an event, it's helpful to have a friend along who happens to keep random household items in her car, can help you see the humor in it, and will still talk to you later. 3) Baby shampoo doesn't mask a poop explosion for long. 4) Without children I wouldn't have nearly as many interesting stories.......