Leavin on a jet plane...

Eli and I flew to Dallas for the weekend to see my family.  Eli got through his first flight like a champ.  It was just the two of us (which a few people in the airport said was very brave) but we didn't falter a bit...but would you believe that the women's restroom at the Austin airport did not have a changing table?  I had to change him in his stroller!

We flew Southwest and they were fabulous.  Our trip was last minute, so I had little time to plan.  I called Southwest with so many questions the night before we left:  how early should we arrive, when do we get to board, can I bring his car seat, stroller, liquid medicine.  The gentleman on the phone was able to answer all of our questions.   The women at the ticket counter at the airport were awesome and again able to answer all of our questions.

One thing about a new baby that makes me the most anxious is his feeding schedule.  I wanted to feed him right before we left so that I wouldn't have to do it on the plane in such confined spaces (he can be kind of loud when he eats).  I ended up timing it perfectly and was able to feed him in the terminal and finished up just before they started boarding.  That way he would have a nice full tummy for the flight.  We found a great seat on the plane (aisle of course) and got all settled in.  Before take off, one of the flight attendants brought us a certificate to commemorate Eli's first flight - perfect for his baby book.  The sweet woman (and new grandmother) sitting next to us shot this picture for us.  She was so sweet, I bet if I had asked, she would have held him the entire time.  Another gentleman helped me carry the diaper bag as we walked off the plane.

We are hoping that we will be blessed enough to travel a lot with Eli and that this will be the first of many flights all over the world for this little boy, and thank goodness, he seems like a natural traveler already.  Eli slept in my arms from the second we pulled away from the gate until about an hour and a half after we landed, grabbed lunch, and got to my parent's house. 

Here's hoping next time is just as easy!