There and Back Again

A recap of the week would not be complete without a description of how I survived 3 1/2 hour plane rides twice with just me and 3 little boys. Going there was actually easy. The boys were in a good mood and Taylor lectured Ethan before we left on his "duties for helping mommy". He was very focused on being good and really helped out. He held Miles in security while I folded up the stroller and got all the jackets, shoes, bags, bottle, sippy cups, and other liquids out and pushed down the belt. Isaac meanwhile ran through the metal detector and luckily the security lady just held his hand and made him wait for me. It was nice that there was literally no one else in security- seriously we were the only ones in line. After security we went to the play areas that are at the beginning of each terminal in Salt Lake. I love this airport. There's free toys in a walled off area and even benches and tables for parents. Boarding the plane was a little tricky as I again had to fold up the stroller which can't be done one-handed so Ethan had to hold Miles again who was wiggly and fussy but some nice lady saw what was happening and helped Ethan hold him. Then the stewardess was really nice to us and when she came to "remind" me to put on my oxygen mask before the kids, she laughed and said she'd send help if needed. Ethan and Isaac watched movies and Miles slept and then ate cheerios. We're guessing that Miles must somehow be severely affected by air pressure because on each of our flights to London and Dubai and back he had diaper explosions- which he never has at home. And once again on the flight to Chicago he exploded. Amazingly both Ethan and Isaac stayed in their seats the whole 5 minutes I was gone changing Miles which was good because there really wasn't another way to do it except to leave them alone. The flight there was actually a breeze.
Coming back was not. It all started at 5:15 that morning. Friday night I went with my dad to the temple while my mom put the kids to bed. She somehow hit something wrong on the white noise machine/clock that Ethan uses to tell him when it's 7am and he's allowed out. The sun comes up in Chicago at 4:30am and when Ethan woke up at 5:15, his clock said 9:30 so he came running out and was very confused when we told him to go back to bed. Of course by then both Miles and Isaac and I were also awake so the morning had started.
We got to the airport a full 2 hours early which was good because we needed every minute. Because Miles didn't have a ticket the Southwest people wouldn't let us use the kiosks and so we ended up waiting in line for over an hour to check in. This was really hard for Ethan and Isaac who were bored and kept wanting to lay down on the dirty floor. They let my mom help me through security which was wonderful since it was really busy. We made it to our flight and squeezed in. It's actually okay space wise with the 3 boys because they're so tiny that all 3 fit into just 2 seats. Miles enjoyed laying behind Isaac or sitting beside him and eating snacks off the tray table. Miles exploded out of his diaper again so I had to leave the boys to go change him. But this time Isaac decided he wanted to join us so he came along- he was also stinky and needed to be changed which I hadn't noticed. After waiting in line for 15 minutes for the bathroom, I discovered that there was no changing table in the back (thank you less-than-helpful flight attendant man who stood and watched me try to hold wiggly, stinky Miles and try to corral crabby, energetic Isaac for 15 minutes with wipes and diapers in my hands outside the bathroom without thinking to mention I was at the wrong bathroom) so I had to go to the front. Which was of course already occupied so they made me stand behind row 3 just in case I was a terrorist planning to break into the cockpit- all the while holding a very stinky, fussy baby and holding onto a crying, trying-to-escape 2 year old who kept throwing himself on the floor. Yes the people beside me in row 3 seemed very annoyed I was there. Now imagine the tiny bathroom with me standing, Miles on the changing table and Isaac squeezing himself around me begging to be let out. His particular phrase of choice was "no like it, no like it" which he kept repeating the whole time we were in there and all the way back to our seats at a very high pitch. After I changed Miles I threw Isaac up onto the table too and changed him next to Miles. Again continuous screaming from Isaac and fussing from Miles who was now very squished against the wall. Of course I had to do my own business by this point so I left both boys on the changing table which is just 2 feet above the toilet, somehow squeezed myself in with my forehead on the door and got it done. (At this point you're all laughing and being thankful you're not as crazy as me to attempt flying with 3 little boys solo) There was again much screaming as I dragged both boys back to our seats and got resettled. There were lots of dirty looks and loud exhales from other passengers that I chose to ignore. There were very few children on the flight and mine were by far the loudest and smelliest. As we were landing I felt Isaac lean on me and looked over to see that he had passed out. I looked down at Miles on my lap and he had also finally fallen asleep. Classic. Once we landed the guy in front of me stood up, turned around, and said "oh, of course now they fall asleep." I had a few choice things I thought of saying to him but didn't and actually wished I had let Isaac sit behind him and kick his chair. Which I hadn't done. Mostly the boys just watched movies and ate snacks. I actually thought they were pretty good, just a little crabby and tired and then the one bathroom screaming trip. Oh well. The boys soon woke up and we managed to get all of our things and ourselves off the plane. Whew! We survived!