Warning! If you don’t have kids, you may be grossed out by some of the things mentioned in this post. If you have kids, you will probably still get grossed out.
The year was 2009. My brother-in-law was set to get married in Pennsylvania and asked my husband to be his best man. Our first baby was only 10 months old at the time, so I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of flying and dragging the car seat (aka “the beast”). But of course, we weren’t going to miss such an important occasion.
Back in my pre-baby life, I used to do some crazy stuff, like touring Pearl Harbor during our 3-hour layover in Honolulu. So, when I found out that there would be Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit in Atlanta around the same time, I figured we could connect there on the way to Philadelphia. With a 10-month old baby and a huge car seat, in the winter. Fortunately, I came to my senses and was able to change to direct flight without penalty.
Pennsylvania, here we come! Or so I thought. Few days before the flight, my daughter started to have massive diarrhea. So, it was decided that my husband would go alone. I was sad, but what can you do. So, he left for the airport and I went to my kid’s pediatrician. I told the doctor about what happened and he said I could have gone. Say what? He told me it looked like my daughter was getting better, and it is a relatively short flight.
Hmm, I had a decision to make. I called my husband who was just pulling up to the airport in Orlando and asked him to talk to the airline rep about a possibility of all of us getting on a later flight. He called back and said that he took care of it. Then I had to find someone who would drive me to the airport. Done. I had about 15 minutes to pack, so just threw stuff in the suitcase thinking we could buy any important items in Pennsylvania.
I barely made it in time for the flight, but not before my daughter peed all over my shirt. Guess what? I didn’t pack a change of clothes in my carry-on. Needless to say, touring Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit would have been problematic. Oh, and during the flight, diarrhea returned with the vengeance. She was screaming her head off (understandably).
I was so happy when we finally landed and got in the rental car. Except, we got lost due to stupid directions from GPS. It was 10 PM when we made it to our friends’ house where we would be spending the night before the wedding. Victory! Yes, diarrhea was still an issue, but as long as I kept the diaper changed, it would be OK.
The next day, my husband had to go to the rehearsal and was supposed to come back and pick us up before the ceremony. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, he got delayed. We were staying about twenty five minutes away, so it meant that everyone would have to wait for us because he was the best man. I told him not to worry about it.
Besides, my in-laws were staying with us and they could give us a ride. Except, there was one problem. The car seat was in the rental vehicle. I simply could not take a chance on something like that, so we stayed behind. Yes, after everything I went through, I ended up missing the ceremony anyway…
But there was a silver lining. My daughter was pretty cranky at the time, so relaxing in the house was probably better under the circumstances.
I gave her some food and we watched cartoons. Then few hours later, my husband picked us up and we went to the reception. Even though my daughter couldn’t walk, she kept moving to the music and having a good time. Things didn’t go according to the plan, so we made a new plan. And that’s how it usually goes when you travel with kids.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
[…] brother-in-law’s wedding. It was a total disaster, and you can read more on the whole thing in this post. Even so, the trip had its redeeming moments, and we still laugh about the series of unfortunate […]