We have quite an adventure this past week. It all begins on a snowy day in March, when Pete broke his humerus up close to the shoulder joint while snowboarding at Alpine Meadows in Tahoe. We stopped for an xray on the way out and it showed no breaks. The recommendation was to get some physical therapy, see if it got better, and if not, it was probably a rotator cuff tear and he would need an MRI and possibly surgery. So he followed that advice and nearly a month later got on MRI after it hadn't healed. Turns out, it actually was broken, they just didn't see it on the xray! So last Thursday, 2 days before we were supposed to leave for St. Louis, Pete had surgery and an overnight stay in the hospital. The surgery went well enough that he was able to fly, but I wasn't anticipating much help with luggage or Hana on the flight.
On the Friday before we left, after picking Pete up at the hospital, I took Hana to the doctor. She had been fussy for a few days so I wanted to make sure she didn't have an ear infection before we got on the plane. She was cleared for takeoff and we were all set. As anyone with kids has probably discovered, airlines have become much less family friendly and do not allow pre-boarding for people with kids. (Brief digression: I just don't get this! It's not just a favor to the family, it's a favor to everyone else who is held up in the aisle by families trying to get settled. Don't the airlines want to get the planes off the ground on time?) However, they do allow pre-boarding for people with disabilities, and a broken arm counts. So we got to pre-board anyway - thanks Pete!! Then I sat us in the wrong row and had already strapped the carseat in, and Pete had to try to switch seats with someone so he could sit with us...anyway, long story short, he ended up buying a drink for the nice man who agreed to switch so we could all sit together.
Saturday morning, we learned why Hana had been cranky. Diarrhea. It wasn't too bad (she's had worse) but she continued to be a little whiny and grumpy. And who could blame her? Of course, what with Pete's broken arm, guess who ended up changing all the diapers?
We had a great time with Grandma Wendy and Grandpa Paul, and they spoiled Hana. We went to the zoo, a couple of playgrounds, shopping at the mall (she rode the carousel and played in the play area), played a lot in and around the house, and spent a lot of time going up and down the stairs. Hana slept really well, too, which was great - because you just never know what will happen when you travel. She slowly adjusted herself to the time change.
Then the real fun began. Hana and I got up really early on Wednesday morning to take the train to Chicago. The biggest challenge was the @#&*(*(** carseat. It was a pain to bring on the plane, and it was a HUGE pain to bring on the train. It's heavy, and awkward, and it is supposed to fold up and be easy to carry, but it just wasn't. The night before, it took the 4 of us about an hour to figure out how to get the damn thing folded up, and finally we ended up shoving it in a army duffel bag for me to carry. Which worked OK, but then we couldn't get it out at the end of the trip! More on that in a minute...
The train ride was supposed to be 6 hours. It started out lovely. Hana enjoyed walking up and down the aisles and visiting with the passengers, looking out the windows, and playing in her seat. About an hour into the trip, she fell asleep easily in the ergo and I thought it was going to be smooth sailing. Then the train stopped. The conductor told us a train was stuck ahead of us and it would be 50 minutes to an hour before the equipment could be brought in to move it. (*groans from everyone*) Then about 30 minutes later, the conductor informed us that there was a fatality, and we would be sitting there for "quite a little while." The porter told us there had been a collision between the train ahead of us and a car, the driver had died at the scene, and they had to call the coroner. There wasn't much we could do, so we just hung out. Pete emailed me the story on line, which confirmed the accident, but said the man had been airlifted to the hospital and was expected to survive. We never did find out the truth. I suspect the conductor just told us there was a fatality so no one could complain. They were kind enough to give us free snack packs for our trouble.
In the end, we spent nearly 10 hours on the train, and Hana did pretty well, all things considered. She was fussy and restless, and had a hard time getting down for her second nap, but she managed. She ate a lot of Cheerios and shook her rattle on and off the whole trip. I was glad Wendy had made me two sandwiches.
Hana got lots of compliments on her behavior from the passengers as we disembarked. Except this one old woman who kept interfering with us and telling me what Hana needed - "She's too hot!" "She needs this!" "She needs that!" Finally, she gave me a dollar and told me to get her some cold water. I tried to refuse it but she insisted. I shoved it in my snack pack, and I think I accidentally threw it out. REALLY annoying. Especially because she kept TALKING when Hana was almost asleep, and then she would wake up and I'd have to start the soothing process all over again.
When we got to Union Station, I had to go to bag claim. My mom had arrived to come pick us up but had to park really far away, as there was no parking at the station. She met us at bag claim and we lugged all our crap out on a luggage cart. (Those things cost 5 bucks! But worth it when you have a 20 lb carseat in a duffel bag.)
Hana and I waited on the curb by the taxi stand for my mom to bring the car around. Everyone was smoking and I was doing a very intricate dance to try to stay near the luggage but stay away from the smoke. I decided to try to get the carseat ready so we could pop it in and go. I couldn't get it out of the bag. A guy nearby put out his cigarette and offered to help. He offered the following qualifications for the job: "I used to be a Navy Seal so I am familiar with this type of duffel bag." Huh? Anyway, we yanked, and pulled, his friend got involved, Hana was in the Ergo on me screaming her head off, and 10 minutes later the thing finally came out. It was not unlike labor and delivery. The Navy Seal thanked me because, in his words, "That was my workout for the day. And you know I mean it, because I'm a pro wrestler, and so I work out a lot." Let me just say, it was apparent that he had not worked out in a long time. Despite the fibs, I was grateful for his help. My mom drove up and then we spent the next 20 minutes trying the get the giant ^*(*&*(^ carseat into the compact car that Hertz had provided. We finally managed it, but no one can sit in the front seat. Oh wait...we have to fit 4 of us in the car to go back to the airport on Sunday...guess someone will have to sit in the front.
We made it to DeKalb and hour and a half later. Hana slept a good portion of the way, and went to bed shortly after we got there. I had a glass of wine and then went to bed.
That was Wednesday.
Then there was Thursday. To be continued.
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