A Wing and a Prayer

"Dear God, please send a nice grandmotherly-type person to help me out tonight," I prayed as I packed myself and the boys for my first solo flight with them. 

Hubby was called to do an important out-of-town business trip and I was going to be alone with the boys for 5 nights.  Not that I couldn't handle it, because I have plenty of friends who are willing to come and lend a hand, but we'd already promised the grandparents a visit at the end of January, and I had no excuse not to take them except: I WOULD HAVE TO FLY ALONE.  WITH TWINS.  BY MYSELF.  TWO BABIES!  AM I FREAKING CRAZY?  Oh, we already established that.  Yes, I am.

E, her twins A and G, myself and my twins, Matthew and Nathan, all piled into her minivan.  If I'd had my camera, I'd have taken a picture of 4 almost-eight-month-old-boys bundled up in her vehicle.  Very cute...and amazing, when I started to think about it. 

So they dropped us off and I set into the airport.  Since I obviously wasn't going to ask someone to take a picture of us for the blog because a) no camera, and b) that would make me look even MORE ridiculous, you have to imagine it: me pushing a double stroller with two babies in carseats with one hand, wearing a GIGANTIC diaper-backpack and pulling a suitcase with the other. 

After checking the bag, I suited up outside of security gate 5: hooked up the Snugli, unfastened Nathan, fastened him into the Snugli, put the backpack back on and pushed Matthew in the stroller through the line.  Took off shoes, belt, backpack, removed babas from mini-cooler so TSA could check for explosives (this is the most ridiculous part, in my opinion!) all while wearing one very smiley baby.  Finally, the Nice Customer Service Agent who'd checked our luggage saw me in line and asked if I needed help, so I said YES!  And the grumpy businessman behind me looked a little less grumpy- but hello?  You're in the "family" line!  

      "jymh fdj,hvfjkbtgjkv c,j., vcjmm,vj,hghjhdfmkdjk vjk"  Nathan said to him (he's helping me type this).  He was smiling when he said it, though, so I'm sure it was, "See, I'm so cute and such a good boy!"  And thank goodness!  Nice CSA Lady unbuckled Matthew while I piled all the aforementioned stuff, both carseats AND the stroller onto the magnetometer (hubby taught me that word!).  Nice CSA Lady volunteered to carry Matthew through, so I passed through the beeper, rummaged for my shoes, then turned to see her convincing the TSA why she shoud go through because they're not letting her.  ARGH!  The TSA won't let me go back through to GET MY BABY!  I had a brief moment of panic, until finally she unloaded her phone, belt, and hair clip to get through.  Sheesh!

Fortunately, the episode lasted only a couple of minutes. I thanked Nice CSA Lady over and over, then headed to Starbucks, got my two giant cups half filled with hot water, boarded the tram, and a fellow tram traveller said, "They're drinking coffee already?" to which I replied, "Not yet, I'm drinking them two at a time!"  Har, har...still have my sense of humor, I observed, so I might make it. 

Finally, we reached A9 (which you may or may not know is just about the furthest gate from check-in), I started warming the babas in the hot Starbucks water, and a nice-looking couple came to sit down near us.  We started chatting, and when K mentioned that they were going back to MY HOMETOWN after seeing their ONLY GRANDDAUGHTER in CA for two weeks, I realized MY PRAYER HAD BEEN ANSWERED!  I mean, what grandma would turn down this opportunity?

"Would you like to feed Nathan his bottle?"  I asked, and K's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree!   (Cue Halleluja chorus) 

Happy hungry Nathan didn't think twice about taking his baba from K, while I wrestled with finicky Matthew, who lately likes to take his babas standing up, like a little calf.  K was in her grandma glory, entertaining Nathan and Matthew in the gate area.  Her husband, M, seemed to enjoy watching his wife walk Nathan round and round the gate, looking at people and airplanes.  They offered to help me onto the plane and M helped me disassemble the stroller and carseat onto the cart in the gate-check area.  K carried a baby and handed him over, retreating to her seat rows behind us.

A few minutes after the door was closed, but before the plane started to move, I felt a tap on my shoulder.  It was K, offering her assistance during the flight!  She'd moved forward when she saw the row behind me was empty.  It was a good thing she did, too, because Nathan decided he wasn't going to go to sleep without a nightcap, so she sat with Matthew and got her turn to entertain him while I nursed Nathan in the empty row, just one of many bizarre locations I've nursed my boys.

That's it.  Nathan fell asleep in my arms, Matthew fussed, charmed his way out of the carseat, played, and fell asleep in K's arms.  I don't mind.  I was happy to have K and M sent to me last night, and glad to let Matthew get a little snuggle he otherwise wouldn't have had. 

K and M, I hope you read this and know that you were an answer to prayer.  Thank you for sharing your kindness and grandparently love with us, proving that there is plenty of goodness in the world ahead for my little boys!