...Taking Flight

My younger brother and his gorgeous wife got married on July 23, 2022 in Edmonton, Alberta. It was a beautiful ceremony, heart warming reception and an all around great visit with distanced family. I had the honour to stand in the bridal party and wail as I witnessed the love swell in my brother's eyes while his angelic bride floated down the aisle in rays of light. It was one of the purest moments I have ever experienced and I am so thankful to have it as a cherished memory. But it did not come without it's challenges.

As you may remember, our sweet BabyKK was born on June 27th. Being a part of the wedding party, I wanted to arrive as soon as possible to help with the preparations. This meant flying out 3 weeks to the day after giving birth. I knew it wouldn't be easy, so I did my research and came across the following advice for flying with a baby.

#1 Book Early = Better Prices

As soon as I knew we would need to be booking flights I kept my eyes on the rates. Booking early did secure a better price, but it also came with some frustrations. In order to reserve BabyKK on the register, I needed the name and the birth date; both things that would not be obtainable until much closer to our departure date. So we booked our flights and were told to just call once we knew the name and birth date to register the child. That wouldn't have been so bad had we not chosen to fly with Air Canada. How could I have known at the time this company would later go through a crazy amount of flight cancellations and flooded customer service calls. It took me several DAYS to get through to them to finally register my baby.

#2 Fly During Sleep Times

I had read that trying to schedule your flights during nap or night sleep can make the transition easier as well as the flight more relaxed. I attempted to do so, but as I mentioned before, Air Canada had changed so many of their flights, our departure kept getting pushed later into the evening. In the end my toddler ended up watching Kung Fu Panda on repeat and did not sleep at all. Our return flight arrived in Ottawa shortly after 6 am, and she maybe slept for 1 hour.

#3 Fly Direct

There are very few direct flights from Ottawa to Edmonton and vice versa which meant our options were very limited. In the end we went with what was closest to our ideal. I can say now with confidence that despite our challenges, not having to change flights, worry about layover times, delays, luggage transfers and the like was definitely worth it.

#4 Wear Baby, Use Sit and Stand Stroller

You may remember a previous post in which I express my love for the Joovy Caboose sit and stand stroller. It definitely made a huge difference navigating through the airport. It is slim enough not to be too bulky, helped carry all of our "things" and was a perfect option for LittleK to jump on and off as desired. I wore BabyKK in a K'Tan wrap (I found it easier than the large Moby wrap style and more comfortable than the structured Bjorn which is my usual go to). 10/10 would recommend.

#5 Pack Something for Popping Ears

As a young child I flew to Edmonton out of Toronto and had a real difficulty with the changing pressures on my ears. I worried about our girls, so I planned to breastfeed BabyKK during landing and take off and packed applesauce pouches for LittleK to suck on (as hard candies and gum pose a choking hazard at this age). As it turns out, we were so flustered with getting settled in our seats that only while we had been buckled in and taking off did I remember my resources were all neatly packed away in the overhead compartment. The Lord was gracious to us and, as it turned out, neither daughter seemed to make any fuss at all for either flight.

#6 Car Seat Backpack

This was one I would have never thought of until my kind friend offered to lend us hers. We took her up on the offer and found the Cosco seat super light and easy to carry. The car seat back pack freed up our hands to help the littles which was greatly needed.

#7 Snacks

We packed lots of snacks. Snacks for me, snacks for you, snacks for the little one too. Honestly, I could have packed even more, but what I really missed having was extra water. I am too cheap to buy food/drink at flight prices and I completely forgot how thirsty a flight can make you. As long as you bring empty water bottles through security and prepackaged foods, you should be good to go.

#8 Rental Car

We decided to bite the bullet and rent a car from the airport. We got a CAA discount and have no regrets. They were very easy to work with and even had a drop off and pick up arrangement that made it a seamless transition. LittleK loved that car so much that she still asks about going back to see our "Edmonton Car" from time to time.

In summary, the whole trip went a lot smoother than I expected. We had bumps along the way, and no matter how hard I tried, some things just didn't work out the way I planned. No matter where we went, or what we did, God was there. He met us waiting at the airport as our flight was delayed yet another hour. He met us as we soothed our daughter's tears as we explained that her Hello Kitty luggage should ride in the bottom of the plane and we would see it again soon. He met us in our exhaustion, in our frustrations, in our laughter and in our joys. He met us the morning we arrived home, and headed straight to our beds. If I was asked to do it all again, I would.

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Psalm 139:9-10

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."