And Away We GO!

I was very proud of myself for having started packing WAY before departure day and was confident that I would NOT be up ALL night before we left. I even had a tiff with Tim when he proclaimed that I was NOT that far along with the packing and predicted I WOULD be up ALL night. You see where this is going don't you? I believe I actually got into bed at 3AM. It wasn't so much the packing as the bills and other random things I forgot to plan for. I got about 2 hours of sleep. Oh well.

I was optimistically hoping that our limo would be late or not be able to find our address, but NOPE, right on time at 5:30AM. We were flying out of Tucson Int'l Airport at 7:50AM but don't let that Int'l part fool you. TUS is a TINY airport and check in is always quick, not to mention security, the walk to the gate, etc. It's about a 20 min drive and I figured getting there at 6:30 would be plenty of time, so I didn't feel TOO bad making the limo wait a few minutes for us to take some pics. Then I ran back into the house to finish getting ready while Tim helped the driver figure out where all the stuff was going to go. The luggage fit in the trunk but the backpacks, and car seat went on the back seat while the wheelchair had to come apart and went up front with the driver. He was nice but wasn't overly friendly. I guess he saw the matching shirts with Disney characters all over them and he asked "So are you guys going to Disneyworld or something?". Um, yeah.



Phoebe was thrilled, which I thought was funny since I never would have thought she'd notice a difference. Maybe she was just excited to go somewhere.




Tessa was a little awe struck by the limo. I don't think she's ever seen one before.







After we got settled in the car Phoebe had a seizure. Nothing out of the ordinary, and we were in a comfortable place where Tim could hold her for a couple of minutes until it was over.

I think the funnest part of the limo for the kids was being able to move around. Phoebe loved sitting next to us.




Tessa liked watching out the windows.




So we get to the airport and Tim asks me "How much do you tip a limo driver?" to which I replied "I have no idea". Tim pulled some of the MAW cash out of his pocket to hand the driver who quickly refused to take any of it. "It's all taken care of" he said.

We quickly accepted the help of a skycap, who gladly accepted the tip Tim gave him , and he delivered us to a shorter check-in line than the very long one we saw as we first walked in. There were a couple of older ladies in line behind us who asked about the shirts and said her nephew had gone on a MAW trip years ago and how wonderful it was. They were very sweet, even if they did make fun of us for all the luggage we had. They seemed a little more understanding when I explained that we were actually going to be gone for two weeks. We had 5 suitcases (2 large 3 small) plus the carseat. None of the bags were stuffed full because I had been warned that we would need extra room on the way home for gifts from GKTW and souvenirs. With SWA's luggage policy of two free bags per ticket, we were well within the limits. Man I was glad that I asked MAW (who originally had reserved a full size car for us) to move us up to a larger vehicle! The Southwest desk person told me to talk to the gate people about preboarding, but we all had our WISH shirts on and I had also called ahead to ask for an aisle chair so I felt pretty confident we wouldn't have any problems.

Security went as planned, with Phoebe actually being allowed to sit in her wheelchair while they tested it and patted her down. The TSA screener who did it was named Phoebe too, whom I vaguely remember meeting in the past. She thought it was the neatest thing to see a little Phoebe and was super sweet to her, and all of us. Once we got to our gate we looked around for food. Tim grabbed a breakfast burrito. We had barely gotten a table and he and Phoebe eaten half of it when they started talking about boarding at our gate. He scarfed down the rest and we ran across the way to our gate.

There were several other wheelchairs pre-boarding with us (we live in a retirement area) so we sat "near" the front, but I was just glad that we had a minute to get settled before everyone else stormed the plane. It was a full flight. With the rows split into three seat each we decided to split up two and two. Tim sat with Phoebe since he ended up carrying her on board (they didn't have the aisle chair ready but we told them it was fine as long as we didn't have far to walk). I sat with Tessa who was thrilled to be on an airplane. She's flown many times in her short life but it had been a while. The flight attendant gave her a set of wings that she really didn't care much about.

Viewing the Tucson landscape as we take off.





Phoebe's eyelids fell shut with the force of the engines during take-off and Tim got to enjoy a nice nap along with her.




Tessa watched some movies and I also used the opportunity of her sitting relatively still to do her hair.



Then she played her Leapster. (thankfully Phoebe was in the seat in front of her and didn't notice the feet on the back)




She kept me awake because she kept wanting to switch movies and games and have a snack. No nap for me.

Phoebe woke up and enjoyed a snack, as did her shirt.



This is her sad face, we call it Beaker (from the Muppets), or sometimes it's a precursor to a smile if she's just not sure about something.




I don't understand what thoughts were going through someone's head when they routed the plane to fly from Tucson to CHICAGO to Orlando, since I know SWA lands in Dallas Love, but oh well. At least I got to "see" Oprah. I'm sure she was down there somewhere.



Tessa decided on this trip that she did not like the shades up while flying, sometimes to the dismay of the people flying with her. Thankfully when we start to land she's interested in looking out. I LOVE looking out at the scenery. I like wondering what people are doing and who lives in that house, how old is that church, etc.




We have a smooth landing in Chicago and deplane for a couple of hours. I was starting to figure out all the things I didn't pack in carry-on, and had to pay the outrageous airport prices for a few supplies that we needed and couldn't wait to get in Orlando.
So we get three different trips to the girls' restroom out of the way and then find some lunch. We found a really yummy deli restaurant called Potbelly Sandwich Shop and order some lunch. I shared a turkey with the girls and Tim had A Wreck (?) which had salami, roast beef, turkey, ham and Swiss. We both agreed they were delicious but Tim regretted not getting pizza once it dawned on him we were in Chicago. I wished I had packed a change of shirt for Phoebe because this one was looking pretty gross. Darn it. Another item I forgot to pack.



Phoebe falls asleep during our meal and Tessa declares she needs to go AGAIN so I send Tim off with her (he was done eating). They didn't have "family" restrooms so I don't know what he did but frankly I don't care. He's a smart guy, I'm sure he figured something out. In a year or two Tessa will be able to handle a trip to the bathroom solo but for now people can deal with us doing what we gotta do.

We make it back to the boarding area just in time to stretch our legs before they begin lining up for boarding. When we get Phoebe out of the wheelchair to walk around for a minute she gets excited which triggers another seizure. Tim holds her until it's over and then they start calling out info on the loudspeaker. Another full flight makes the waiting time stressful for Tim as he tries to keep me and the kids orderly and quiet.



We get on the plane without incident, again no aisle chair but we pre-board and sit near the front. Guess who sat with whom? I thought Phoebe would sleep some more so I ask Tim to trade with me. This flight it is Tessa who naps and Phoebe is cranky. Oh well. No nap for Mommy today.
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