Back to Reality

We left Boulder in time to get gas and milk for the flight home, return the rental car, go through security, and eat lunch before boarding our first flight. This might have been our shortest drive yet. Along the way with these road trips we learned that if we found white noise on the radio, it would calm Holden down for awhile. We also used Jesse's laptop to play Hop for Fletcher, but he'd only want to look at it for about 15 minutes at a time. He doesn't really watch TV, so we weren't surprised. But sometimes the 15 minutes of quiet was all we wanted. We didn't need to do either of these on this drive though. I will say it was nice having both of us on this trip because Jesse was able to pull up to the terminal to let me out with Holden, the car seat, the stroller, and our luggage and carry-ons and then he took the car back with Fletcher and rode the bus back to the terminal and met us. That would not have been possible if it were just me, that's for sure!

Our flight home was not as peaceful as the flight out to Colorado. Meaning: Fletcher did not cooperate at all no matter what we tried to do to keep him content and quiet. He fell asleep toward the end of the first flight with Jesse, but it was a very short nap.

Our flight arrived late in Atlanta and we were still on our first plane 25 minutes before our second plane was supposed to leave. I stayed with Holden by our plane to wait for the stroller and car seat while Jesse changed terminals with Fletcher, hoping to make it to the gate of the next flight and talk them in to keeping the gate open for us. Again, not possible if it had been just me! So imagine how we looked: Jesse running through the airport carrying Fletcher and me running through it pushing the stroller with the car seat holding Holden in it. But, we made the flight! They were holding it for a number of delayed flights so we weren't the last ones to board.

When we got home, we learned that although we made it...our luggage did not. So, I waited in line with Fletcher for over an hour to set up our lost luggage claim while Jesse ran to the store to grab some things with Holden. Since our stuff would come on the last flight of the night, they wouldn't deliver it to us until the following day. That would normally be fine, but I had packed expressed breastmilk in an insulated bag in our luggage...So...Jesse had to drive back to the airport to get our luggage after we made it home, ate dinner, and got the kids bathed and in bed. He and I weren't asleep until almost 1am, but we all made it home and sleeping there was better than in the airport somewhere!

It was a long, long day! But...the trip was completely worth it and really, most of the trip back to reality went rather well!