Traveling With A Babe

 I feel like my trip went by in a blur... I know that Rudi and I were all packed up and ready to go Thursday and before I knew it it was another Thursday and I was unpacking...

 Traveling with a five month old alone is not easy.  There are a lot of things to potentially drop or forget.  I discovered that there always seemed to be a neverending abundance of considerate, kind and helpful strangers around to aid me when I needed it. There was the young man that was sitting right beside me on my last flight to Halifax that asked to move to an empty seat so "she can have more room for her baby." There was a gentleman that seemed uncomfortable with me having to breastfeed (covered and always discreet) a few feet from him yet he asked if I wanted him to grab my bags from the overhead storage. People constantly helped me pick up dropped items and offered to help me carry items (because I had so much with me!!)

Rudi luring strangers over to say hello to him. It worked! He lured three to come over and talk to him!

  West Jet.  A-mazing. On my first flight the flight attendant said she would hold Rudi if I needed to go to the washroom. She said I was one button away from her help and I took her up on that offer. I would never normally have asked anyone to do that but because she offered, I did. Once I was off of the plane she insisted on carrying my diaper bag and pillow to my next gate. She even stopped to help a couple from our flight find assistance getting a wheel chair. I believe her name was Brooke, she was from Calgary. She had dirty blonde hair and chunky white or lavender coloured glasses. She was a model West Jet employee. I adored her.
 
 On my way home, my flight from Toronto to Vancouver was five hours long. When we landed I had to head straight to my next gate because it was ready to board when I arrived. We hurried and made it with time to spare. While Rudi and I sat in our seat waiting for the flight to load our flight attendant approached us. She had Rudi's white bunny blanket from when Alina was a baby, Alina named it Bunny Wunny. Apparently the attendant from my five hour flight saw that we had left it and tracked us down. We were boarding, the flight was a small plane so we had to take an elevator to these indoor/outdoor gates way the hell out of the way. It took some serious effort for that West Jet attendant to track us and physically return Bunny Wunny to Rudi. I mean seriously. Best.Airline.Ever.
 I have nothing but great things to say about West Jet and their staff. Thank goodness we invested in a West Jet Mastercard because we will be guaranteed to fly West Jet from now on. (No, this isn't a promo blog to promote West Jet Mastercard. I am just that impressed!)
 People always go out of their way to slam an airline for doing them wrong. I totally get it, there are some serious horror stories out there. But my experience was super positive and I felt like it needed to be shared. There is just so much hate and negativity in the world these days. Internet trolls sitting on top of their soap boxes bitching and blaming and saying negative shit about anything and everything seem to be taking over the comment field of everything I read these days. Sometimes it's just refreshing reading about something going right every once in awhile...
  Rob upgraded us to first class for my long flight on my way to Halifax and he upgraded us on both of our long flights on the way home. First class is certainly roomier with a baby and there's a constant stream of drinks, free snacks and a meal on each flight. I was grateful to Rob for his consideration of the upgrades. I had very little time in between each flight to change Rudi's diaper and use the bathroom never mind find food. Rob made a good point that yes, it does cost a bit more money for each upgrade but, how often do I plan on traveling alone with a baby ever? It was certainly worth every penny.

  There seems to be a certain level of magic surrounding a pregnant woman or a woman and a baby. People are genuinely kinder, more considerate and patient. I didn't experience a single negative look or feel like I was being criticized or judged for having (at times) a crying baby in a small space. It was an enlightening experience. I shared my thoughts with a friend and she made a good point. She said, "People should be kind. He's a person too and he has every right to travel." Touche'.

Flying is so easy for a baby...