Friday, April 4, 2008

i can't believe we made it

So, we're here! It was one incredibly long day yesterday traveling across the Atlantic Ocean with an infant all by myself. I got up at 6:00 a.m. and went to bed here at 11:00 p.m., which would be 6:00 a.m. in Hungary. I went 24 hours without sleep. Seth went 24 hours with only a couple hours of sleep. The poor kid doesn't have a clue as to what he just did yesterday!

I must say that British Airways was incredibly helpful to me with Seth. They held him so that I could get things settled. The flight attendants stopped by often to say hello and play with him. They gave him a little pillow and a special book signed by the captain to keep track of the miles he would be traveling on his first trip. They carried my luggage for me and called ahead to see where my connecting flight out of London to Chicago would be to make sure that I had enough time and whatnot. They really bent over backwards to help me. And of course, I was ushered to the front of every line because that's how they treat women with babies in Europe. You come first.

Then we had such an unfortunate time with American Airlines on the way from London to Chicago. It was the WORST customer service I have ever experienced. They were not helpful one bit, especially for this being my only flight where I have ever needed any help. I had a seat at the front where you can screw a little bassinet into the wall, and I asked the flight attendant about getting one for Seth. (Mind you I asked a little ways into the flight so as not to bother them until things had settled down.) The woman didn't care to even try to look for it and made no attempt to find or get me one. I wasn't going to stand for that, so I went on a search on the plane to find one. I found one and screwed it into the wall myself. The flight attendant later noticed and didn't have much to say. She continued to be the worst flight attendant I have ever seen. Perhaps she was having a bad day or something, but it was just pitiful. I could go on and on about the terrible flight, but there's no need to do that. I'm just incredibly grateful for the Brooks giving us their miles so we could come back, and I'm incredibly grateful that we actually got here as there were many moments of doubt if we'd ever make it.

God answered a HUGE prayer request though in our travels. We had prayed that God would place some nice ladies near me who would be understanding about having a baby on board, and boy did he ever! I sat next to an 86 year old woman named Tess who was a mother, grandmother, and greatgrandmother. Her daughter was sitting next to her on the other side, and they both just really loved on Seth. It was like sitting next to my own mother and grandmother. We had such wonderful conversations, and I basically learned of Tess' life story. She has such a wonderful perspective on life and was so warm. Seth did get fussy for the first part of the trip from London to Chicago from not getting any sleep that day, and they completely understood and were amazed at how well he did. He really was a trooper!

I will post pictures tomorrow. I am completely exhausted and will try to sleep now that Seth is sleeping peacefully, Lord willing for a good chunk of time as he too is exhausted!

7 comments:

Brittany said...

Congrats on making it back to the states! Rest well and have a great time at home! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you made it and that God answered your prayers for kind seat companions. I hope you get a ton of sleep and have a great time visiting!

Anonymous said...

Glad that you made it back safe and sound. Asked Kevin yesterday if he heard from you if you had made it back and he said yes he had. Glad things were not to bad and that you had some great seat companions and it sounds like Seth did a great job on his first flight. Enjoy your time with family and friends szia in a few weeks...Christine

Audrey said...

Welcome back, Kristen! I am thankful for God's merciful answer to prayer for you and Seth. Enjoy these weeks with your friends and family here in the States. Oh, and I tried to find a deal on a flight the same day as you (because that would be a blast) but no such luck. I'm leaving on April 15th. See ya in Diosd! :)

Aimee said...

I can't wait to see you guys tonight!!! I'm not sure if you'll still be up by the time we get back from the airport, and please don't wait up - I know you must still be so exhausted from your trip. Glad to hear that Seth was so good... I really had no doubt :) I love you all and I'll see you in a few hours!

Stefanie Schocke said...

Yeah you're here!

Whittington McLemore said...

I LOVE your hair and miss you tons!