Arthritis Mom

We made it, and it went fairly smoothly. Here are my ratings.

1 = lots of room for improvement
2 = could have been worse
3 = not to shabby
4 = very nicely done
5 = watch and learn

The Departure. I give credit to having an afternoon flight because it left plenty of time for waking up late, eating, finishing packing and loading the car. I get credit for being mostly caught up on laundry the day before. We left a couple minutes early. As a family we scored a 5.

Airport Arrival. My husband dropped us all at the curb so we could check the bags and he could park. My two oldest stepsons filled out luggage tags while the two 8-year-olds sat on the sidewalk with the babies. My husband got back from parking and noticed I was a little hyper and panicky even though it was going super smoothly and told me to take a deep breath, which I did. In my defense, all those kids standing there with all those strangers walking by and all the bags trying to get 1/2 of them checked was unnerving. I give myself a 4 for being prepared and we all get a 5 for execution. The incredibly friendly and helpful Southwest employee who spotted us unloading and helped us right away without having to get in line - he gets a 5 too.

To The Plane. After checking our luggage, I changed diapers and got babies into the stroller, the kids got the car seats into bags, and my husband returned to the car to retrieve his carry on item. We got to security and the stroller went one way while we all went another. My oldest stepson and I each carried a baby while my husband got the rest of them to remove shoes, put bags on the belt, through the metal detector, retrieved the bags and shoes and moved off to the side so we could regroup. At the gate we used our carry on bags, the stroller and a row of chairs to create a makeshift play area for the babies. We took turns running to get food and making bathroom trips. Just about the time we were all getting restless it was time to board the plane. We got on the plane and found seats relatively close to each other. I give us all a score of 5.

Plane Ride. I feel bad for the people waiting to board wondering how obnoxious two 1-year-old babies can be on a 4+ hour flight. They did amazingly well in my very humble opinion. They ate, they played, they slept. Both babies were fond of the teeny tiny changing table in the teeny tiny bathroom. My son needed one change of clothes due to drool and spitting up, thank goodness I remembered to pack spare clothes at the last minute - that would have certainly lowered my score. We got off the plane exhausted but all in tact, nobody crying or freaking out, and given hat we were up against I give us a score of 4.

The Arrival. I was unsuccessful at renting an 8-passenger vehicle. The only one I could find was off-site and not available until 4 days into our trip. After much discussion and deliberation, we decided to rent a 7-passenger minivan and have my sister pick us up at the airport. We got our luggage while my husband went to get the rental car I headed to the curb. My sister pulled up and took two of our children and nearly all our luggage, and handed me directions to her house. I got the babies out of the stroller and into the car seats just before my husband pulled up with the rental car. I was a little stressed getting the babies and everything loaded in, it came out of nowhere but I got a little snippy. So for that I give myself a score of 3. My husband and kids get a score of 4.5. My sister gets a 5 for picking us up, for borrowing pack-n-plays and high chairs so we didn't have to bring ours and most importantly for having dinner ready for all of us when we got to her house.

My RA. My feet get a score of 2 and my energy level gets a 1.5. I was running back and forth all morning finish up packing, and doing last minute things for the house. It's no surprise with rheumatoid arthritis that my feet were hurting even before we left. I could feel them swelling during the plane ride but I think that happens to people who don't have rheumatoid arthritis. The day after my feet are feeling particularly beat up and swollen, my energy level is very low and my wrists hurt a little. My husband took the older kids white-water rafting but the babies and I need our rest so we stayed home. We don't have anything big planned for the next couple days, just visiting family and relaxing which is perfect.