Crossing the Pond and Taking on United Airlines

Crossing the Pond
If only I had taken a photo of our luggage carts as we stood in line at the Denver Airport! This would have been the caption: The Ellises and the world's largest amount of carry-on baggage and one HUGE stroller take on United Airlines.

Here's the photo I "staged" so you can get the idea (looks almost like the real thing, except we're a little heavier in real life--and so were our bags!)

Seriously, I felt virtually illegal traveling with our baggage so maxed out. Who knew a 14 lb. child could need so much stuff!?

When we got to our flat (apartment), I started pulling things out of my coat pocket (yes, I was using my pockets strategically) and out came a nursing cover, an exercise band, a pacifier, a diaper, lip gloss, a burp rag, a pack of wipes, a protein bar, a memory card, gum, 7 days of provisions and a life support system.

Okay, maybe not those last two, but pretty much everything else we needed to survive the plane trip that began at check-in 7am Tuesday and ended at 6:30 am UK time on Wednesday, Sept. 23. (An exercise band? You might wonder if I was planning on doing a little Pilates on the plane, but no, just happened to add it at the last minute as a token of hope for future exercise!)

Exciting moments from the plane ride:

• Finally saw "The Proposal"

• Dove to the floor during extreme turbulence on my way to change Liam (the stewardess made me dive, I wasn't just being dramatic. Promise!)

• Nick held Liam for a while so I could get a some sleep. If you don't understand why this is exciting, you haven't yet had a newborn. :)
  

• Liam slept like a … baby. Beautifully. I have to admit, I fed him a TON to help him stay quiet. (You didn't just read that, Babywise Fans :) He did fit in one live video for his Facebook fans. Nick commandeered my Facebook page from his iPhone to update everyone on our status.

• United bumped us up to Economy Plus for FREE because they didn't have any bassinet seats in the bulkhead… five extra inches of leg room!! Thank you Nick for asking, "just in case there are seats."

• The nice man next to me didn't mind when Liam's little feet crept past the arm rest once in awhile into the stranger's territory. Perhaps it helped that Liam's PJs had little puppy-dog feet … that tends to draw the "melt your heart" reaction. Blessings come in all forms!

Fun British Fact for the Day:
Dates are written opposite of the U.S., so we arrived in England on 23rd September.

Coming up next: Arrival in Oxford