the trip part six....

We got up at 4am to get to the airport. We arrived and checked in our bags. I only packed one carry-on for the trip home to make the layover at Newark less a pain since we had not needed the portable DVD player or the movie case or blanket on the trip coming.

I got some bottled water after we went through security since we had had to toss all of ours. I got Bliss a muffin and some OJ and a tart for me which I never ate any of. I was not feeling very good that morning having had thrown up the night before and was still feeling rather queasy.

The plane apparently had some electrical problem and was delayed about 40 minutes but this was known before boarding so we simply waited in the terminal. After eating about half his muffin Bliss went to sleep laying against me until it was time to board.

Once on the plane I got us settled and asked the flight attendant for the seat belt extender (yes folks the belly won't allow the seat belt across, well the belly the hips the ass, but I DO have an excuse these days) and for a few sick bags as I was truly worried about throwing up on the flight.

Bliss had taken his flying meds (a child's allergy pill) and had water to sip and gum he was chewing. The takeoff went fine and his ears were great. About 20 minutes into the flight he told me his tummy hurt and then suddenly he was throwing up. I managed to whip a bag out and he made it all in the bag, the poor thing. He then proceeded to throw up 3 more times before the 2 hour flight was done. I went into immediate mama mode and all my queasiness left. I washed his forehead, took him to the bathroom to wash his mouth out and got him bubbly water to sip (club soda) for the rest the flight. he told me right before we landed that he hated throwing up but sometimes "it sure makes ya feel better."

The landing was done without even the aid of gum and went well for him ear wise. We had to go through customs in Newark, then get our bags, then the second customs, then the bag drop off and then security again, thus losing all our bottled water AGAIN, and then I walked down the wrong very long corridor to our gate and had to backtrack. We FINALLY got to our gate (we had a 4 hour layover so I wasn't worried, just tired and with a sick kid) and sat in the food court. Bliss was hungry and I got him some pancakes thinking they would be easy on his tummy. I got a slice of pizza thinking even airport Jersey would be close enough to New York pizza to be worth it, it wasn't.

We hung out, had lots of potty stops and waited for our flight. Bliss seemed to be feeling much better, I was feeling so so. Finally we boarded our flight home.

Upon boarding the plane I was immediately struck with how very different it was from our flight out. It was not the same first class in any way. This was a business class like first class (apparently our flight over was on an international flight plane, who knew). The seats did NOT have the movie players at them (remember I had not packed the portable one in the carry-on), the seats also did not look to go back much. We were seated in the last row and I asked a nearby flight attendant if the last row seats did in fact lean back. He answered they did the same amount as the rest of first class. OK good I thought, until I found they only went back about 6 inches the same as coach. The flight attendant had a lovely accent and I asked him where he was from, that I loved his accent. He snapped back at me very angrily that he was "from here" which shocked me. He had a London by way of somewhere else accent with a lovely lilt to it but apparently it offended him greatly to be asked.

The flight is settling but not taking off yet and the flight attendant starts taking meal orders from the first class section. I hear there is a choice of chicken, a stuffed pasta, or veal. he gets to us last and informs me that there is only veal left. I explain, very nicely that I cannot eat veal (I have never eaten veal, I am a meat eater but do not ever eat veal) and that they would need to find something else, I would even eat a vegetarian meal if need be. He tells me he can get me a burger from coach and I calmly explain that I paid more for the tickets than a decent car almost and did so to ensure no problems like this and that he needed to figure out what to do but that being given a "burger from coach" was not ok. He proceeded to walk to the front of the cabin, and very loudly explain to the other flight attendants that "the bitch in row 5 says she paid thousands for her tickets and will not eat veal."

I immediately began crying much to my horror I could not stop myself, the tears were pouring down. We were still on the ground folks, I hardly believe this was so hard to rectify. I called roomie from my cell and sobbed to her and said how badly I just wanted to get off the plane and take another one but I could not because Bliss still felt like shit and we needed to just get home.

After I calmed down a bit another flight attendant came to me and explained he had spoken with some passengers and he could offer me a different meal. I thanked him and said I was not trying to be a pain and that chicken would be lovely. I also explained Bliss wanted nothing and hopefully I could get him to eat a few bites of mine.

To backtrack a second, I was very obviously pregnant and I had explained to the jerk attendant that Bliss was coming off an early flight he had spent the entire time throwing up on. It had made zero difference to that man.

So we are taking off, Bliss is doing great ear wise and just wants to sleep in a slippery seat that won't go back. We have a 4 inch armrest between us that won't move and no legroom for me to cradle him from. He did his best but it was breaking my heart seeing him try to lay and sleep. Also the overhead movie screen was in the first row and row 3 and no other row so Bliss could not even physically see it from his seat. He tried to sleep and the mean flight attendant started going around again taking salad dressing preferences from the passengers. he did all 18 other passengers and then stood up, turned and walked back to the front purposefully ignoring me. A few minutes later the other flight attendant came back and took my dressing order. I began to cry, again. I was so upset and angry and frustrated and that man was making such a huge scene of avoiding me at all costs.

The nice attendant was very apologetic. I explained through tears that I had not been a passenger who ever yelled or raised my voice in any way and that it was his job to address my concerns and that by acting this way he was humiliating me and ruining our entire flight. The nice attendant apologized and went about bringing me my salad.

Bliss slept fitfully and I tried to calm my nerves and stop the damn tears which kept coming on and off. Towards the end of the flight I think the mean one came by once to ask what we needed drinks wise but that was it.

Bliss did well on the landing THANK GODDESS and we left the plane as soon as humanly possible. Some passengers from coach near us on the flight made comments in baggage claim asking what had happened and why was the flight attendant so mean to me.

We got our luggage and went out to meet up with roomie to drive home. I was sooooo glad the trips was over. It is probably more clear now why I could not write about the trip when I got home, it really was a bit of a huge letdown and ended so poorly.

Next up final thoughts and insights on what we are planning to do.