Adventure Mom

Maybelle and I took our first plane trip together this weekend. I had a talk to give, and of course Maybelle came along. I was pretty nervous about the flights--I love flying and pride myself on being a confident, unanxious flier, someone who never checks a bag and goes through novel after novel in the gate area and on the plane. I knew that all that would change with the addition of Maybelle.

It turns out that Maybelle is a great air traveler. I strapped her in the Bjorn and walked around the Charleston and Atlanta airports, and she was perfectly content. We played on a blanket on the floor in Atlanta when we missed our connecting flight. She was happy talking with me and resting on my shoulder during the flight to Atlanta, and even let a strange man hold her while I stuffed her diaper gear back into my backpack. She ate during takeoffs and landings and slept much of the rest of the time on all the flights.

At one point in the Atlanta airport, Maybelle was strapped to my front, facing out in her Bjorn, and I had my backpack on my back, and I bought myself a corn dog (I do love a corn dog). I strode along the moving sidewalk between terminals, eating my corn dog, talking to Maybelle, who was looking around, taking it all in. It occurred to me, “This is what I needed to see when I learned that my child had Down syndrome. This is the person I thought I might not be able to be with a special needs baby.” I really felt like an Adventure Mom, able to be a good parent while having my own life, heading out into the world with Maybelle, both of us enjoying ourselves.