The Misadventures of Mr. Monkey

Mr. Monkey, one of Jonah's first toys (and a favorite from his activity center), joined me on my recent trip to Istanbul, and I decided to document his journey.

After getting through security, Mr. Monkey was thrilled to see that his first flight on the way to Istanbul was showing as "On Time."

Mr. Monkey thought about getting out some cash, but unfortunately the ATM was out of order.

Mr. Monkey also scoped out some Super Bowl Champion Packers merchandise at the news stand.

Mr. Monkey was thrilled to be upgraded to first class for the first two legs of his trip to Istanbul.

Mr. Monkey enjoyed the extra leg room!

In Detroit, Mr. Monkey stopped to watch the really cool world fountain for a little while. 

Mr. Monkey also enjoyed the colors and music in the tunnel between the A and B terminals.

Despite a delayed flight and the chance of missing his connection to Istanbul, Mr. Monkey kept smiling.

Mr. Monkey thought the first class seats on the second flight were even better than the first!

Mr. Monkey enjoyed watching the scenery out the window.

Phew! Even with the delay, Mr. Monkey made it to his flight to Istanbul.

Mr. Monkey watched things happen at the airport while waiting for the plane to take off.

Mr. Monkey wondered how far he is going to travel and how long it would take. 

All tuckered out after a long day, Mr. Monkey took a nap.

Mr. Monkey was thrilled to arrive at Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul.

Because it was the biggest plane he had ever been on, Mr. Monkey stopped to look back at the plane that brought him to Istanbul.

After getting his visa and going through passport control, Mr. Monkey picked up his checked luggage.

Mr. Monkey checked out the view from his hotel room at the Nippon Hotel.

Mr. Monkey sent some quick emails to let family know he made it to Istanbul safely.

Then Mr. Monkey decided a little nap was a good idea to prepare for seeing the city later in the day.

When he woke up, Mr. Monkey took a shower using all the nice amenities provided by the hotel.

Mr. Monkey was amused by this little card that told him to "Have o nice stay."

Mr. Monkey chose to have lunch at "The House Cafe" on Istiklal Caddesi.

Mr. Monkey settled on Turkish Meatballs served on a garlic aubergine mash for lunch.

After lunch, Mr. Monkey made his way to the Galata Tower to get a 360 degree view of Istanbul.

Mr. Monkey visited the Yeni Cami (New Mosque).

I had been thinking about putting together a little book for Jonah with these photos, but unfortunately he fell out of my pocket at some point (or he really liked Istanbul and decided to stay). I searched all over and retraced my exact steps to the place I took this picture, but alas, unsuccessfully. Because it was raining, I kept  putting my camera under my jacket. I suspect this popped him out at some point.

I know this was probably more sad for me than it will be for Jonah when he is old enough to remember Mr. Monkey, but I was really upset by this.. I may even try to see if it is possible just to get a replacement monkey. 

I will be sure to use a pet leash the next time I bring stuffed company on a business trip. :)

More pictures from the trip are posted in my picasa album. I will be posting more soon, including a refresh of the ones already in the album with captions.

Flying with Jonah

Jonah went on his first plane ride the Tuesday before Christmas. We solicited ideas and suggestions from friends on traveling with an infant, and we got some good pointers for which we are thankful. Despite the feedback, there were some things that came up that were unexpected.

We were sure to allot plenty of time to get to the airport, as we were not entirely comfortable with what the security screening process would be like with the stroller and car seat. I dropped Michelle and Jonah off at the departures area with most of our luggage and then brought the car to the long term parking area. I opted to take the car seat base out in the parking lot and carry it with me on the shuttle back to the departure area because it is light. Doing so also meant I didn't need to worry about pulling the base out while double parked in a high traffic area. I took the shuttle back, and then checked our luggage while Michelle sat with Jonah.

Security wasn't too much of an issue. We were thankful that we got to the airport as early as we did because the security line really piled up behind us. Before anyone makes a snarky comments, this was not *because* of us. We learned some things about getting everything through... it is pretty much the same as when you have less stuff. Stroller, car seat, everything through the x-ray while one of us carries the baby through.

We grabbed some dinner and then headed to the gate. The plan was to feed Jonah on take off, as it is supposed to help with the pressure change. We sat in the cramped waiting area (something about AirTran... they always seem to have gate areas that don't have enough room for all their passengers). I grabbed gate check tags for the stroller and car seat from the gate agent, and we kept watching the departure time get adjusted with no update as to what was going on and when we might actually expect to be taking off. Finally, Michelle decided to feed Jonah when we determined there would be enough time (we ended up departing about an hour late).

The gate agent didn't call for pre-board for those needing additional time or traveling with small children as I am accustomed, but we boarded at that point anyway (They didn't do a pre-board call on our return trip either). As suggested by someone, we used some bungee cords to secure the stroller in its collapsed position. This had the added benefit of allowing us to keep the boppy in the stroller on the return trip.

When we finally got on the plane, we taxied forever. When the plane stopped, we realized it was to de-ice. This gave me a chance to snap some quick shots.

On the flight, we asked the flight attendants if they had anything for first time fliers. Both replied that they didn't have any certificates that the usually carry, but they had some first flight wings. Then they didn't ever drop them off. We will just need to track it in Jonah's baby book.

Jonah was a little fussy (I think we were more concerned with his fussing than anyone around us) at first, but was asleep by the time we took off and slept for the entire trip. When we arrived, though, he was wired, and was cute while we were out in the cold waiting for the rental car shuttle - he thought we were playing peek-a-boo when we were actually trying to keep him covered and warm. His smile kept us warm. :)

The flight home was pretty uneventful, too. I can't imagine traveling with Jonah alone at this point. There is just too much stuff to carry.

Here is a pic from the return:

You can see more pictures from our trip in Picasa.