Off to Orlando for Thanksgiving

We are heading to Orlando tomorrow afternoon to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my parents. We are flying out of BWI on Southwest. I am not a huge fan of Southwest Airlines. Mainly because they tend to kid around too much on the flights. For instance, my entire family was on a Southwest flight from New York to Florida to attend my grandmother's funeral. We were all grieving and the only thing we wanted to do was sleep on the flight. When we boarded the plane, the flight attendants started their little safety announcement and one of the guys said.. and I quote... "In the unfortunate event that this flight happens to become a cruise... your seat cushion doubles as a floatation device." I nearly lost my mind. I had my entire family on board... and this was pre-zoloft... and I was having none of it. I literally tore him a.... but, I digress. So, we are heading to Orlando tomorrow...Southwest. We are packed... and we have all of the necessary stuff for travel with a toddler. Birth Certificate - check. Ipod packed with cartoons - check. Music - check. Lollypops - check. This is our first time traveling with our girl over Thanksgiving and we are a bit nervous for tomorrow. Here's what I did to prepare... first, I made sure that we we rented a car seat from the rental car company. This saves us from schlepping our own! I then confirmed that they had my preferred number in their computer... I do not want to have to wait on line with a tired toddler! The next thing I did... I called Southwest to confirm the documentation we needed for her. She is 23 months...so, just under the two year momma has to buy her a seat mark... all we need is a birth certificate. Cool. Then, I jumped online and printed our boarding passes 24 hours before the flight. For Southwest this guarantees that we will be in the "A" group and one of the first to board the flight. AHHH... but you say... Lori, you told us NEVER to pre-board with a child. Yes, I did... I get the "A" boarding to get my husband to get on board and get us seats. Then I come on last with the baby. This way she can run around the gate a bit longer and I can put her on the flight at the last second. Last tip for the night... lollypops. Kids do not know how to "pop" their ears... so, the lollys help them to swallow during takeoff and landing! So, fingers crossed.. her little ears will be fine. I;ll write more from Orlando to let you know what else I discovered. If you are heading out tomorrow... travel safe and remember to pack your patience. This is THE hardest travel period of the year! Plan well, take your time and enjoy. xoxoLori