London's Heathrow Airport

Our first flight was a success! Savannah slept most of the time and I even convinced her to lay down in her seat so she seemed to sleep pretty good. I think the biggest challenge when flying with her by myself is all the stuff and bathroom breaks! With her still in the full cast, she isn't much help and has to be carried everywhere , then add the carry on bags full of toys, food and stuffed animals and babies, plus the stroller I have my hands full. A huge thank you to the US contractors who were aboard our flight. They were amazingly kind, insisting on carrying bags, collapsing the stroller, offering to sit with Savannah while I ate or went to the bathroom, attempting to cheer her when she was upset. After talking to several of them, most of them were on their way home from Afghanistan  to see their own kids or grand kids. Several of the were retired Marines that I would guess are still in better shape then most! It was a good reminder of how lucky we are to be American and proud of our country and the men and women who choose to serve. Their kindness continued off the plane, when I was in the wrong terminal and had to board a bus and ride for 20 minutes to another terminal. There are commonly US contractors on the US flights in and out of Dubai. I will say that it is very comforting to know they are there.

I was a little nervous about the potential craziness at the London Airport. The Olympics are days away and I fully anticipated lines and chaos. Much to my surprise they were incredibly prepared and organized. They were extra kind to Savannah and her cast allowing us to move ahead in lines and took extra care with her through security.

Six hours is a long lay over for anyone let alone an almost two year old. The best $50 I spent was to pre-pay for access to the American/British Airways Club lounge. We could spread out, sit down, eat, use the wi-fi and best of all leave our stuff there when we wanted to go for a walk in the terminal. It was much better than camping out at a gate. Savannah was even able to take a short nap while we were there. I would have loved to "see" London and had originally thought that maybe we would leave the airport and go see a sight or two during our layover, but our flight arrived very early in the morning and by the time anything would have opened it wouldn't have allowed us much time....maybe on our next trip!

All in all--leg one was a success!