I’m writing this in the last row of an American Airlines MD-82, enduring the continuous stream of traffic to the restroom next to us, as we head from Ohio to DFW to see my family for a week. Laura and I are ambitious on this trip because in tow, we have two and a half week old Kiley, Gus, a stroller, car seat, diaper bag, and carry on. Ambling down the jetway, I’m sure we looked like the carnival was coming to town. We were just glad to get seats next to each other, so we could tag-team the effort to corral our two kids.

Fortunately for us, both Gus and Kiley slept the entire way. We had fears (nightmares, really) of howling, wailing, screaming, and diaper changes four or five times, while holding her in the bathroom to keep the screams partially hidden from other passengers. Gus is a trooper. He is a born traveller and always does well. We just put him in his travel crate, and he’s a happy camper, rarely awake long enough to cause trouble. He has probably flown eight or ten times and he’s never caused us any problems. He’s such a good boy, he always goes pee-pee for daddy just prior to entering the airport and holds it just fine until out of the next airport.

Kiley, on the other hand, is the unknown variable. She can be good, but our experience is very limited with her. She sleeps so well in the car, we hope that will transfer well to the airplane. Pressurization is another issue, but so far so good.

Our pediatrician was happy for us to fly with her as soon as we wanted. We’ve heard a lot of malarky about germs and bad air, but I’m not buying it. There wouldn’t be any more germs around her in an airplane than there would be at the local Wal-Mart, or any other public place. And as far as the air is concerned, I’ll bet it is cleaner than what we have at home.

Aircraft pressurization systems work by pumping outside air into the cabin at a faster rate than it goes out, hence the pressure. The outside air is sucked into the engine and compressed prior to entering the ignition chamber. Right before it gets mixed with fuel and ignited, some of it is tapped off, or bled into the air-conditioning system. The compressed air is really hot, so it is cooled and then pumped into the cabin via the air-conditioning ducts. Near the rear of the plane is an outflow valve that controls the rate at which the cabin air escapes and controls the pressure in the cabin. Air moves in and out all the time so that every few minutes, fresh air replaces the air that was previously in the cabin. There really isn’t such a thing as “stale” cabin air, but that myth seems to never really die.

Anyway, we are starting out on our week long Texas adventure and hope to update you on what we’ve been up to down here. It’s our sixth anniversary, Kiley’s first flight, the first time my family will get to see our daughter, and our first chance to stay at my sister’s new lake house. It’s going to be a great time!