Of course, hurricane Ian is on course to hit Florida while we are gone and we will have people staying in the condo when it's scheduled to make landfall. Sure, why not add more stress to my trip?
I felt I was as prepared as I could be. I made list of list of list, I've been packing for 6 weeks, I put AirTags in all of our bags (and Theo's wheelchair), I contacted Theo's doctors and got them to write notes explaining why we were brining 40 lbs of liquid food in our bags, I had to contact our insurance and Theo's doctors to get "emergency authorization" to get extra doses of his medication, I had to deal with last minute expensive changes to our itinerary, I contacted TSA cares, I got a letter from Kate Farms stating that Theo's food does NOT contain meat or dairy (a EU rule), and so much more! Getting ready for this trip was truly exhausting, but I knew it would be worth it!
On Sunday (September 25th), we finished packing, triple checked my list of last minute things to do, loaded up the car, and headed to the O'Hare airport with Lucas.
[Three bags to check, two backpacks to carry on, one car seat, and one wheelchair]
During the hour drive to the airport I got a call from my mom. Their flight had been cancelled due to bad weather in New York (they were supposed to have a layover there). Luckily, they were rebooked on the same flight the next day, so they would only be 24 hours late.
After Lucas dropped us off (thanks for the ride!) we headed to the luggage drop off and then to TSA Pre-check (one of the perks of having Global Entry). I had all of Theo's liquid medications and food in giant ziplock bags, so they would be easy to take out of my backpack. I knew they would have to test all of them and that would take time, so I let them know the liquids were coming. While I dealt with the liquids, Josh took care of Theo and the wheelchair. We made it through TSA without any issues. Yay! I knew TSA wasn't going to be a problem (since I know their rules). I was the most worried about Belgium (and the EU) not liking Theo's liquid food, which was packed in the three suitcases. That is why I was prepared with the letters from the doctors.
We got to our gate early, found some seats, and reorganized our carry on luggage.
I then went for a walk around the terminal trying to find a place to change Theo's diaper. There are baby changing counters in the "family bathrooms," but they are too short for Theo. I was left with little choice, so I brought Theo to the bathroom where I laid him on the counter. His head was up against the wall and his feet were in the sink, which caused the water to turn on. Ugh.
[Theo is pretty good at taking naps in his wheelchair with ladybug]
Boarding the plane is quite an adventure, but Josh and I have it all figured out. I put my backpack on and push Theo and his wheelchair down the gangway to the plane. Once we get to the airplane door I pick him up and take him to our seats. Josh carries his backpack and the carseat bag (which also contains the wheelchair bag). After I take Theo out of the wheelchair Josh folds up the wheelchair and puts it in it's bag along with the carseat bag. He then boards the plane with his backpack and the carseat in his hands. It's definitely a two person job!
Once we were all settled in on the plane, a lady handed me this bag:
In all honesty, this was very kind of her. I'm sure she was very nervous, but it's 2022. If you get on a 8 hour flight without noise cancelling headphone that's on you. She is going to try her best to keep her daughter quiet and entertained, but we can also do our part by having patience and wearing headphones.
[All ready!]
Our flight left at 6:00 PM and was scheduled to arrive at 9:00 AM in Brussels. So if you do the math, we will be arriving in Brussels at 2:00 AM Chicago time. We all REALLY needed to sleep on this flight, but Theo had other plans. About half way through the flight Theo started to struggle. We think it was because his legs were hanging down and it was getting uncomfortable. We spun his carseat, put his legs on Josh's lap, and then gave him some melatonin.
Sunrise over Ireland and the UK!
Josh and I only got a couple hours of sleep, while Theo struggled and was a bit whinny, but we made it to Brussels!
Monday, September 26th:
After we landed I pulled out my phone and check my "Find My" app. All three suitcases that we checked appeared to have made it, but then I received a notification that "Theo's Wheelchair" has been left behind. My stomach dropped. But I also know that these AirTags can get a little wonky, so it's best not to panic until we know for sure if the wheelchair got left behind.
Getting off the plan is similar to getting on the plane. Except when we are boarding a plane we board first and when we get off the plane, we are the last ones off. This way we can lay Theo on the seats and check his diaper without a bunch of other people around.
I grabbed the backpacks and Theo's carseat while Josh threw Theo over his shoulder. The second I stepped off the plane and onto the gangway I spotted the wheelchair bag. Phew! Crisis adverted! I grabbed the bag and wheeled it up the gangway. After we got Theo situated in his wheelchair we headed down the hall towards immigration. There were three lines: EU residents, diplomats and handicapped, and non-EU visitors. The line for EU residents was short, the line for diplomats and handicapped individuals had no one in it, and the line for non-EU visitors was HUGE! It stretched ALL THE WAY down the hall and zig-zagged a few times. If you've ever gone through immigration you know that these lines can be long and take a long time to get through. We started walking hesitantly towards the diplomats and handicapped line. An airport worker was standing at the entrance to the line. When she saw us she eagerly waved us forward. We said thank you and then she pointed us towards an agent. I presented him with our passports and he asked where we were going. I told him we would be spending a week in Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands before boarding a cruise ship. He stopped what he was doing, looked up at me, and said, "Ooo la la, tell me more." So I did. I told him about all the countries we were going to visit and how excited we were. He just kept nodding and saying "ooo la la." It was pretty funny and I didn't know what to think!
After he stamped our passports we made our way to baggage claim. All three of our bags made it and all of Theo's food was there and sealed! YAY! Oh my goodness! You have no idea how relieved I felt! We would NOT be able to get Theo's food in Europe (trust me, I tried), so getting all of Theo's food there in one piece was the most important thing. Yes, we could have found some kind of g-tube food in Europe, but with Theo's sensitive stomach (remember when he threw up everyday for a year?!) it would have been hard to skate by on another g-tube food or formula. Second was getting his diapers there. Theo is too big for baby/toddler diapers and too small for adult diapers (like the ones you can buy in the grocery store). So finding diapers that would work for him would be hard, not impossible, but hard.
Anyways! Relief! 🙌🏻🙌🏻
We then spotted a bald man in a suit holding a sign that said "CARLSON & NEILSON." We approached him and said we were the Carlson's, but the Neilson's flight got cancelled. He said that was fine and he would get us to our hotel. He grabbed two of my bags and we followed him to his black Mercedes SUV. It was perfect. We could easily fit along with all our luggage.
After a short 25 minute ride we arrived at Pillows City Hotel in the Brussels City Center at 10:30 AM. Our driver helped us bring in our luggage (such a nice guy) and we headed to the front desk. I knew we wouldn't be able to check in early, so I just asked the front desk manager if they could hold our luggage for a few hours. He just kept apologizing and said that they could hold our luggage and our room would be ready soon. I told him that we were going to go walk around town and not to worry about the room not being ready yet. I haven't found a hotel in the US that would let you check in before 3:00 PM without an extra charge, so I was surprised when they said the room would be ready before noon.
We left the hotel and immediately heard a potential issue: construction. The building that shared a wall with our hotel was under HEAVY construction. The street was blocked to vehicles and there was scaffolding all over the building and it was LOUD. I hoped it wouldn't be an issue and our rooms were on the other side of the hotel, later we would find out we weren't that lucky.
We walked about 200 feet and came to the St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral. This beautiful gothic cathedral is the national church of Belgium where multiple royal weddings have taken place. We didn't linger too long since I knew we would come back tomorrow on our tour, and it had started to rain.
We headed into the city center where we found the Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert. This consists of two long buildings filled with shops, restaurants, and chocolatiers.
[Chocolates and macarons are everywhere!]
We were hungry and tired, so we grabbed a quick bite before heading back to the hotel.
Belgium is known for its chocolate, waffles, and beer. I'll take all the chocolate and waffles that I can get and Josh can try the beer 🙂
Our room was ready when we got back to the hotel. We went up to our rooms and found a "gift" on our bed. It was a letter and earplugs. I immediately knew what it was since we could hear the construction going on RIGHT outside our window. The letter apologized for the construction and said there was nothing they could do about it. The construction workers started right at 7:00 AM and would wrap up at 6:00 PM. Luckily, Theo is a heavy sleeper and we had white noise, so I wasn't too worried about him.
Before we got to our room I warned Josh that "things are smaller in Europe." So I wasn't surprised when the elevator was too small to accommodate us all all our luggage. But I was very surprised and happy when we saw our rooms.
[Theo's room was connected to ours]
[Our room - I'm standing in the doorway between the two rooms]
Besides the construction the hotel was great! We loved having Theo in his own room and the hotel location allowed us to walk anywhere in the city center.
After our naps (we didn't want to sleep too much or else we wouldn't adjust) we headed back out into the rain. This time we walked down to the Grand Place. This amazing square (rectangle?) is surrounded by the Town Hall, the Bread House, and many old Guildhalls. The buildings are OLD and HUGE!
[Town Hall in the center of the photo]
[Town Hall, Guildhalls, Bread House (dark building in the middle), Guildhalls, House of the Dukes of Brabant, and more Guildhalls]
[Interior of Town Hall]
Next we walked down the street to see the mascot of Brussels: Manneken Pis. This tiny statue is of a naked boy peeing into the fountain. It seems like people here LOVE him! There are a lot of legends around his little boy and why he is so loved in the city. The story we were told is about a little boy that was spying on an invading army. The army planted explosives at the entrance of the city and lit the fuse. The little boy ran over to the fuse and put it out by peeing on it, and therefore, saved the city! So there is a statue of this little peeing boy in the city of Brussels! The non-profit association "The Order of the Friends of Manneken Pis" takes charge of dressing him. He apparently has 1000 different costumes and we were lucky enough to see him in two different costumes while we were in town.
[You will literally see Manneken Pis everywhere in a lot of different forms]
[You will also see delicious waffles everywhere!]
It was cold and windy, so we said goodbye to Manneken Pis and headed back to the hotel.
[The cobblestones in Brussels are no joke, but Theo didn't seem to mind them too much. He's such a trooper!]
While we were in the Grand Place we went to Mary Chocolatier and got a bunch of chocolates to try. And yes, they were delicious!
Instead of venturing back out into the rain for some dinner, we decided to call it an early night (jet lag is real) and order some room service.
