16 months 11 days

Well, we're back in Vienna, it's after midnight, and I have the past two days to tell you about. First of all, thank you for praying. I think it was the easiest trip yet, though there were a few issues. Everyone's tired and happy and home - and asleep, except for me.

Our last day in Mali was busy. We had to finish packing, and it wasn't always easy when the babies wanted our attention, and we couldn't give it to them. But for the babies, the day wasn't any different than any other. They ate well, and in the afternoon the boys slept, but Tammy was wide awake and never took a nap. Barbara also went to take a nap, and so I got their dinner ready and just Randy and I were feeding them - until Barbara returned, only to find out that he had been at the door twice and we had not heard her knock. The babies went into the bathtub as always, but then we put their bodies and pants on instead of pj's and put them to bed. Normally I'd sit right next to the bed until they'd sleep, but I had too much to do to do so. Tammy fell asleep after a while, but Emmy ended up running around bed without lying down to sleep. When our Malian kids came over just after 7 pm, I got him out of bed and took him to the living room, and so he joined our last meeting, which he greatly enjoyed.

First I had some gifts for Barbara to thank her for all her help this past month - Malian clothes and a Bambara calendar all the kids had signed. Then all the kids surrounded us and prayed for our trip, and then I laid hands on all our kids and prayed for them, then for Paul and Amadou. Then we had to hug good-bye. Our 6 (instead of 10 when we came) suitcases were loaded on top of the vehicle, and at the very end I got Tammy and Sammy out of bed.

As Tammy was really sleepy, not having slept that long, I decided to put her into my baby carrier, and so the boys went into the car seats. Sammy ended up on the floor between us, Emmy on the bench with Randy, and I was on the opposite bench with Tammy. It was nearly 8 pm when we waved good-bye and drove off. All the kids were happy and curiously looking around at everything, probably wondering what was going on. Tammy had the best view, and watched all the traffic around us. The traffic in Bamako is really bad, even at 8 pm still, but we still got to the airport in decent time.

The vehicle stopped right in front of the terminal, and everything was unloaded. I agreed to get a porter, as that was easier with the x-ray machine and all the babies.

We said good-bye to Paul and our driver, and approached the building. The porter put all our luggage through the machine, and at the door to the building we had to show our boarding passes and passports that they checked to see if we had a valid visa. Once inside, we were already at the check-in. We used to have priority access everywhere, but not any more as Silver frequent flyers, which surprised me. Still, they allowed us to go through the priorty line with the babies. They always check passports before you get to the actual check-in, but this was the first time they asked where we were going. And it was the first time Randy had to show his Austrian residency card to prove he was going to Austria too.

Next stop was the check-in. There was a nice guy at the counter (guys are often nicer than ladies), and I explained to him that Barbara and the third baby had to be closer to us or it wouldn't work. In return he explained that the middle seats are left empty because of Corona, so I answered that we were all one household. He finally said he had to check with his superior. It all took a while, but in the end, he had done it, and Barbara had the third, empty seat next to us. Thank God! I was also relieved that we could keep the stroller all the way to the plane.

Next we took the elevator to the upper level where passport control was our next stop. The line was short, so it was our turn right away, but then it took quite some time, with 6 passports and boarding passes. They took all our pictures again, including the babies, and the adults also had to give their fingerprints again. Every time he asked me again for a Malian phone number, and our profession. When I answered "director", the Malian who happened to stand next to me, started saying "that's not a profession" and going on and on. At least the officers did not care. All our boarding passes got stamped, and we moved on to the next stop.

Which was another passport control. There were two ladies, and they were really sweet. We often get quite amazed reactions when they find out the babies are triplets, and one guy at check-in actually saluted Randy because of his manhood. The second passport control went fast, and then we were at security.

Thankfully that first security is always pretty easy. In the past, I didn't even have to take my computer out, but I had to this time. It was also the first time I had to take my shoes off. But all the baby food could stay inside the bags, thank God. I could walk through with Tammy in the carrier, and the stroller with the boys also simply went through.

Next is a thorough bag check, but since there is another one later, they let us go on without it. So we had finally made it to the gates area. Since we had no water, we bought some, as well as a sandwich as I had only had some salad for dinner. Then we walked to the other end of the building to our gate. It was time to let the babies out and walk around. They were all wide awake, even though it was late, and Tammy and Emmy greatly enjoyed running around. I had my hands full running after them and keeping them from going where they shouldn't. But the Malians enjoyed watching them, and they especially enjoyed Emmy who loves going up to people with a huge smile on his face.

Then I noticed that something was different than it used to be. In the past they did the bag checks once boarding started. But now they do the bag checks the whole time, and once you're through, you're in a cordonned off area you're not allowed to leave, so you can then simply board when it's time. It's definitely less chaotic this way!

We had been there for a while, when we decided to also go through the bag check at that time rather than later. They check your passports and boarding passes, and then they go through every bag in detail. I've had a lot of trouble there before, but not this time. The guy (a man again!) was really nice, and had no issues with any liquids. We could even keep the "baby water"! They then wave the wand over you, and you're done. We took all our stuff and found some seats to sit back down. Thankfully I had bought a lot of baby snacks before this trip that were really useful even while in Mali, and definitely during the trip. The babies were curious about trying them, and I'm finding out what they like and don't like. Emmy again went up to some people around us, including the security lady watching that no one was entering or leaving the area. 0

We weren't sitting there long when boarding started, nearly 2 hours before scheduled departure. It was a long line, but then an airport worker came and ran us by all the other people waiting. At that point Sammy was alone in the stroller, as Emmy was being carried as well, and he starts crying when he can't see any of his parents around. I rushed to catch up with the guy so Sammy would not freak out. At the counter, they scanned our boarding passes, and it took a while before he had processed all six of us. Then we started walking down the jetway to the plane. Once at the plane, Sammy came out of the car seat, and Randy took the stroller apart so they could put it in the hold.

We walked onto the plane and found our seats - the exact same ones as last time. We noticed all the empty middle seats, which they had not done last time, but France is also in a stricter lockdown now than it was back then. We put up all our bags and tried to settle in. We still had a lot of time, and Emmy and Tammy enjoyed getting to move around again. One flight attendant was really nice and was playing with Emmy. From then on he would constantly smile at her, even though sometimes she was busy and never looked back at him. Him and his sister were exploring everything in the area, and I had to pull them out of the way whenever people were coming and needed to pass through. Emmy checked out the emergency exit, and Tammy the earphones and blankets on the seats. And Emmy loved playing peek-a-boh as there was a thin wall just in front of us, and he could walk around it. They were having fun. And time passed slowly until the scheduled take-off of 11:55 pm. Emmy had a dirty diaper, so I went to the changing room to change him. Those changing tables are sure small!

As it was getting later and later, they started getting more cranky, as they were really tired. Emmy had not slept since his afternoon nap! And when he gets overly tired, he throws a fit, cries, and will not be comforted, and that's what happened. He's strong too, and all I can do is trying to restrain him and hold him until he gives in, closes his eyes and falls asleep. And he finally did. Thankfully I had already put his baby seatbelt on, so he was all good to go. Next to me, Daddy was already asleep, while Sammy in his arms was not. And the girl was still wide awake and stayed up for a long time. She was also getting more and more cranky, and just wanted to be with Mommy, which was not possible. Barbara had to restrain her, as we finally took off. Once in the air, she was able to turn around, and I was close enough that I could put my head and my hand on her head, even though she was still sitting on Barbara, as mandated, and then she finally fell asleep. And so did Sammy. Before we took off, Randy went to change Sammy's diaper. He's now the only one still having diarrhea, and his body and his pants were dirty. Unfortunately I did not have any extra pants, only extra bodies, so he ended up having no pants to wear for the rest of the trip. Poor baby. We wrapped a blanket around him to keep him warm.

So there we were, each with a sleeping baby on us. How to go to the bathroom? I ended up putting Emmy on Randy's other arm, and when I came back, I held Emmy in one and Tammy in the other, so Barbara could go to the bathroom. An hour after take-off, they brought a meal, and I had honestly not though we'd be able to eat. The trays pull out of the armrests in the first row, and are so tight that there was no way, but we were all able to pull a folded tray up with just enough room to put the food tray on it. I had to have Emmy high up on my shoulder, and then it was still tough to eat as I could only use my left hand, and I'm right-handed. Once the food was done and the trays gone, we finally had a chance to sleep. However, I hardly slept at all, as I was uncomfortable and constantly shifted to get more comfortable. At least the babies were all sound asleep.