We made it through the first leg: Boston to Istanbul. Stefan did a pretty decent job for a rookie. We sat next to a wonderful family from Cairo, now livong in Boston, and they were so kind and understanding and helpful. Stefan did not love the cute little baby basinette assigned to him but he managed to sneak in some lap naps, thanks to Baba Dora.

After landing in Istanbul, all were excited to breathe some air and move.

With all of our gear, escalators are a no no. In an effort to get to some restrooms and a seat or somewhere to curl up for a few hours, we found an elevator up to some action. Stefan, strapped to me in the Baby Bjorn, and I hopped in the elevator first and seconds later the doors closed. Alllllmost completely. Me and baby in the elevator. Dimitar and Baba Dora on the other side. And the doors? Stuck.

Well, s#@t.

Dimitar went out to find help and eventually various men appeared and pried at the doors with their bare hands, each one seeming to want a go at it. Puh-leeze. It’s steel, guys, and you aint the jaws of life.

I was absolutely convinced that we would be there for awhile. Like, days. I was already looking at the floor and seriously considering my options for nursing whilst trapped.

Before I panicked, images of Locked Up Abroad and Rescue 911 speeding through my weary mind, I had Dimitar snap a photo because, hey, this is all a fun adventure. This will be an awesome story when I see my friends and family on the other side of this elevator, this world.

Fast forward a hot, stuffy 15 minutes…

We got out of our not-all-that-perilous, ground floor elevator emergency.

2 more short but dense legs to go. Istanbul – Sofia via plane and Sofia – Kardzhali via automible.

Stefan has just polished off some pureed bananas and is blowing rasperries. I love him so much it hurts.