The plane landed and she could finally switch on her phone. It had been hours of grueling worry and panic.
A beep sounded off, and a tiny preview image flickered on the screen. What she saw made her want to jump into the cockpit and fly the plane back home herself.
Anyone with children knows how important it is to find the right babysitter – someone who is capable and can be trusted.
Parents also know the stress of last-minute plans popping up or falling through and all go-to sitters being unavailable. For mom, Claudia Sorhaindo, this finally happened.
It started with a job promotion. It was an unbelievable opportunity not only for her, but it could give a better future she could give her daughter, Ava.
Claudia looked forward to the new responsibilities. However, what she didn’t know is that they would be starting sooner than expected. The phone rang and the news put her into a panic.
She would have to fly out for an entire weekend and leave her baby girl at home.
The first calls went out to the normal babysitters. All of them were busy. The same happened with any family members Claudia trusted. Her phone beeped again.
It was her sister. “J’Ann says she can do it.” Claudia frowned at the phone. Her niece was only 15 years old.
The young girl might have been an option for an evening, but the idea of longer put a cold pit in the mom’s stomach. She glanced at her itinerary. Did she really have a choice?
The family understood the overprotectiveness this mom felt. After all, she had lost her 3-month-old, Jenelle, due to a medication mix-up at the hospital.
They had been the darkest days of her life. Her sister promised that things would be okay and her precious girl would be in good hands.
“Alright,” she said. Claudia ran to pack – all the while holding her daughter close and already missing her terribly.
The next day her niece arrived looking bright and excited. She kissed her aunt then squealed and hugged the baby. They weren’t even to the list yet and the girl already had her phone out and was snapping photos.
“Let’s start with feeding,” Claudia said, taking the phone away and setting it on the table.
She went through the long list of instructions and emergency phone numbers. The girl listened with a large smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you lots of updates.” Claudia had no idea that one of those updates would terrify her.
There was no more stalling. She kissed Ava on the cheek and tried to hold back the tears.
She hadn’t been away from her baby girl like this before and it already hurt. Through the taxi ride to waiting in the lounge, she texted dozens of messages. The last one went unanswered.
Claudia held her phone in a white-knuckle grip, hoping to see new updates. She ignored the recording to turn off all devices.
It wasn’t until the flight attendant came directly to her and asked her to switch it off did she press the button. It would only be a few hours. What could possibly happen in that time?
No amount of deep breathing, in-flight entertainment, or positive thinking helped the mom get through the agonizing flight.
The worst part was the landing and moving towards the gate so they could get off. “I’m not waiting anymore,” she thought and turned on her phone. A new message – finally! It was a picture. Claudia squinted at the fuzzy pink mass.
The caption read, “I was making a sandwich”, but it was the photo that sent her into a frantic spin.
The tiny thumbnail showed her daughter covered in what looked like a pink blanket … but her legs looked deformed and swollen to twice their size. “What happened?!” She called J’Ann’s cell. No answer.
She dialed again. Nothing. Her heart beat through her chest and terrifying images flew through her mind.
She was hundreds of miles away and helpless. There was only one number she could call and pray they got there in time. Claudia hit 911. She frantically gave the details through her tears.
Others on the plane noticed something was happening. She cried she needed to get off quickly.
The passengers parted and she ran off the plane. It wasn’t she reached the security line did she look at her phone again. This time the image was loaded and clear. She slumped against the wall.
“You’ve got to be joking,” she muttered, staring at the truth. There was no deformity and no swelling.
There sat Ava, happy and content within J’Ann’s pink stretch pants like a baby kangaroo in a momma’s pouch. “What’s going on?” she typed.
The answer made Claudia turn red with embarrassment. The young girl had wanted to make a sandwich but didn’t want to leave the baby alone even for a second.
She also couldn’t find the baby holster, so she improvised. The photo was just proof to show how the 2-month-old was perfectly safe. The story then takes another interesting turn.
Claudia took to social media. “So… I asked my niece to babysit Baby Ava… later I received a text saying that J’Ann wanted to make a sandwich but didn’t want to let baby Ava out of her sight.
” Lord send help this was her solution…creativity at its finest.” The post exploded over the internet…
It was shared more than 300,000 times and received just as many likes.
People commented on how they wished they had thought of that with their own babies. “Brilliant! Carried my babies around on my hip in the ’70s. I wish I had thought of this!” It also gave J’Ann a potentially lucrative idea.
The new business idea would be called J’Pants. There were even ideas on being able to convert maternity pants for extended use.
Everyone loved the idea and J’Ann already had a huge supporter – Claudia. The grateful mom went as far as starting a Go Fund Me page so the business idea could get a boost.
Pledges have slowly trickled in. However, regardless of the financial outcome, the family has something more valuable.
Claudia has another trusted babysitter, the family is closer than ever, and they have an amusing story to tell for years to come.
