Up, Up, and Away!

Can't wait to take off!

Jennie went on her first plane ride on September 24th and thankfully Jennie and all her co-passengers lived to tell the tale!

My mom (Nana), sister (Auntie Kiki), and I (Mommy, haha) took Jennie down to Florida to visit my brother and his girlfriend (Uncle Michael and Shelly). They live in Gainesville, so we flew direct from Boston to Jacksonville and then drove to them.

Pointing out Airplanes

Jennie was a great traveller! I am not sure what I was expecting, but I always seem to underestimate her ability to adapt and be well behaved. She is an amazing little girl. We did a lot of "prepping" for the big trip by reading books about flying on airplanes what happens at the airport, so Jennie was ready to go - in fact, she was narrating the whole experience. We got up to the ticket counter to check bags, and Jennie said, "Giving bags to nice lady!" We went over to security, and she was saying, "Bags on belt, like grocery store." It was quite funny to see that she was disappointed when she wasn't required to take off her shoes. Ready for everything!

Since Jennie is an avid airplane watcher (she never misses one, no matter how small, up in the sky), she LOVED seeing them in  person out the windows of the airport both on the way down, and on the way home. By the time we were ready to board the plane Jennie couldn't wait to see the inside and do all the fun activities that were promised to her; things like eating snacks, reading books, coloring, and playing with toys. Who knew these things would be so exciting when put in context of a plane ride?

Reading her Doggie a story

During the flight down, we were quite fortunate to have the two rows ahead of us empty. Jennie did great sitting in her seat (had her own with a travel car seat), but also liked roaming about a little. Interestingly, she really liked the experience of getting her diaper changed in the minuscule airplane bathroom. She probably thought it was funny to see her Mommy (with a 6 mon preggo belly) try to finagle the whole situation. She kept asking for another diaper, even though she clearly didn't need one.

There were no problems with her ears on the way down the FL. Jennie was certainly in her own little heaven when she got to use her binkie on the airplane. Usually, it is strictly reserved for in her crib, but I really wanted to help her with her ears. Now that the trip is over, we are currently preparing to shed the binkie - but that is a whole new blog post that will (hopefully) be coming soon!

passed out cold after a long morning of travels!

Once we arrived in FL, we got into the rental car and drove to Gainesville. Jennie was a trooper - it was a lot of sitting in one day for a little girl! Thankfully, the drive was quicker than we expected, and then our visit could really start. We gave her a little time to see the house and check out the place, but then it was definitely nap time. She passed right out and slept for over 3 hours - by then I needed to wake her up so that there was any chance she would go to bed that night! Jennie typically naps for about 1.5-2 hours, so over 3 is unheard of. Travelling makes everyone tired though, right?

Jennie LOVED that Uncle Michael and Shelly had a cat and a dog. She instantly bonded with the furry friends and even gave them kisses and hugs each night before bed. She also really enjoyed their neighborhood pool. She went swimming every day - jumped off the sides of the pool with Auntie Kiki and Shelly, fished out the "buggies" with Nana, and practiced kicking with Uncle Michael. The weather was certainly good for swimming - sunny, hot, and very humid every day. We also ventured out to see some local botanical gardens and to a butterfly "rain forest" at the University of Florida. Jennie loved this - butterflies landed on us, and there were fish and turtles to see in the water. The four days went by so fast. It was hard to leave after having so much fun!

Playing on the people-mover with Nana
while we waited out our delay

The flight home was a little more difficult - we got delayed for over an hour in the airport which had us boarding at Jennie's typical bedtime. However, Jennie did not fall asleep on the plane. She was way too excited and interested in the whole experience. Oh, and she really wanted her diaper changed again in the miniature bathroom, hehe. Her ears hurt a little when we were landing this time. I think it was partially due to how overtired she was. She had hardly napped that day, and it was 10 pm. My heart just broke when she looked at me, her eyes welled up, and she said, "Mommy, ears!" and pressed her blankie to the side of her head. She only cried for about 5 minutes, and then just snuggled with me for the last few minutes of the flight. What a trooper!

We went to go get our bags, and Daddy was there waiting for us! Jennie was so excited - babbling about her trip, and she even remembered to wish Daddy a "Happy Birthday!" like we talked about on the plane. Once in the car, Jennie lasted about 30 seconds before passing out cold. 

I was so impressed with how Jennie behaved and handled the travelling. She was curious, interested, adorable, and quite simply a little angel. It'd be nice to think that Justin and I have something to do with it - but I honestly think she is just an easy going kid who loves new experiences. Hopefully our future children will be a lot like her!