The WAY Overdue Vacation Post!!!

Dear Lizzie Sue,

As you can tell from the lack of posts over the last few weeks, July has been very busy for Mommy, Daddy and you too! Just so Daddy can keep it all straight, we drove 5 hours to Cape Cod for July 4th, we then flew from Manchester, NH to Pittsburgh, PA and spent a week with Grammie Sue & Gramps, then we flew home, Mommy did laundry for 3 days, then you drove to YaYa & Pop's house in NH and have been there for the last week. All of the traveling has been great, yet Daddy is looking forward to August and just being home for a while.

The Cape

We packed Mommy's car full between us, our bags, and all the other Lizzie Sue things that we had to bring for the trip. Daddy does miss when Mommy and Daddy used to be able to pack for an entire week away in one large suitcase together! We all got an early start Thursday before July 4th in an attempt to miss weekend/holiday Cape traffic. We were successful in that part of our plan and made it to the Cape relatively unscathed, aside from stopping somewhere after Boston because you just needed to get out of the car seat for a bit and stretch. Otherwise we made good time and didn't really hit any traffic. We stayed with Mommy & Daddy's friends, Guy & Ashley who have three kids - Olivia at 7, Hayden at 5, and Sophia at 2. Needless to say adding Mommy, Daddy, and you to the mix made for a full house and a lot of hungry mouths to feed come dinner time.

Olivia, Hayden, and Sophia were so excited to see you, play with you, hold you, bring you your toys, and Sophia even helped by putting your hat on you once (more over your face then on you head but still she was helping). You watched the kids constantly with a look on your face that a zoologist would have when watching animals in their natural habitat. You were intrigued by these, not big enough to be adults, but not small like me, sized humans. Daddy does have to say that Olivia has become such a wonderful and helpful young lady...she was great when we needed an extra hand.

While down on the Cape, you slept a lot. In hindsight Daddy is thinking there might have been a growth spurt in there somewhere cause you really slept that much! The morning of July 4th, we went to one of Ashley's families house that was right on a parade route and watched the parade. You sat in Mommy's lap and really enjoyed all the loud cars, music, people in costumes and all the bright colors. After the parade you racked out and were dead to the world. So asleep that Mommy had laid you down on a blanket in the back yard, only about 10 feet from the road, and an ambulance/fire trucks went by with sirens screaming and you never even flinched. We think that's cause you were riding in the back of the ambulance with Mommy for the first 32 weeks of your kangaroo pouch adventures in Mommy. Later that day we went to one of the pond beaches and you slept through most of that adventure too. We did get you to stand in the water for a little bit, but mostly you just wanted to sleep. Of course all of that was after you tried to eat sand. Of course you put everything in your mouth lately so why should this surprise anyone, it doesn't, its more the amount of time it took. We honestly put out a beach towel, laid you down on your back, and almost instantly you reached off the towel, grabbed a handful of sand, and brought it right to your mouth. Did you know that you were supposed to do that? Did someone tell you it's not a first trip to the beach adventure if you don't eat sand? Did it taste good at least?

The next day we all went to the real beach and it was windy, cold, the water was freezing, and you slept through most of it again. This time around we got a 15 second video of you putting your feet in the water. Yes only 15 seconds because that's how long it took for you to realize just how cold the ocean was and start screaming like a sailor with a man overboard. Daddy thought the water was fine, maybe that's the Vermonter in him or maybe Daddy was just happy not to be swimming in the Jersey oceans and having to avoid three eyed fish, bodies (not the crowded beach kind but the cement shoes kind) and other things that aren't supposed to be in the wada! Yes Daddy said wada, Daddy's from Jersey, that's how we say it...get over it already...and yes, Daddy will not be allowed to teach you how to say water...Mommy already made that rule!

Although we didn't want to leave and were having an awesome time on the Cape, and more importantly with Guy and Ashley, we eventually had to leave to get to the Manchester Airport. Luckily we decided to leave the Cape Monday afternoon, instead of Sunday or else we would have found ourselves in the 15 mile long bumper to bumper back up of cars trying to get off the Cape. Lizzie you are pretty good about car rides as long as the car is moving, Daddy doesn't even went to begin to imagine what that would have been like with you in the back seat.

Flying

Daddy will admit he was pretty nervous about flying with you. With traveling for work, Daddy has found himself on a plane with "that" baby and he really didn't want you to be someone else's "that" baby. Even with a 730am flight out of Manchester, it still was a pretty full flight. Luckily the timing work out that Daddy was able to get you asleep at the gate before we bored the plane. You slept through the whole boarding process and about halfway through take off you opened your eyes, looked right up at Mommy, and went right back to sleep. About halfway through our first flight, you woke up and were great for the rest of the flight. When you did wake up, you had the cutest look on your face that said, "This isn't where I feel asleep, where the heck am I?" Once you fully woke up, all you wanted to do was play, not with the nice toys we had in your diaper bag. Instead you wanted the really expensive and always hard to come by air plane napkin and plastic cup. Eventually you got bored with those and then wanted nothing else but to attack the Sky Mall magazine. Needless to say we didn't put that Sky Mall back for the next passengers as Daddy is sure they didn't want your ripped up, chewed on, drooled on and all around destroyed version of the sky mall.

Daddy was able to get you asleep once we boarded the second plane before we took off and you slept through that entire second flight. Granted it was a short flight from Baltimore to Pittsburgh, but still, you slept through both take off and landing so Daddy was happy you weren't "that" baby. You woke up as we were making our way to baggage claim and more importantly in time to meet Grammie Sue at baggage claim.

Pittsburgh (A City of Champions...It doesn't matter, on ice or grass we'll kick your...)

Grammie Sue and Gramps met us at the airport, which was needed just to get all of our luggage from baggage claim out to the car and loaded up. Daddy says all of our luggage but he would just like to point out for the record Daddy had one small suitcase. The rest of Mommy's gigantic suitcase and then everything else was all yours Lizzie. Thankfully Grammie Sue went out and had a few toys you liked waiting for you and even a high chair and bumbo chair so we didn't have to figure out how to fly with all that stuff too. One of the first things that happened in Pittsburgh was you going to the casino. No not to gamble, they didn't even have to card you to know you were too young to play, no Gramps wanted to take you there and show you off to all his friends. Seeing the bad poker hand (think other 4 letter word) eating grin when he was showing you off was well worth the trip to Pittsburgh.

One evening Mommy and Daddy decided to have some us time and left you with Grammie Sue and Gramps for the evening/bed time. We went to Kenneywood, which is a small amusement part just outside the city, and had a great time. Eventually we decided to come home hoping to find you sound asleep all angelic with Grammie Sue and Gramps with big smiles on their faces. Instead we came home to find you went to bed no problem, then woke up about 45 minutes into bed time, wanted to eat, and wanted nothing to do with the bottle. Then you realized Mommy wasn't around and proceeded to scream for the next hour until we got home. By the time Mommy and Daddy got there, 1) you were beyond screaming and to the complete meltdown, no more voice left in you to scream, down to the can't get enough air into your lungs, huh huh huh huh huh sobs 2) Grammie Sue and Gramps smiled, handed you to us, and promptly went downstairs to go to bed 3) Mommy and Daddy felt like the worst parents EVER! Obviously we all got over it eventually, yet I think Gramps is still having post traumatic stress disorder from the whole experience...don't worry he gives Daddy enough stress to make up for it.

Also while out in Pittsburgh Uncle Matty came out for the weekend to visit. Aunt Sarah couldn't make it and was deeply missed, yet you still had a fun time with Uncle Matty. Even to the point of him showing up late Friday night and you practically dove out of Daddy's arms to be held by Uncle Matty...ok fine truth be told Daddy pretty much threw you into Uncle Matty's arms before he could even put down his bags...but still it happened and is blog worthy no matter which version you believe. Not only was Uncle Matty driving all the way out from Philly awesome, him and Aunt Sarah sent along a few presents for you, which you quickly tore through the wrapping paper and found some great books. Not just any old books, but Uncle Matty and Aunt Sarah's favorite childhood books...maybe one of those will become you favorite book down the road, right now all you want to do is chew on books so Uncle Matty and Aunt Sarah's books are tucked away until you get a little older.

Since Uncle Matty had never been to Pittsburgh, we did all the great tourist things. We went to Station square and shopped. We took the incline up and took pictures of the city from the top of the incline. We watched the dancing water fountain behind the hard rock cafe. And Daddy's favorite part was the Primanti Brother's sandwich we had for lunch. For those not familiar with the almost famous sandwich...you have to click here and just look at the sandwich on the top left of the page...a little taste of heaven all crammed onto one sandwich! http://www.primantibrothers.com/

The last day of our Pittsburgh visit we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo. All of us adults had a great time and Lizzie you would have been just as happy in your stroller being pushed around the mall, yet it was still a fun trip. You did really like the water falls and ponds making water noises when we got near the aquarium. Daddy thinks part of that is Grammie Sue having the white noise machine and you falling in love with the heavy rain sound during your visit. Since then we have gone out and purchased the same sound machine and now totally understand why everyone calls them baby "crack" machines! Anyway the zoo was awesome and we even went through the children section, thinking about how much fun you'll have running around through there next summer when you are a little bit older. Uncle Matty left from the zoo to head home and although you really didn't notice him leaving, us adults all missed him and were very happy he came out to visit for the weekend!

Flying Home

This time around we didn't have a 7am flight out of Pittsburgh so we took our time that morning with a nice breakfast and doing some last minute packing before heading off to the airport. If it ain't broke, don't fix it prevailed and Daddy once again got you asleep at the gate before our flight and you slept through take off and most of the flight. Again you woke up, slightly confused, and just played the rest of the way. Grammie Sue kept telling Daddy every time you drop a toy it's just you learning about gravity and depth perception, yet on the very tight plane setting...Daddy wasn't really too excited about you finding that as a great place to practice that whole depth perception thing. We had a short lay over in Philly which wasn't bad until we realized our gate we were leaving from was in the one wing of the airport that was running the heat in the middle of July. And then to top it off our flight leaving was running behind schedule so now we are all crammed around the gate waiting to board the plane, just making it even hotter in that area. The lay over was long enough that you napped before we got on the plane but woke up before we boarded thanks to the delay. Luckily you were really good through the last flight, awake the whole time, and just content to play and rip up another sky mall (seriously who actually buys stuff out of those anyway).

Mommy and Daddy really think you flew so well because you like riding in the car, except this was even better because we got to hold you instead of strapping you in a car seat. We landed in NH no problem, got our bags, loaded back up the car, again thinking how are we ever going to fit it all in there, let alone where there really things we didn't bring on this trip or is our house completely empty and packed into the back of Mommy's car? Thankfully you passed out almost instantly in your big girl car seat, yep you heard me, while in Pittsburgh we went to toys r'us and got you a big girl car seat, which you love! Mommy and Daddy love it too, because of how much easier it is to put you into it and take you out of it, compared to that torture device of an infant car seat.

Two hours later we got home, unloaded the car, and since you were wide awake now at 9pm we stayed up for a bit unpacking and getting you tired before we tried to go to bed. Amazingly you then road in the car for 4 hours the next day when Mommy went to YaYa and Pop's house in NH to pick up the cats. Mommy came home and got right to doing laundry and packing again because three days later you both went to YaYa and Pop's house for a week to meet your 2 month old cousin Brooklyn Juliette King. Daddy had to stay home and work so he really can't talk about all the adventures you had out there...Daddy will leave that post to Mommy.

In the mean time Daddy's going to get working on your 7 month birthday post, yes he knows, it's almost a week late at this point, things have been busy this month and time just keeps flying by. There are tons of things to talk about in this birthday post so check back soon to hear all about the teething adventures...yes we are back in that, which Daddy is beginning to think it might be one of the rings of hell that Dante left out.

Also Daddy knows there are no pictures with this post...crazy right? There were just too many good ones from this vacation to only pick a few to put in here (read as just not enough time in the day) so Daddy is going to put them all up on facebook later tonight or tomorrow and will just post the link to the album in here for everyone later.

We Love You,

Mommy & Daddy