I should post pics, but I'd rather just get things out of my head before I forget. Which, by the way, generally happens within five minutes of a moment.

Anyway, we spent seven days in Florida together. You, me and Daddy. Our first real vacation since our 2005 Florida trip, although we did weekends in Chicago twice in between.

Being that you were only 13 months old during the first excursion, you remember nothing of the plane ride and the visiting. Might be a good thing since you screamed bloody murder for the first half hour of the flight (darn air pressure) and waited until we were airborn to poop (both on the way down and the way back), which resulted in some very unpleasant experiences for both you and Daddy in the airplane restroom. (Note to Mommy: Whenever you feel the need to complain about Daddy, just remember the sacrifices he's made on that front.)

Back to this trip...

You loved the plane, of course. What you weren't so keen on during the travel experience was all of the waiting that's involved. But, even so, you were a trooper.

You did well waiting with Mommy while Daddy parked the car. You had a plane and some cars and were moving them along the windowsill. The security guard on the sidewalk outside waved at you a few times and you smiled.

You did mostly OK with the waiting for the boarding passes and luggage tags. And you also seemed happy enough grabbing a snack with us before we arrived at the gate. Since they moved us to an earlier flight, we didn't have to wait long at the gate and you were happy to watch outside to see if any planes were coming.

We were on a smaller plane to Minneapolis, with only two seats on each side. You sat next to Daddy and I was on the other side of the aisle. You charmingly kept inquiring, "When we gonna move, Dad?" But the best was when you began asking, "Why we not blasting off?" It was definitely not the fastest of departures. We weren't late, but the plane taxied slowly and we stopped a few times.

You were pleased with take-off (or blast-off, as you call it), and you snuggled next to Daddy and fell asleep for the short flight.

Then we got to Minneapolis and had to travel from Gate C to Gate G...on the shuttle. You were quite excited about that! You were happy to travel in the airport and did well through a late lunch at a restaurant.

I was a bit nervous because we couldn't get three seats together on the Orlando leg and I had to keep you occupied on the plane for nearly three hours. Impatience crept in with another tedious wait on the tarmac. And many more entreaties of, "Why we not blasting off?" But you loved the take-off on this leg and "oooohed" and "wheeeed" several times as the plane banked.

I'm so glad I listened to the advice I got from people to buy some small toys because I pulled some things out along the way and you were happily occupied. We talked and played together a lot during the trip. It was so nice.

But your patience had run out by the time we got to the rental car area. Daddy had to wait in a long line and it took a while. You amused yourself with the suitcase, pulling it around in circles while I supervised and tried to keep you within reach. But you took off a few times and I had to scamper after you. We were all so tired by then. Flying days are so intense. And you really did so well. By the time we got the carseat in and figured out how to drive that lug of a Grand Marquis, you were about asleep. You finally closed your eyes around 9:30, about 20 minutes shy of the hotel. And you slid easily into the bed, with your butt up in the air and your knees curled under you. So sweet.

Ah, there's an entire vacation to recount, but that first day you were so excited. I wanted to get it posted while it was fresh. I'll try to get some photos up here from the trip soon.

Posted on April 23, 2007 08:59 PM