Hairplanes & Busses: FUN!

We’d started to prepare K for a trip to NJ (via hairplane) with a little airplane and a book about flying. She woke up every morning asking if THAT was the morning she’d get to go on the “hairplane” -> “Mommy, today I go on hairplane and see Grandma???”. FINALLY the day arrived that I could say yes and she was beside herself with excitement. First we took a BLUE bus to the hairport. Quite exciting. Driving in a bus and not being in a car seat was a monumental thing. She had her very own backpack with Tinkerbell on it and carried her Southwest hairplane all through the hairport, showing it to everyone. We stopped for some breakfast once we got close to our gate. First, she wanted a banana. After that was gone she decided she wanted cake. (AKA Cinnabon) I appreciate her taste. So we went to get “cake”. She insisted on singing Happy Birthday to KK before she could eat it. Okey dokey. Sung. As she was eating she saw an airplane taxing on the runway… Never have you seen a two year old so excited. No joke: People in the airport STOPPED to watch her absolute excitement over seeing a real hairplane – that wasn’t in the sky!!! We learned a short time later that while hairplanes are fun… They are most fun ON THE GROUND. Being in the sky… not so much for our girl. She insisted we keep the window shade shut for much of the flight. The only time she’d open it was to wave and yell hello to her teachers and friends, who had told her they’d wave to hear as she was flying over. (Semantics that we were over VA when she waved for the first time… She has mommy’s sense of direction.)

The Southwest crew was amazing. She was taken to the cockpit after the flight and got to sit in the Captains seat, with his hat on and was able to touch some controls. She totally dug it… and the co-pilot. I think he’s her new hero. Co-pilots are the heroes of the trip. On our flight home she kept yelling for the co-pilot (she apparently needed to make sure he was there) and then insisted on saying goodbye to the co-pilot as we got off the plane. On our flight home she was pretty upset when I had to take my iPod away from her so the plane could land. We explained that the co-pilot said we had to turn it off. She was pretty ticked at the co-pilot but went with it. After we’d landed Stephen turned on his phone and started to look at it. KK proceeded to lecture him about how the co-pilot said it had to be turned off. A rule girl. I like it. My kinda chick. =)

Christmas with the family was fun. I had so much fun taking pictures with my niece and nephews. They were all good sports and helped get some pictures taken on Christmas Eve so I could print them all out on Christmas Day and give them out to everyone. KK had fun playing with her cousins. Godfather time and Uncle Billy time was also a huge hit. She got to visit a little with Grandma and Aunt Helen and throw snowballs at Daddy. I think the only non-hits of the weekend were the doggy, lizard and troll. She’s still talking about them and wants to make sure they’re not around. Particularly in the bathroom.

We had a pajama party when we got home on Saturday night, complete with movie & pizza. We set out chocolate chip cake & milk for Santa and some food for the reindeer in the hopes that Santa would make one more trip from the North Pole to bring some presents to KK. He did… and he ate all of the chocolate cake – of which KK was STUNNED (and still talks about) how he “ate it alllll gone!!!! And he made a mess mommy!!! Why he not use a napkin?” I agree KK. I agree.

Opening presents on Sunday morning was great. I think the best gift of the lot was the Frosty the Snowman book that SA and I had read (sung) to her. Not sure that was my BEST idea (should have picked a book we could READ rather than SING). As she listened to the book she looked up at us and said “this is the best book!!!!” My heart turned into a puddle. Right there on the spot. We’ve “read” the book, at bedtime, every night since.

Our little girl is growing up. We’ve been making great strides towards being potty trained. We aren’t pushing it but she’s only had a couple of accidents a day for the last week or so. One during the day (at about the same time every day) and usually one at night. (She gets focused on playing and next thing you know she’s walking bo-legged saying “eeewwww mommy I peeped!!!!”)

This morning when I woke up I didn’t realize that this evening I’d be putting Katherine to bed in a big girl bed. I was downstairs this morning when I heard, what I thought, was the pitter pat of little feet. My response to that was… No, couldn’t be. She’s still in her bed in her room. I head upstairs to check out the scene and KK is reading a book sitting in her bed. That’s my girl.

At nap time, which was not received well, I learned that my little angel is not only able to climb out of her crib in 2.3 seconds flat, but she can also climb back in. Seriously, when did this happen? She demonstrated this “skill” about a dozen times before I gave up trying to keep her in her bed. As long as she stayed in her room, courtesy of the gate, fine. This is where I’m grateful we opted for the video monitor. I was able to watch her climb in and out of the crib to find toys she wanted. She’d hurl (yes, hurl) them over the top of the bed then spring and thump herself over the top. The sound was EXACTLY what I’d heard earlier this morning.

After “nap-time” concluded Daddy converted the crib to the toddler bed. Thankfully we already had all of the pieces and were prepared for this event… at least in the technical aspect. I was NOT prepared for the ohmygodmylittlegirlisgrowingup issue experienced.

The last few weeks we’ve seen more and more of our little person emerge. She, as I’d guess many 2.5 year olds are, is very literal. It’s pretty amusing and you find yourself saying… Okay, I totally see how you got there. For example: Tonight I told her we needed to set the table. I went to the other room to do something and came back to the kitchen to see the kitchen table “set” with her Disney Princess tea set plates and some spoons from her kitchen set. She said proudly “Mommy, I set the table!!!” So awesome!!!

Last weekend she was “cooking” in her kitchen and she brought me a potato. I ate said potato and said, “Yum, needs some pepper!” She went over to the kitchen and brought back a green pepper.

Tonight’s parting message as I was taking her to bed… “I be back Daddy! I can climb out of bed.”

Photos!

Christmas 2011

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KK’s First Flight

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