Before I go into the day-by-day highlights of Elizabeth's trip, I wanted to write some observations of the trip as a whole.
As a precaution, in case we couldn't get to the bathroom fast enough on our trip and potty training went out the window, I took 100 diapers. I ended up bringing over 70 back. In 13 days, she used fewer than 30 diapers. She did great with pottying, even with the self-flushing toilets. Not scary in the slightest. :o)
She was such a great eater throughout the trip. She loves pasta, so we were lucky that Italy was our destination! Also, her favorite foods are tomatoes, watermelon, apples and pears. We were able to get watermelon most days at our hotel breakfast buffets, so we'd take extra in the glad containers we had bought in advance of our trip for that very reason. We had bought her a whole container of cherry tomatoes at a grocery store we found in Florence, so she had plenty of tomatoes. Although, with all the watermelon and tomatoes, most of her shirts ended up stained red. We also would take an apple or pear each day from the breakfast buffet, so she always had a fresh piece of fruit to snack on throughout the day.
She literally cried only two times during the entire 13 days. The first time was on our first day in Italy, when she had fallen asleep after an exhausting hour in Pisa. She woke up scared in a strange car, in a strange car seat, and cried for a few minutes until I got her calmed down and she realized she was with Mama and Dada. The second time was just for a few seconds when her Granddad tried to take her from me when he first saw her. In his defense, no one warned him that Liz takes a few hours to warm up to new people. I got her calmed down pretty quickly after that though. Other than those 5 combined minutes, she was happy, smiling and joyful as always.
Every day several strangers would tell me what a beautiful girl she was (or "bella bambina", to be precise.) In general, the Italians were so kind to her. At our villa, the bar staff kept giving her little snacks. Waiters would bring her extra bread, or special treats from the gelato cart.
At meals she pretty much sat next to me, even if there was a high chair present. She prefers to sit in a chair or on the bench next to me. This was completely fine, as it lets me help her eat and keep her entertained.
She is such a good flier. No pain at all from the pressure changes that we could tell, although we did tend to nurse during take-off and landing, which had to have helped. Speaking of nursing, I nursed publicly throughout Italy and never had a problem or even an awkward or disapproving glance. Actually, when we got to JFK, during our wait in the security line, she needed to nurse so I just got the apparatus right out of the top of my dress and let her nurse while I carried her, and no one said a word or even looked in our direction.
For the most part, she preferred to walk on her own or be carried, but she would actually tell us when she wanted to ride in her stroller. So, when you see pictures of her in her stroller, it's because she either asked to go for a ride, or she was asleep and I had put her in there to rest.
August 24, 2012
The big day has finally arrived! We woke up and tried to quietly finish packing to let her sleep as much as possible, but as soon as we were out of bed her eyes popped open. There’s no sneaking around and fooling her.
We left around 9:00 am for our flight, and she played happily in her car seat on the ride to the airport. We unloaded the car, and she helped me guard the bags while Daddy took the Sergeant to long-term parking.
As a precaution, in case we couldn't get to the bathroom fast enough on our trip and potty training went out the window, I took 100 diapers. I ended up bringing over 70 back. In 13 days, she used fewer than 30 diapers. She did great with pottying, even with the self-flushing toilets. Not scary in the slightest. :o)
She was such a great eater throughout the trip. She loves pasta, so we were lucky that Italy was our destination! Also, her favorite foods are tomatoes, watermelon, apples and pears. We were able to get watermelon most days at our hotel breakfast buffets, so we'd take extra in the glad containers we had bought in advance of our trip for that very reason. We had bought her a whole container of cherry tomatoes at a grocery store we found in Florence, so she had plenty of tomatoes. Although, with all the watermelon and tomatoes, most of her shirts ended up stained red. We also would take an apple or pear each day from the breakfast buffet, so she always had a fresh piece of fruit to snack on throughout the day.
She literally cried only two times during the entire 13 days. The first time was on our first day in Italy, when she had fallen asleep after an exhausting hour in Pisa. She woke up scared in a strange car, in a strange car seat, and cried for a few minutes until I got her calmed down and she realized she was with Mama and Dada. The second time was just for a few seconds when her Granddad tried to take her from me when he first saw her. In his defense, no one warned him that Liz takes a few hours to warm up to new people. I got her calmed down pretty quickly after that though. Other than those 5 combined minutes, she was happy, smiling and joyful as always.
Every day several strangers would tell me what a beautiful girl she was (or "bella bambina", to be precise.) In general, the Italians were so kind to her. At our villa, the bar staff kept giving her little snacks. Waiters would bring her extra bread, or special treats from the gelato cart.
At meals she pretty much sat next to me, even if there was a high chair present. She prefers to sit in a chair or on the bench next to me. This was completely fine, as it lets me help her eat and keep her entertained.
She is such a good flier. No pain at all from the pressure changes that we could tell, although we did tend to nurse during take-off and landing, which had to have helped. Speaking of nursing, I nursed publicly throughout Italy and never had a problem or even an awkward or disapproving glance. Actually, when we got to JFK, during our wait in the security line, she needed to nurse so I just got the apparatus right out of the top of my dress and let her nurse while I carried her, and no one said a word or even looked in our direction.
For the most part, she preferred to walk on her own or be carried, but she would actually tell us when she wanted to ride in her stroller. So, when you see pictures of her in her stroller, it's because she either asked to go for a ride, or she was asleep and I had put her in there to rest.
August 24, 2012
The big day has finally arrived! We woke up and tried to quietly finish packing to let her sleep as much as possible, but as soon as we were out of bed her eyes popped open. There’s no sneaking around and fooling her.
We left around 9:00 am for our flight, and she played happily in her car seat on the ride to the airport. We unloaded the car, and she helped me guard the bags while Daddy took the Sergeant to long-term parking.
She had a great time banging on the benches and listening to the noise that resulted. Once Dada returned, it was check in time. We headed through the check-in line, and she was going around and around the pole that holds up the tensa-barrier, just having a fantastic time. After a quick check-in, we breezed through security (I love how fast IND is) and then headed to the SkyClub for some breakfast and pictures with our Waving Queen who travels with us as our mascot.
After some yummy breakfast treats, we went to our gate area a few minutes before boarding, since we were going to be first to board (one of the joys of traveling with a small child – first to board!) While Daddy waited with the carry-on luggage, Liz and I walked up and down the moving walkway. Oh, what fun! Every time we’d pass by Dada, he had to look up at us so we could wave at him. While we were playing, we had one of the IND workers come up to us and tell me what a beautiful little girl Elizabeth was. We had at least 5 people a day tell us this on our trip.
Once we got on board the plane, it was apparent it was not a full flight. We had gotten Lizzy her own seat throughout the entire journey, which was WONDERFUL. Dada sat over on one side of the aisle with a row of seats to himself, and Liz and I had another row to ourselves. She started nursing as soon as the door was closed, and fell asleep during taxiing and takeoff. She stayed asleep the entire flight, and woke up right after landing. Since she nursed during takeoff and landing, no ear pressure change pain!
Upon arrival at JFK, we made a beeline for SkyClub. We had a 6 hour and 51 minute layover, so we wanted to find a good location to settle in for the long haul. We found a nice 4-seat corner at SkyClub, where we grabbed some yummy snacks and some beers for Mommy and Daddy, and proceeded to break out some toys and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She was such a good girl, sitting and playing quietly and not making the slightest fuss.
However, after about 3.5 hours in that location, we were all getting a bit bored, so we opted for a change of scenery. We went to a different SkyClub location (there are a few at JFK) that had showers, so Liz and I could take a shower to kill some time. We played in the water for a long while. They typically have a 20 minute shower limit, but the sympathetic Delta employee told me to take as long as I needed and let her play as much as she wanted. After she played in the shower (she kept saying “more” when I’d turn the water off), we headed off to get some dinner and get on our flight.
At boarding time, it became apparent the plane was oversold. We were pretty close to giving up our 3 Economy seats for 2 Business Class seats, but we decided against it at the last minute, because we actually ended up with more space for us with the 3 Economy seats because the Business Class seats had a divider in between them, meaning I couldn’t have lay Liz sideways across the seats (which was a huge benefits of having the row of 3 to ourselves.) I’m so glad we kept the seats we had originally booked!
She nursed through takeoff, and actually stayed awake for the first hour or so, until dinner was served. After a good meal (well, as good as airline food can be), she fell right asleep, and stayed asleep until the next morning.
At boarding time, it became apparent the plane was oversold. We were pretty close to giving up our 3 Economy seats for 2 Business Class seats, but we decided against it at the last minute, because we actually ended up with more space for us with the 3 Economy seats because the Business Class seats had a divider in between them, meaning I couldn’t have lay Liz sideways across the seats (which was a huge benefits of having the row of 3 to ourselves.) I’m so glad we kept the seats we had originally booked!
She nursed through takeoff, and actually stayed awake for the first hour or so, until dinner was served. After a good meal (well, as good as airline food can be), she fell right asleep, and stayed asleep until the next morning.
August 25, 2012
Lizzy slept through landing (she nursed in her sleep, so no ear problems!), taxiing, unloading, customs, immigration, and bag claim. She finally woke up when we were waiting in line for the rental car. While Daddy went to get the rental car, she and I nursed, changed into fresh clothes, had a nice wipe bath, a new diaper and she was as good as new!
After just a few minutes, Daddy pulled up with our rental car, with the A/C running so it was nice and cool (Pisa airport was awfully hot!) and we headed into Pisa. We parked the car at a lot just a 5 minute walk from the leaning tower, and stopped at a trattoria on the way. I had a caprese sandwich and we ordered her a hot dog. She had a few bites of hot dog, then wanted my tomatoes (“mmmmm”), which of course I gave her.
Lizzy slept through landing (she nursed in her sleep, so no ear problems!), taxiing, unloading, customs, immigration, and bag claim. She finally woke up when we were waiting in line for the rental car. While Daddy went to get the rental car, she and I nursed, changed into fresh clothes, had a nice wipe bath, a new diaper and she was as good as new!
After just a few minutes, Daddy pulled up with our rental car, with the A/C running so it was nice and cool (Pisa airport was awfully hot!) and we headed into Pisa. We parked the car at a lot just a 5 minute walk from the leaning tower, and stopped at a trattoria on the way. I had a caprese sandwich and we ordered her a hot dog. She had a few bites of hot dog, then wanted my tomatoes (“mmmmm”), which of course I gave her.
Once we were done with lunch, we walked on to the Leaning Tower. This was the only day of our trip where it was too hot to be fun, so we only stayed about 30 minutes, getting some photos and then we were back on our way.
Lizzy fell asleep in the car before we were even out of Pisa. We were originally going to go to the walled city of Lucca on our way to Florence, but since she was asleep (and it was hot), we decided to just go to our hotel and get cleaned up, settled, and get some rest. About halfway through our journey from Pisa to Florence Lizzy woke up in a panic and immediately started crying. She was scared, in a different car and seat, and didn’t see Mommy and Daddy up front right away. I immediately turned around and got her calmed down after a very short while. Poor little pumpkin. Needless to say, I rode back there with her the remainder of the trip any time we had a lengthy journey.
We got to our wonderful hotel in Florence and walked into a beautiful lobby and got immediately checked in to our Suite. We were at the end of a long hallway, and Lizzy quickly learned which room was ours (she would point to the door at the end of the hallway when we’d ask her where our room was.) Once we got in, we immediately spotted our room had a huge glass closet. Since one of her new favorite games is hide-and-seek in our pantry at home, we figured she’d love hide-and-see in the glass closet. We were right! I’m sure the cleaning staff wondered why there were so many tiny handprints on the inside of the closet door.
We got to our wonderful hotel in Florence and walked into a beautiful lobby and got immediately checked in to our Suite. We were at the end of a long hallway, and Lizzy quickly learned which room was ours (she would point to the door at the end of the hallway when we’d ask her where our room was.) Once we got in, we immediately spotted our room had a huge glass closet. Since one of her new favorite games is hide-and-seek in our pantry at home, we figured she’d love hide-and-see in the glass closet. We were right! I’m sure the cleaning staff wondered why there were so many tiny handprints on the inside of the closet door.
Then we went into the bathroom, and discovered the first of our bidets. Liz loves turning water fountains on and off, so to have water right there at Lizzy-level was the best thing ever. Every time one of us would be in the bathroom, she’d be right behind us turning the bidet on and off, on and off, on and off.
Once we got settled (which involved about 30 minutes of hide-and-seek, bidet play time, and general climbing on the furniture), we all settled in our nice comfy bed, cranked the A/C, and had what ended up being a beautiful 3 hour nap. Once we woke up, it was dinner time, so we headed down to the reception desk to ask for a suggestion for a local eatery. He gave us a little restaurant to walk to, so we loaded up and headed on a lovely evening stroll.
We arrived at our restaurant after a few minutes, and this was the real deal. No touristy place with the menu translated into English. They brought our menus, and after ordering our wine and sparkling water followed quickly. We let Lizzy try some San Pelligrino. The look on her face was priceless. She LOVED the sparkling water, and immediately held out her sippy cup, gesturing for us to put the good stuff in her cup for her. She ate lots of bites of the proscuitto and melon appetizer, and several bites of my yummy pasta before her little tummy was full.
Once we got settled (which involved about 30 minutes of hide-and-seek, bidet play time, and general climbing on the furniture), we all settled in our nice comfy bed, cranked the A/C, and had what ended up being a beautiful 3 hour nap. Once we woke up, it was dinner time, so we headed down to the reception desk to ask for a suggestion for a local eatery. He gave us a little restaurant to walk to, so we loaded up and headed on a lovely evening stroll.
We arrived at our restaurant after a few minutes, and this was the real deal. No touristy place with the menu translated into English. They brought our menus, and after ordering our wine and sparkling water followed quickly. We let Lizzy try some San Pelligrino. The look on her face was priceless. She LOVED the sparkling water, and immediately held out her sippy cup, gesturing for us to put the good stuff in her cup for her. She ate lots of bites of the proscuitto and melon appetizer, and several bites of my yummy pasta before her little tummy was full.
She also wanted to play with the camera, and she snapped this picture of her Dada.
Look at these two during our walk back to the hotel. Can you just see the love?
August 26, 2012
We woke up early and were surprised to see it was raining. We went ahead and decided to try our luck, since the weather showed it should be clearing soon. After yummy hotel breakfast (where we grabbed some fruit and cereal for Liz to snack on throughout the day), we headed into Florence. We were surprised that, after a solid night’s sleep, Lizzy had fallen asleep within 10 minutes of leaving the hotel. We drove around for awhile, finally finding the most amazing parking garage, steps away from the Ponte Vecchio around 10:45 am. Problem was, they said they closed from 1:00 – 3:00. So, we either had to be back by 1:00 pm, or we were stuck in Florence until after 3:00. Considering this was Liz’s nap time, we made sure we’d be back by 1:00!
Just as we left the parking garage to start walking, the rain let up. We walked a few blocks to a large piazza, when it started sprinkling again. We ducked in for a gelato. Yummy in her tummy!
We woke up early and were surprised to see it was raining. We went ahead and decided to try our luck, since the weather showed it should be clearing soon. After yummy hotel breakfast (where we grabbed some fruit and cereal for Liz to snack on throughout the day), we headed into Florence. We were surprised that, after a solid night’s sleep, Lizzy had fallen asleep within 10 minutes of leaving the hotel. We drove around for awhile, finally finding the most amazing parking garage, steps away from the Ponte Vecchio around 10:45 am. Problem was, they said they closed from 1:00 – 3:00. So, we either had to be back by 1:00 pm, or we were stuck in Florence until after 3:00. Considering this was Liz’s nap time, we made sure we’d be back by 1:00!
Just as we left the parking garage to start walking, the rain let up. We walked a few blocks to a large piazza, when it started sprinkling again. We ducked in for a gelato. Yummy in her tummy!
After we’d finished our gelato, we were delighted to see the rain had gone away and the sun was coming out. Just in time for pictures in the square!
We walked over to the Duomo.
And then we headed back to the Ponte Vecchio, so we would be back to the parking garage safely before 1:00 pm.
At 12:45, we were back in the car and headed back to our hotel. Once we returned, we went across the street to an amazing grocery store. As soon as we walked in, Lizzy immediately spotted the tomatoes – “mmmmmm!”
We grabbed some pizza slices and drinks for lunch, and went back to our room for lunch and a lovely several hour family nap.
We woke up from our nap, showered and got dressed. We had read about a little town that overlooks Florence, called Fiesole. We punched it into the GPS and headed up up up the twisty roads. Once we reached Fiesole, and found a parking spot, we walked to an amazing restaurant that overlooked Florence in the valley below. What a view!
We grabbed some pizza slices and drinks for lunch, and went back to our room for lunch and a lovely several hour family nap.
We woke up from our nap, showered and got dressed. We had read about a little town that overlooks Florence, called Fiesole. We punched it into the GPS and headed up up up the twisty roads. Once we reached Fiesole, and found a parking spot, we walked to an amazing restaurant that overlooked Florence in the valley below. What a view!
After we placed our order, they brought our bread and more sparkling water (the waiter laughed that Lizzy liked the sparkling stuff!) Liz and I got up and walked around the terrace, since there was only one other couple dining and I knew we wouldn’t disturb them. As we were exploring, the Flo Rida song “Whistle” came on the radio, and Lizzy started dancing. So cute!
During our meal, Eb and Gee called on Skype, so we were able to chat with them in great quality, thanks to the good wi-fi that the restaurant had (a rarity to find fast, free wi-fi in Italy).
We headed back to the hotel that night happy with our perfect day, and snuggled in for a beautiful night’s rest.
August 27, 2012
We woke up for another day in Florence and, after getting dressed, headed right down for breakfast. After going up to the buffet with Mama and getting what she wanted, she must have forgotten to ask for something. As soon as Dada sat down, she clambered over to him, pointed at the buffet, and kept saying “That! That!” He took her back over to the buffet so she could get whatever else she wanted.
We headed back to Florence to do our souvenir shopping, and after parking the car and beginning our walk (I was holding her), she fell asleep on my shoulder, so I gently eased her into her stroller where she slept the next 2 hours.
She woke up just in time for lunch, where she helped me eat my caprese salad and drink more San Pelligrino.
We walked around for awhile longer, and then headed back to get our car. Once we were back in the hotel, we started playing a silly game where if she’d give us a kiss, we’d pretend to fall asleep, and then we could only be woken up if she gave us another kiss. It’s a sneaky way to get kisses, but it works!
After our afternoon nap, we wanted to stay close to the hotel so we took off walking in the opposite direction we’d been previously, and ended up finding a little sandwich shop and bar where the waiter spoke ZERO English, so we ended up ordering with a lot of pointing, gesturing, and laughing. We ordered some fries, and Lizzy kept saying “Mmmmm bite” and “More, that” and “That bite.” She likes her food!
We headed back to the hotel that night happy with our perfect day, and snuggled in for a beautiful night’s rest.
August 27, 2012
We woke up for another day in Florence and, after getting dressed, headed right down for breakfast. After going up to the buffet with Mama and getting what she wanted, she must have forgotten to ask for something. As soon as Dada sat down, she clambered over to him, pointed at the buffet, and kept saying “That! That!” He took her back over to the buffet so she could get whatever else she wanted.
We headed back to Florence to do our souvenir shopping, and after parking the car and beginning our walk (I was holding her), she fell asleep on my shoulder, so I gently eased her into her stroller where she slept the next 2 hours.
She woke up just in time for lunch, where she helped me eat my caprese salad and drink more San Pelligrino.
We walked around for awhile longer, and then headed back to get our car. Once we were back in the hotel, we started playing a silly game where if she’d give us a kiss, we’d pretend to fall asleep, and then we could only be woken up if she gave us another kiss. It’s a sneaky way to get kisses, but it works!
After our afternoon nap, we wanted to stay close to the hotel so we took off walking in the opposite direction we’d been previously, and ended up finding a little sandwich shop and bar where the waiter spoke ZERO English, so we ended up ordering with a lot of pointing, gesturing, and laughing. We ordered some fries, and Lizzy kept saying “Mmmmm bite” and “More, that” and “That bite.” She likes her food!
August 28, 2012
It was time to bid arriverderchi to Florence, so we got packed up in the morning while Lizzy slept. Once she woke up, we headed down to breakfast (and make sure to pack a container full of watermelon!) After breakfast, we went back to the grocery store behind the hotel to buy tomatoes, apples, and some other snacks, including rosemary and olive oil flavored Pringles which she LOVED (and ended up eating the whole can of over the course of the next week).
We packed up the car and drove the 45 minutes or so to Villa Pitiana, and she and I sat in the back and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the touchpad to pass the time. Also, to make her giggle, I kept saying “Pizzeria” in an Italian accent, which was hugely funny.
We got to the villa about 12:15 and once we were checked in to our (giant) room, she was delighted to discover another bidet! We went to have lunch in the bar area, and I had a caprese sandwich, of which she wanted “more bite” and “that bite.” After lunch, we couldn’t resist the allure of the swimming pool which, shockingly, had no shallow end. Okay, it did, but the shallow end was so deep I couldn’t touch. So, we retreated to the hot tub, which fortunately was not hot at all, so we were able to swim in there.
We did some exploring of the public rooms in the villa, and Lizzy decided to show off her modeling skills in one of the rooms that ended up being her favorite (great games of hide-and-seek took place here in the next several days!)
It was time to bid arriverderchi to Florence, so we got packed up in the morning while Lizzy slept. Once she woke up, we headed down to breakfast (and make sure to pack a container full of watermelon!) After breakfast, we went back to the grocery store behind the hotel to buy tomatoes, apples, and some other snacks, including rosemary and olive oil flavored Pringles which she LOVED (and ended up eating the whole can of over the course of the next week).
We packed up the car and drove the 45 minutes or so to Villa Pitiana, and she and I sat in the back and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the touchpad to pass the time. Also, to make her giggle, I kept saying “Pizzeria” in an Italian accent, which was hugely funny.
We got to the villa about 12:15 and once we were checked in to our (giant) room, she was delighted to discover another bidet! We went to have lunch in the bar area, and I had a caprese sandwich, of which she wanted “more bite” and “that bite.” After lunch, we couldn’t resist the allure of the swimming pool which, shockingly, had no shallow end. Okay, it did, but the shallow end was so deep I couldn’t touch. So, we retreated to the hot tub, which fortunately was not hot at all, so we were able to swim in there.
We did some exploring of the public rooms in the villa, and Lizzy decided to show off her modeling skills in one of the rooms that ended up being her favorite (great games of hide-and-seek took place here in the next several days!)
Pre-dinner snacks and pictures.
We had dinner in the villa restaurant with some other people who were there for the wedding (including the bridge and groom!), then headed off to bed. Our bed in this case was 2 twin beds pushed together to make a King. Since she sleeps between us, this meant she would have been sleeping in the gap. So, we decided to sleep the other direction across the bed, so she wouldn’t be in between the mattresses. This also allowed all of us to get the benefit of the fan, because the A/C unit in our room wasn’t very useful.
August 29, 2012
Today was the big day Lizzy was to meet her Granddad, 2 aunties (Nhi and Josephine), and get to see Ai Van and her Grandma again (although she hadn’t seen her Grandma in over a year). However, they weren’t arriving until late afternoon, so after breakfast the three of us got loaded up and drove 20 minutes to The Mall, a designer outlet mall right by our villa.
How many babies have been nursed to sleep in a Gucci store, I ask?
Lizzy loves to play a game where you ask her to “show me” anything. A tree, a window, a car, Mama, Dada, etc. I threw her for a loop when I told her to “show me the chandelier.” Once I showed her what it was, she never forgot that word for the rest of our stay.
Today was the big day Lizzy was to meet her Granddad, 2 aunties (Nhi and Josephine), and get to see Ai Van and her Grandma again (although she hadn’t seen her Grandma in over a year). However, they weren’t arriving until late afternoon, so after breakfast the three of us got loaded up and drove 20 minutes to The Mall, a designer outlet mall right by our villa.
How many babies have been nursed to sleep in a Gucci store, I ask?
Lizzy loves to play a game where you ask her to “show me” anything. A tree, a window, a car, Mama, Dada, etc. I threw her for a loop when I told her to “show me the chandelier.” Once I showed her what it was, she never forgot that word for the rest of our stay.
After our normal lunch/nap routine, we were so pleased when the Mac family arrived in the late afternoon. Of course, Lizzy was quite shy at first with so many new people, but she definitely remember Ai Van from 2 weeks prior and let her hold her immediately, and even gave kisses. By the end of the night, she was blowing kisses and playing peek-a-boo with Grandma and Grandddad, although she still wouldn’t let them hold her. These things take time with Lizzy.
August 30, 2012
The elevator at the hotel was a talking elevator, and Lizzy would laugh every time it would announce the floor when it arrived. “Piano Uno” and “Piano Zero” got laughs every time. She was also quite good at pushing the buttons for the elevator.
We did some swimming with the Mac Family today, and she and I had a big post-swimming nap. She finally let Grandma and Grandpa hold her today too, however briefly.
Here's our happy girl, just running through our room.
The elevator at the hotel was a talking elevator, and Lizzy would laugh every time it would announce the floor when it arrived. “Piano Uno” and “Piano Zero” got laughs every time. She was also quite good at pushing the buttons for the elevator.
We did some swimming with the Mac Family today, and she and I had a big post-swimming nap. She finally let Grandma and Grandpa hold her today too, however briefly.
Here's our happy girl, just running through our room.
August 31, 2012
The wedding day. Look at this beautiful girl in her beautiful dress (and matching bracelet!).
The wedding day. Look at this beautiful girl in her beautiful dress (and matching bracelet!).
It was a long day for baby, and she didn’t nap at her normal time, which meant she fell asleep right before the ceremony instead. Her Granddad sat with me and kept fanning her so she wouldn’t get hot.
In the afternoon, she didn’t seem 100% happy. I asked her if anything hurt, and she opened her mouth and pointed at her teeth. A ha! Teething pain! We went upstairs and I gave her an Orajel swab and she was so excited to see the swab she made the noise (of excited desperation) she makes when we’re about to nurse. Relief!
Some post-wedding pictures with Dada and the family.
Some post-wedding pictures with Dada and the family.
We stayed through the wedding dinner, but she was getting really sleepy, so we had to bail on dessert so I could take Lizzy to bed. We bid our farewells to the family (they were leaving the villa at 6:00 am the next morning), changed clothes, went outside one last time (more pics below) and went night night.
September 1, 2012
We had a 90 minute drive to Bologna ahead of us, so we had our breakfast and got everything packed up and the car loaded. We bid farewell to the beautiful villa and, with some nervousness, hit the road.
This was to be the single longest stretch of time Lizzy had ever been in her car seat. We were prepared to stop if needed. Imagine our relief when she sat quietly, eating tomatoes and watching Mickey Mouse for the duration of the drive. She is such a good girl.
Once we arrived at our Bologna hotel, it was (of course) lunch time. As in all our hotels, I like to take pictures of the rooms. She saw me taking this picture, and pulled her "scrunchy face" she makes when she knows a picture is being taken.
We had a 90 minute drive to Bologna ahead of us, so we had our breakfast and got everything packed up and the car loaded. We bid farewell to the beautiful villa and, with some nervousness, hit the road.
This was to be the single longest stretch of time Lizzy had ever been in her car seat. We were prepared to stop if needed. Imagine our relief when she sat quietly, eating tomatoes and watching Mickey Mouse for the duration of the drive. She is such a good girl.
Once we arrived at our Bologna hotel, it was (of course) lunch time. As in all our hotels, I like to take pictures of the rooms. She saw me taking this picture, and pulled her "scrunchy face" she makes when she knows a picture is being taken.
We got settled, and set off in seach of a local eatery. We stumbled upon the best restaurant of our entire time in Italy. Liz had tortellini bolognese, and said “Mmmmmmm” with every bite.
After one of the best lunches of our lives, we went back for our daily afternoon nap. Afterwards, we woke up and explored Bologna.
We were still pretty full from lunch, so we just grabbed some kebabs for dinner, and after a bath, headed to bed.
September 2, 2012
We got up in the morning and, as always, had breakfast. We headed out for our visit to the Ferrari Museum. To say Elizabeth loved this was an understatement. She likes cars, and likes to watch F1 with us. So she was so excited to see all these cars close up.
The big moment was in the trophy room, where all of the recent championship winning cars are displayed. She stood there, completely overwhelmed at first. Then, she started pointing at all the cars. She did this for so long!
We got up in the morning and, as always, had breakfast. We headed out for our visit to the Ferrari Museum. To say Elizabeth loved this was an understatement. She likes cars, and likes to watch F1 with us. So she was so excited to see all these cars close up.
The big moment was in the trophy room, where all of the recent championship winning cars are displayed. She stood there, completely overwhelmed at first. Then, she started pointing at all the cars. She did this for so long!
When it was time to leave this room (one can only stare at these cars for so long!), she wriggled out of my arms, down to the floor, and went running back into the room to point some more. I finally had to coax her out of the room with promises of nursing!
Daddy went to drive a Ferrari while she and I had lunch at a nearby café. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel for Daddy to nap and Mommy and Lizzy to do some packing. She’s such a good helper, bringing me whatever I’d ask for.
Afterwards, we walked around Bologna some more.
Daddy went to drive a Ferrari while she and I had lunch at a nearby café. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel for Daddy to nap and Mommy and Lizzy to do some packing. She’s such a good helper, bringing me whatever I’d ask for.
Afterwards, we walked around Bologna some more.
For dinner, we went to the same amazing restaurant we’d had lunch at the day before. They weren’t open, but they opened up just for us, since they remembered us from the day prior. How nice! More “Mmmmm” tortellini for Lizzy.
September 3, 2012
We checked out of our hotel in Bologna after breakfast and headed across the street to catch our train to Venice. After an unexpected 45 minute delay, in which Liz liked watching all the trains come and go, we boarded our car. I had bought us 2 seats in a 4-top configuration, hoping we’d get lucky and no one else would buy the other seats. We were in luck, and had all 4 seats to ourselves. She nursed, and was asleep within 10 minutes of leaving the station.
We checked out of our hotel in Bologna after breakfast and headed across the street to catch our train to Venice. After an unexpected 45 minute delay, in which Liz liked watching all the trains come and go, we boarded our car. I had bought us 2 seats in a 4-top configuration, hoping we’d get lucky and no one else would buy the other seats. We were in luck, and had all 4 seats to ourselves. She nursed, and was asleep within 10 minutes of leaving the station.
Once we got to our hotel, we headed up the room in a glass elevator, which led to shouts of “up!” or “down!” whenever we were headed either direction.
Our room had yet another bidet (hooray!) for Lizzy, and a nice living room area with a phone that she would pick up and pretend to talk to Gee.
Our hotel sold bus and water bus passes to Venice, and had a bus stop directly out front that within 10 minutes would have you deposited in Venice, right by the water bus stops. When we saw the bus approaching, we pointed at the bus and Lizzy immedaitely started doing the “Wheels on the Bus” motion with her arms. Once on board, she did the “wipers go swish swish swish” and the doors go “open and close”, much to the amusement of the other riders on the bus.
Once in Venice, we hopped on the water bus to go to St. Mark’s Square. As we were riding along the Grand Canal, I kept pointing at the boats saying “boat” to Liz. (This matters later on.)
Our room had yet another bidet (hooray!) for Lizzy, and a nice living room area with a phone that she would pick up and pretend to talk to Gee.
Our hotel sold bus and water bus passes to Venice, and had a bus stop directly out front that within 10 minutes would have you deposited in Venice, right by the water bus stops. When we saw the bus approaching, we pointed at the bus and Lizzy immedaitely started doing the “Wheels on the Bus” motion with her arms. Once on board, she did the “wipers go swish swish swish” and the doors go “open and close”, much to the amusement of the other riders on the bus.
Once in Venice, we hopped on the water bus to go to St. Mark’s Square. As we were riding along the Grand Canal, I kept pointing at the boats saying “boat” to Liz. (This matters later on.)
It had started raining when we got on the water bus, and literally stopped raining when we got off the bus in the Square. Such is our travel luck.
We walked around the square for awhile, and just wandered the back alleys and canals of Venice. Liz LOVED running around the squares, and found this little drain in the middle of a square in Venice that she wanted to stand and play on.
We walked around the square for awhile, and just wandered the back alleys and canals of Venice. Liz LOVED running around the squares, and found this little drain in the middle of a square in Venice that she wanted to stand and play on.
After a few hours of exploring, it was time to head back. We hopped back on the bus and were back at our hotel 10 minutes later. We all went to lay down for awhile just to rest, and while we were laying down and playing, she started making a funny face where she makes a tiny little “o” with her mouth. We’d mimic her, and she’d start laughing hysterically. Now, any time you ask her to “make a funny face” she makes a tiny little “o” with her mouth, and then starts laughing.
Also this night she kept saying “bo.” We couldn’t figure out what on earth she meant. What’s a “bo”?
Also this night she kept saying “bo.” We couldn’t figure out what on earth she meant. What’s a “bo”?
September 4, 2012
We woke up after a blissful night’s rest and headed down for breakfast and to go back for our last day in Venice. We hopped back on the bus, and Lizzy held onto one of the handles like she was a veteran bus rider.
We woke up after a blissful night’s rest and headed down for breakfast and to go back for our last day in Venice. We hopped back on the bus, and Lizzy held onto one of the handles like she was a veteran bus rider.
Once we were back in Venice and got on the water bus, she started pointing at all the boats and saying “bo!” Oh! That’s what “bo” is! She was talking to us about boats the night before!
We had a beautiful gondola ride through the canals, and Lizzy nursed to sleep on the gondola. Before she fell asleep, she really enjoyed the ride, and wanted in the water quite badly.
We had a beautiful gondola ride through the canals, and Lizzy nursed to sleep on the gondola. Before she fell asleep, she really enjoyed the ride, and wanted in the water quite badly.
We did some shopping, had another yummy caprese sandwich (she loves tomatoes, of course), and enjoyed a perfect day before heading back to the hotel one last time.
September 5, 2012
After breakfast and final packing, we got the hotel shuttle to take us to the airport. After check-in and a brief stop in the Alitalia lounge for some snacks, we proceeded to do some Duty Free shopping. She spotted a Pinocchio doll that she simply had to have, and she cuddled him for a long time (which is rare for her).
As we were waiting by the gate to board, the Delta reps came through the crowded waiting area to get us to escort us to the gate for early boarding. While we were standing there, the Captain came up and gave Lizzy her first set of Delta wings!
After breakfast and final packing, we got the hotel shuttle to take us to the airport. After check-in and a brief stop in the Alitalia lounge for some snacks, we proceeded to do some Duty Free shopping. She spotted a Pinocchio doll that she simply had to have, and she cuddled him for a long time (which is rare for her).
As we were waiting by the gate to board, the Delta reps came through the crowded waiting area to get us to escort us to the gate for early boarding. While we were standing there, the Captain came up and gave Lizzy her first set of Delta wings!
As always, she nursed during take-off. However, since this was a daytime flight, she was awake for about 7.5 hours of the 9.5 hour flight, taking a 2 hour nap (on Mommy). Once again, I’m so glad we got her her own seat! The extra space was so worth it. During the flight she was so good – we even had people sitting around us tell us what a good girl she was. We played with her toys, watched Mickey, played with stickers (stickers were a huge delight on this trip), ate snacks, and walked up and down the aisles twice just to change scenery for her.
During a diaper change in the lavatory, I could see up her nose and I said “Lizzy, you have boogers in your nose!” She pointed at her nose and said “buh-buh” (sounding like “booger”, but without the “g”). Realizing she had said a new word, she immediately said “dada!” because she wanted to tell him her new word. We practiced it a few more times as we finished up the diaper change. Once we returned to our seats, I said “Lizzy, tell daddy what’s in your nose”, and she immediately said “buh-buh.” She was so proud for her new word!
Once we landed at JFK, it was a cluster as 9 international flights had all landed at the same time. However, since we had a connecting flight at 6:20, we got pulled to the front of the line for passport control. Once in the passport hall, the wait looked awful again. An agent saw us with all of our bags and Lizzy, and immediately helped us to the front of what would have been another hour wait. Score!
After collecting our baggage, she needed to nurse. However, we were in line for customs, and couldn’t leave to nurse. So, I just got her what she needed right there in line, and held her while she nursed. No one said a word to me, and she got what she needed.
After two more flights (we had to connect in Detroit), we were so glad to be home. She had fallen asleep on the flight to Detroit, and slept all the way through our connection and baggage claim in Indianapolis. On our way back home, she started to stir just a little bit. I put my hand on her chest and said “sssssh.” Elizabeth, still completely asleep, put her finger up to her nose in the “sssssh” gesture that she does. Funny, beautiful girl.
During a diaper change in the lavatory, I could see up her nose and I said “Lizzy, you have boogers in your nose!” She pointed at her nose and said “buh-buh” (sounding like “booger”, but without the “g”). Realizing she had said a new word, she immediately said “dada!” because she wanted to tell him her new word. We practiced it a few more times as we finished up the diaper change. Once we returned to our seats, I said “Lizzy, tell daddy what’s in your nose”, and she immediately said “buh-buh.” She was so proud for her new word!
Once we landed at JFK, it was a cluster as 9 international flights had all landed at the same time. However, since we had a connecting flight at 6:20, we got pulled to the front of the line for passport control. Once in the passport hall, the wait looked awful again. An agent saw us with all of our bags and Lizzy, and immediately helped us to the front of what would have been another hour wait. Score!
After collecting our baggage, she needed to nurse. However, we were in line for customs, and couldn’t leave to nurse. So, I just got her what she needed right there in line, and held her while she nursed. No one said a word to me, and she got what she needed.
After two more flights (we had to connect in Detroit), we were so glad to be home. She had fallen asleep on the flight to Detroit, and slept all the way through our connection and baggage claim in Indianapolis. On our way back home, she started to stir just a little bit. I put my hand on her chest and said “sssssh.” Elizabeth, still completely asleep, put her finger up to her nose in the “sssssh” gesture that she does. Funny, beautiful girl.