I have a bit of the "calm before the storm" mentality this week...next Tuesday we are leaving to visit Jer's family. We are flying to Newark. With Colin. On a plane. With other passengers. For 3 hours. Plus the whole time in the airport. And the drive from Newark to Jer's parents house. I am honestly paralyzed with fear over this. The thought of this giant travel day, with airline terminals, flights, and then the drive...I am just frozen with terror. I know that it will be okay, I know it, but still I am so nervous that I can barely see straight. This is not a train ride that we will be able to walk away from or a playdate that we can depart early from. This is the real thing and I am having a very hard time not imagining the worst...which means that it can only be better than what I am picturing, right? I think that airline travel with a highly sensitive child could be more upsetting to the parent of that child than the child himself. ;-) I wish I could just snap my fingers and be on the airplane. The waiting and thinking is really driving me bonkers...that and the mental image of Colin standing in the terminal screaming that he does not want to ride the airplane. Yeah...that thought is slightly freaking me out. However, I am reminding myself that there is a good chance that he will love the whole experience. He does have aviation in his blood, afterall. ***breathe in***breathe out*** :-)
The good news is that we are all going to have a BLAST once we get there, of that I am sure. Colin is beside himself to see his Aunt Victoria, Aunt Amanda, Nana and Papa. We also informed him that he gets to go to the Crayola Factory, to which he almost fainted with joy. He won't stop talking about it and I cannot wait to see the look on his face when we actually get there. "Mommy, we are going to the CWAYON FACTORY where they MAKE MY CWAYONS!!" Oh my lord, it is the cutest thing I have ever heard! This is the first time for Colin to visit his Daddy's hometown and I think it is going to be so special for all of us. Now if only I could get some magical powers and just skip the travel days!
Colin is very happy these days. We do a lot with our friends and Colin's buddies have become a big part of his life. We have been going out to the airport a lot lately with all the boys to have picnics at the viewing area overlooking a runway. Colin just loves it and gets so excited when each friend arrives. He is so funny and outgoing with the people that he loves. He likes to tell jokes...which are actually just words that he picks out and decides are "silly". He then runs up and yells them at you and then cracks up with laughter, like he told you the best joke ever. His current favorite thing is to yell "CUPCAKE!" at Kim whenever he sees her. She plays her part very well and laughs at him, so he is probably going to keep it up for a long while. ;-) Here are a couple of pictures from the airport this week. I love that Colin turned around to wave at me.
Just some sweet boys watching the airplanes!
He has been saying and doing so many things that blow me away. He notices everything. EVERYTHING. When my dad was visiting about 3 weeks ago, he used a small white coffee mug. I pulled it out the other morning and Colin said, "Mommy, that is the coffee cup that Duke uses. You need to put it back." There was a woman eating in the booth behind us at lunch last Saturday and Colin leaned over the seat back and asked her why she was sad. That was an interesting moment for me. It is hard to explain to an almost 3 year old why he should not always make his observations out loud. He is loving firetrucks and any and everything that could be a "rescue" vehicle at the moment. He loves to "go on an emergency" with his firetruck, ambulance and police car and "save people". He is obsessed with his "diggers" and all construction related materials. He knows what they all are and corrects me, "Mommy that is not a digger. It is a front end loader!" The funniest thing is when we pass by the big construction area where a new "high five" roadway is going in...he gets so angry at me when I drive by and won't stop so that he can watch the big trucks working. I try to explain that you can't just stop on a major freeway, but it falls on deaf ears. :-) As the time comes to start planning Colin's birthday, I can't help but wish we could have it on a construction site. Colin would probably perish from excitement. Or better yet...go to an actual fire where firemen are putting out a blaze. Now THAT would make Colin happy. HAHAHAHA!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
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4 comments:
Been there, done that... I was shocked at how well John did! I worried myself sick for nothing. I took along coloring books and his movie player and he was as happy as could be! I'm sure Colin will do great...
I really fretted over M's first flight too, thinking about how you can't just step off a plane if your kid freaks out, LOL... but he did really well! It wasn't a long one (about 1.5 hrs), but the 2nd one was a bigger ordeal - to Fla., w/ a layover @ the DFW... M also had a pretty bad cold and wasn't feeling well at all! Yet I couldn't get over how fantastic he did! We took: snack / drink, his security item (his "gween blankie"), a couple of small new toys, a couple of small books, and of course, the DVD player and headphones!! And during the longest flights, M napped! I think the fact that flight is so fascinating to kids will work in your favor. Good luck!!!!!
I am so excited for you!! I know your nervousness...I was a big time panicker flying with gabby. Just be prepared for the worst and then if the worst does happen...don't sweat it! Best thing I did when I flew to Cali with gabby by myself last summer was to fill her little Dora backpack with goodies from the dollar store and walmart, and I didn't let her see it until we got on the plane. EAch item only entertained her for 10-15 mins, but alternating with snacks and movies, it filled the time perfectly and kept her happy. I also highly recommend a backpack for u as a carryon, made it much easier. Are you checking his carseat or having him sit in it on the plane? If u are checking it, I have the FAA Cares harness that makes the airplane seatbelt into a 5 point harness...u are welcome to borrow!
Have fun, relax, you will feel soooooo triumphant when you make it through your first flight!!
Hey there - I can't believe you are leaving already tomorrow! I was so worried about Hayden last November too. We had taken him to watch planes land at Bachman Lake and he was so terrified he wouldn't even play at the park. He was a little nervous on the plane (a few tears), but he really held it together soooooo much better than I had expected. I suspect Colin will be the same - at least I hope so! But either way, I'm sure you'll make it safely and have a ball with Jer's fam. Safe travels! We'll miss you so hurry back :)
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