The flight out was uneventful (thank goodness!). Lyla ended up getting her own seat so that definetely helped things out a lot. I am not looking forward to paying for an extra ticket when Lyla turns 2, but I will be really grateful for the extra space!
My mom and sister really wanted to get Lyla's hair cut, so we got that out of the way the first day. Lyla looked so happy to be out with the girls for her first trip to the salon!
That weekend we drove up to Pennsylvania to go to my Aunt Pearle's surprise 70th birthday party. It was really great to see everybody, especially since a few of my cousins have kids now that are around Lyla's age. It's always great to see your kid playing with the kids of people you yourself grew up playing with. I'm again happy to report that Lyla made the six hour car ride seem like nothing, with no meltdowns or whining. To be fair, she was so exhausted I don't think she had too much energy to put up a fight anyway!
The following Tuesday my sister went in to have rotator cuff surgery. It was pretty gnarly - they had to scope her right shoulder in three different places and make a 3 - 4 inch incision down her shoulder to repair the tear in her muscle and shave off a bone spur. In an effort to go easy on everyone's stomach, I decided not to post any pictures! She took the surgery like a champ, but I know she was in a lot of pain. Lyla was a little scared of Emma, especially since I kept reminding her not to go anywhere near Emma's "big ouchie". The procedure came at a good time (I think), as Lyla and I were good distractions during the day and we were able to help her out with some daily tasks and give her a ride when she needed one. I'm happy to report she's doing great and has already started physical therapy. For now she's just hoping they let her get rid of her sling soon!
Dustin came out for the last week of our trip. While he was here, Lyla caught her first fish! To be fair, she had some help from her Pa, but still, it was very impressive! She was really excited about it, and kept telling us "I caught a fish!". Not only did she catch the fish, but she also happily ate it the next night for dinner. My parents bought a kiddie pool for us to enjoy, although Lyla definetely got the biggest kick of all. She loved splashing around and giving everyone with the feet sticking in the pool a bath with her cups.
A few days before we left, one of Emma's teammates from college, Annie, came over to check up on Emma and see Lyla. Lyla loved Annie, and she got so excited when she saw her. I think Lyla and Annie have a bit of a special bond because they have the same birthday, and because Lyla wore a shirt for Annie back during their conference tournament. Every time Lyla sees a picture of Emma's volleyball team, Lyla can always spot Annie. I'm really glad we got to see her before we left!
The theme of the trip was rest and relaxation, and it was nice just to hang out and not worry about anything. If you asked Lyla what her favorite things were from her trip, some highlights would be:
Playing "cups" with Grammy. Right before going out to Ohio, Lyla decided she hated getting a bath and screamed and cried and tried to get out of the tub as soon as we put her in. Grammy helped Lyla conquer her fears by persuading her to play with cups in the bathtub. Instead of asking Lyla if she wanted to take a bath, she would ask her if she wanted to play with cups. Lyla now LOVES taking a bath again thanks to Grammy!
Lyla loved playing with all three of the cats in Ohio. She especially loved trying to hug Spike and lay on top of him. The cats were nice enough to put up with her antics (she was, after all, trying to be gentle with them).
Lyla has now probably sampled all fast food chains after being in Ohio for a few weeks worth of lunches. She enjoyed eating at them all, although I think her favorites were Burger King and Taco Bell.
Lyla got a kick out of going to the end of the dock and feeding the fish. She was even more happy to catch and eat a fish though!
Lyla loved working out in the garden with Pa. She would hitch a ride on his wheelbarrow/cart, and then get very involved with whatever he was doing.
The biggest joy that came out of the hard work in the garden was the ability to sample some of the produce right from the plant. Lyla ate about twice her weight in peas out of the garden, sampled some onions and lettuce, and again stuffed her face with blueberries when they became ripe enough to eat. It was fun for me to watch her eagerly gobble up anything that came from the garden, especially blueberries (she claims to not even like them usually!).
Playing around in the pool Grammy and Pa bought for her. She loved showing off the swimsuits Grammy bought her and splashing around to her heart's content. It got pretty warm the last week we were there, so I'm glad she got a chance to cool down.
Lyla loved eating ice cream in a cone, or a "cupcake ice cream", as Lyla called it. When Grammy bought her one outside she was literally shaking with excitement. It will be good for us to remember how excited ice cream cones make her when it comes time to work towards a reward next time.
Lyla's favorite part of the trip was getting to spend time with Grammy, Pa, and Auntie Em when we were all just hanging out. They got to see her grow and develop in the couple of weeks we were there and we had lots of laughs along the way. Lyla is having trouble getting adjusted back to life without them, but we're excited to see them again in another month!
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