The Harvey Family: Trip to Virginia

Last weekend we took a trip up to VA to visit my side of the family and Blake got a chance to meet a couple family members for the first time. We stayed with Michael, Maggie, Tristan and the dogs and Blake was very out of sorts while we were up there. He didn't want to sleep by himself so he slept with us and we had some work to do when we got back home to get him to sleep in his crib again. We're getting back to where we were, but it'll take a little time. Tristan and Blake have such opposite personalities that they had a hard time playing together. Tristan is a super outgoing kid that loves to dance and has no trouble being the center of attention. Blake, on the other hand, is extremely shy and didn't know quite what to make of Tristan. There were quite a few tears when Tristan would try and get Blake to play with him and Blake just didn't understand what was going on.

Tristan is saying so many words and it was great to have Blake around him because now that we're home, Blake has started saying a lot more. He's not saying full words but he's trying so many more sounds and is trying to use the right number of syllables. Being up there did make us realize that Blake is quite a whiner as well. That is one thing we've been working on since we've been home and will continue to be a work in progress. Lindsay said when he fusses he sounds like a dolphin and now I can't help but laugh when he does it.

The airplane ride up was pretty much what we expected. We planned our flights for the late evening so that he would hopefully fall asleep... instead, he was awake and cranky since he was so tired. He wanted to explore and play with the trays on the back of the seats in front of us and open and close the windows a lot. Thankfully the flight wasn't full and we were able to get a row to ourselves and there was no one in the middle seat in front of us so it wasn't as bad that he played with that tray pretty much the whole time. We tried looking at magazines, reading books, and even a coloring book. None of that lasted very long. We had also loaded up my phone with some Disney movies and that wasn't enough to entertain him either. Thankfully the flight home was much better. We had a 15 min delay and then people started boarding the plane. Before we got on, they stopped the boarding process because of lightning in the area. Luckily we weren't stuck on the plane and Blake was able to run around the airport for another 30 minutes or so and wear himself out. Then when we got on the full flight he was tired enough to go to sleep, but not before pooping his diaper. Mommy and Daddy got to experience changing a diaper in an airplane lavatory. It honestly wasn't too bad since we were both there and Chris could just hand me everything I needed. After getting back to our seats, I played some music on my phone for Blake and rocked him a bit and he fell asleep for the rest of the flight!

It was so good seeing everyone and I'm glad Blake finally got to meet his Grandpa Gessner and Great Granny. It was also great finally getting to meet our nephew Vernon who has grown so much! The next time we visit there will be a new little boy to meet. <3

Pictures:

Tristan loved the attention and Blake just watched everything from the background.

Lily getting love from all angles.

Blake checking out the visitor. He is quite the observer.

Blake liked when it was Tristan's nap time so he could have the car to himself.

Soon to be family of 4!

Maggie and I, and our boys... who weren't interested in this picture.

Blake loves the swing.

Uncle Michael was teaching him how to drive a stick. It'll soon be a lost art!

Tristan is always on the move... it's so hard to get a picture of him.

I thought it was so adorable that Blake held Uncle Michael's hand walking back up the driveway. <3

Tristan was always 3 steps ahead of Blake and he was determined to unlock the phone and start the music for a dance party.

It was so strange holding a baby again. Even though Vernon weighs almost as much as Blake and Tristan.

Silly Uncle Travis!

Lindsay and her baby boy.

Blake thought Uncle Travis was a nice calming presence.

Look at those cute cheeks and big blue eyes!

Mmmm... trying blueberries for the first time and loving them.

Tristan wanted to make sure Blake got the full experience in the car so he was helping him out.

Blake however didn't appear to want any help and had this face most of the time Tristan was around.

Uh oh, run away!

Vernon is working on cruising. Blake thought he was ok to have around since he didn't move quite as fast.

Getting a picture of the boys was quite a mess. There was no way to get all 3 looking their best at the same time. Blake was by far the hardest to deal with since he is so shy. He just wanted to slink out of the way. So here are a few that show how different their personalities are.